An Focal (Vol. XXV Edition 3) University of Limerick Students' Union newspaper

Vol. XXV • Edition 3

October 2016

Dean Strang at UCH

Outfits of the Week

Finn for the Win

Over 270 Students Receive President’s Volunteer Award

By Evie Kearney

The annual President’s Volunteer Award (PVA) ceremony took place on Thursday September 22nd.

Over 270 UL students were honoured for their 17,000 hours of voluntary work across a range of activities throughout the academic year 2015/16.

Since the launch of the PVA six years ago, UL students have documented 57,000 hours of volunteering through the programme.

Founder and Voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children International Adi Roche, who recently received an honourary doctorate from the university, was a guest speaker at the event.

“To be back in UL as a member of the UL family is indeed a deep pleasure,” Ms Roche said.

“Volunteering is the bedrock belief of our organisation (Chernobyl Children). We have approximately 5000 volunteers all over the country and they to me are like an army of people, an army of different kinds of expertise in giving.

“We would not exist without that volunteering.”

Ms Roche praised the 277 students who received gold, silver and bronze PVA awards from Prof Don Barry in the University Concert Hall.

She encouraged students to continue their volunteering efforts when they leave university and to become a lifelong advocate of active citizenship.

“Kind words will not heal a broken body or heal a hungry baby. The translation of the action of doing something is what does transform in to that life saving surgery, that needle and syringe, that food on the table that heals that broken body.

“At the heart of volunteering is service. It is a virtue that is freely given with a good and noble heart, without any preconditions, without any payment. The blessing that comes back to all of you, I’m sure comes back a thousand fold, and that is then a reflection in turn to the societies that you are going to be a part of and are a part of. “ Also speaking at the

ceremony was 2011 PVA recipient and Half Way Art House Founder Paul Campbell, whose project gives a creative outlet to the homeless.

Mr Campbell spoke about his own time with the PVA programme, and how a small idea can become reality with the help of a team of dedicated volunteers.

“For as much as any

volunteer puts in, you will receive much more back. The small steps you take as a volunteer not only help those you work with - they can also inspire others around you and every step you take on your journey will be one closer to making a real difference,” he said.

A large focus of the ceremony was the launch of the new higher education volunteer-

ing website – studentvolunteer.ie, which was brought to life by UL’s Community Liaison Officer Gabriella Hanrahan.

UL President Professor Don Barry said: “I’m proud to say that UL set the blueprint for what will now be a national asset for higher education institutions as well as charitable organisations in Ireland and beyond.”

Nine higher level institutions have signed up to the website, making it accessible to more than 100,000 students across the country.

Students now have the ability to apply online for volunteering opportunities and log their hours on the website.

Last year, over 90 volunteer positions were available on campus with 600 off-campus opportunities.

October 2016

2

C&S Budget Update

By Evie Kearney Thirty-nine clubs and societies will receive a budget this year from the Students Union.

These 39 have satisfied a list of criteria available online and approved by the C&S council.

The list of requirements includes attending council meetings, the recruitment drive, and developing a committee.

The majority of clubs and societies who do not receive a budget failed to submit one by the deadline, according

to C&S Development Manager Paul Lee. He said: “There’s lots of reasons they might not get one, but ultimately it’s a failure on behalf of a voluntary committee.”

C&S Coordinator Michelle Whyte runs treasurers’ workshops throughout the year to help committees understand the budget system.

“She will try to explain and coach people as to how to do it. Individual committees can ask to meet with us on a one to one to explain the

CREDITS EDITOR: Paul Saunders NEWS: Evie Kearney SPORTS: Caoimhin Reilly PHOTOS: Stacey Walsh DESIGN: Hannah Carr-Murphy CONTRIBUTORS: Hatem Abnoun Maxine Bramley David Byrne Sarah Coleman Kenneth Conlon Emma Craven Aedín Dunne Aoibhinn Fitzgerald Darragh Fitzmaurice Nicole Glennon John Harty Ciara Maria Hayes Kyle Lehane Katie Martin Aisling Moloney Federica Montella Aisling O’Connor Chloe O’Keeffe Kathleen O’Sullivan Caoimhín Reilly Yash Sanghvi Megan Thornton Seamus Toomey Maeve Wrixon

Paul Saunders As you’ve read on the first page, the Presidents Volunteer Award (PVA) ceremony was held last week and handed out 277 awards to UL students.

The PVA is an excellent award that shows how much you care for the local community and believe it or not contributing to An Focal counts towards getting an award.

If you have been reading my editorials you will know how badly I want the students of UL to contribute and now there is extra in-

administration of clubs and societies, so there’s quite a lot of opportunity to understand this,” Paul explained.

The deadline for budget submission is always the week after exams finish in May but some clubs and societies are eligible for budget extensions based on them taking part in summer activities.

New clubs and societies are not entitled to a budget allocation until they complete a 15week trial that will get them “into the fold”.

However, they can be subsidised heavier than the existing ones – potentially getting 100% of their request instead of the 50-50 given to others.

“The longer that they’re around we try to turn the subsidy down so that their dependence on the handout goes down and the acknowledgment that they have to do some fundraising as a fundamental part of us not having all the money to give to clubs and societies is enshrined,” Paul said.

Log Your President’s Volunteer Award Hours as an An Focal Writer centive to do so.

The award is given to those who volunteer their time for a good cause and informing the students of UL about what is going around here is an important cause.

I have written previously on how I am surprised at how many people read this paper and how many people have an opinion on what is being written.

We have published our second letter to the Eighth Amendment written by Kenneth Conlon who opposes

@AnFocal_UL

repealing the eighth.

I said that anyone can have their say whether it be good, bad, or indifferent and all you have to do is email me or come chat to me in the SU. And now you can do that and be awarded a certificate by the President for doing so - contributing to the paper never sounded so good.

To volunteer for An Focal you simply have to go onto studentvolunteer.ie and request to write for An Focal, it’s as simple as that and by the end of the year you

could have a large body of published work and an award in your hands.

I want to reiterate that contributing isn’t strictly for journalism or English students.

We now have students of dance, politics, engineering and business writing these articles so it really is for anybody.

Journalism is not strictly for journalists, informing the public on what matters is a skill that can be learned by anyone and my office is open to anyone who wants to learn

An Focal

how to keep the UL students informed of what’s going on around their campus.

People don’t realise how heavily they lean on the good work of journalists, the newspaper you read, the radio show you listened to, the website you check every day, all of these have been prepared tirelessly by journalists and while An Focal can’t pay you, we can reward you with some good friends and a handshake from the President at the end of the year.

AnFocalUL

October 2016

3

Troy Village Damaged By Locals

By Federica Montella

Troy Student Village has been repeatedly damaged by local kids in the past two weeks.

Children from the neighbourhood broke the pedestrian gate at the entrance of the student village last Saturday by crashing a bike into it and they also damaged the sensor on the gate last Monday.

Their abusive behaviour is nothing new to the residents and the university staff – they had been offensive and insulting in the past

years as well.

“They are a nuisance.

The university should be able to deal with it, to provide me and other students with security. And if they won’t, as an American citizen, I will report it to the US embassy,” says one of the students.

Most of the children vandalizing the area live in the neighbouring estates and it is very easy for them to hop over the wall and run from security, especially at daytime.

Troy Village Manager Philip King said he

could not discuss the are going to solve the vandals, abusive and ing with them,” said topic. problem as quick as terrible for cursing, I one of the residents.

“It is an ongoing in- possible. These kids are am really sick of dealvestigation with the Gardaí,” he explains.

“We are dealing with it. We brought it to the attention of the community Gardaí and the head of Security in the University. At the minute my staff tenders are trying to speak to them, but they are children, so they won’t listen to us,” Mr King added.

Several students have gone to the reception asking for explanations. “I hope they

University of Limerick drops in Times Higher Education Rankings

By Megan Thornton

In this report UL remains in the 501-600 The University of Lim- category for the second erick has been named year running, while as one of the lowest other Universities such ranking Irish Univer- as the National Universities, in a new report sity of Galway (NUIG) published by ‘Times and The Royal College Higher Education’. of Surgeons in Ire-

land (RCSI) have both moved up ranks on the list.

The Times Higher Education rankings are based on areas such as teaching, research and international outlook.

UL was named Uni-

versity of the Year by the Irish Times only last year, leading one UL student to say: “It makes me wonder what is after changing.”

Other students have expressed their confusion and concern on the

matter also, with one student saying it makes her feel disappointed because she feels UL has a lot to offer and the ranking may lead to “unease among students because it makes you wonder what UL lacks.”

Another student has offered her disbelief at UL’s new ranking, as she has studied in Universities abroad and said “they were nothing like UL” in terms of friendliness towards international students.

Other Irish universities have slipped down also, with University College Dublin (UCD) falling from 176th place last year into the 201-250 band this year.

Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has been omitted from the rankings due to a data error regarding the college’s funding.

Last week, UL also fell in the QS World University Rankings los-

ing its place in the top 500 Universities in the world and leaving it in the 501-550 band.

The chairman of the UL Alumni Association Bobby O’Connor stated that although they are “disappointed with UL’s place in the QS World University Rankings,” they question whether it is a level playing field and believe it is more important that UL graduates are 14% more likely to be employed after graduation than any other Irish University.

The President of Maynooth college Professor Philip Nolan said in the Irish Times that the wider university sector was in crisis and the government was too slow to act.

“This inaction threatens the very future of our university system.

The Irish university system is, right now, world class, but it won’t be for long,” he said.

October 2016

4

Special Workforce Planning Unit Needed for HSE, Says UL Lecturer

By Katie Martin

UL Senior Economics Lecturer Dr Stephen Kinsella recently recommended the establishment of a dedicated workforce planning unit to straddle both the Department of Health and the HSE following an in-depth study of five workforce planning models in various countries.

Dr Kinsella, with his colleague Rachel Kiersey, presented the outcome of their recent research project to the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare.

According to Dr Kinsella, “The reason the health workforce planning is important is because if you don’t have it the system evolves

in very non-standard ways.”

Dr Kinsella recommended both a quantitative and qualitative approach - the first to determine the level of resources currently in existence with the second to determine what service providers actually require to do their job.

He believes a three year time frame would produce the workforce planning model for Ireland’s health service.

“It can be done well in that period if resources are made available to do it properly,” he said.

He also said the development of the unit would not tie up critical funds in administration and managerial posts.

“There are 103,000 people working in the

crease in size organically as funds allow.”

Chair of the Committee Deputy Róisín Shortall also sees potential to develop a clear and meaningful strategy for the health care system of Ireland.

Dr Kinsella felt the unit would address geographical issues in relation to workforce planning and the urgent matter in relation to serious frontline staffing issues.

“The only way to improve outcomes is to put the best people with the best systems in front system. At the margin, “The unit would pay of the patients when we are talking about ten for itself instantly if they need healthcare. to 20 extra, at a cost of it resulted in the effi- Workforce planning is one or two million per cient allocation of ten only one small element year. If that sounds a consultant posts to the of this, but done well it lot, remember we spent right part of the system, can help improve out€18 billion on health in as opposed to allowing comes for patients.”

2015. the system to simply in- In relation to whether

the unit would enhance the image and work of the HSE, Dr Kinsella said: “It’s really a separate function. People judge the HSE on what it does, particularly what it does to them and their families when they need its help.

Dr Kinsella believes that it’s not important if there is a HSE, or some other structure, but that the governance structure is vital in treating sick patients.

“Anything that helps them do a better job will be welcomed. If it’s just another set of forms with no change in things for them, then it won’t. That’s why I spend a lot of time discussing governance issues. In the end, the recommendations need to be acted upon.”

Broken Glass a Campus Concern

By Nicole Glennon The amount of broken glass found on campus has increased this semester.

An increase in broken glass on pathways has been causing problems for cyclists in particular.

Groundskeeper Tom Flaherty believes the problem is particularly bad at the College Court entrance, as well as the cycling path from the flagpoles to the Stables and around the taxi ranks.

“Taxi drivers won’t let you drink your beer in the car, so students end up breaking the glass bottles on the footpath around the taxi rank,” he said.

Mr. Flaherty, who has a child attending UL, said that he can understand students drinking en route to the Stables or Scholars as alcohol is cheaper bought in bulk from local off-licences

than on campus.

However, incorrectly disposing of the glass bottles is hazardous to cyclists and students walking who may have unsuitable footwear.

There are currently

only three groundskeepers who clean up around the campus, and Mr. Flaherty feels even one more person could help lessen the burden.

“In my humble opin-

ion, we could do with more bins along the avenue in to UL and more manpower,” Mr. Flaherty said.

Seán Collins, Building & Estates Travel & Transport Co-ordi-

nator in UL said that there has even been an increase in the number of glass related puncture repairs attending the Free Bike Mechanic each Tuesday.

He also said he has noticed an increase in broken glass on the paths leading up to the college gates from Castletroy.

Mr Collins, who is also a member of UL’s Environmental Society, suggested the University adopt a policy similar to one used in Germany.

“They incentivise collecting and recycling glass in exchange for money.”

He believes this could help reduce “this mindless act of littering.”

October 2016

5

A Letter to the Eighth Amendment

By Kenneth Conlon Dear Article 40.3.3°, Medieval, archaic. Just some of the words used to describe you, and people like me, who agree with having you in Bunreacht na hÉireann. In 2016, thirty-three years after you took your place in the Constitution, people are calling for your removal.

Only last year, Ireland was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote.

The Emerald Isle was then labelled a socially liberal nation. Realising this, a connection was made, and sections of the pro-choice movement sought to bring attention to the Eighth Amendment, believing that if a majority supported this referendum, then a majority would support a repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

It is neither correct nor fair to assume that those who voted yes to one Referendum would vote yes to another.

Nonetheless, the issue of the Eighth Amendment has resurfaced in recent years, with the case of Savita Halappanavar, who died tragically due to septicaemia, of which a termination of pregnancy would not have been a cure.

More recently, however, the #RepealThe8th has appeared on social media, as well as a Twitter account which live tweeted the journey taken by two women as one of them sought

an abortion in the UK. Several TDs wore REPEAL t-shirts to the Dáil last week, which resulted in “Baby Killer Out” being spray painted on the wall of AAA TD Mick Barry’s office in Cork.

With all this media attention, you would be forgiven for thinking that the entire nation wanted to do away with you. However, this is not the case. People like me are almost afraid to admit that we oppose abortion, for fear of being lambasted by the pro-choice movement.

The first port of call is to refer to me as a religious fanatic, and blame the Catholic Church for its grip upon Irish society. Let me tell you, I was born and raised Catholic, but I’m not the best, to be quite honest. I go to mass about four times a year, and I look around in bewilderment at the rest of the congrega-

tion, when I realise that yet another part of the mass has been changed since I last attended.

You see, the church isn’t my moral compass; I’m not pro-life because the church says it’s wrong to end another human life. Religion has nothing to do with it.

People like me are also told, that because I don’t have a uterus, I don’t have a say. That is hypocritical, because, these very same people claim that they should be allowed make their own decisions, i.e. have their own opinion, yet we are not. Naturally, I don’t agree with their line of thinking.

I ignore these silly comments, just like the “If you don’t agree with abortion, don’t have one” argument, because this doesn’t get to the core of the issue: The right to choice vs the right to life.

Of course, we all love

to have choices, we make many choices every day. However, despite the UN condemning our abortion laws, they also state that the right to life is a fundamental human right, so for me, that far outweighs the right to choice, which justifies why you should remain in the Constitution.

You see, you serve a very important purpose. You protect those of whom have no choice, and no voice the unborn.

There are many different camps among the pro-choice movement.

There are those who believe that an unborn baby is just a “cluster of cells,” although I didn’t realise that a cluster of cells was capable of pumping blood despite only existing for six weeks.

These people want abortion on demand, because to them it’s not a baby, yet having

seen images of aborted foetuses in secondary school, I couldn’t possibly describe it as anything other than a baby.

There are those who believe that it would be better if some babies were aborted rather than having them being raised unloved.

To that, I say there is adoption.

Countless couples would love to have children, but sadly cannot, and while adoption is never easy, it at least gives the innocent child a chance at life.

As of 2014, there were at least 14 times more couples wanting to adopt children than there were children available in Ireland, according to the Adoption Authority of Ireland.

Then there are people who believe that there are certain circumstances in which a termination of pregnancy should be allowed, such

as fatal foetal abnormalities, but there have been cases where children have lived, despite doctors telling devastated parents that their child would not live.

Every case is different, so how can you legislate for something like that?

The easy option would be to remove you from the Constitution for that reason, but for me, life is far too precious, even those with severe disabilities.

It saddens and angers me to think that in the UK, a woman can abort a baby up to full term if the child has Down Syndrome. Where is the value in human life gone? Can you honestly tell me that a parent doesn’t love their child the same regardless of whether they are born with a disability or not?

Hope you don’t leave any time soon, you’re rather important, Regards, The concerned ones.

Are you interested in writing a Letter to the Eight? Whether you are for or against, we want to hear from you.

Email anfocal@ul.ie for more information.

October 2016

6

Sabbats Out For the Sesh

By Kyle Lehane Sabbatical Sessions is a relaxed, carefree, casual gathering in Stables every Tuesday night with the head officials of the student’s union.

The main aim of this gathering is socializing, playing some games of pool and breaking down the invisible barrier between students and the students’ union.

The Students’ Union function is not well known amongst many, which led to the idea of the Sabbatical Sessions being formed, building on from Colin Clarke’s Pints with the President which had been running the year prior.

Student Union President Sarah Dunphy said they wanted to set up the event “to break down some of the stereotypes surrounding our roles and remind

the students that we’re just like them.”

She explained how after graduating from her own course, she wanted to give a year back to the university and realises the positon that first years are going through.

“I found it difficult to settle in at first just like everyone really,” she said.

However after some time the Kilkenny native came to love her time spent here on campus.

Welfare Officer Caolan O’Donnell described him and his fellow sabbatical team members as unengaged students who rarely made contact with the student union.

“Myself, Donal and Sarah saw how beneficial it could be to get that kind of student involved so we wanted to make a difference,”

Caolan said.

All three believe that this unique experience will bring a new, original perspective to the student union that will help to widen their appeal and expand their membership across campus.

It is important that students know who is in their corner because many do not know where to turn to until they are in a crisis.

This is a problem that all three officers have encountered and feel that with social gatherings like Sabbatical Sessions problems will be solved before they even arise.

Communication is key and vitally needed to help the student union with daily things so there is a strong hope that students will not shy away from asking questions of any nature in this refreshing,

friendly environment.

Academic Officer Donal Foley described the function of the sabbatical team as being walking signposts there to help guide you in the right direction.

“We’re not going to bite,” Donal said.

The need for basic information off students for the sabbatical team

should not be understated as these help to tailor events and better the teams overall perception of what is needed by the students.

“A lot of people think you need to ask high convoluted questions.

We don’t need that.

Things like what would you like to see in the students union that

would make you come in,” he added.

The key message that the Sabbatical team wants to give to students is that they are their representatives.

In Caolan’s words, the Sabbatical Sessions simply exists to “have chats, play pool and pints.”

Looking Back on the Living Bridge

By Darragh Fitzmaurice The Living Bridge will have its 9th birthday on November 6th.

Designed by award-winning architecture firm, Wilkinson Eyre of London, England, the bridge design engineering was supplied by ARUP Ireland and built by Eiffel Construction Inc, France’s largest bridge building company.

Professor of Civil Engineering Tom Cosgrove described how a major challenge in the bridge’s construction was due to “the loca-

tion of the bridge in a Special Area of Conservation” with the flora and fauna, salmon and lamprey species.

“Spawning seasons for each species are different, the window for construction was rather narrow,” he said.

“Once the foundations were in place, five spans had to be brought in and dropped in their location in a short space of time. Each prefabricated unit was almost identical so it was essentially one operation that had to be repeated five times.”

The successful completion of the bridge

makes it the longest pedestrian bridge in Ireland to date, at a total of 350 metres in length, and the design was developed to mirror the river Shannon, which flows beneath it.

As a structural engineer, Prof Cosgrave’s favourite aspect of the bridge is its infamous shakiness as pedestrians walk across it.

“It provides a little movement when you walk over it, so you know you are crossing over water.”

He also recommends the stunning views, especially during the spring and summer

seasons.

The name of the bridge relates to the link that the bridge establishes between the south section in County Limerick, and the north section of the river section in County Clare.

The bridge provides an important link between the main campus areas on the North Bank, which hosts the Irish World Academy, Medical School and Health Sciences buildings, The Pavilion Bar, two student villages and the university’s multi-purpose all-weather sports pitches.

October 2016

7

UL Leaving Students Satisfied

By Paul Saunders The University of Limerick and Mary Immaculate College have topped an International student satisfaction survey of Irish universities.

The survey carried out

by StudyPortals gathered reviews from over 15,000 students from all over Europe. Ireland came in second in the overall category, with Norway in first place and Poland in third.

The University of Limerick was the highest rated college in Ireland with an “outstanding score” of 9.5, beating University College Cork and Universi-

ty College Dublin.

“Studying abroad in Limerick was one of the most impacting experiences of my life… there isn’t anything negative I can say about my experience,” one American student said.

The majority of international students

polled, said that the Irish people was one of the best parts of their study experience.

“Studying abroad in Limerick was one of the most impacting experiences of my life… the Irish were open-minded, helpful and very friendly, I immediately

felt at home.”

“I received a lot of support from the college and I knew there would always have been a person I could have gone to when I would have had problems,” an Austrian student said.

Students can leave anonymous messag-

es on the StudyPortal website about their time at any University around Europe.

“Limerick taught me so much about living in an Irish city. It had great bus connections to other cities, making weekend traveling a very feasible option.

However, many local pubs, eateries, and activities made Limerick a wonderful place to call home,” said one American student.

“The quality of teaching is excellent, the teachers and staff are very welcoming and always ready to help the students. Foreign students are very welcome and the atmosphere is friendly and warm. I would definitely recommend this college,” a French student said.

“I had a once in a lifetime experience at an amazing school with people I will never forget,” an American student said.

Career Guidance Fair Blood Donations

Not Meeting Quota

By Kathleen O’Sullivan

By Sarah Coleman

Colleges from across the country were also Hundreds of second in attendance providlevel students attended ing information about the Career Guidance their wide range of colFair held in the Arena lege courses and interhere in UL last week. acting with potential The main aim of this new students. event was for students However, it wasn’t just to learn about the wide the stands for the Irish range of college cours- colleges that proved es that they may be popular but also the interested in, as they UCAS stand allowprepare to fill out their ing students to study CAO application in the abroad. coming months.

Students commented

that this opportunity was something they were very much considering, especially those hoping to pursue a career in nursing or medicine.

Feedback following the event was positive as students left more informed about various college courses, and also with an array of new stationary from the day to show off back at school!

A blood donation clinic took place in Caherdavin, Limerick Wednesday 28th September.

This clinic was one of many trying to reach the goal of 3000 blood donations a week for the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.

In the past year, donations have decreased by 21% and attempts are being made to encourage people to become blood donors.

In June, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service voted to lift the lifetime ban on men who engage in intercourse with other men, donating blood.

Now, men who have abstained for 12

months are able to donate blood.

However, many feel justice has not been achieved still.

UL Student *Mike, who is homosexual and was not able to donate blood on Wednesday, feels strongly, that if someone is of good health and willing to be a donor, they should be given the opportunity to donate.

“I find it very upsetting that I cannot give blood. I think it’s disgraceful that in 2016 we live with such strict regulations that prevent vital donations of a scarce resource.

“Many people thought that we achieved equality in 2015, yet these regulations prove that complete equality has not been attained,”

Mike said.

Mike believes that if there were less restrictions, donations would possibly increase donations profoundly.

In order to give blood, one must be between the age of 18 and 65.

Anyone who is HIV positive, has received a blood transfusion in Ireland on or after January 1st, 1980, or received a blood transfusion outside of Ireland is not eligible to donate blood.

Coming into winter, it is especially important that no one with a cold donates blood.

To read the full list of guidelines, go to www. giveblood.ie. *Name of student changed under request

October 2016

8

A Tuesday Away at Stables

By Aisling Moloney

Limerick band A Weekend Away played Stables on Tuesday night (27th September), pleasing the overwhelming crowd with their mix of original and cover songs.

A Weekend Away is made up of UL students Lead Guitarist Patrick O’Donnell, Bassist Peter Corbett and Drummer Evan Berry, as well as Rhythm Guitarists Jacob Woulfe and Vocalist Peadar Storey, who attend LIT and UCC respectively. ht, AWA played a lot of their own material and debuted two new songs - so new that they haven’t been named yet. They plan to release an EP early in the New Year.

Lead Guitarist Patrick, who is a first year Music, Media & Performance Technology student, said: “It was the

first time we had played those two songs and they were both received quite well, we think.”

The boys previously played Stables last year

and Dolans during the summer as a supporting act.

“The gig this time definitely felt more real as it was our own gig. We

knew that people were there just to see us. We were much more comfortable playing at the Stables this year as the band has really come a

Pitch Perfect at UL

By Yash Sanghvi

“When I came in at first I was one of those people that never The sound of guitars being performed outside the shower strummed to Fast Cars by Tracy and now I can proudly say I have Chapman comes filtering down performed in front of a crowd from the second floor of the and it’s been class. No prior exIrish World Academy. perience is needed to join this A group of some twenty memclub, we will teach everything bers of the UL Glee Club sing that needs to be taught.” versions of music by artists such The club is gearing up and as Freddie Mercury, Led Zeppehopefully next year will see them of people who love singing competing at Inter-Varisty level. lin and Michael Jackson.

President of ‘Voice’ Brian Grif- whether it be in the shower or “We are trying to set up a showfin, which encompasses Glee anywhere. It’s all about the free- case for some time next year, and is a subset of the UL Mu- dom at a place where no one will fingers are crossed,” Brian adds. sic Society, said: “It is a group judge you here.

long way.

“Since then we decided to really take things 100% seriously.

We were all ready to commit ourselves fully

to this band and this commitment has been a contributing factor to our progress in the last year,” said Patrick.

The band were happy to work with UL Music Society to bring the gig together.

Patrick said: “I think the guys from Music Soc were very easy to work with and certainly knew exactly what they were doing and got the job done well.”

They played covers of My Own Worst Enemy

by Lit and Sidewinder

by Catfish and the Bottlemen.

They started with their favourite original song ‘Parseltongue,’ which is available to listen to on their YouTube channel.

Patrick mentioned the nerves of playing in front of fellow college peers but said that in the end “all of that is left off-stage because once we get on that stage, a show is a show.”

Limericks from Limerick

By Martin Lennon

Nice Handwriting If there is one thing I can apart It is that nice handwriting is an art Like a candle in the dark Mysterious Joan of Arc A bullseye waiting for a perfect dart

October 2016

9

Hijab Fashion in New York

By Kathleen O’Sullivan

New York Fashion Week took place from September 8th to the 15th and showcased the new trends for the Autumn/Winter season (A/W).

There was no lack of cultural and human awareness this year with shows like Jeans for Refugees taking prime positions in the week’s hectic schedule.

History was made as a designer for the first time ever had all her models wearing hijabs.

The show received a standing ovation from the audience, people of both Islamic faith and non-Islamic faith have remarked positively of the event online.

Sanober Farheen Memon is from Pakistan, is currently doing a PhD in Electronic Engineering in UL and is of Islamic faith, said:

“Wearing the scarf is considered very important in our religion.

When we wear it, we feel more peaceful, respectful and closer to Allah. Girls see the wearing of it in our culture by their mothers, aunts and cousins and they start wearing it.

“I really liked the wearing of the scarves in the show. The way the models wore the scarf and the dress-up was very nice. It is that

fashion that we can also adopt.

“Sometimes when we watch these fashion weeks and the style of the outfits being worn cannot be adopted by us according to our religion. We feel comfortable in the clothes we wear and usually in fashion shows we do not see those type of things.

“I really like that our dress is being promoted. Often the girls we

Outfits of the Week

By Maeve Wrixon

see wearing the hijabs are not into the modelling field, so if the train goes with that, I think more of those girls will be able to go into modelling.

“I am very proud to wear the scarf. As I said, when we wear it we feel more at peace with ourselves. No matter what else we have in our lives, if we do not have peace it is pointless,” Ms Memon said.

Make the Effort This Semester

By Aoibhinn Fitzgerald

Bronagh O Connor

Barry Murphy

Aoise Howard

T-shirt – New Look Chain – Boohoo Jeans – River Island

Shirt - River Island T-shirt - Pennys Jeans - River Island Shoes -Vans

Coat – Misguided Blouse – H&M Pencil skirt- H&M

Fashion icon: Kendall Jenner

Fashion icon: Ryan Gosling

Fashion icon: Gigi Hadid

Most hated: Black and navy

Most hated: Double denim

Most hated: Sweatpants

Monthly fashion spend: 80 euro

Monthly fashion spend: 50 euro

Monthly fashion spend: 200 euro

Heading into the start of week five and... well let’s face it, the first day back we all put a little effort in with our new college shoes.

Slowly but surely we have slugged back into the comfy baggy hoodies grey sweat pants and the gym shoes which are grand you know for that one day of the week you really can’t be bothered but there is a way to find some middle ground.

I’m not talking Gucci and Tommy Hilfiger jeans here just a bit of thought and a few easy options to help you keep your style game up. Why is it we lose interest in our image?

Is it a domino effect?

One group if students wear sweat pants and boom we all fall for it?

Accessories are key; get yourself down to #pennyshun pick up some cheap and cheerful Autumn colored

scarfs. Burnt orange , caramelized tones burgundy and mustard are always in during this season. A good warm fashion coat is always a great way to spruce up an outfit or a cute beanie hat complete with bonbon top.

The dreaded UGG season is upon us so you might as well cave now and stock up on a few different colors.

The baggy jumper , skinny jeans and high leg boot look is always a college wear win! Pop on a crazy colored rain coat (you know you need it) or yellow umbrella and there you have it college ready still comfy but not the typical UL week five student.

Boys I’m talking to you too ditch those lonsdale white stripe pants wash the jeans you’ve left piked into a corner. A shaved and well groomed man is always a hit so why not put the effort in?

October 2016

10

Working for a Greener Campus

By Ciara Maria Hayes The popular Green Schools programme is run by An Taisce, and thus far an impressive ninety-three percent of Irish schools, both primary and secondary, have taken part, with a staggering 1,068 green flags having been awarded to date.

The programme aims to increase the environmental awareness and the understanding of living sustainably of the students who take part, with the students themselves being

heavily encouraged to contribute their own ideas and thoughts in the process to lead their school to achieving the green flag.

Recently the programme has made the significant transition to universities, colleges and institutions of technology.

The Green Campus initiative was born due to the efforts of a group of UCC students, who were determined that what the Green Schools Maria Kirrane was Programme stood for one of the students who would be continued on contributed largely to to third-level. this project.

schools. When we got to university we realised there wasn’t a lot of interest in the environmental management of the campus. It was being done at primary and secondary level, so we didn’t understand why it wasn’t being done at third level.”

The group then contacted An Taisce and university authorities to try and promote better environmental care on campuses, such as “I was in the environ- better waste disposal mental society at UCC, facilities and a bigger and a lot of us had emphasis on recycling. come from Green Flag Due to the efforts

of the group, UCC saved about one million euro thanks to the programme and the university became the world’s first to earn a green flag.

Maria’s efforts have come a long way with twenty third-level institutions in Ireland registered with the Green Campus programme.

She is hopeful that other institutions, both on a national and international level, will take note of the benefits of the Green Campus programme and take part.

ULSU Election ‘17 Morning Hacks Prep Underway

By Aimee Wells

By Chloe O’Keeffe The Students’ Union announced last Tuesday (September 27th) that the annual election was scheduled for Thursday Week 9 of emester Two. The yearly election selects those who will take the paid positions of the Sabbatical Officers and executive for the following year.

The Sabbatical Officers are the primary representatives of students at university meetings, with the Students’ Union President representing the university both locally and nationally.

The SU President is the person who “talks on behalf of all UL students,” Development Democracy Manager Liz Gabbett said.

Nominations will be taken from Friday of Week 7 (March 10th)

until Thursday of Week 8 (March 16th) and nomination forms will be available at the Students’ Union.

This form will require 60 student signatures to both propose and then second the candidate.

Providing the form is filled out correctly and submitted on time the candidate will then run for election the following week in what the Student Union like to call ‘Campaign Week.’

In previous years Week 6 of the second semester was known as nomination week and election week was then week 7.

However, this year nomination week will be week 7 and campaign week will be week 9.

Week 8 is short a day due to St. Patricks day landing on the Friday.

The election itself will be a one day online

election.

All students are encouraged to vote and will be able to easily with the obvious provision of an internet connection.

The voting system used is the “Simple Transfer Vote,” system - the preference voting system very commonly used for the Irish election.

Liz Gabbett hopes to run a workshop around Christmas for those possibly interest in running for election.

She also encourages anyone interest to speak to past Sabbatical Officers about what the jobs and positions entail.

Liz will also always be on hand to give advice and go through what the jobs will involve.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity but it is work,” she said.

of apps out there that can track your sleepMinimise that Hang- ing cycles, and tell you over: College includes how to get the most the late night ‘sesh’ out of your time in bed and making memories like ‘Sleep Genius’ and with friends, but those ‘Pillow.’ great nights can make for monstrous mornings, so it’s important to do some damage control. When going to bed, try to plan for the morning. Hot Press recommends a pint of water and two paracetamol before sleep to help prevent a hangover, while Cosmopolitan says mixing with juice instead of fizzy drinks can help avoid a headache the Turn off the snooze next day. After all, it’s button: Ah the snooze much easier to hop out button, the most perof the bed when your fect example of a false head isn’t pounding friend. It seems great at louder than the tunes 8am, those extra nine in Angel Lane. minutes of sleep, then the next few, and then Make the most of one last snooze until your sleep: Waking next thing you have a up fresh isn’t all about psychology lecture in sleeping for a full eight ten minutes and you’re hours, you can feel just running out the door as alert if you simply faster than Usain Bolt wake up at the right on sugar pills. Trust time. There are loads me when I tell you, it’s

not helping. it’s just making your mornings harder. You’re getting broken sleep, and leaving yourself no time to wake up and get ready for the day.

Have a good breakfast: This one seems obvious, but it really will make a big difference. I know the lure of potato slices and one euro Fanta can be tempting, but eating something filling at home can work wonders. You’d be surprised how easy it is to concentrate when you’re not thinking about what to get on your breakfast roll.

Eating once you wake will kick start your metabolism and give you a well needed boost of energy. There’s no point in being unrealistic, so I won’t tell you to have five pieces of fruit with oats and organic yogurt, but throw a couple of Weetabix in a bowl and you’ll be sorted till lunch.

October 2016

11

Freshers Flu Pandemic Hits UL

By Katie Martin As the first few weeks of college come to a close and the novelty of living away from home wears off, the presence of runny noses and barking coughs seem to be on the rise. Sound familiar?

No matter where you go, be it a lecture, tutorial or even the Students Union, I guarantee you’ve had a run in with somebody and their snot rags.

Why is this you ask? Is it our bodies telling us we can’t hack the college life? Is it karma for going a bit hard on the sesh the night before?

Or is it simply just our way of mourning mammy and her many com-

forts? Still not sure?

Well fear not, for there are in fact genuine reasons as to why we all sound like a pack of chainsmokers.

Studies show that the reason we come down with what I like to call “Freshers Flu,” is due to having moved to new surroundings.

Dusty shelves, dirty carpets and unused kitchens all play a huge part in the spread of this plague.

My tip for you to prevent further illness is simple, hover and mop your floors at least twice a week.

Yes, I know that means having to do actual work, but believe me when I say, 10 minutes of housekeeping is

worth not ending up miserable and stuck in bed for a week on antibiotics.

Pot noodles, pasta and potato wedges ring a bell? However cheap and easy they may be, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but unfortunately these contain very little of our required nutrients.

Why not try throw apples or oranges into the mix? You’ll feel all the better for it.

Last but not least, potentially one of the biggest reasons we come down with this affliction is the simple fact of meeting new people.

No, I don’t mean that random bird from Mollies, I’m talking about housemates, lecturers Another reason we and even shopkeepers. get this “Freshes Flu” is No matter where you down to our new found go, everybody has their eating habits. own germs, some of

which you may not be immune to. So grab yourself a little bottle of hand sanitiser, they retail for 99c in Aldi.

There are alternative methods to curing this flu such as eating mountains of garlic but that’s for another day.

For now, I recommend sticking to the tips above, getting a reasonable amount of sleep and keeping hydrated (on water that is).

If your symptoms get worse and Spar are still sold out of the trusty Halls, make an appointment with the student doctor and take it from there.

Just remember, you won’t be a fresher forever.

How Early is Too Early to Decorate?

By Aedín Dunne The days are getting shorter, the nights colder and the paths covered in multi-coloured leaves, which can only mean one thing...Halloween is on its way.

I know there’s a few weeks left to go yet but

already there are Halloween decorations for sale. Is it a bit too early?

Don’t get me wrong Halloween preparation is essential, the costume must be perfect, but, surely a month is a little too much time to prepare?

I think two weeks

before Halloween is a good time.

Not too much time to get bored of seeing witch brooms everywhere but also not too short to have to rush the prize winning costume.

Halloween is one thing, but Christmas is another. Halloween has not even passed yet and already there are selection boxes and tins of biscuits on the shop shelves.

Christmas is my favourite time of year, but like anything, too much of a good thing can become stale.

Can we at least wave goodbye to Halloween before we jump into wrapping presents and throwing the Angel on the tree?

It seems that the longer the Christmas

deals are on the shelves the quicker the excitement dies down.

Christmas is one of the most exciting times of year (for me anyway) but dragging it out to 2-3 months beforehand just takes the spark away.

I’ll admit, yes it’s only September, and yes, I have already played the odd Christmas song.

As you can tell I’m a Christmas enthusiast so admitting we need to slow down on the preparation is proving difficult for me. Realistically, one month is plenty of time to dedicate to Christmas.

The month of December would be just fine.

Then we can blare Band-Aid and hang the tinsel around the house

with no shame.

Maybe let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Let’s let Halloween come and go and enjoy it.

Then we can focus on Christmas. We should take one exciting Holiday one at a time. It makes it more exciting!

I say this as I’m thinking about how many tins of Heroes I can get for a tenner.

October 2016

12

UL Law Society Presents:

By Chloe O’Keeffe It was a very rewarding and exciting week for the Law Society last week as they played host to defence attorney Dean Strang in the UCH (University Concert Hall) on Tuesday, September 27th.

Mr Dean Strang was the defence attorney of Steven Avery in his trial where he was accused and subsequently found guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach.

The Law Society jumped at the opportunity to invite Strang to UL to speak when they heard he was in Ireland and knew immediately he would “appeal to law students, generally as well as the general and wider UL population,” says Law Society member Eoin O’Riordan.

By Yash Sanghvi Dean Strang, the attorney for Steven Avery, who was featured in Netflix’s documentary series ‘Making a Murderer’ left the audience of his talk at the University asking for more.

It was Mr Strang’s first trip to the University of Limerick who is based in Wisconsin, USA. He

The process of organising the event was a long and challenging task as the idea was first put forward in midApril and saw the society working all through the Summer to acheive their goal and ensure that the evening was the best it could possibly be.

Keeping all parties in mind, they needed to organise how the event was going to run, the format of the event, as well as working closely with the UCH on the finer details such as marketing and ticket sales. Although O’Riordan admits it was “tough,” he explains

that it was “very rewarding,” to see Mr Strang on the stage last Tuesday.

The evening was successful and “very well received by the general public and the UL and Limerick community,” says O’Riordan.

Strang was introduced onto the stage by Law

Society auditor, Katie Whyte. He then gave a extremely interesting speech in relation to the challenges that a defence attorney faces when representing a person being charged with a very serious crime and being found guilty.

The sociological the-

ory called ‘The Theory of the Other’, was introduced, which describes the process by which a person is subsconsciously removed as a member of the public and automatically seen as a criminal even before they have been acquitted, according to Strang’s speech.

The Law Society was delighted to have had this “huge opportunity,” and was pleased with the “great turnout from the UL community, and general public.”

O’Riordan speaks of how such events boost the brand of the Law Society and also rise public awareness and that it is generally good for all the Clubs & Societies of UL as it shows their existence not only benefits UL students, but also the general public.

expressed that he was happy to give his talk as part of the Law Society’s events programme.

Katie Whyte, Auditor of the Law Society chaired the event with Professor Shane Kilcommins, the head of the Law School directing questions to Mr Strang.

As Ms Whyte introduced Mr Strang to the

stage, he said he was “happy to see the large number of people in the concert hall even though most were there because of Making a Murderer.”

When Professor Kilcommins asked about wrongful imprisonment, Mr Strang said “it has a devastating effect on the lives of the person wrongly

convicted, and leads to disruptions within the family.” He also spoke about how the innocent person, when wrongly convicted loses out on all those years of their life.

Steven Avery, on whose case the documentary series ‘Making a Murderer’ is based, spent 18 years in prison having been wrongfully convicted.

To the question whether Steven Avery was justified in lashing out at his lawyers, seen in the documentery, Mr Strang answered: “Yes he is and has every right to, a man who is 54 now and has spent more than half his years in jail has every right to be angry, wouldn’t you?”

According to Mr Strang, “We all are criminals, if you have

ever made out with a drunk girl, smoked weed, done some coke or even something as simple as downloading music for free.” Mr Strang further said, “Only one in four of us have a criminal record, though in reality the rest of us have actually not been caught .”

Professor Kilcommins and Mr Strang spoke about the media coverage of criminal cases in the United States. According to Mr Strang, “The media at times can cause mismanagement of justice as they speak about the convicts previous convictions, which is freely available.” Mr Strang explained further “that the jurors are asked not to base their judgment on previous convictions but because the media leaks it, it leads

to a point where the jurors could be biased and the case is thrown out due to mismanagement of justice.”

Mr Strang challenged the future lawyers in the crowd to stand up and be “defenders of civil liberties” for everyone.

Ms Whyte thanked Professor Kilcommins, the Law School and the University Concert Hall for all their support and help. Ms Whyte also acknowledged law society committee members Amy Dermody and Eoin O’Riodain for all their efforts in bringing Mr Strang to the University.

The session ended with Miss Whyte thanking Mr Strang for accepting the invitation. Criostoir Hasty, a law society member said, “Dean Strang a true living law legend.”

October 2016

13

A Night with Dean Strang

By Aisling O’Connor

Law Society recruited nearly 200 new memFollowing a highly bers at the Clubs & successful talk at the Societies recruitment University of Limer- drive in Week 2, this ick with lawyer Dean was more than the soStrang who featured ciety had initially exin the hit Netflix doc- pected to join this year. umentary series “Mak- Law Society Auditor ing a Murderer,” UL’s Katie Whyte said that Law Society has plans “this year we had more this semester for a people from other dismedia law seminar, a ciplines rather than child law seminar, a just law, we would alLGBT conference as ways get one or two well as workshops, and or have a lot of people monthly trips to the saying ‘I wanted to do Limerick courts. law but didn’t get the They are currently points’ but this year we booking a trip to the had people from Engcriminal court of jus- lish, Business, History, tice for educational and Political Science purposes. Most activ- courses.” ities involve trips and The Society had had talks by various speak- one full week already ers. aimed to help first

years settle in, according to Whyte, which had a peer mentoring evening, an information evening with lecturers, a night of playing the game Assassin, and a party at the end of the week in the Sports Bar. It is Ms Whyte’s first year as Auditor of the Law Society and she compared the job to “running a small business,” but she also says that the work is rewarding. “There’s so much to be done but it’s really enjoyable. Then when we have our events like the Making a Murderer event and we see the committee working together, everybody’s hard work pays off,” she

continued.

The invitation to the media law seminar is not exclusive to Law Society members and will also be extended to the Media Law class.

“Some students stud-

ying law might find the subject difficult or uninteresting, but seeing speakers from newspapers and radio stations, and lawyers explaining the legal side of their work is more fascinat-

ing than rote learning,” according to Ms Whyte.

“All of the Law Society’s events are interesting, even for those not studying law,” the Auditor said.

October 2016

14

Getting Social

We asked UL students which social media platform is their go-to and why . . .

“Facebook. It’s the easiest.“ — Eoghan Hussey

“Facebook and Instagram.

Snapchat is more popular in Ireland though so I’ve started to use it.”

— Saskia Ziemacki

“Facebook. I use it to keep in contact with everyone.”

— Dylan Scallon

“Instagram. I look at dog photos. I follow more corgis than people.”

— Maggie Varas

“Snapchat. It’s really talking to people live.”

— Patrick Earley

“Instagram. It’s simple to use.”

— Momoko

“Instagram. Facebook annoys me too much.”

— Noelle Donworth

“Snapchat. It’s just faster“ — Darragh Leonard

Connect with An Focal on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

October 2016

15

Equine FYP Recognised By Pony Club

By Maxine Bramley University of Limerick graduate Siobhán Schous conducted an extensive study on the Irish Pony Club membership that has been featured on the IrishField.ie website.

The 23 year old Equine Science graduate, who lives in the Killaloe area, carried out the study for her Final Year Project at UL. The Irish Pony Club is a voluntary youth organisation which provides training and education on horse eventing (also known as horse trials) and horse care for riders from the age of eight to

23.

“It [the Irish Pony Club] was just a big part of my childhood.

Being an instructor, I just didn’t see the excitement coming from the other kids and I did know that numbers were dropping,” Schous said.

Schous, who is a competitive dressage rider, was a member of the Irish Pony Club herself, having joined it at the age of eight and left at 21.

The study received great recognition from the Irish Pony Club itself and Schous received a silver award for her contribution to the equine industry.

The survey-based study focused on the club’s decreasing numbers over the past years and the reasons behind this decline.

The study also includes some recommendations that participants had to improve the club’s membership.

Schous said that primarily older members are dropping off and agreed with most of the recommendations that came out of the study to

improve memberships and retain numbers.

Some of these recommendations included having more training days, reducing the cost of memberships, focusing on older members and improving communication.

“In the study, I looked at sports psychology and I looked at what drives athletes to be successful and a lot of it was they need a role model, they need a

goal, something to look forward to,” Schous said.

Schous is to present her study at the Irish Pony Club’s annual conference in a month’s time, which sees official members of pony clubs from all nine districts in Ireland attend to assess the organisation’s running and also acts as an instructor training day.

Schous says she hopes to see the Irish Pony

Club take at least a few of her recommendations on board and that they have already started to address cost issues by bringing in family discounts.

Schous says that the process of conducting her study was in some parts difficult and took a year to complete but it was very rewarding.

I was very happy and the Pony Club was very happy with the outcome,” Schous added.

A Day in the Life of a Vegan

By Seamus Toomey There’s not really a whole lot different for me, I don’t have to go to some weird meetings or complete strange rit-

uals like most people imagine.

It’s all very simple really, I don’t eat animals because of the inherent cruelty involved in the mawss production

of these foods and the damage this does to the environment.

So what has changed since going vegan? Well for a start when I wake up I pour myself a glass

of soy milk to have with my cereal, sometimes I go mad and try a different brand or a different type of milk like hemp, almond, cashew, coconut, hazelnut, cashew, almond, almond/coconut, oat or the chocolate derivatives of these.

The next part of my day that has changed is lunch. I’ll typically have some cinnamon and raisin bagels or some pasta with mushrooms, veg and sauces but on special occasions like my veganniversary I’ll go to Limerick’s restaurants that provide vegan options such as Lana, Bubble Tea (who have a killer vegan Irish breakfast) or Gasta.

There are others but I’m not familiar with them all and recently have learned of other restaurants from a Facebook group called “UL Vegans and Vege-

tarians.”

The next part of my day that differs to most people is, yes you guessed it, dinner. I’ll have garlic bread from Tesco sometimes which sets me back 36c or Linda McCartney sausages that’ll cost €2.50 (which I’ll have in a multi-seed bagel stacked together with potato waffles).

I’ve grown fond of bean burgers with hummus and I’ve always enjoyed a mountain of beans , rice, peppers and whatever else I can think of stuffed into a few wraps for some quality burritos.

Dessert is up next and while it’s something I try and reserve for the rainy days, I’ve sampled quite a few of the vegan treats on offer in Limerick.

There’s an ice cream place on William Street that provide vegan op-

tions; Swedish Glaze in both Tesco and Dunnes, Tesco dairyfree cornettos, trek bars, clif bars, nakd bars, Alpro dairy free ice cream, Alpro soy yoghurts, (Texas BBQ, Original, Prawn Cocktail and even surprisingly the Smoky bacon variety) and lots of other crisps.

The only other parts of my day that differ are getting private messages for being too “preachy,” occasionally watching films like Earthlings, Cowspiracy, or checking out the endless pages showing tasty looking vegan food or showing off the countless vegan athletes such as Torre Washington, David Carter, Mischa Janiec, David Haye, Patrik Baboumian, Jehina Malik, Carl Lewis, Mac Danzig, Frank Medrano and so on.

October 2016

16

The Story So Far. . .

Week 3 – Meet Your Advisor Week 3 was themed around helping students meet their advisors.

We ran an awareness campaign across our social media platforms and in the Hub to ensure students know that this wonderful

support is available to them.

At the end of the week we posted our very own suggestions for “7 Advisors UL Should Hire” including Michael D. Higgins and Beyoncé – this can be seen on our blog!

Week 3 was also the launch of our 7 Rec-

Artist: The Smiths Album Title: The Queen Is Dead Year of Release: 1986 Charted: Reached no.2 in the UK album chart

ommended Reads giveaway.

We had 7 copies of each book, with hundreds of people applying for a copy.

Anyone who wasn’t lucky enough to get a copy doesn’t need to worry though – copies are also available through the UL library,

and can be purchased through Amazon or other booksellers.

All students have to do is read one of the books and submit a short review to be in with a chance to win one of the amazing prices including an iPad, a €50 euro voucher for O’Maho-

ny’s bookstore, or a UL long sleeved t-shirt – a very popular item in the UL Visitor Centre right now!

It’s open to anyone in their first semester at UL. Students can check out the First Seven Weeks blog for more competition details.

Week 4 – Health and Wellbeing Week 4 was the busiest week ever for the First Seven Weeks Initiative!

Every day was packed with activities related to the theme of Health and Wellbeing.

Seven Recommended Albums Here in the University of Limerick, the department of the Centre for Teaching and Learning has requested Professor Eoin Devereux, co-director of the Popular Music and Popular Culture Research Cluster at UL, to recommend seven albums for students to listen to, promoted by the First Seven Weeks initiative. This year, the albums all fall under the genre of indie music, and this is because of the sense of bohemianism and even rebellion which exists in indie music and goes hand-in-hand with coming of age.

Artist: Björk Album Title: Debut Year of Release: 1993 Charted: Reached no.3 in the UK album chart

Artist: Nirvana Album Title: Nevermind Year of Release: 1991 Charted: Reached no.7 in the UK album chart

Artist: David Bowie Album Title: Low Year of Release: 1977 Charted: Reached no.2 in the UK album chart

Artist: The Stone Roses Album Title: The Stone Roses Year of Release: 1989 Charted: Reached no.19 in the UK album chart

Artist: The National Album Title: Alligator Year of Release: 2005 Charted: Reached no.9 in the UK album chart

Artist: Patti Smith Album Title: Horses Year of Release: 1975 Charted: Reached no.18 in the UK album chart

Similar to the concept of the seven recommended reads from the First Seven Weeks initiative, the seven recommended albums are there to open students minds up about music beyond modern day music, and introduce them to the music that people listened to as their “college music” in times gone by.

October 2016

17

Tea, Tales, and Treats

Eden Cookery Demo

Win a Bike!

Free Bike Mechanic

October 2016

18

From Facebook to Facing Crowds

By Nicole Glennon and Yash Sanghvi Last April, Jimmy Rainsford and Ryan Hennessy made history when they became the first Irish band to sell out their debut gig at The Academy.

The two lads from Athy have gone on to sell out every date on their 12 date Irish tour – including three nights at the Olympia Theatre.

The duo, who only joined forces at the end of October 2015, admitted to An Focal that the success of their sold-out Irish tour has yet to sink in.

They credit their fans who bought the tickets for the amazing achievement.

“It’s because of [the fans] that we get to make music and tour so we genuinely want to say a big thank you.”

The two also acknowledged that the success of the tour has been a massive confidence booster.

“It gives us such confidence in what we do

to have achieved something like that.”

Like many modern day musicians, the roots of Picture This began online – specifically Facebook.

Crowd favourites like Take My Hand, You &

I and Saviour were all uploaded to Facebook first.

Their ‘Traffic Jams’ with artists such as Danny O’Reilly of the Coronas, Gavin James & Christy Dignam of Aslan also proved im-

mensely popular.

As for whether we can expect more of these kind of raw releases the duo said: “We always like to release new tunes online but I think next year is the year we will get more officially

out there.”

Picture This’s core sound is hard to define.

An underlining indie-pop sound mixed with some serious drums, and the recent addition of Owen Cardiff on electric guitar

and Cliff Deane on bass give the band a strong, dynamic sound.

The hooks are catchy, the lyrics easy to sing along to and Hennessy’s voice is unmistakable.

So where did the lads draw their inspiration from? For Ryan it was a lot of classic “Manchester scene bands” – Oasis and the Stone Roses being his favourites.

Jimmy notes that he listened to a lot of rock, particularly Queen and Metallic.

Overall though, they both agreed their inspirations can be ‘’anyone that makes us feel inspired to make music.’’

Ryan and Jimmy believe anyone who picks up an instrument or sings “always, somewhere deep down, dreams of behind a musician” but for these two Kildare lads it was a dream they worked hard on and “definitely wanted to come true.”

Picture This played to a sold out Limerick crowd on September 30th in Dolans Warehouse.

Insanity Fitness with UL Sport Arena

By Aisling Moloney As part of Health and Wellness week at the University, Insanity Live coaches held five early morning classesyes, five in a row and yes early as in 07:15.

It was €20 for the five mornings altogether.

The class was challenging the first day and forgetting a bottle of water surely did not help. Insanity Live consist of High Intensity Training, which is basically doing really tough moves and series of moves in a short space of time. It is a total body

strength and cardiac conditioning class led

by Aidan O’Keeffe and the Insanity Live team.

The coaches were there to support and did all the moves along with us and gave a few words of motivation when fatigue was setting in.

They never pressure you, they encourage you to reach your maximum as they know this is different for everyone. Anyone, of any level of fitness could try it out, you have to focus

and dig deep during the sessions. I was able for the class and found that I was well in my comfort zone by the end of the week.

It was a testing week, but once you get into the rhythm of getting out of bed and heading straight to the gym it becomes normal.

I won’t say I wasn’t tired or sore, I feel like I swallowed two golf balls and they lodged in my calves, also having a cough and not being

able to cough because your abs hurt is irritating but I gained because of the pain. I didn’t do the class to loose weight or become a gym body, no, I did it because I was feeling lazy, useless and sorry for myself and the Insanity Live Classes were the perfect boost I needed to get in the right frame of mind.

Every day I felt extra good about my body and didn’t think at all about how I looked,

because I felt good and had good vibes pulsing around my body along with all the lactic acid.

I was more flexible and energetic by the end and after every class I was pumping with energy and endorphins.

I would recommend this class to those who want a good sweaty driven workout.

You can catch Insanity Live led by Aidan on Tuesdays at 17:15 and Derek on Thursday at 20:00.

October 2016

19

Moving Away from Home

By Emma Craven

From the moment I began thinking about college, I knew I wanted to move away from home and experience what I felt was the complete college experience.

I wanted to move to a different county, live with complete strangers, be able to go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted and over all feel the independence that every college student is said to have.

Although that’s just me. A great deal of people commute to and from college every day.

Whether it be due to them living so close to the campus, not having the costs for student accommodation or just preferring the comforts that are home to them.

So let’s take a look at the differences.

Expenses: Living in college, specifically in UL, means that you are a stretch away from most locations. To get to town you can simply walk from your student accommodation to the 304 bus, pay €2.10 and be on your merry way.

Though when you put into account the expenses involving said accommodation (on campus accommoda-

tion costing a hefty €4810 with a €250 deposit on top of that) and add in your groceries, washing expenses and the basic living expenses that we don’t think about but use every day, it adds up pretty quickly.

Living at home on the other hand, whilst the petrol/train ticket/bus ticket might be costly, it evens out with no rent expenses, home cooked meals, free use of the washing machine and not giving a second thought to toilet roll, bin liners or washing up liquid…

Involvement: Living in college without any doubt makes it easier to become involved in clubs and societies, student nightlife and various events that happen throughout the year.

You are always near the campus and can involve yourself in C&S meetings (most taking place from 6:30 onwards).

This leads to more of a college experience, being with your peers and giving you endless opportunities to enjoy the social aspects of college as well as the studious aspects.

Living at home however, unless you live really close to the college

means leaving once your lectures are finished, completely cutting out the more social aspects of the college experience.

Going out is a lot more expensive as you live further away and can’t share a taxi with people who live in the same accommodation as you.

Even if someone lives next to the college, the experience of living with strangers is lost and as a result the college experience of sitting with your housemates and ordering pizza/ watching TV is diminished.

my view seemed like less of a distraction meaning more time to study.

Though when I asked another student who commutes an hour up and back every day, turns out the time spent going to and from college makes studying the last thing on his mind and sleep the first.

Though not being able to go home during long breaks in between lectures and having no excuse but to go to the library gives him no excuse but to study during the day.

Independence: Living in college gives Study: a whole new meaning Living in college, your to the word independstudies can sometimes ence. be pushed to the back You need to take It of your mind. upon yourself to go to Distractions from dif- your lectures, buy food, ferent events, walking keep your accommodato the college pubs and tion clean (somewhat) meeting up with peo- and to take full responple, running next door to your friend’s house and watching a movie, the list is endless.

You can even go home in between lectures and take a nap! Being surrounded by students who are always going out means you’re more inclined to follow, waving your studies off as I’ll do it tomorrow and never getting out of the cycle.

Living at home from

sibility for your actions.

I without doubt think this adds to the experience of college. Finding yourself as a person, without your family influencing you and trying to constantly steer you.

Living at home on the other hand greatly restricts the independence that is attached to the idea of college.

Although your mother checking in on you every night to make sure you’re studying can be rewarding in the long run, it takes from the experience of having to take responsibility for yourself and not anyone else.

Living at home means that going out 4 times in one week is more than likely totally out of the question, regardless of whether you want to or not (especially if a parent is the designated driver)

Outcome: Overall I reckon living at home and living in college both have their pros and cons. But does moving away from home make the college experience? I would have to say yes.

College is all about finding yourself and becoming your own independent person.

Making mistakes (like spending all your money on take away and alcohol) but learning and growing from them.

Living with strangers and learning how to deal with it. It is something that cannot be replicated when living at home, regardless of how near to the college you are.

But hey, living at home means you get to see your dog every day, so who’s the real winner here…

The Upsides to Staying at Home for College

By Aisling O’Connor

ent’s weekly shop, and I come home to dinner No rent: cooked for me. I’m beLiving away from home ginning to sound rather is pretty pricy and I spoilt here, but it’s pretquite simply would not ty handy be able to make rent every week so living at No homesickness: home is much cheaper. I’m not homesick because I come home to Food: the family every day, The fridge replenish- but I’m sick of home. I’d es itself after my par- miss the dog if I moved

out though.

ent buses to get there.

One bus home from No transport: Cork saw me stuck next I hate public transport to a deranged looking and I have a lot of re- drunk man talking to spect for commuters himself and another and those who visit had me sat in front of home on the week- a disturbingly homoends. I visited a friend phobic couple. I initialin Kerry over summer ly thought they were and it cost over €40 in father and daughter as bus tickets, and nearly she kept calling him 3 hours on two differ- “daddy”. I feel nauseous

even thinking about it.

of a gamble. I honestly go to bed at 10pm, I No weird roommates: don’t want to live with You learned to live with people who come to life your family’s weird- at 4am. Or worse, what ness, but what if you if they keep taking your don’t get on with your food? roommates? I know people who have had Laundry: horrible roommates, Not having to wash or but also of people who pay to wash any clothes became best friends is a pretty sweet deal with theirs so it’s a bit too.

20

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October 2016

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October 2016

21

Social Soccer Comes to Campus

By John Harty The University of Limerick is now home to a new club that is already making its mark on the clubs and societies’ landscape: Social Soccer.

Started this year by Oliver Brett and Stephen Coleman, pictured above, the club distinguishes itself from the University’s other soccer club by inviting those who enjoy the sport to play at a less competitive level.

The club also welcomes students who wish to get some exercise without the stress of competition as well as those who want to make friends.

“Right now we’re essentially running with the tagline ‘It’s soccer for everyone’,” and “that anyone, regardless of skill will find something enjoyable within the club.” Oliver Brett, now President of the

club said in an interview.

Although the club is newly formed, meetups for social soccer have been happening since January of last semester. Oliver, who was then working parttime in the evenings couldn’t make UL Soccer training and was looking for something more casual. “Unfortunately there wasn’t a way for the Soccer team to accommodate everyone, which caused me to look for alternatives.”

Stephen Coleman, Secretary to the club recounted his experience with the first days of the club, “When it first started, I didn’t know anyone at the meetups.

Thankfully I was able to start talking to others who showed up and made good friends.”

When asking these Social Soccer members why they decided to make the casual

meetups more official by becoming a club, they said that the reason was because when members pay for the club, it is possible to buy proper equipment and easier to book the field for activities.

While the games at the club are more orientated towards having fun, there is no lack of talent at the club for the sport, with both Oliver and Stephen describing a 5-a-side tournament held by the UL soccer club, where two teams from Social Soccer entered, both doing very well and even beating competive teams.

When asked about the potential for tournaments for the newly formed club, both the President and Secretary emphasised that while they are focusing on getting as many new members for the club as possible, they would like to hold a fundraising tournament with

the UL soccer team in the future.

The response for the club games has been overwhelming, with last week having an unprecedented 24 person turnout, which is larger than other clubs and societies in the university.

There has also been a good reaction from international students.

Oliver believes the

cause being that “students from abroad find soccer as something familiar to them as well as a way to make friends in Ireland.”

The Social Soccer club may still be in its infancy, but it is already proving its worth to the clubs and societies the University of Limerick, showing that anyone, regardless of level or nationality will

find something that is worth taking the time to go to.

Currently the club meetups take place on a weekly basis, but for those wishing for more information on dates of the games as well as descriptions of the activities, Social Soccer’s Facebook page is the most up-to-date place to get all the information and news.

First Airsoft Outing a Success The Limerick Airsoft Society started off with a bang!

Last Saturday on the society’s first skirmish, there was a great turn out with over twenty-five members taking to the battlefield.

The group arrived at the Limerick Airsoft camp, which is twenty minutes away from UL, at ten in the morning.

Despite bad weather conditions the students trudged on through harsh terrain, obstacles and waves of (BB) bullets.

The members took part in many different

activities throughout the day such as; capture the flag and team death match.

Many of the members were all enthusiastic to were new to the sport take part. and it was their first There was a short retime playing but they cess at two o’clock and

the members enjoyed pizzas and coke, which was included in the trips overall price, and

the group returned to UL at 5 in the evening after an action packed day.

Equipment, ammunition and transport were also included in the price.

The membership fee for the UL Airsoft Society is €10 and another €30 to take part in each event and trip.

To join the Airsoft Society and take part in some of the many exciting events planned throughout the year, do not hesitate to get in touch with either the UL Wolves website or their Facebook page.

October 2016

22

Munster Rugby Tickets For Sale in SU

By David Byrne UL Students’ Union (ULSU) are now selling Munster Rugby match tickets for the 2016/2017 season.

Individual match day tickets are available, as well as season tickets which cover any eight games.

Coinciding with the recent opening of Munster’s new purpose built High Performance Centre at the University of Limerick, both the ULSU and Munster Rugby have struck an agreement to sell tickets to UL students.

The new venture is designed to help both parties involved, with Munster potentially benefiting from increased tickets sales, and the SU being financially rewarded.

“Munster Rugby came to us with the suggestion that we sell tickets on their behalf and take a commission that goes back into running the SU,” said ULSU Marketing and Communications Administrator, Killian Stone.

“There are student rates. Pro12 Games are €7 standing, €10 sitting. EPCR (Champi-

ons Cup) games are €10 standing and €17.50 sitting. Season tickets cover any eight games and cost €85,” he added.

Depending on the success of this idea, the Students’ Union is hoping that it will be a long term agreement with Munster Rugby.

“We are hoping this will be a long-term deal. So far the deal is planned up to June 2017. From there we will see how ticket sales went and decide if it is a venture worth continuing,” Mr Stone said.

In recent seasons, Munster attendance levels have dropped and the provincial rugby team have used their close connection with the University of Limerick to promote games for the current season.

With tickets at reduced prices for students, this venture is

expected to be a success and will benefit students and Munster Rugby alike.

“Munster Rugby has always provided student tickets to a selection of games in the season. These are available for any SU to sell to students. For the first year we are now providing the students unions with the ability to sell student tickets for all games,” Munster Rugby Ticketing Manager Brian Cheasty said.

“Our goal is to ensure that our fan base comes from all demographics. This will ensure that students have the ability to attend any game without financial constraint and we hope this will improve attendances. We have a student ticket price available to any student in full time education.

This is at a reduced rate.

“Having the Students’ Union as an outlet to sell and promote these tickets is vital to ensure that we can consistently provide this service to students.

We are delighted that UL Students Union have joined us to promote to their students.

Our long term goal is to have fans attending games from all demographics and it is vital that we provide them

with the products to ensure this goal is successful,” Mr Cheasty added.

Munster’s next home fixture is at Thomond Park where they take on Glasgow Warriors in the European Rugby Champions Cup at 1pm. Tickets are also available for Guinness Pro12 games at both Thomond Park in Limerick and at Irish Independent Park in Cork.

Gear Up for Mountain Biking

By Hatem Abnoun Live a little.

I remember when I

walked into my first my bag down and kept the problem. sure as hell can solve it lecture. I found a quiet to myself.

Mountain Bike Club for you! spot by the corner of I simply didn’t know UL helped solve that Last Sunday, new facthe lecture hall, threw anyone, and that was problem for me, and it es showed up to the boathouse early in the morning.

We packed our gear, supplied bikes and helmets to everyone and hit the road.

After handing out free Red Bull to everyone, we were ready for the trails ahead!

The trail to the top of the mountain didn’t seem to please most people, but as the golden rule states, what goes up must come down!

We reached the top with a couple of Red faces, some panting and overall exhausted.

“Lower your seatposts!” All the experienced members knew what was about to go down… Literally.

By the time we reached the bottom of the trail, we all had that same smile of satisfaction plastered on our faces!

So i0f you want to try something new, why not Pre-register for MBUL right now!

We go out every Sunday and Wednesday, so be sure to clear up your schedule.

And if you’re still unsure, remember, we’ve got Red Bull. Lots of it.

Hope to see you around!

October 2016

23

Olympian Michelle Not Finn-ished Yet

By Caoimhín Reilly The 3000 metres steeplechaser finished 11th in her semi-final heat at the Rio Olympics in August with a time of 9:49.45.

However, despite missing out on the final, which by her own admission was a longshot, the Cork native is content with her performance and insists that she would like to compete again in four year’s time.

Finn said: “I was relatively happy. I would have liked to have run faster and I think that I should have ran a bit faster, but it was a great experience so yes, I was happy and I’d like to go back.”

The 26-year-old PE and Irish student had set certain targets down prior to the competition - some of which would have been to make the final and surpass her personal best.

“I don’t think that I hit any of those targets, but I wasn’t that far off any of them either - I finished the race and I

wasn’t that tired which to me is not a great race.

“I was definitely fit enough to run a personal best and I didn’t, but sometimes that happens and you just have to accept it.”

Finn competed in her event alongside fellow

Team Ireland members Sara-Louise Treacy and Kerry O’Flaherty.

Finn admits that there is a competitive edge to their relationship but she feels that they bring the best out of each other.

“It (the rivalry) definitely didn’t hinder

preparations. The three of us are actually very good friends, but we are also very competitive I suppose which is good for us because on any given day we can beat each other. We tend to keep each other on our toes.

“I think we were all

pretty content. Most people in athletics did well and the best that they could have hoped to do.

“Tom Barr was amazing and even just the whole spirit of the team was really good because even when we weren’t competing or before our events we’d be watching to see how the others were doing.”

Michelle ran her personal best in Amsterdam in July 2016 (9:43.19) with her time being more than four seconds quicker than the time she achieved in Rio. As a consequence of her performance earlier in the summer, expectation levels grew within her camp prior to her race in the Brazilian capital.

“I think there was an expectation on me, but only from myself and my coaches. They (her coaches) were so nice to me after the race, but we all knew that I could have ran faster.

“Amsterdam was probably the best. It was funny with the amount of work that you put in because I actually ran that qualifying time last year in Letterkenny on the July 10th and the final in Amsterdam where I ran my PB was July 10th a year later, with point something of a second in the difference.”

UL had two athletes representing Team Ireland - Michelle and Thomas Barr.

Michelle gave An Focal an insight into what exactly UL offers to athletes which makes it so distinctive.

“I think it’s just so obviously an elite sporting college, the facilities are really good, there are lots of teams to train with and the support network is here to help you succeed.

“It’s helpful when you also have someone to go running with and in UL, you always have someone to do that with.”

UL MUSIC SOCIETIES PRESENTS

WEEK 6

UL MUSIC WEEK 10th - 14th October 2016

~ Monday ~

THE WHILEAWAYS @ THE SCHOLARS

~ Tuesday ~

@ THE STABLES CLUB

~ Thursday ~

€8

€8

@ THE STABLES CLUB

T I C K E T S A V A I L A B L E F R O M U L M S S H O P. C O M