An Focal (XXIV. Edition 11)

VOL. XXIV Edition 11

STUDENTS ELECT NEW SABBATS Pg 3

INTERVIEW WITH BRESSIE:

“ALLOW YOURSELF TO INVEST IN YOUR MIND”- Pg 9

MARCH 2016/2

UL CLINCH LYNCH CUP

Pg 23

EXCLUSIVE:

UL students received over €38.5m in grants and fees in the past 4 years University of Limerick students have received over €38.5m in grants and fee contributions since the beginning of the 2012/2013 academic year.

TOMÁS HENEGHAN FIGURES released to An Focal under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act reveal that UL students received the fourth highest amount of State’s seven universities in grants and fees contributions from the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) group over the past four years.

The total number of grants received by students at UL for the four-year period has been 12,049.

Grants for the same period for UL students amounted to €23,404,020, while fees and student contribution paid by SUSI amounted to €14,634,350.

The number of grants awarded to UL students have also risen from 1,594 grants in 2012/2013 to 4,410 grants in 2015/2016.

The resultant grant figures also rose accordingly from just over €3m in 2012/2013 to over €7.6m in 2015/2016.

Equally, the fees and student contribution paid by SUSI for UL students increased from almost €2.5m in 2012/2013 to almost €7.5 in 2014/2015. Figures for the current academic year are not yet available.

In total, the seven State universities received almost €257m from SUSI over the four year period.

However the fees and student contribution for all universities for the

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current academic year are not yet available and so the overall cost could be much higher based on the spend on fees and student contribution over previous years.

National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) students received the highest total sum over the past four academic years, with grants, fees and student contribution costs for SUSI amounting to almost €49.5m.

The total number of grants paid to students at NUIG for the period 2012/2013 to 2015/2016 amounted to 14,875.

The lowest figure paid to a State university for the four-year period was almost €25.5m, which was given in grants, fees and student contribution to Trinity College Dublin (TCD).

The total figure paid to TCD students or on their behalf by SUSI equated to 8,718 grants over the period 2012/2013 to 2015/2016.

The amount of grants, fees and student contribution awarded to or on behalf of students at other universities include: • Over €29.6m for Dublin City University (DCU) • Almost €33m for National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) • Almost €41.5m for University College Cork (UCC) • Over €39m for University College Dublin (UCD)

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2

March 2016/2 NEWS

Bressie encourages UL Students to be more open about their mental health Bank of Ireland held their ‘Be at Your Best’ talk on mental health earlier this month with Niall Breslin, also known as Bressie, as guest speaker.

AISLING O'CONNOR Breslin is a musician, judge on The Voice of Ireland, former Gaelic football and rugby player and an advocate for mental health.

The talk took place in the Kemmy Business School on March 8th, Breslin began by asking the audience to raise their hand if they actively invest in their minds. Only a handful raised their hands.

“For decades in this country we were bred like robots,” Breslin said. “The brain is the most important thing yet we don’t invest in it.”

The mental health advocate went on to share his own personal struggles with anxiety and depression, starting with beginning to experience panic attacks and insomnia at thirteen years of age.

One of his more harrowing anecdotes was of how he intentionally broke his arm to have a chance to tell a doctor about his experiences only to be told that his panic attacks were the result of puberty.

Breslin also went on to detail how his mental health interfered with relationships and careers and prevented him from attending college. He cited it as the reason he retired from sport and the breakup of his pop rock band The Blizzards.

His reluctance to seek help or open up in his youth was due to a fear of the stigma attached to metal health, according to the speaker. He also stated that wearing a “mask” to hide his emotions was harder than coping with the issues themselves.

CREDITS EDITOR: Tomás Heneghan DEPUTY EDITOR: Eilís Walsh SPORT EDITOR: Marisa Kennedy IRISH EDITOR: Fay Langley CONTRIBUTORS: Anna Cullen, Anna Kronborg Haar, Aisling O’Connor, Brian Crowley, Caroline Breen, Caryl Faye Yulo, Ciara Corcoran, Dave Tierney, Emily Kelly, Emma Craven, Eoghan Carey, Frank Stafford, John Brogan, Kiera Thornton, Louise Kennedy, Lyndsey Hall, Maoilíosa Ní Loideáin , Robyn Griffin, Stephen O’Riordan.

CARTOONIST: Matthew Murphy PRINTING & LAYOUT: Midland Web Printing

“I went crazy… I was deeply isolated and alone… I was dealing with what about 40% or 50% of what teenagers go through every day,” Breslin said.

Breslin has been on several talk shows and gave a speech to the Oireachtas earlier this year about changing the education system to provide more help and awareness to mental illness.

His hope is that mindfulness will be practiced in primary

schools and that by the time his 4 year old nephew is in secondary school mental health will be openly discussed.

Breslin decided that something had to be done about his mental health when he found himself experiencing what he described as the worst panic attack of his life back stage before the third live show of The Voice of Ireland in 2012.

That night Breslin named his depression, “Jeffery”, to personify it. Due to his

competitive nature, personalising his issues would motivate him to overcome his anxiety and depression. He also decided that it was time that he stopped hiding his issues.

The speaker said that the most “liberating” day of his life was the day he told his family and friends about his struggles, and realised that he was not the only one to struggle with mental health.

He cited Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, mindfulness, and exercise as the most beneficial for him. He further went on to explain how nutritional foods and monitoring his alcohol intake help balance his moods.

In the Q&A section of the talk, UL students informed Breslin of the fact that the University currently has 1 full time counsellor for its fourteen thousand students. The speaker appeared shocked upon hearing this.

Secondary school students revealed in this section that they felt their education and results were valued over their emotional well-being in school.

This reinforces Breslin’s point that while people are open to discussion on mental health, receiving help and treatment is much more difficult as the child and adolescent services are not resourced.

His hopes are that mental health will be implemented into the education system through the provision of more counselling, mindfulness classes and the teaching of coping strategies. He also believes that 24-hour crisis centres need to open around the country.

Before concluding his speech, Breslin urged the audience to others about what the talk entailed to encourage discussion about mental health.

He also implored the audience to stand up for the provision of more services.

“This is a revolution” he said.

Incumbent ULSU Welfare Officer tells RTÉ a Minister for Mental Health is needed TOMÁS HENEGHAN FOLLOWING his win in the 2016 Sabbatical elections earlier this month, incumbent University of Limerick Students’ Union (ULSU) Welfare Officer, Coalan O’Donnell recently appeared on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live to talk about mental health.

During the segment of the show which aimed to address the current mental health crisis in Ireland, Mr O’Donnell was invited to speak, following his campaign video on the issue going viral prior to his election.

Mr O’Donnell told the show: “As much as [the video] was

about being elected, it wasn’t all about that, this was about making a change.

“We had the pleasure of meeting Niall [Breslin] last week and it didn’t matter who came in as the sabbaticals, all of us - there was five of us who ran for the position - all of us felt the same about mental health: that it’s being ignored in Ireland.”

He went on to tell the presenter, Claire Byrne, and her guests, which included Irish celebrity and mental health advocate, Niall Breslin, that the country needed a Minister for Mental Health.

He explained: “The fact that we don’t have a Minister of

Mental Health is an embarrassment, as in, it’s clearly a massive, massive issue.

“131 students on average a year in Ireland die by suicide How is that being ignored? As in, it’s only students and organisations that are run by charities, by people themselves that are facing up to this issue.

He concluded: “There’s nothing being mentioned about it in the Government. It angers me just thinking about it.”

Mr O’Donnell, currently a 4th year Business student at UL, will take up his new position as DP Welfare Officer at ULSU during the summer, alongside incoming ULSU President,

Coalan O’Donnell with his campaign team and mental health campaigner, Niall Breslin Sarah Dunphy and VP Academic Officer, Donal Foley.

He will replace current Welfare Officer, Ciara Corcoran.

Handball and Tea win Best Club and Society at UL C&S awards TOMÁS HENEGHAN HANDBALL Club and Tea Appreciation Society walked away with Best Club and Best Society awards at this year’s UL Clubs and Societies awards earlier this month.

UL Trampoline and Gymnastics Club also won New/ Improved Club at the awards, alongside Science Society for New/Improved Society of the year.

The awards ceremony was held at the Strand hotel in Limerick city, on Tuesday, March 15th this year.

UL Dance also won in the Best Society Event category

for their All-Ireland Dance Intervarsities, while Karate Shotokan Club won Best Club Event for its Japan Training Expedition.

Best Individual was awarded to Rebecca Wray from UL’s Trampoline and Gymnastics Club, with Best Society Individual going to Lousie Clifford for her work with UL Photographic Society.

UL Tea Appreciation Society’s Sarah Guerin also won the Mike Sadlier award at this year’s awards ceremony.

The runners-up for this year’s awards included GAA and Kayak clubs for Best Club; Music Society and Out in UL for Best Society; Rowing for New/

Improved Club; Debating Union and Photographic Society for New/Improved Society; Handball Club’s Spanish Wallball Open and Ultimate Frisbee’s The Siege of Limerick for Club event; Medical Society’s Medical Ball 2016 Casino Royal and Music Society’s SoUL Fest Concert: Hudson Taylor & The Academic in Support of Donal Walsh Foundation #LiveLife for Society Event.

Jack Phelan for Kayak Club and Tessa Kingston for Outdoor Pursuits Club failed to secure Club Individual of the year.

Conor O’Brien from Dance UL and Seán Lynch from Out in UL also failed to win in the Society Individual category.

UL Tea Appreciation Society celebrating its win at the Clubs & Societies Ball.

PHOTO: UL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

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March 2016/2 NEWS

Emotional scenes as UL students elect new Sabbat team with record voter turnout Earlier this month, students at the University of Limerick elected a new Students’ Union sabbatical team, with a record turnout of 32.5 percent.

EILÍS WALSH & TOMÁS HENEGHAN THE announcement of the new team, who will take up their positions during the summer at the University of Limerick Students’ Union (ULSU), was made on the night of the vote at popular on-campus bar, the Stables Club.

Out of a total of 11 candidates, Physical Education and Irish Fourth Year student Sarah Dunphy was elected President; Fourth Year Business student Caolan O’Donnell was elected DP Welfare Officer; and Mechanical Engineering Fourth Year student Donal Foley was elected VP Academic Officer.

Ms Dunphy is the first female ULSU President since the 2013/2014 Academic year and only the third female president of the Union’s now 40 presidents since its foundation in 1972.

Speaking to An Focal after her win, Ms Dunphy said: “It’s very surreal still. It’s been hugely enjoyable, the whole campaign and I’m looking forward to the year ahead.”

“My main aim would be to actually create the [UL app], if I could, with the map of UL because I think it’s something that is needed and just to work with my sabbatical officers and have a fantastic year and make a big improvement in UL as much as possible.”

Mr O’Donnell, who will take over the role as Welfare Officer from Ciara Corcoran during the summer, said of the election result: “It’s crazy, knowing that we were part of a record-breaking election – absolutely phenomenal. It hasn’t really kicked in yet.”

Speaking about his plans for the next academic year, he explained: “I think anyone who saw my campaign saw that mental health is a massive thing for me, so I’m going to be doing a lot of work with that.

“In working with that, we are going to try and sort out a sensible drugs policy in

the college because there is a strong correlation between the two, so obviously I’m going to do everything I can because this isn’t a thing I can bring on my own, I’m going to have to get the support of the two other sabbatical officers.”

Mr Foley, who will in a few months time take over from current Academic Officer, Marian O’Donnell commented to An Focal: “It really hasn’t set in yet but the biggest thing is I couldn’t have done it without my campaign team and to be quite honest, they’re not a campaign team, they’re friends, so I’d put all the success down to them.

“My main plan is to get the student forum up and running so students can go on and get their module description and all the details they need to know about the module from a student point of view, because I think it’s very ambiguous getting it from a lecturer’s point of view because they know a lot more than students.”

There was an earlier controversy in the lead-up to the election when current ULSU President Colin Clarke failed to complete all parts of his nomination form by the deadline for submission, as he had intended to run again for position of President of the Union.

Mr Clarke and a second candidate hoping to run for President appealed their exclusion last Friday from the election to the Electoral and Referenda Board (ERB), however their appeal failed.

In a statement the ERB said: “Both members appealed the ERB decision to the Returning Officer. Following legal consultation the Returning Officer upheld both decisions of the ERB.” The statement also explained the reasons for their elimination, saying: “Jack Shelly, Business Studies, 2nd Yr, submitted his form after the 5pm deadline March 4th.

“Schedule 1 of the

Constitution provides amongst other things that “Nomination Forms must reach the democracy development manager or such other person nominated by the ERB not later than 5pm on day of close of nomination”. In addition the ERB Rules and Guidelines 2016 at paragraph 1.5 provides that nominations close Friday 4th March (week 6) 2016 at 5pm.

“The Returning Officer upheld the decision of the Electoral Referendum Board in this matter. The requirements in relation to the timing of receipt of nominations prior to 5pm on the date of closing for nominations are mandatory in nature in Schedule 1 of the constitution. To allow the nomination would be an incorrect application of the provisions of the constitution.

“Colin Clarke, current ULSU President, submitted an incomplete nomination form, page 3 of the nomination form was not signed.

“Page 3 asks the candidate to formally agree to uphold the ULSU constitution. The candidate also must confirm that they and their campaign manager have read and understood and will abide by the rules and guidelines outlined by the ERB for the sabbatical officer’s elections 2016.

“Under Article 11 of the ULSU constitution the procedure for all elections and referenda shall be determined by the ERB. Failure to both complete and execute the confirmations required on page 3 and the failure of the campaign manager to execute the confirmations required on page 3 means that the nomination form in the form made available by the ERB for the purpose of the nomination is incomplete. Under the ULSU constitution the ERB does have the authority to require the nomination form (subject to the requirements of the Constitution) to be submitted in the form required by the ERB. “Furthermore paragraph 29 of Schedule 1 of the Constitution states “Upon signing the nomination form candidates

Incumbent DP Welfare Officer Caolan O’Donnell commiserates with fellow Welfare hopeful, Lydia Doody following the ULSU Sabbatical election results. PHOTO: EILÍS WALSH formally agree to uphold the Constitution”. The part of the form on page three that was not completed or signed

by Colin or his campaign manager includes the reference to the requirement to uphold the Constitution. This is a material part of the nomination form.

“The Returning Officer upheld the decision of the Electoral Referendum Board in this matter as

• the nomination form was incomplete; • the onus is on the person submitting the nomination form to ensure the form is completed and submitted correctly in accordance with the requirements of the form; and • the part of the form uncompleted and unsigned was a material part of the nomination form.

The Returning Officer’s decision on the appeal shall

be final and binding on all parties. USLU Constitution, Schedule 1. 46” The statement from the ERB concluded: “It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that have led to Jack’s and Colin’s elimination from the election. We wish Jack and Colin all the best in their respective future endeavours.

No further comment will be made by the ERB members on this matter.”

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March 2016/2 NEWS

UL records highest number of first preference CAO applications ever NAOMI DEEVY THE University of Limerick has experienced a strong increase in the number of CAO applications for its 2016 programmes, with the highest number of first preferences ever, rising over 4 % on 2015 applications. This very positive result shows further improvement on the increased levels of applications experienced last year in 2015 when UL first preferences increased by 13% over 2014 figures.

Interest is up in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. UL’s politics programmes have seen an increase in applications and first preferences with Politics and International Relations up by 40% in overall applications and a doubling in the number of first preference applications for UL’s Politics and Public Administration degree programme. The new BA in Criminal Justice programme commencing in September has proven very popular with over 560 applications and 88 first preference applications.

UL's business programmes remain popular with an increase in applications for the general Business Studies programme and a significant increase of 65% in first preference applications for International Business.

Bucking the national trend of a decrease in demand for medicine programmes, UL’s Graduate Entry Medicine programme registered an increase in first preference applications of 3%.

Physiotherapy is up by 3% and overall application numbers are up for all of UL’s nursing programmes reflecting the national

trend.

There have also been very significant increases in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) programmes. First preference applications were all up for Aeronautical Engineering (27%), Construction Management and Engineering (51%), Civil Engineering (26%) and the general Engineering Choice programme saw an increase of 10% in first preference applications. Application to UL’s B.Sc. in Energy went up by 20%, Maths and Physics is up by

18% and Product Design and Technology saw an increase in first preference applications of 17%.

Mathematical Sciences saw an increase of 40% in first preferences and 38% more people chose UL’s Pharmaceutical and Industrial Chemistry programme as their CAO first choice. First Preference applications to UL’s IT programmes have increased with Multimedia and Computer Game Design up by 14% and Digital Media Design up by 22%.

Professor Paul McCutcheon,

Vice President Academic and Registrar, UL welcomed the positive results, saying: “UL’s programmes continue to be highly sought after by students with excellent Leaving Cert results. Over half of our existing programmes saw an increase in First Preference Applications with students continuing to place UL number one on their CAO form.” This surge of interest in UL's programmes continues to reflect the positive growth seen in previous years and suggests it will continue in the coming years.

UL team shortlisted 2016 Raheen group success with UL for US-Ireland research & MIC’s Soundscape Project innovation awards AISLING O'CONNOR

MAOILÍOSA NI LOIDEÁIN The University of Limericks Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) has been shortlisted for the 2016 US-Ireland Research innovation Awards.

The awards, developed in 2015 by the American Chamber of Commerce, Ireland and the Royal Irish Academy, recognise exemplary ideas that originate in Irish organisations. This leads to a positive economic and social impact through the innovative research in meeting market needs.

SSPC is included in a shortlist of 6 in the Irish Higher Education Institution (HEI) Research Centre or Institute with US links category.

It was shortlisted in this category for its application by Dr Patrick Frawley, Dr Giuseppe Cogoni, Dr Brian de Souza and Dr Denise Croker. This was done as part of the UL and Pfizer Global Process Development Centre collaboration to provide an advanced and improved manufacturing process for world leading medicine.

Dr Pat Frawley, SSPC, said, “We are delighted to be involved in the discovery of a new commercial process to deliver an innovative improved manufacturing process for world leading medicine and honoured to be shortlisted for this award.”

One of Pfizer’s leading commercial manufacturing processes is improved by the combination of accurate design space determination and process modelling; having worked with the SSPC team to accomplish this.

A team of skilled chemists, analysts and engineers are used globally by the PDC group to embark on a major process redesign.

PDC is a member of SSPC which is funded by Science Foundation Ireland. SSPC has a combined membership of 45 industrial and academic partners with 129 researchers across academic institutions.

UL sees pharmaceutical manufacturing as an important research area. SSPC is dedicated to informing R&D activities by using innovative research on these manufacturing processes. This partnership has a positive effect which has built credibility between corporate units and Irish sites. This in turn has increased R&D investments in facilities within Ireland.

The 2016 American Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner takes place in Dublin on 20th May where winners in three award categories will be announced.

KPMG and Ulster Bank sponsor the 2016 US-Ireland Research Innovation Awards and are supported by The Irish Times.

STUDENTS from Raheen have won the star award at the 2016 AONTAS Adult Learner’s festival due to their work with the Limerick Soundscape project.

The Soundscape project, set up by the University of Limerick and Mary Immaculate College, seeks to capture the sound of Limerick by creating on online soundmap.

The students from Limerick’s National Learning Network centre were delighted

to win with one participant, Suzanne Goodison saying: “Winning the award was fantastic, the day was brilliant.

I’m thrilled with my group and my instructor Carmel Hanley, who’s been absolutely brilliant”.

The Raheen group’s project was created by collecting the sounds of the daily lives of the members. This entailed using digital recorders to capture to noise emitted from areas such as shopping centres and the members’ own back gardens.

Dr. Aileen Dillane of the IWAMD, UL and Dr. Tony

Langlois, Media and Communication Studies, MIC, described the Limerick Soundcape Project as an initiative about hearing local people and also congratulated the group on their success saying the NLN were a delight to work with.

“They recorded some unique and very interesting sounds that make a great contribution to the soundmap we’re building. Both UL and MIC are enthusiastic to be working in partnership with local communities in this way,” they said.

According to NLN group

Limerick’s Hunt Museum to showcase unseen 1916 rising documents CLAIRE O'BRIEN FROM 21 March to 15 May 2016, an exhibition showcasing Limerick’s role in the 1916 rising will take place in the Hunt Museum. The exhibition features correspondence from the Daly family to key figures in the republican movement such as Thomas Clarke, Pádraig Pearse and Roger Casement.

The exhibition examines Fenian Mayor, John Daly, and highlights the Limerick based connections to the 1916 rising. The exhibition includes Edward Daly and Con Colbert, two Limerick men executed following the events of the Rising. The exhibition will include primary sources such as postcards and photographs.

The Glucksman Library at the University of Limerick will share a unique part of history this month to commemorate

‘Limerick Rising’.

Director of the Glucksman Library at UL, Gobnait O’Riordan said: “The Limerick and the 1916 Rising exhibit provides an opportunity to highlight a unique and distinct personal archive which focuses on a number of individual lives to illustrate the Limerick experience of the 1916 Rising.

“It gives us new insights into the personalities of those who took part in the rebellion, and the lives lived in its wake by those who had been bereaved.

“Much of the information presented in the exhibit has been brought into the public arena for the first time, and with the inclusion of an online presence for the exhibit, this significant cultural material is made available to a worldwide audience, in line with the Library’s commitment to opening up its historic collections to global online access.”

leader Carmel Hanley, not only was the competition a great opportunity for the Raheen group to contribute their own voices to the soundmap, but also provided a way to hear to sounds of others too.

The sounds the group collected have been edited and uploaded to the Limerick Soundscapes website, allowing Limerick to be heard on a world stage.

To listen to the Limerick Soundscape project visit http://www.limericksoundscapes.ie/

Four UL students nominated for Smedias TOMÁS HENEGHAN FOUR University of Limerick students have been nominated for National Student Media Awards this year for their work on student media throughout the past year.

Both Maoilíosa Lydon and Willian Nolan have been nominated in the Radio DJ category, while Wayne O’Connor and Jennifer Purcell have been nominated for Journalist of the Year - National Press.

Despite making the shortlist early last week, UL’s student newspaper, An Focal failed to secure a place on the shortlist for the Newspaper of the Year award. However Ms Lydon and Ms Purcell have both contributed throughout the year to An Focal.

The awards will be announced at an event at the Aviva Stadium on April 7th, which will be hosted by student website, Oxygen.ie in conjunction with KBC Bank.

5

March 2016/2 NEWS

ULSU Student Council to advocate for better disability access on campus Following a Union General Meeting in February where a student’s difficulty travelling from the Kemmy Business School to the plaza was highlighted, ULSU student council is calling on the university to increase disability access on campus.

CLAIRE O'BRIEN & TOMÁS HENEGHAN The main issue in question is the large steps from the plaza area towards the Kemmy and Schuman buildings. When the foundation building closes at night, a wheelchair-using student must travel on a road.

As well as this, Schumann building access is an issue for students with mobility difficulties. Due to step a in the entrance to the building, wheelchair users can only access the building using a

side door.

UL Experience chairperson, Chris Collins stated that wheelchair users are “dependent on the kindness of strangers” when doors to university buildings are not automated.

Mr. Collins also commented that “people don’t realise the pain of travelling around campus for these students”.

It is understood that a petition will soon be circulated in the hopes of gathering 1,000

signatures to highlight the importance of this issue.

An Focal contacted the University of Limerick for comment, however the newspaper received no response at the time of going to print.

In an email circulated to UL staff last week from the university’s Human Resources Division, the university explained that it is currently seeking the input of all university staff to an anonymous census before Friday, April 8th.

The email explains: “UL, along with the other

UL GEMS Teddy Bear Hospital aims to reduce children’s anxiety in medical environments

On March 11th medical students in the University of Limerick held the fourth annual Teddy Bear Hospital in UL’s Sports Arena. Over 500 Limerick children from seven different primary schools attended the event. Most importantly, they each brought along with them their teddy bears.

EILÍS WALSH The event, organised by seven medical students with a particular focus in childhood medicine has the aim of reducing children’s anxiety while being in a medical environment.

These GEMS (Graduate Entry Medical School) students also hope to aid the children in being more comfortable with medical professionals and familiarising them with various medical procedures.

Different topics such as triage; stethoscopes, x-ray; asthma; vital signs & safety; exercise; first aid, ear, nose, throat and healthy eating were explained by 150 1st and 2nd year students. These students also acted as “teddy bear doctors” for the day, spread out at ten medical stations in the arena. The primary school children watched as their teddy bears acted as patients throughout the day.

According to Ann Morris, a medical student the organizers main goal “was to expand the number of primary schools we were able to invite to the event”.

She explained that the event enables the children “to interact with and assist in a range of

simulated healthcare settings, while also allowing them to learn about healthy habits, like the importance of eating well and exercise”.

The GEMS students were keen to highlight the importance of eating well and preventative medicine, doing so in an engaging and child friendly manner.

UL GEMS aims to improve relations with the students and the surrounding community and also hopes to encourage young children to entertain the idea of working in the medical profession.

Other topics covered were teaching the primary school children of the benefits of regular exercise, a healthy diet and useful hand-washing techniques. UL’s president Professor Don Barry described the event as “a magical opportunity

for Limerick’s primary school children and a valuable learning experience for all”. He also commented on the building of “an affirmative and substantial link between the university, its students and healthcare provision” The event itself is growing in popularity with schools all over County Limerick applying to get the chance to attend.

The concept and running of the Teddy Bear Hospital at the University of Limerick is the first of its type for the Limerick region.

The talented UL GEMS students involved in this year’s Teddy Bear Hospital are: Giula Martone, Julia Healy, Ann Morris, Caity Patterson, Amy Hannigan, Saskia D’SA and Kristin Delcellier. They were commended for their efforts and congratulated on a successful event.

Universities, has certain responsibilities under the Disability Act 2005. One such obligation is to identify whether or not we are meeting the employment target of 3% of staff with disabilities.

“As part of the University’s commitment as an equal opportunities employer, it is important that the University provides a supportive environment for staff with disabilities.

“To ensure that we are reporting accurately, we request ALL university staff to complete this anonymous census by Friday 8th April.

“Under the Act, disability is

defined as follows: ‘Disability, in relation to a person, means a substantial restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a profession, business or occupation in the State or to participate in social or cultural life in the State by reason of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual

impairment.’

“Please note that the nature of this could be ongoing or episodic, and could include: · A physical impairment · A sight, hearing or speech impairment · An intellectual disability · A mental health condition.”

6

March 2016/2 POLITICS

Social change comes from the courts, not our politicians With a bright rainbow feather in its cap, our proud now caretaker Government continues to strut about the country as the saviours of LGBTQ people in Ireland. They delivered us marriage equality. They gave us the Gender Recognition Act. They are the heroes of decades of struggle by ordinary citizens against the discriminatory institutions of the State.

TOMÁS HENEGHAN How much of that is real though? How much is embellished merely to appeal to those the State previously had little regard for? Our newly crowned Queen of Ireland, Panti Bliss once praised the fact Irish politicians are now seeking the socalled ‘pink vote’ - and she was right. It’s somewhat impressive to know that politicians are finally looking for the ‘pink vote’.

In reality, however it was far from Dáil Éireann these changes were first initiated. In fact our Oireachtas has always lagged behind another powerful State institution in the push for social change. From abortion to LGBTQ rights, it is the Irish court system which has always led the way.

The journey began in 1974 with a young woman challenging Irish law on contraception.

Her surname was McGee and she needed contraception. The legislature had failed to make provision for this scenario and

so the courts stepped in and found in favour of McGee. It took a further six years for the Oireachtas to enact legislation legalising contraception, albeit in extremely limited circumstances.

Three years after McGee, another case came before our courts challenging laws on homosexuality, as the Oireachtas had once again failed to make the necessary changes to the law by itself. This time the plaintiff, David Norris, lost in both domestic courts and was forced further afield to seek justice. Eventually in 1988 Norris won his case in the European Court of Human Rights.

Again, however, it took a further five years for the Oireachtas to enact the necessary legislation.

On we go to 1992 when a pregnant 14-year-old rape victim was forced to return to Ireland after traveling to England to seek an abortion.

She challenged this attempt to restrict the right of pregnant women to travel outside Ireland and after a failure in the High Court, she was granted her right

in the Supreme Court.

In fact not only was her right to travel recognised, but a new constitutional right to abortion was found by the court and with that abortion became a constitutional right for all women in the State if their life was in danger through continuing their pregnancy, including situations where there was a threat of suicide.

This took even more time for the Oireachtas to act upon and legislation giving effect to that constitutional right came into

force in January 2014, twentytwo years after the constitutional right to abortion was established by the Irish Supreme Court.

On it moves again to 2004 when a same-sex couple, Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan began a High Court action against the Revenue Commissioners. Their aim was to have their Canadian marriage recognised by the Irish State. Two years later they lost in the High Court. Some months after the judgment the couple appealed to the Supreme Court

and the case was heard in 2012.

However it was returned to the High Court.

Three years later Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage through a national vote and in November 2015 legislation allowing for same-sex marriages was commenced.

Would marriage equality have happened without the attention newly elected TD, and former Senator, Katherine Zappone and her wife Ann Louise Gilligan brought to the issue? Would we now be seeing same-sex couples getting married in Ireland if that 2004 case had never been brought? Perhaps - but I would guess marriage equality would have taken a number of years more than it did.

That’s not all however. Way back in 1997, Dr. Lydia Foy initiated a legal challenge against the Registrar General in Ireland as she had been refused a new birth certificate. Foy’s original birth cert marked her as male, however she identified as female and wanted this reflected in the necessary documents.

In 2002 Foy lost in the High Court but went on to appeal to the Supreme Court but this was returned to the High Court in 2005. She then issued fresh legal proceedings in 2006 in the High Court. Later, in 2007, the High Court decided against the State, issuing a declaration of incompatibility between Irish and European law. Again in 2013 Foy issued further proceedings against the State for failing to act on the court’s ruling.

In September last year, eighteen years after Foy began her legal battle, the rights of trans people in Ireland were

recognised under the Gender Recognition Act 2015.

For all their pride and pronouncements of leadership on social change in Ireland, successive governments and the Oireachtas have failed continually to lead change. In reality they have repeatedly been pushed into making these changes by the Irish and European courts, as well as by lobby and campaign groups. There has also been an unnecessary disparity in the delays between court rulings and action taken by the Oireachtas.

Sadly it is easy to compare these delays with the rushed changes made in the area of finance by Irish governments.

From bank guarantees to rushed early-morning votes on the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), it seems the appetite by governments to rush through laws is present but limited to primarily financial issues.

On the other hand it appears the lives and health of the citizens can be put on hold for, in some cases, up to twenty-two years despite overhanging court rulings.

What the history of Irish politics has shown is that necessary and meaningful social change primarily flows from brave individuals challenging unjust laws in both domestic and international courts. Fine Gael, Labour, Fianna Fáil, and even the Green Party have shown up political parties’ disinterest in driving social change.

As a result, the push for change falls onto the shoulders of those ordinary individual citizens who are willing to risk everything in our court system for the greater good of Irish society.

7

March 2016/2 POLITICS

Stubbornness needs to be put aside for Fine Gael-Sinn Féin-Labour coalition Micheál wont play with Enda. Joan wont play with Enda again for a while. Gerry wont play with anyone unless he gets to be the boss. Shane and his friends will play with anyone, so long as there is space for their policies.

TOMÁS HENEGHAN IRISH politics has yet again turned into a playground battle between 8-year-olds.

No one is willing to talk to their rivals to do what appears best for the country itself, all because of a decades-old little spat.

In fact most people will recognise that there are only three options being presented to the public on any possible government following last month’s General Election.

Option 1: Fine GaelFianna Fáil coalition government Option 2: Fine Gael/ Fianna Fáil minority government Option 3: A second General Election within the year However many fail to mention another equally valid option in their declarations and demands that all parties and individuals across the Dáil spectrum must work together to form a stable government.

There is the potential for a rainbow coalition, as seen in the 1990s, yet a more colourful one now. This coalition would consist of Fine Gael (50 seats), Sinn Féin (23 seats) and the Labour Party (7 seats), bringing such a combination above the threshold of seats for a working government.

We know from not only the past five years, but also the past number of decades that Fine Gael and Labour have no great difficulty working together in government, but the question is whether the egos of the three parties would allow them to enter a government together. Would Labour be ready to set aside their ego to step into the role of the most junior government partner, below even Sinn Féin?

There will be some who argue that Sinn Féin is nothing like Fine Gael and Labour and therefore could never form a government with the two parties.

However all we have to do is look north and ask how Sinn Féin has managed to stay in power with relative ease alongside the DUP, playing second fiddle in most cases to the unionist party.

Many would then argue Sinn Féin had to enter the Stormont Assembly in order to curb DUP policies and bring about moderation.

Ironically this same argument has often been made by the Labour Party in the South to excuse its entering coalition with Fine Gael.

In fact just as Labour has continually been accused of complicity in the unpopular actions of Fine Gael in the Republic, Sinn Féin has by the same measure been complicit in the unpopular actions of the DUP in the

Northern Ireland Assembly.

Where Labour was viewed as players in the implementation of austerity measures, property taxes and water chargers, Sinn Féin can equally be viewed as players in the blocking of marriage equality and abortion law reform in the North.

So either Sinn Féin believes itself a moderating force for those in power and believes it has a responsibility to form stable governance, or it doesn’t.

Fine Gael and Labour equally cannot continue to demand all parties step up to the mark on forming a new government, while also refusing to go into government with others. Also worth noting is the public lashing out from Labour supporters following the election, with many claiming the electorate had destroyed any opportunity for a repeal of the antiabortion Eighth Amendment.

In fact if Labour decided to enter a coalition government alongside Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, the repeal of the Amendment would easily be on the cards, especially compared with all other government formation options.

It’s time to step up and for all parties, especially Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Féin to do exactly what they’ve claimed to be doing for the past five year: making the difficult decisions in the best interests of the State, no matter their own personal issues with such decisions.

Applications are now open for the following Summer positions in our Villages

Housekeeper What is involved? · Duties involve cleaning of apartments/ houses, restocking inventory and welcoming guests. · Working days vary & weekend work is required

Receptionist What is involved? · Duties involve meeting and greeting guests, dealing with customer queries, checking in and out guests and taking payments. · Carry out night time & on call duties and live on site on these days · Working shifts vary and include weekends

Applicants must:

Applicants must:

· Have a high level of attention to detail · Be self motivated · A proven record of excellent customer service · Demonstrate very good team work

· Have previous experience in a hotel or similar fast paced environment. · Have excellent communication skills with a friendly and welcoming personality · Have a high level of attention to detail and strong multi tasking ability · Have excellent knowledge of UL and attractions in the area. · Be able to demonstrate excellent team work and have the ability to work alone

Previous experience within a hotel or similar work environment an advantage.

All successful applicants must be available from 16 May 2016 to 28 August 2016

To apply: Please send a cover letter and CV to Kasia.Polak@ul.ie by Wednesday 6 April 2016 stating what position you are applying for.

8

March 2016/2 SU/CAMPAIGNS

Welfare update CIARA CORCORAN HI everyone!

I hope you all had a great Easter break and are ready for the remainder of the semester!

The next few weeks are going to be very exciting with a big Mental Health Week planned and the referendum for a new student centre on April 13th.

Charity Week has been a huge chunk of my work over the last few weeks. Thanks to all the volunteers, all those who took part in the activities and all of you who donated. The raft race will be happening in Week 9 so get your friends together to potentially win yourselves a trip to Amsterdam for two nights!

All you need is a team of four, a sign-up sheet from the Union, a homemade raft and raise €200

per team.

Walk and Talk is a project I’ve been working on with Mary I and LIT for the past few months. This is a 5km evening walk for Pieta House bringing all the students of Limerick together to promote talking and looking after our mental health.

Students go through many of the same issues, worries and experiences and we see this as a chance for us all to come together and address the same issues together. Check out Facebook on how to enter and help raise much needed funds for such a worthwhile service.

Week 8 was a super week with Pay it Forward and Road Safety Week. Pay it Forward involved doing kind acts and getting people to pass it on.

You guys nominated some staff members who you thought were particularly kind to you in the past and we delivered cookies to them! Road Safety Week was great with the roll over car in the Plaza on Tuesday and loads of freebies throughout the week.

Mental Health week is in Week 10, with lots of stuff happening across campus. We’ll be hosting a 24-hour Cycle Against Suicide on Thursday of Week 10 in the courtyard. The

cycle this year falls during the exam period so instead we’re bringing the cycle here - sort of!

If anyone wants to get involved in any part of the week come along to the Welfare Team meeting on Wednesday at 6pm in the SU or email suwelfare@ ul.ie. We’re also hosting a Safe Talk workshop, run by the HSE which is booked out with over 40 people interested. It’s great to see you all interested in looking after your mental health and that of others. We hope to have another training workshop before the end of the year which will be announced on Facebook and in one of Colin’s weekly emails.

The Student Assistance Fund deadline has been extended to April 8th. If you haven’t applied already you can find the application form online by googling ‘Students Assistance Fund UL’ or on the SAA website.

Finally, congratulations to our incoming Sabbat Team; Sarah, Caolan and Donal. Looking forward to a fun handover week with you. Well done to all of the candidates, you all ran fantastic campaigns and should be very proud of yourselves and your campaign teams.

Walk and talk CIARA CORCORAN

ON April 5th we will be collaborating with Mary I and LIT in an event called ‘Walk and Talk’. This is a 5km walk in aid of Pieta House.

We all love the idea of the Darkness into Light but it always happens during our exams. So, we’ve decided to hold our own walk, bringing all of Limerick’s students together in unity to promote positive mental health and the importance of talking to one another. This is simply a walk, not a run that you need to be fit for, just a bit of exercise to help improve our mental health and a chance to talk to our friends and other students about our own situations.

This event will start in the Potato Market at 8pm

with some music and activities with Richie from the Arena. We’ll then go through the town, along the CSPP route, and back to the Milk Market for an after party in the Library. Entry will be no more than €10 with proceeds going to Pieta House and their fantastic service. There will be a bus going from UL into town before the walk begins so look out on the event page for more info. We also have a limited number of event t-shirts to make the night even more memorable.

Over 130 students die by suicide each year and we don’t want Limerick to be part of that statistic. We are all students, we go through many of the same struggles and obstacles so why not come out and stand up for positive mental health?

We want to make this event

great and your participation is needed for this to happen. This is part of our Mental Health Week and is an opportunity to link in with the other colleges in Limerick and some of the fantastic mental health services available to students.

We have all been affected by suicide or mental health in one way or another and young people are one of the most vulnerable so why not get involved and help get our young people talking and out moving.

If you have been affected by mental health issues or suicide here are some numbers to contact: UL Counselling 061 202327 Pieta House 061 484444 Console 1800 247 247 Walk in my Shoes 01 249 3555 Samaritans 116 123

9

March 2016/2 INTERVIEW

“Allow yourself to invest in your mind”: Interview with Bressie

Following Niall Breslin’s - known as Bressie - talk at the Bank of Ireland’s “Be at your Best” seminar, I had the opportunity to talk to the mental health advocate afterwards to ask about his own experiences and to offer some advice to students suffering with mental illness. Here’s what he had to say:

AISLING O'CONNOR You’ve suffered from anxiety and depression from a young age, what do you feel has helped you the most in dealing with this?

100% the biggest thing was taking the mask off and telling everyone. That was the biggest thing because that allowed me to go and go at the incredible resources out there hard. Then I think once I did that, therapy was the most effective for me, things like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, I thought was

amazing. It took me awhile to grasp it, same with mindfulness; it took me a long time to grasp it and to really get into it. I think, as I said in the talk, it’s important to understand that it takes time and patience and mental fitness to build it up but if I hadn’t had told everybody I would have never been able to get to the place I got to.

You’re very open about your struggles in your book “Me and My Mate Jeffery” - was this difficult to write?

It was horrific to write.

Certain chapters were fine and there were certain moments I didn’t want to tart it up, I didn’t want to tell the story and not offend certain people. I wanted to tell it as horribly straight as I could.

There were certain situations I had to write very visibly

about, things that I tried to forget. The reality is, and I made the realisation writing the book, was that I don’t want to forget them because it allowed me build something a lot stronger.

A lot of people have come up to you and said you’re the reason they asked for help and shared their own stories with you. How does that make you feel?

It’s overwhelming at times.

I think to understand that how I perceive myself in this certain field is that I’m not a health care professional and

although people often come up and ask me for help, I can’t really offer any because it’s not my job and you know, I’m not a professional. What

“The mind is the most important thing; the mind is what you need to invest in.”

I’m trying to do is help people feel okay and seek the help, making them understand that this is normal and also

making them understand that it can affect anybody. The stereotype and label of who it should affect, that’s just silly and that has to stop and that’s killing too many people in the country, and why I’m doing this and making my kind of core motivation is to change education. How can we make education more holistic and a lot more involved, and I mean that from primary school to third level. Third level is forgotten so many times, it really is immensely difficult for many many people to go to third level and I think it’s important for peers in third level to keep an eye out for that, to create emotional scaffolding for people and let them find their own coping strategies and you know you could be saving someone’s life if you

do that.

The Lust for Life phoenix park run was March 5th.

How was it?

It was huge, it was four and a half thousand people and the beautiful thing about that was that four and a half thousand people were doing it for a reason. It wasn’t just lads wanting to run it was people saying “right, we’re here to help progress this conversation.” That’s four and a half thousand leaders.

Our government are ignoring it, our leaders are ignoring it and they’re pretending it doesn’t exist like they do with so many social issues.

So people like that going out for the run and people doing Darkness into Light runs for Pieta House; they’re the real heroes, they’re the people trying to lead this society out of the darkness and it’s good to see. It’s good to see people doing that.

What advice do you have for students at third level, or even second level down to primary students, who struggle with their mental health?

The advice I’d have for them would be, number one is that they have to understand how normal this is and the mind, although can be weakened, can be absolutely strengthened. The mind is the most important thing; the mind is what you need to invest in. You can do all the training, studying, everything you want, if your mind rebels it’s very hard to ever be happy. So allow yourself to be happy, allow yourself to invest in your mind and try and get to understand it.

Give it a name, there’s gonna be days you hate the f**king thing, but there’s gonna be more days you’ll love it.

10

March 2016/2 ERASMUS

Erasmus Diary An experience I’ll never baguette BRIAN CROWLEY IF there is one thing I have come to realise while being on Erasmus here in France, it is how relieved I am to be Irish. Us Irish have managed to strike the perfect balance on our approach to life, not too relaxed and not too serious.

Our sense of humour is truly unique. Although people from other continents cannot always figure out if I’m joking or being serious at times. I suppose the language barrier does not help; very few exchange students here are native English speakers.

Funnily enough, there is quite a lot of students here to improve their English, somehow surviving without a word of français.

They don’t always know where Ireland is located, that it uses the Euro or worst of all that it is not part of the United Kingdom, but goodness gracious do their eyes light up when I tell them I am Irish.

I’m studying at Audencia Business School in the city of Nantes, the capital of the Pays de la Loire region in the north west of France. Audencia is one of the most prestigious business schools in the country and one of only seventy-odd business schools in the world to receive Triple Accreditation. However, let me stress the word school in the college’s name. I left secondary school rejoicing I would never have to learn in a similar environment again. How wrong I was. There is usually about 30 people in each of my classes, no lectures. I must arrive on time and classes always run for the full set period, which are two or three hours long. I must attend each class and sign the attendance sheet or raise my hand when the teacher calls my name.

Forget “golden weeks”, at the moment it is looking like I am going to have a golden semester.

I get homework, and I write that homework in my diary. All that is missing is a school bell and

a uniform. At least I don’t have to ask “An bhfuil cead agam dúl go dtí an leithreas?” Group projects are especially annoying, especially when I am the only one in the group who is a native English speaker or not on a pass/ fail basis (I am studying in the English track).

The French are notorious for striking. At our orientation day, one of the teachers retold a story of the farmers going on strike in the local area a couple of years ago. They covered the buildings in cow dung and the smell lingered in the summer heat for days later. One day I knew the SNCF rail workers were holding a demonstration in the city centre at 2pm. Since I had class at 2pm I made an effort to leave my residence before 1pm to avoid it. All was going well until I met said demonstration marching towards the city on the tram tracks. Off the tram I embarked and walked the rest of the distance.

Never again will I complain about a 9am lecture when I return to Limerick. Each week I will have between one and three 8.15am starts (my timetable changes each week), meaning my alarm is usually set for just before 7am. I live pretty close to the city centre of Nantes. My accommodation is rather small and basic but I thankfully have my own kitchen and bathroom.

It is expensive but I should hopefully get accommodation assistance once I stop getting asked for more paperwork. I get two trams each morning, usually taking 30 minutes to get to the door of Audencia. Which I might add, since the increasing of the Vigipirate national security alert last January, is now guarded by a security guard. I have to scan my student card to enter the building and have my ID card displayed at all times, annoyingly dangling around my neck. It is also not uncommon to see some members of the Police Nationale or even the army casually strolling around in the city

centre, parks and other public areas. One night two tall stocky men dressed in long black heavy coats and boots approached me at the bus and train station while I was waiting for a friend.

They produced identification, Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects (French Customs) and proceeded question me on why I was waiting about. They moved on almost immediately after examining my Audencia student card; I obviously didn’t fit the profile of a drug trafficker.

The best thing about my Erasmus here is the city of Nantes itself, which really is a brilliant city to live in. It is easy to get around and there is always something to do. Nantes recently came 4th place in the European Best Destination 2016 award. I love living here and I have no desire to come home for the time being. I must also sing my praises for the international department staff members at Audencia who are extremely efficient. It is really reassuring having that support there and I am very lucky compared to other UL students on exchange.

If I was to give any advice to students thinking about going on Erasmus or who are heading off next academic year, it would be to not expect everything to go perfect. Overall, the experience is definitely worth it. You will encounter challenges but that is part and parcel of the whole Erasmus experience. I asked myself while writing this, “What is the one thing I miss the most about Ireland?” After some hard thinking, I realised the only thing I miss is the University of Limerick. I have become a promoter of sorts for UL, recommending it to the French students who go on exchange in their final year. I look forward to returning but for now, la vie est belle.

Brian Crowley is a second year B.B.S Economics & Finance student currently on Erasmus in Audencia Business School in Nantes, France.

11

March 2016/2 FRESHERS

Fresher’s Diary: Holiday season KIERA THORNTON SINCE I have left secondary school, a major change has happened in how I view school and college holidays. Back in school, I spent entire terms longing for the next mid-term or break and relishing every moment of the holidays when they came. My school was like a prison and of course any time spent away from it could not come sooner.

Fast forward to the present and being in university, and I have found that I actually no longer think much of holidays. In fact I do not see them in a positive light at all now. I would not go as far as saying I dread them, but there is something about spending a week stuck at home that is very unpalatable. I enjoy my university life so much that, when the Easter holidays came along, it was really sad that I had to leave university for a week. Sure, having a week-long break from the constant barrage of assignments, coursework and the stress of sorting out my co-op for next year is far from the worst thing in the world, but it also means spending a week away from my beloved university friends and my society activities, which is upsetting.

Granted, the temporary discontinuation of university assignments for a week came at a better time in the academic calendar than any other. The eighth week of the semester involved a severe rush to finish numerous essays and projects I had, to my detriment, left ever so slightly on the long finger. By the end of the week I was physically and emotionally exhausted, both from university work and the massively tiresome and socially overbearing holiday that is St Patrick’s Day. Part of

me on Friday might have been ever so thankful it was Easter then. At that stage I was left with a week to take it somewhat easier before cramming in preparation for assignments due in the latter weeks of the semester, not to mention the end-of-semester exams.

Perfect. A week off university to do all the wonderful things I want to do, like writing, travelling, formulating my plan for toppling the world’s elite one-percent, etc.

Or, more suitably, a week off university to fantasise about doing all the wonderful things I want to do, but simply ending up oversleeping a lot and spending too much time on the Internet. Although, on the last day before Easter and just before leaving campus, I had a small brainwave and withdrew some books from the literature section. I shall not be totally alone and bored for the week.

Maybe, just maybe, I should also actually prepare for the remaining weeks of the semester after the Easter break. I even have a presentation to work on that is due to happen in week ten that I could easily have ready to go well in advance if I set aside just a few spare hours of my holidays, right? Not at all, I will leave it to the last minute and rush to get it done the night before. (Besides, I am so terrible at making class presentations that it does not make a difference whether I put the presentation together a week in advance or an hour in advance, my debilitating social awkwardness knows no bounds and I will inevitably mess up when placed in front of even a small number of classmates.)

Not to mention that, as a languages student, I have oral exams to do in week twelve which I must pass in order to continue with my studies, and I have not spoken a word of a language other than English in a very long time now. Yikes. I am sure I can bluff it, in a way not too

A Bachelor of Laws Degree in 2 Years

dissimilar to my distant memory of how I bluffed my oral exams roughly this time last year for the Leaving Cert. I suppose, if I were mature, I would look at the bigger picture in that my course of study requires me to spend time in countries that speak those languages. Basically I have to achieve fluency so I can live and work there for six months, and that is in less than a year from now. Whoops, now I really regret uninstalling Rosetta Stone.

The sad truth is that there will only be a small number of weeks left in the semester, and my first year is almost over. I would like to finish my first year with as good an academic record as I required to get here in the first place, so I am beginning to get just a little bit worried about exams and assignments. In this same piece in the last edition of An Focal, I kindly asked you all to keep me in your thoughts. Please continue to do so!

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12

March 2016/2

Love your Body

13

March 2016/2 REVIEW

MUSIC REVIEW

Do yourself a f**king favour and listen to All Tvvins EILÍS WALSH THIS is a band I came across when checking up on someone I don’t even talk to anymore.

I’m not going to lie about it, simply because finding this band was such a treat. This is a two piece band consisting of Lar Kaye and Conor Adams and the band itself is based in Dublin. As for their genre it is hard to describe. They are a mixture of synth pop, rock, indie and electronic.

I’ll take you through the sound of All Tvvins song by song. The first tune I ever heard of theirs was “Thank You”. I connected with it on a personal level. The first sound

you hear is guitar, sounding like vintage synthesizers.

Then immediately comes in foot tapping drums and some bass. The lyrics, I am guessing describing the after effects of a breakup. “Thank You” is best played out loud and the tone of the song is almost angry at the beginning. Conor Adams sings “And now my love is gone, where should I go? And now my love is wrong, I know, I know”. This song is anthem like if played aloud.

“Too Young to Live” was the next song released and it’s a groovy song in my opinion.

It’s slower than Thank You but no less catchy. The guitars are largely layered by effects yet there’s still a detectable 80’s

sound that is synonymous with All Tvvins, yet is modern too.

“Too young to live, too old to die. Too young to give, too old to try”. There’s a funky bass riff throughout the song, and towards the end of the song the synthesizers are amped up on the guitar, making for again, an anthem.

The next tune is “Darkest Ocean” and this would be my favourite All Tvvins song, for its catchy and pulsating drum beat. Within seconds of the song beginning you hear loud synths which I find very easy to dance to. It’s also a festival worthy tune and is instantly recognisable as All Tvvin’s signature sound. My own dance moves to this song are

deplorable but fit in with the changes in synth and drum beat. When played in an intimate setting the song fills the room. “Do yourself a f**king favour. Build yourself a boat.

Hold your breath and reach the top, I know that you'll float.”

Finally, their latest single “Unbelievable” is slightly different than the first three songs. All Tvvins are clearly going all out for this song, everything is big and loud, from the guitars, synths and drum beats. It’s really energetic, particularly the bouncy, infectious drum beats during the chorus.

The vocals are synthesized but not as much as the previous few songs in my opinion.

“It’s unbelievable, that

we’re here at all. It’s a miracle, what the body does, what the body knows”.

Electro pop song Resurrect Me isn’t as well known as the first four songs but I love it.

Most All Tvvin’s songs start with synthesized guitar and an infectious drum beat. “If you could, I know you would, I know you would, resurrect

BLACKFISH EILÍS WALSH (May contain spoilers) A standout quote from this film is “If you were in a bathtub for 25 years don’t you think you’d get a little psychotic”. This is in reference to the type of living conditions that whales in SeaWorld live in on a daily basis.

The film I’m talking about was actually released in 2013, to wide critical acclaim. However I feel that because of the uproar at present surrounding the poor health of the film’s principal focus: Tilikum. Orca was another word used in referring to the whales.

This documentary style film was directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and it documents the controversy around Tilikum, a huge killer whale directly responsible for the deaths of no less than three people, including head trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. The film serves to highlight the cruelty these animals face and the mental trauma caused to

whales living in captivity. The film itself also aimed to end killer whale shows in all marine type parks like SeaWorld.

The film shows the viewer how killer whales were captured, how the orca hunters herded the pods into lagoons with dead ends and separated the calves. Also the film documented how SeaWorld began breeding orcas within the marine park. They also show the trauma female orcas go through when separated from their calves.

I will think you have a heart of stone if you are not moved by this film, I remember watching this for the first time in the summer of 2014 and sitting there with a huge hollow feeling in my chest. What is most startling about SeaWorld is the amount lies told to so many of the workers and trainers there. A standout moment was when a SeaWorld worker told spectators that a killer whale would normally live only 30 years. This is untrue, as zoologists know for a fact that killer whales in the wild live almost

the same life spans as human life spans, if not longer. This is roughly 80 years. This further highlights that impact that captivity has on these beautiful creatures.

It is amazing to me how much impact this film has made in the three years following its release. SeaWorld reported an 85% drop in income in the second half of 2015. People began protesting outside SeaWorld, petitioning for the orcas to be set free and to end shows containing killer whales.

As shown in the film, Tilikum no longer works with trainers. He usually performs for about ten minutes, on his own and is returned to a tiny pen where the lights are turned off. This is heart breaking. At the time of this review being written (March 2016), Tilikum reportedly suffering from a bacterial infection, however some are disputing this saying that SeaWorld is lying about other ailments the 34 year old whale may be suffering from. SeaWorld have made an announcement that they have decided to move with the times and cease breeding whales and also will begin to “phase out live performances using orcas”.

I implore you to watch this film if you still support SeaWorld and the “entertainment” they provide. While the film shows SeaWorld in nothing but a negative light I hope that you will also do your own research after watching the film.

me”.

Other songs such as The Fix and Desperate Soul are tunes to listen out for, complete with vocals coated in sound effects, loud drum beats and synths.

For me All Tvvin’s are unique in what they’re doing and I am highly anticipating the music they bring out in the future.

14

March 2016/2 HEALTH

Mind your Mental Heath 10: INSOMNIA Insomnia itself is not a mental illness; however, because it is a common symptom and result of several mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder, it is worth covering.

AISLING O'CONNOR FURTHERMORE, insomnia alone is a huge cause of mental turmoil and stress. Symptoms of insomnia include being unable to or finding it difficult to fall asleep, waking up frequently during the night, and feeling unrested after waking up. Due to the lack of sleep, the person experiencing insomnia can be irritable, unable to concentrate, suffer memory loss, and feel extremely tired throughout the day. As always, there are ways of easing and rectifying the issue: - Regulate your sleeping pattern: this can be difficult in college when your time table ranges from 9am to 3pm starts, but going to bed and getting up at the same times gets your body into a habit of falling asleep and

waking regularly.

- Cut the caffeine: Try not to go over 3 cups of coffee a day, and avoid caffeine entirely after 6 pm. If sleep doesn’t improve try switching to decaf and ditching the energy drinks.

- Tea: Camomile tea and peppermint teas are relaxing and will help you sleep better.

There are a ton of different sleep teas out there to try if

you don’t like these ones.

- Lavender: I mentioned the calming benefits of burning lavender essence (or using a scented candle) way back in the first Mind your Mental Health, lavender is known to soothe and relax and used in a lot of herbal sleep remedies.

- Exercise: Do your exercise during the day as it will tire you, however avoid it before

bed as your body releases endorphins after exercise, which will boost your mood but won’t help you sleep any better.

- Eat a light meal: Having a huge meal before bed will leave you bloated, uncomfortable, and your body will spend the night trying to digest it. Some may be happy to know than carb-y snacks are ideal before bed because carbohydrates release tryptophan which induces sleep so cereal, toast, or crackers are recommended. Unfortunately, chocolate contains caffeine so the Nutella toast should wait till breakfast.

- Switch off: the late night DMCs on messenger won’t do you any favours here, try turning electrical devices off an hour before bed and winding down with a book instead. If your mind goes

into hyper-drive at night, making a to-do-list for the next day might curb worries, and keeping your room organised and clean as a hectic space results in a hectic mind.

- Meditation: Calm is a fantastic and free app which offers short meditations and body scans to relax you.

Youtube is also packed with sleep meditations.

- Music: Some people prefer a quiet room, but music such as instrumentals (lyrics keep

the mind active), classical, and natural soundtracks such as ocean sounds and thunderstorms can lull you to sleep.

- Medication: I’ve mentioned before that sleeping pills should be a last ditch effort as they are known to be extremely addictive and the quality of sleep is not the same as regular sleep.

However, different treatments work for different people.

Say hello to the pitta pocket CARYL FAYE YULO SAY hello to the pitta pocket and goodbye to sandwiches that can’t seem to keep their fillings within their crusty borders because no matter how tightly you wrap that lovely BLT in cling film and foil, a stray tomato slice or two will peak out and mock your efforts. And even if you have your black belt in sandwich wrapping, what are you going to do about its shape and texture? Don’t expect a soft but firm bite without using a bulky plastic container. But fear no more! The pitta pocket is making its long-awaited return, at least in my lunches it is! A big shout out to my friend who made me a godsend-of-apitta-pocket, see the recipe for

it down below.

Still not convinced? Then check out these extremely convincing bullet-points, my foodie friends: • A 6 pack of pitta pockets (try saying that three times) comes to less than €1 in most supermarkets! I can’t believe it either.

• Tesco’s wholemeal pitta pockets have 139 calories and only 1g of fat and almost 4g of fibre which means you’ll be feeling fuller for longer • Have some leftovers from last night’s dinner? Slice open a pocket and stuff stuff stuff • If you’ve added cheese to your pitta pocket, do your taste buds a favour and wrap it in tin foil and put it in an fan-oven for 10 minutes

Godsend-of-a-pitta-pocket Recipe Ingredients: Tomato Spinach (or any greens such as kale or the classic lettuce) Ham slices Good cheese (Irish Vintage never fails) Mayo (or your choice of relish/condiment) Method: 1. Slice the tomato and wash the spinach 2. Open the pocket halfway and spread the mayo on one side only 3. Place the ham on top of the mayo and layer on the rest of the ingredients. I recommend keeping the spinach as the top layer so the bread isn’t bothered by the moisture from the tomato and the cheese 4. Wrap the pocket in foil and place it in a fan-assisted oven on high for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the filling is heated through

15

March 2016/2 CREATIVE WRITING

The Psychic “Come on now Gráinne, give me something good.”

“That’s not how it works Deirdre. Psychic readings are complex. I can’t control what the universe sends me.”

“Yeah yeah. It’s €50 per reading. I want to get my money’s worth. Get on with it,” she grabbed Gráinne’s hands.

“What aspect of your life would you like me to look at?”

“The oul love life if you don’t mind.”

“At your age? You must be joking.”

“Excuse me I’m still in my prime. I’ll have you know there’s a

By Stephen Riordan

good few men from the bingo who’d be glancing my way.”

“Alright.” Gráinne sighed as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back.

“Well don’t fall asleep. I want my reading.”

“Shhhh.” Gráinne furrowed her eyebrows, swayed and gasped. “I’m getting something. He will knock four times. The man you’re meant to be with will knock four times.” She opened her eyes.

Deirdre

smiled. “Well he better last in bed longer than that.”

“Oh Jesus, God forgive me.”

“All I’m saying is if he’s meant to be my true love, then he better be carrying a heavy package.”

“The language coming out of your mouth.”

“Ah you’re no saint now Gráinne. I heard about you and Seán the butcher.

It’s not pork sausages you’re going in to buy every Saturday morning.”

“How dare you. Throwing

around idle gossip like that.”

There came four knocks on the door. A handsome, young gentleman came in.

“How about that Gráinne?

Four knocks, and he’s easy on the eyes as well.”

“The cheek of you, that’s my son. Keep your dirty paws off him.”

“Well I guess I should start calling you Mammy from now on so.”

“Deirdre I swear to God, you’ve some neck on you.”

“I know, and guess who’ll be kissing it tonight?”

“Get out!”

A soft ending to one’s life:

The Reaper Knits

By Dave Tierney A walking corpse, a host for beetles But worse still, his knitting needles Dressed in a black cotton cape He’ll stab you to death, there’s no escape You can try to run but he’s not slow With a quick click, he’s made a lasso You’ll be pulled in with one slow drag And get thrown inside a woollen body bag

Grasping defiance

By Dave Tierney

With this fiend, there’s no hope For he can knit a hanging rope Even a pillow, his simplest creation Could be used for suffocation

A white dress caresses her soft squeezing hands, Alone at the altar, where she still stands, Heart throbbing.

Not sobbing.

She patiently waits.

As long as he has lots of thread All his targets end up dead Life and death is a fine line Marked by just, a piece of twine.

In deafening silence sending prayers to the fates, Slowly. Softly. a figure appears to answer her why, She’s confused at this news, It must be a lie, Her horror… like thunder, under moonlit skies The whispers of Death, moisten her eyes, Forgive her her sins. For she’s lost all hope, Separation dictates, she ligate the rope.

16

March 2016/2 COMMENT

An hour in Aldi

When our bus arrives at the Aldi parking lot people rush out of the bus, presumably to be the first inside the supermarket and have more time to do their shopping. A long line of students forms towards the entrance, almost like an army marching in line. Except this army is equipped with big, empty backpacks and reusable plastic shopping bags.

ANNA KRONBORG HAAR JUST a little earlier this evening I was looking out the window of my kitchen in Cappavilla Village in Castletroy, seeing a group of young, tiredlooking people walking up the small hill that is the car park with big shopping bags in their hands. It was quarter past six, and the first bus of the evening had just returned from Aldi.

Not much later, I found myself walking down towards the same white coach with “Mannigans” written on the side of it. The bus does not look impressive, however the sky tonight is beautiful - a mix of bright blue and lumps of orange in different shapes

as the sun is setting. As the minutes pass, the orange parts become bigger and darker in colour. The evening is quiet and a bit chilly with just a hint of newly cut grass.

The passengers of this bus - the free bus running to Aldi every Monday evening - start to arrive ten minutes before the scheduled departure at seven o’clock. With increasingly more people on the bus, the vehicle fills with conversations in different languages - Chinese, English, but mainly Portuguese. Almost all of the people who use the Aldi bus are international exchange students.

“My job is to take attendance to see if people who booked the bus are here. I got

the job because I am currently on co-op (cooperative education) in the Students’ Union.

They asked if anyone would do it and earn a bit of money.

As a student, all money is welcome,” 20 year-old New Media & English student Eilís Walsh explains. She always sits in the front left seat ready to check people off on a piece of paper as they enter the bus.

“I have to report back to Aldi how many people actually used the bus and sometimes I ask a few people how much they spent,” she says.

And from the long lines inside the supermarket it seems Aldi is making a profit.

After half an hour of navigating the narrow aisles while picking up your groceries,

most students are now ready to pay and return to the bus, which is leaving soon.

Even though 45 minutes in Aldi seems like a long time, it is not. If you have to do a lot of shopping, you almost have to have a strategy, like not taking the first aisle as you enter, but one of the others, because these would not be as busy.

The shopping baskets of the students reflect a partially healthy lifestyle as they are filled with white bread, cereal, eggs and milk, but also the occasional frozen pizza, multibag crisps and beers.

Exiting Aldi and heading for the bus, it is now completely dark outside and even chillier than before. There are two buses in the corner of the parking lot, as they serve the North and South parts of the campus villages respectively.

If in doubt of which bus you came with, you just have to choose the one that looks oldest - this is the one serving Cappavilla.

Now it is almost time to drive the 3.5 kilometres back to Cappavilla. But first we need to wait for everyone to finish - no one is left behind.

Walking down the aisle of the bus is difficult as you have to manage multiple shopping bags, maybe a backpack and, if necessary, spare items you could not fit into bags, such as egg trays, a bag of bread or toilet paper.

Finally we leave Aldi and arrive back in the Cappavilla car park at eight o’clock, an hour after our departure. Now all there is left is to climb the small hill to get back to the nice, warm room waiting for you.

What it’s really like to study in New York?

Rachel Pierson studies Sociology with a concentration in Human Services in SUNY New Paltz University in New York. New Paltz is situated 80 miles from New York City and is a quaint town in Ulster County.

ANNA CULLEN RACHEL came to the University of Limerick in January of this year and is flying back to NY on May 17th.

Speaking to her, she expressed her enjoyment at studying here in UL and spoke of her university back in New York.

“I go to SUNY New Paltz, and I would highly recommend it. It is an extremely

green campus, and it is surrounded by various mountains perfect for hiking and skiing. It is also a 2 hour drive to NYC.” So why did Rachel choose Ireland?

“I knew it was a beautiful country, with a lot of history. The people were also supposed to be extremely friendly and fun and a few of my friends have been here and recommended it.”

On arrival in UL, Rachel experienced just that. A

beautiful country with friendly people. However, she can’t quite get used to the rain here. The main contrast between university in NY and here is “the differences in timetabling”.

She lives in Kilmurry Village on campus with five other American girls. Rachel describes the accommodation as “so quaint and clean”.

In SUNY New Paltz, Rachel plays volleyball and so, keeping fit is very important to her: “The

accommodation is also conveniently located next to the gym”.

There isn’t a huge difference between the two countries as regards nights out, according to Rachel, but she and her friends “have to take a lot more cabs here”.

The people in UL have welcomed Rachel with open arms and have been so helpful. She enjoys going to ‘International Night’ here in the Stables every Friday evening. She can interact with other international students and mix with Irish students too.

“The guys in UL love their joggers and their Nikes,” exclaimed Rachel. “I have

seen a few good looking guys here.”

I asked Rachel if universities in America are like what we see on TV and in movies.

“At big universities it is definitely like that - the big frat scene and the football games.

But at smaller universities it is more relaxed, just like UL.” She doesn’t regret one bit of her time at UL and feels she made the right choice.

“You really get the Irish campus experience.”

UL has an international exchange link with SUNY New Paltz and students who have previously gone there on Erasmus have loved it.

Fiachra, a past student who

is now graduated, went in 2013/2014. “I would highly recommend New Paltz. It was a great experience.”

“Funnily enough I met my fiancé there, so you never know what's going to happen.”

He spoke of the modules saying a 3-credit one is easier than the 4-credit. But, if you want to switch when you’re over there, it shouldn’t be a problem. “You can change when you get there if you want to, it's super easy.”

So SUNY New Paltz university in New York, as daunting as it may sound, is very similar to UL at the end of the day.

17

March 2016/2 COMMENT

I CHALLENGE YOU! . . .

EMMA CRAVEN

I challenge you. Here I have compiled a list of things that I challenge you to do. Try it out. You never know, some of the challenges on this list could improve your life for the better. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

I challenge you to listen to what people are saying.

Too often we are so concerned with how we respond to other people when they are finished speaking, that we forget to really listen to what they are telling us. Listen more when having a conversation and what you learn and the bond you make with people could surprise you.

I challenge you to take a deep breath.

Sometimes due to the stress of college, exams, relationships or whatever it is you’re going through in life, you can forget to stop and breathe.

Give yourself some time to do nothing but focus on your own well-being. You are important too and at the end of the day you’re stuck with yourself forever so take good care!

I challenge you to look at the world from a different

point of view.

When something terrible happens to someone close to you (illness, death, or just serious troubles) it puts things into perspective. A lot of the things we see as big issues are really minuscule, and we are making them into something unnecessarily massive.

We have 80 years or so on this planet tops, so why not make the most of it? Stop trying to control every little thing, let your life flow how it needs to and enjoy the show!

I challenge you to let yourself be sad…

If you expect and put pressure on yourself to be happy, positive and okay all of the time, the effects can bottle up inside of you. This can result in a vicious turn of moods or sudden decline of emotion, which really doesn’t sound or feel too great. Let yourself be sad, don’t bottle up everything and don’t be afraid to be down in the dumps from time to time.

…but I also challenge you to let yourself be happy.

Often we can expect too much of ourselves which can lead dismal feelings. Let yourself be happy. You’re the only person in charge of how you feel, no one else. So listen to that song you love, go to that event you’ve been waiting for, talk to that person you’ve been wanting to talk to. I say go for it!

I challenge you to let go of your anger Holding on to anger, grudges and spiteful feelings will only cause you grief. The past cannot be changed. So let go, forgive (but don't always forget) and take yourself out of that imprisonment. If those feelings make you unhappy, why keep them? It’s not worth your time or energy. Let go of the poison and live in the beautiful present wholeheartedly.

I challenge you to

drink more water 8 glasses a day seems like such a massive amount of water but it really isn’t. Water helps your skin feel better, removes toxins from the body and over all does a colossal amount of things that make you feel better inside and out.

I challenge you to tell people what you notice How often do you see someone wearing something you like the look of, doing something that really impresses you or just being a great person in general? The next time you see something like this, go and tell that person what you think. It’ll make their day and as a result will probably make yours too. I’m a firm believer of the saying "it’s nice to be nice" and I reckon everyone deserves to hear of the good attributes they have since we are so caught up in telling ourselves all of the negatives.

I challenge you to talk to new people There really is a sea of people out there and although we were warned as kids to never talk to strangers, sometimes talking to new people can be a good thing. You never know. You could begin to talk to someone completely new and before you know it you’re being taught about matter and antimatter, how exactly E=MC² and find yourself watching conspiracy theories, space documentaries and predictions about black holes at 3 in the morning…

I challenge you to live in the present I had a friend who was going somewhere important one time and I asked him how he wasn’t nervous. He said he was “in the present the whole time”.

Meaning, in the morning his focus was getting dressed, on the bus ride there he was focusing on being on the bus and getting to the destination, and by the time he was where he needed to be he was in the

present and had no time to be nervous. I reckon that is a fantastic way to do things and since hearing that story, I have been doing the same. It works out for the better. Tried and tested!

I challenge you to help when you can Be a shoulder to cry on, motivate people to do their best and work to their best potential. Help as best you can because people will see and appreciate it. And if said person doesn’t, then you’ve learned a lesson and will know for the next time (see, optimistic viewpoint!!) Grow by giving and achieve that sense of fulfillment that can change your life in more ways than you can think of.

Surround yourself with positivity, declutter the negativity from your life where possible and live life with an open mind and an open heart. I challenge you.

Kim Kardashian’s nude selfie: What does it represent?

EILÍS WALSH SHOULD we even be talking about this photo in the first place? I have been known to watch her television show when nothing has been on, yet I know for a fact that I do not care that much what Kim Kardashian’s naked body looks like, let alone what she’s doing on a daily basis. Does anybody really?

Whether we like it or not, Kim Kardashian and her extended family are embedded deeply into 21st century pop culture. They earn millions through working on a variety of projects: clothes, makeup, photoshoots, celebrity endorsements, modeling and even writing books (if we can say that). This photo was shared on Instagram at the start of the month.

The reason why I’m so fascinated by this nude selfie is the reaction it provoked. People were really divided on this photo and it definitely highlights the variety in opinions.

On one hand, people were disgusted. We all know that Kim Kardashian came to the public

eye due to a sex tape that went viral. Two well-known women reacted strongly to the photo in an overwhelmingly negative way.

Actress Bette Midler, singer-songwriter and actress tweeted: “Kim Kardashian tweeted a nude selfie today.

If Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow the camera”.

19 year old actress Chloe Grace Moretz tweeted: “I truly hope you realize how important setting are goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies”.

This provokes an interesting conversation; is posting nude or almost nude pictures of yourself online where the public can see them a bad thing? In a world where it is largely men in power and young women are sexualised from a young age is putting your body, a beautiful, fragile and vulnerable thing out into the world and subjecting it to opinion, appreciation and also the opportunity for intense scrutiny a good thing?

Seeking validation is

something you shouldn’t do, in my opinion. As hard as I know it is, we should try looking at our own bodies and tell ourselves that we are beautiful ourselves. Also important to know is that we don’t actually need validation from the public, your boyfriend/girlfriend or anyone else. You should know that your body isn’t all that you are, your personality does count, despite us humans living in a material world.

A case could definitely be made where Kim Kardashian likes the attention she receives every time she does something that could be seen as controversial or sensationalist.

Perhaps she likes the uproar she can cause. That’s definitely a strong possibility. Why else would she star in a reality TV show documenting so many aspects of her life?

However, I’m not going to disregard the side that says that Kim’s selfie was to promote liberation, body positivity and perhaps she is comfortable in her own skin.

As well as receiving negativity, the mother of two was also supported by members of the

public and those in the public eye.

Kim shared an essay on social media discussing her selfie, stating: “I will not live my life dictated by the issues you have with my sexuality”.

An interesting statement.

The reality star was supported by Emily Ratajkowsi (model), Ruby Rose (model/

actress), Demi Lovato (singer/ actress) and Miley Cyrus (actress/singer). Ratajkowsi posted a nearly naked photo of herself in support, with the 24 year old model also tweeting her opinion in relation to comments Piers Morgan made, where he said perhaps it was time Kim began to cover up.

“Someone should be reading

my Lenny letter and taking a lesson in what it means to be a woman and sexual in our culture. Ahem. Love when a man comments on a woman’s decision to post a nude photo.

Her body, her career. Sexist bullsh*t.”

Chloe Grace Moretz was called out and asked if she was “slut-shaming” Kim Kardashian. We do live in a society where slut-shaming women is a popular thing to do, much to our dismay. Do you think she was? I personally don’t think so. Perhaps she was worried about what sort of message this image might convey to many young girls who look up to Kim? Fair play to Kim for having the confidence to post such a revealing photo of herself to her millions of followers. Good on her for having a beautiful figure, despite having given birth to two children.

But why post a selfie of your naked body if you’re comfortable in your own skin? I’m still struggling to understand what exactly Kim Kardashian’s aim was with this now infamous photo.

18

March 2016/2 EDITORIALS

It’s all just banter TOMÁS HENEGHAN “Hey dunphy if you f**k up rag week your going to get it!” *punch emoji* “She’d get it anyway” JUST some of the contributions to Yik Yak following Sarah Dunphy’s successful bid to become the next ULSU President earlier this month. No threats of violence or sexual innuendos leveled against her male competitors though. It means nothing of course - it’s all just banter.

It was a Thursday night. Like the apostles at the last supper, the joint forces of Donal Foley and Stephen Egan O’Neil had gained advantage early in the night with their long row of tables in the Stables courtyard, all set to hear the results of this year’s ULSU sabbatical elections.

Donal and Stephen Egan had run on a joint ticket for Academic

and President respectively. And with them came a strong male vote. Upon the announcement of one male winner of a sabbat position, one of the crew threw his drink around the courtyard, completely disregarding the presence of other people and expensive electrical equipment.

It was all just banter though.

With the Academic and Welfare seats filled, there was only one left: ULSU President.

Stephen Egan O’Neil, Joe Kearney and Sarah Dunphy had entered the race a week earlier, all with their own proposals for next year’s presidency.

Unlike the almost unanimous and thunderous cheering for the other two incumbent sabbatical officers, when Sarah’s win was announced, there was neardeafening silence. No more than a dozen or so people off to one corner of the Stables courtyard cheered.

Some suggested following the results that the quiet reaction to

Dunphy’s win was solely a result of Stegan’s joint ticket run at the position. It of course had nothing to do with the fact she was a woman and had beaten two male candidates - no connection whatsoever.

Witnessing the reaction to Dunphy’s win, An Focal tweeted a simple, factual and straightforward tweet: “Massive number of men cheering for Academic & Welfare. Almost all silent when president announced.”

The immediate response was strange, to say the least, and seemed to be an attempt to deflect from what had actually happened.

“Purely circumstantial. I was present at the results announcement back in ’13. Emma Porter got such a large cheer from everyone.” (Completely irrelevant to the actual situation.)

“Stop creating controversy where there is none.” (Tweeting facts can’t reasonably be considered creating controversy.)

“Is there an insinuation sarah only got elected cause she was attractive?” (The strangest and most obscure suggestion to be made.)

But back to our friend from Yik Yak. Let’s call him Jim. Now I wonder if Jim went home that weekend and warned his mammy on Sunday afternoon if she didn’t have the dinner on the table by half one, she’d “get it”?

Maybe Jim’s friend, who he’s brought home for the weekend for some free feeding, then pipes up with “she’d get it anyway”.

All just banter though.

But it’s not, is it? It’s not just banter to refuse to congratulate a woman who’s just won a prominent role in a union, when there would’ve been almost unanimous cheering if a man had won instead. It’s not just banter when you threaten to injure someone, solely because you think that person will take away your week-long drinking binge. There was no foundation

to the assumption either, just the fact the person was a woman instead of a man. Sexism is not just banter.

ULSU is now fortunate to have a new capable and strong three-person sabbatical team to help, guide and lead the students

of UL next year. More impressive is that in this year of the celebration of the equality of Irish citizens, UL students elected the third ever female Students’ Union president in its 40-year history.

Time is rushing by whether we want it to or not EILÍS WALSH IT’S hard to believe that this is my second last editorial as Deputy Editor of An Focal.

Time is rushing by, whether I want it to or not. On the 15th of March UL held its Clubs and Societies ball in Limerick hotel, the Strand, which I attended, representing my own society, the Filmmaking Society.

This was my first Clubs and Societies ball and I can honestly say I had such a good time, dancing with future SU presidents, students and the crew from the Students’ Union itself. It was also nice to see students providing entertainment, with Daithí Ward DJ-ing throughout the night.

Also during that week of good weather, some of us co-ops (Marketing and Communications co-op, Aidan, myself and Events co-op, Nicole) and An Focal Editor, Tom took advantage of some time off and beautiful weather (while we had it) and went down to the pontoon to relax. Lying there, surrounded by sun, water and nature, I couldn’t help thinking how different my life had been this time last year. You never know what life can throw at you.

This time last year I was hanging out with a different group of friends, was in a different state of mind and knew what my life plan was.

Fast forward a year later and I’m navigating a completely

foreign landscape.

However, I do think that college has a part to play in this. I feel as though people come out of themselves and really learn a lot whether it’s a new skill, making new friends, stepping out of that comfort zone, or just seeing what you’re made of.

I myself have been improving my social skills.

Something I’ve noticed quite a bit recently is the poor mental health of some students here in the university. This really worries and upsets me. So I wanted to just remind you of the facilities here in the university. The student health centre is located at CM072 in the main building. If you feel the need to talk to a professional, the Counselling Service has a drop in service from 11pm to 12pm and 3pm to 4pm and this is something you can attend to get some guidance on what the next step is. I just hope that you all know that the people in that service are amongst the funniest, understanding and helpful people there, so please don’t stress about it.

March is nearly over and with it Charity Week too.

I’m sure however there will be some interesting events held in the next few weeks if you keep your ears pricked. The University of Limerick is never that quiet and for that I’m glad. Hope you’re all getting on grand yourselves!

19

March 2016/2 SATIRE

Kenny and Martin expected to wed in coming weeks The country is thoroughly looking forward to the upcoming arranged marriage between Enda Kenny and Micheál Martin.

ANNA CULLEN The two leaders are set to wed sometime in the coming month, with the exact date still unknown. It is, however, understood the pair became engaged shortly after last month’s General Election results became clear.

Former Tánaiste Joan Burton is rumoured to be the maid-of-honour, while Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams is suspected of being best man.

It is also understood Martin has patched things up with Gerry since their run-in at the RTE Leaders Debate hosted by the University of Limerick in early February. They are now considered to be close friends.

“He’s my right hand man;

I’d trust him with my life, that’s why he’s my best man.

This wedding wouldn’t be happening without him,” stressed Martin.

Kenny already has his outfit picked out, going for the tropical look of a canary yellow gown while Martin is set to look dashing in his black tuxedo.

“I decided to not go for the typical white gown look. I saw recently that Kimberly Walsh had a waist-clenching yellow dress for her wedding.

I just thought to myself: ‘that’s exactly what I want’,” explained Kenny.

The pair will wed in a small church in Mayo with the reception to be held later in Áras an Uachtaráin.

President Higgins is said to be overjoyed to be hosting the

event, ordering black truffles and champagne for the 1500 guests. He was overheard saying that he wants the night to “be the exact same as the Oscars”.

The flowers will be provided by a well-known Irish florist who is being paid to work for 24 hours before the reception with no rest. The engaged couple have stressed they don’t have time for laziness.

The guests for the night include Labour’s Alan Kelly, founder of the Renua party, Lucinda Creighton and the Healy-Rae brothers.

It is also understood Kenny and Martin want it to be an “all Irish” affair with performances strictly from artists in this country. This is in order to pump money into the

country, which seems to be their first order of business.

“I just simply cannot wait to get this shindig underway.

I’m hoping to leave Tipperary at around eight the morning of the wedding and I’ll be there waving them off in the limo when they go to Doonbeg. They’re both great guys and I’m so happy for

them,” Kelly explained.

Imelda May will perform on the night alongside the Coronas and The Script. The performers’ reps didn’t care to comment on the wedding but gave the vibe that they are all ecstatic to perform at such an event.

Kenny and Martin are anxious but excited about their newly formed alliance and look forward to welcoming their baby in October; the Budget.

At present we remain in the dark as to whether or not Kenny will take the surname Martin or if he will stick with Kenny. However, recent polls conducted show that 66 percent of the vote went towards Kenny keeping his name and opting for a double-barred one instead, meaning he would become Mr Kenny-Martin.

Kenny has said he “admires Kim Kardashian-West for

keeping her own name” and adding her husband’s to it some time later.

After the reception, the pair plan to travel to Doonbeg for their honeymoon. Kenny and Martin are understood to be big golf-enthusiasts and are expected to join US businessman Donald Trump for a round and a few pints during their time away.

Speculation now surrounds the honeymoon plans, with some suggesting there might be a plan to oust Michael D. Higgins from the presidency, with Donald Trump to replace him and create his very own White House in the Phoenix Park to replace Áras an Uachtaráin.

Only time will tell if this is true or not. But for now, the country is anticipating a huge party to be underway in a couple of week’s time.

I let him into my home, let him eat my housemates’ food, even told people about the whole thing later.

“I don’t think I’ll trust another dog again. He was it for me and now I’ve lost everything. I’ll have to go home for money every weekend now instead.”

A regular around the Castletroy campus, Black Dog

quickly rose to prominence at the in recent years and most especially with the creation and increasing popularity of the Yik Yak app.

It is still not known how exactly the accounts were created and whether Mr Dog had an accomplice in his actions.

Gardaí are expected to continue their investigation in

Mr Dog, his finances and his known associations over the coming months.

Meanwhile it is also expected a formal and independent investigation, review and inquiry will be initiated in the coming weeks following public expressions of outrage against the university for allowing Mr Dog to operate unimpeded for a number of years.

Outrage as Black Dog fraud unveiled TOMÁS HENEGHAN THE University of Limerick has this week been hit with further controversy, with allegations of fraud leveled against well-known UL resident, Black Dog. The latest scandal has resulted in calls from staff, students and members of the public for a complete review and public inquiry into the latest allegations.

The controversy arose in recent days when it was discovered by local journalism students at the university that several off-shore bank accounts led back to Black Dog. Initial investigations by

members of staff into the allegations also revealed had opened a number of other domestic bank accounts using the names of up to 30 different students at the university.

When contacted, Mr Dog was unavailable for comment.

However it is understood from sources close to the accused that he had collected the details required to open the bank accounts from unsuspecting students who had been bringing him into their homes for selfies.

Despite warnings from Gardaí about allowing strangers into their homes, students continued to bring Mr Dog back to their rented properties in between lectures as many did not view him as a threat to their

safety or well-being.

One alleged victim of the fraud, 4th year student, Joe King said he had never considered the possibility of Mr Dog engaging in illegal activity.

Mr King explained: “I just wanted a selfie with him. My up-votes on Yik Yak were low and keeping out of the top yaks and I just needed the hit, the rush you get when you’re up there with 120 up-votes.

“I knew Black Dog was gold on Yik Yak - I mean he’s an icon, isn’t he? I knew that a selfie with him and with some carefully considered and planned caption would move me up the list.

“I feel betrayed, of course I do. He’s my hero to be honest.

UL students cause havoc re-enacting fight films MAOILÍOSA NÍ LOIDEÁIN STUDENTS from UL have caused major upset this past week with behaviour described as “shocking” by locals.

Last Monday, the Gardaí were called by local residents to scenes “straight out of a war film.” On approach, Gardaí witnessed several different gangs of youths in mid-battle.

One onlooker claimed it looked to be “like a scene out of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire more so than the first one.” Having googled what The Hunger Games was, the Gardaí then called for assistance or “back-up” as the Americans say.

The residents had the right idea to call for help as one member of the gang was overheard to have said that the war was instigated after watching the 1979 film ‘Warriors’. This film is based on a New York City gang who are framed for murder.

Elm Park itself has likeness to the mean streets of New York City, especially on a Thursday night after “d’Icon” or “Costies”, as they are affectionately known among local students.

House parties are frequent and dangerous with all sorts of shenanigans occurring. One gang member with long hair, possibly female, from the Oaklawns gang was heard to have mimicked the line “Warriors, come out to playyyyyyy”.

It is possible that they were an all-female gang based on The Lizzies in the film. Either that or it was a male with ‘the long hair trend’.

The Milford gang were defeated in the first round having given up and run back to their comfortable homes.

It is not known if any on campus gangs were involved as they may have been on the Aldi bus at the time.

The Gardaí quickly blocked the pathway between Elm Park and Oaklawns with some road traffic cones and hoped nobody would bother to jump over them.

It is not known if this war will resume in the future, but it is said you can still hear the clinking of bottles and the words ‘come out to play’, if you listen closely.

20

March 2016/2 ENTERTAINMENT

UL Top Yaks A random child in a shop just called me daddy... I resent that allegation!

My mother won’t answer the phone but yet I see her online on Facebook #feelingneglected This year, coming to a bookstore near you. He died for our sins, now he’s back for vengeance.

The Bible 2: Jesus Strikes Back Lecturer truths: I don’t always use PowerPoint but when I do I make sure that I have 112 slides for 50 minutes and the class becomes a speed writing competition Lecturer truths: I will recommend a core text for a module fully knowing that there are three sole copies available in the library, then I’ll sit back and watch the hunger games begin Breaking news: Black and Blonde dog are having a romantic swim in the fountain outside the library! *Mammy’s voice* You won’t be going near that college today until ya have your suncream on!

I was in Starbucks today and I saw a guy with no laptop, tablets or smartphone. He just sat there drinking his coffee...like a psychopath.

Interaction with pizza delivery driver: Him: there’s a lot of food, so two of you should come down Him: Oh...Maybe bring some bags

Me: I’m the only one here

Mad that St Patrick died on the cross 1916 years ago just so we could eat chocolate eggs

CROSSWORD

Edition 10 crossword solutions ACROSS

DOWN

ACROSS

DOWN

6 Animal with three hearts 8 Group of flamingos 10 The most famous carnivorous 11 Longest river in the world 13 Biggest ecosystem in the world 14 The scientific term for spider 16 A young rabbit 17 Name of the tallest tree in the world 18 The tree used to make hurleys 19 Volcano that erupted in 79 AD Pompeii 20 Mammal that can smell blood in water three miles away

1 The type of elephant with smaller ears 2 Largest mammal in the world 3 Presenter of the BBC documentary called Africa 4 Most famous naturalist to have ever lived, born 1809 5 Which animal's teeth never stop growing?

7 The animal that proposes to its mate with a pebble 9 The coldest place on earth.

12 Lifespan of the common housefly 15 A food that is scientifically a fruit but commonly known as a vegetable

2 A lion 5 Tír na nÓg 6 Uluru 10 Banquo 11 France 13 Kilkenny 14 Honey 16 Pen 17 A crash 18 Rowan Atkinson

1 Suomi 2 Latin 3 Possum 4 Wendy 5 Tutankhamun 7 1967 8 Cuckoo 9 Clear 12 Canberra 15 Irish

21

March 2016/2 CLUBS/SOCIETIES

ULFM’s Charity Week broadcast plays host to musical guests LYNDSEY HALL FOR the last three years, ULFM has taken on the challenge of a 24 hour broadcast in aid of Charity Week, and this year was no different. Once again our dedicated team decided to embark on a non-stop extravaganza full of live music, guest speakers, interviews and prizes.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances our broadcast had to be cut short around 2am, but we are still so proud of everything we achieved in our 14 straight hours of live broadcasting. Our ‘man behind the scenes’ William kicked things off at 12pm on the Thursday of Charity

Week, with a variety of guest presenters joining him over the following hours.

Meanwhile, our volunteers were roving the campus armed with a donation bucket, a bag full of a wide array of prizes and a portable microphone.

In exchange for donations, they were recording messages and shout outs to be played on air, and giving contributors the chance to have a go at our lucky dip bag, in which they could win prizes ranging from sweets, to toy cars, to vouchers for a variety of businesses around campus. We are delighted to say that the students of UL came through, demonstrating their generosity even at the tail end of Charity Week, and we want to thank all those who donated and congratulate all of our prize

winners. We also want to say a huge thank you to our generous sponsors who provided us with amazing prizes to give away, including The Stables, The Scholars, The Paddocks, Johnny Barbers and Pizza Co. Back in studio, William conducted interviews with representatives of two of the charities benefitted by Charity Week, Blood Bikes and Corbett Suicide Prevention Patrol, finding out more about what they do and where exactly the money raised by Charity Week will go.

As well as this, we were delighted to have a host of musical guests join us throughout the afternoon and evening for interviews and live sessions. Credit for discovering our first live act, Lorcan O’Connell, goes to our Station

Manager Andy, who stumbled across Lorcan playing in the common room, and asked him to join us in studio. We are very glad he agreed, as we believe he’s definitely one to look out for around UL. He gave us lovely renditions of ‘Holes’ by Passenger and ‘Banana Pancakes’ by Jack Johnson, while also chatting Charity Week fun. Our next act was friend of the station Fionn Phelan of Indie Rock and Roll band The Dynamics. He travelled alone, as the rest of the band were otherwise engaged, but his solo set was absolutely brilliant as he played two of his original songs for us live in studio.

Later, ULFM acted as the unofficial pre-party station for DIE goers, as we were joined by two acts set to play the

event. By all accounts, both our guest acts were brilliant that night, and we are not surprised considering the stellar performances they gave for us in studio. First up was Nice Tiger, who joined myself and Stacy in studio for a chat and a live session. These guys are a local Indie Funk band who have built up a large following around Limerick, as well as supporting the likes of FRED, The Kanyu Tree and The Rubberbandits. They were kind enough to give us an exclusive preview of some of the material from their upcoming EP, as well as an insight into their set list that night. Keeping it going straight after Nice Tiger, our resident hip-hop gurus Ewerton and Josué took over to chat to alternative hip-hop artist Young Phantom, who

hosted DIE’s Sub-Social room that night. Young Phantom brought along frequent collaborator Sarah-Beth for a wonderful live version of one of his latest tracks, as well as an explosive freestyle session and a cracking interview that is definitely worth a listen.

Our entire broadcast, including all of our interviews, are all up on the ULFM MixCloud for you to enjoy over and over again, and videos of the live performances will be on YouTube in the coming days.

Despite the fact that our broadcast ended prematurely, we are very proud of the content we delivered in the hours we were on air, and most of all are delighted to have raised over €100 for four very deserving charities.

2016 JOHN BROGAN BROCON, an annual gaming and anime convention held in the University of Limerick, is set to return for a triumphant seventh year this summer. A joint venture between UL Games Society and UL Anime & Manga Society, the event has become an experience not to be missed for people of all ages, with numbers and popularity increasing each year. But the convention is about more than just fun and games. Over the past few years of the event, BroCon has managed to raise over €10,000 for Pieta House

Suicide Prevention, and continue to show support to such a worthy cause. “The work done and money raised on behalf of Pieta House by BroCon has helped us to continue to provide our life-saving service to people up and down the country struggling in the shadows,” says Johnny Togher of Pieta House.

“Pieta House opened its doors 10 years ago this year and from the very start we have relied on the support of those committed to helping us help others not so fortunate. Our partnership with BroCon is a good example of this support in action.”

When it comes down to the

fun stuff, video games, card games, board games, cosplay and anime screenings are just some of the events to be found at the convention. Whether it’s tournaments you are looking for, or something more casual, if you are into gaming or anime, BroCon will have what you are looking for. And that’s not all.

The convention boasts one of the largest trading halls in the country, featuring vendors from all over selling merchandise from all your favourites, films, movies and games.

The event also plays host to many special guests ranging from famous voice actors to

games developers, and everything in between. For this year’s event, voice actor and screen writer Sonny Strait will lead the cadre of guests that also includes publisher Chris Pramas and cosplayer Pixi Styxx. This is supplemented by the inclusion of games developers Howling Hamsters and Peripheral Labs, for what is set to be both a fun and interesting weekend.

BroCon 2016 takes place in the PESS Building, University of Limerick, July 8-10th. http://ulbrocon.com/ https://tinyurl.com/ULBroCon http://twitter.com/ULBrocon

Animal Welfare Society update LOUISE KENNEDY THE past month has been most informative and exciting for the Animal Welfare Society. Week 6 was spent informing the campus about the importance of microchipping your pets. This message was driven home by ISPCA inspector for the Limerick area, David Walsh.

New regulations mean that all dogs must be microchipped by the 31st of March. So if ever your little (or large) friend trots off they can easily be returned to their owner rather than the confusion of being lost or having to be re-homed. Microchipping is relatively inexpensive and causes no harm to your pet. Mr Walsh also touched on sensitive areas such as problems of neglect and abandonment but everyone found the talk enlightening.

We wish to thank David for giving up time from his busy schedule to speak to us. Also in the audience were members of the Limerick Feral Cat association who capture, vaccine and neuter these cats in order to control the population and ensure that they are safe. We commend the great work done by all. All the continued efforts can only help more animals.

AMUL 2016 KIERA THORNTON ON Monday 14th March, Out in UL hosted one of our biggest events of the semester in the form of Alternative Miss UL. AMUL is an annual amateur drag competition held in the Scholars Club and we always welcome numerous performers – kings and queens alike – to take to the stage and unleash their inner disasters.

Preparations for AMUL had our committee working hard over the last few weeks. At our weekly members meeting the previous Monday (7th March), we had a drag workshop, which included a demonstration of drag makeup and an informative presentation on the history and cultural significance of drag. Right up until the night, AMUL fever was at its height in Out in UL HQ and beyond! Indeed, we attracted fantastic crowds to AMUL, Out in UL members and non-members alike. Though some people who were in Scholars beforehand may or may not have been aware that AMUL was taking place there, a few looked ever so slightly taken aback when the action began.

This year, AMUL was hosted by two wonderful queens, Teciara Mockingbird and Ali Kuyt, and featured performances from previous winners of AMUL. We welcomed three contestants, two of whom were first-time performers with no previous drag experience. As a member of the judging panel, I myself was awestruck by how impressive all the contestants were. The winner was Charnell Clearwater, a drag queen from Limerick City, who pulled off a remarkable performance that left the crowd mesmerised. It was a particularly entertaining act for those of us sitting at the judges’ table, right in front of the stage! The winner was presented with a tiara and will have the chance to perform at our next big event.

Speaking of our next big event, Out in UL HQ is now preparing for Queerbash! This is perhaps Out in UL’s largest event of the year. Each year Queerbash has a different theme and the theme is announced at AMUL, and the theme of Queerbash XIII is the circus. Cirque du Queerbash will take place in Dolans on Friday 15th April, tickets will be sold at the door for €10 and will be hosted by none other than Notorious K.I.D, a much-loved previous winner of AMUL who also performed at this year’s AMUL. We have many amazing acts lined up for the night, including the band Cosmic Humans and performances from UL Drama Society and Dance UL. It should be a fantastic event so come along, and here’s hoping it will be an even bigger success than AMUL.

22

March 2016/2 CLUBS & SOCIETIES

OPC: going from strength to strength EOGHAN CAREY IT’S been a while since we have published anything from our club. Nevertheless so much has been going on over the semester with our mountaineering trip to Morocco, our charity event Climb Everest and general club activities such as the annual Glendalough weekend trip and our weekly hikes. There is currently a group of members about to head off to Spain for a week for the annual Easter rock-climbing week so we should have all of the stories once this article is published and most recently, our own Tomás Walsh won the Jason Hackett Outstanding club member award at the C&S awards so we are all very proud of him.

Where to begin. That’s a tough question. So much has happened throughout the semester that it’s impossible to choose one thing in particular. I suppose we could start off with Morocco. Somewhere new that no one in the club has ever been to before. A group of about 10

members took off just after the New Year and set their sights on the nation which was home to Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in north Africa. After a flight to Marrakesh and a long bus journey to the refuge which would be the group’s home for 10 days, the preparation and training would begin.

The lads got in a bit of iceclimbing and although sickness fell upon some of them, others such as our former climbing officer Ryan managed to reach the summit of Toubkal hanging off the structure at the summit looking like a child swinging on monkey-bars wearing a Kilkenny jersey. I can only imagine what sort of craic the lads got up to while over there as I wasn’t there myself and it looks promising that a group will be heading back there again next year.

The club has gotten very involved in charity events this year and the most recent event we held was the Climb Everest event in Week 7 at our climbing wall. The idea behind this was that each member would make a donation towards St. Vincent de

Paul and climb a certain amount of metres. A large number of members attended the event which ran from 3pm to 10pm and we raised over €300. As a large group effort we surpassed the 8,848 metre summit of Everest to over 9,000 metres.

Another charity event the club organized during this years’ Charity Week was the Night Hike in aid of Corbett Suicide

Prevention Patrol. A group of members left for Keeper Hill in Tipperary at 6pm on the Wednesday of Charity Week and set off for an evening stroll with the proceeds of the hike going towards charity.

The club has been very active in raising mental health awareness. We held our inaugural mindfulness hike this semester. The aim behind this was

to gather a group of people together and allow them to take time out of their day to unwind and reflect. We started at the climbing wall and then proceeded to walk towards Kilmurry Beach. From there the mindfulness hike began where everyone proceeded along the riverbank in silence. Everyone walked at their own pace allowing themselves to clear their

thoughts and preocupations relating to college or anything else that could cause stress.

We hope to hold more of these events later on in the semester as the weather improves.

A week after our charity night hike to Keeper Hill, a group of our members participated in an event called 10,000 steps night hike back to Keeper Hill which was coordinated by the Students’ Union. This was to increase mental health awareness and particularly around the time of the semester it was much needed for students to de-stress. We hope to be a keen advocate for mental health awareness in the future and to increase the awareness through the different club activities.

From holding climbing competitions to women’s hikes and from Wales to Morocco to Spain along with bringing in our own range of club fleeces and t-shirts for our members the club this year is going from strength to strength and we hope to wrap up the next few weeks of the semester and the year on a high.

Adventures in Tokyo ROBYN GRIFFIN THE 7th January 2016 is not a date any of us will forget anytime soon. After twenty-four long hours of travel, we finally stepped off the plane and set foot into Narita airport. Some were greeted by an air of nostalgia and the rest were beaming in anticipation of adventurous times to come – ULSKC had arrived in Tokyo!

From wonderfully weird coffee in a can, to immaculate skyscrapers, tantalising cuisine and world-class karate, Tokyo had it all. On top of having the opportunity to train in the world’s SKIF (Shotokan Karate International Federation) headquarters every day, we had an opportunity to embrace the Japanese culture in its entirety. We visited religious landmarks including Meiji shrine and Senso-ji temple, participated in ninja training, and indulged in some traditional dumplings to maintain our energy levels. In the spirit of to the trip, we also visited the shrine of Funakoshi Sensei, the “father of modern

day karate”, the grandmaster who helped create and develop what we know today as Shotokan Karate.

In addition to the awe-inspiring the sights and surroundings, training was a crucial part of what made the trip as amazing as it was. All members challenged both their physical and mental limits and endeavoured to attend every training session, not wanting to miss so much as a single training session with some of the world’s most wellrenowned Sensei – few are fortunate enough to get this experience and we wanted to make the most of every moment. Of course, the training was intense, but the sense of euphoria and fulfilment at the end of each session, as well as our passion for karate, was a reward in itself. The members of the Hombu (headquarter) Dojo were even so kind as to invite us all to the New Year’s Party, attended by all of the top instructors and the great Kanazawa Soke, the founder of SKIF. Getting to speak to the Sensei and the Japanese members of the Dojo was

fantastic; we learned so much about them, their culture, their great sense of humour and their delicious food!

The trip consisted of more than just training, however, and the schedule was packed tight for each and every one of us; from visiting Odaiba in Tokyo Bay and visiting Shibuya, the most well-known shopping district in Tokyo, to karaoke in Ikebukuro, where region in which we were staying, there was never a dull moment. It was also lovely to have the opportunity to meet previous club members, both from Japan and Ireland, who were more than happy to act as the tour guides, taking us to the more traditional Japanese restaurants and sightseeing spots such as Tokyo Skytree, an observatory deck at 450m above Tokyo.

It really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and everyone came back feeling delighted, exhausted, and just a little bit heart-broken to have left their new home. We miss you already Tokyo, but I promise, we will return!

It’s the final countdown FRANK STAFFORD & EMILY KELLY UL archery club has been represented in two separate competitions since our last update in An Focal. The first competition that we attended was the Irish indoor national championships held in Monaghan and was hosted by Cuchulainn Archers on the 5th and 6th of March.

This is a large competition held every year with the top archers from all over Ireland coming to compete. Unlike the Intervarsities that we have competed at this year where only students from different colleges could compete against each other, this competition was open to all archers around Ireland, resulting in a wide range of people taking part ranging from the youngest cadets eager to progress and possible represent their country one day all the way up to the masters.

UL archery was represented

by Paul Collins, Sean Flavin and John Hally who all competed in the recurve category and did very well in the ranking rounds on the Saturday. This was then followed the next day by the head to head rounds, in this part of the competition, archers were paired up based on their score and shoot three arrows each and the archer with the highest score awarded two points with the first archer to reach six points winning the match. Sean, John and Paul all did well here with Paul getting into the final four, however unfortunately he lost out on a medal coming fourth after losing a closely fought bronze medal match.

This competition was followed up by the finals of the student Intervarsity league a week later on the 12th of March.

This was held in the Kingfisher hall in Galway and was hosted by NUIG archery club.

UL archery was represented by eight archers who all competed in the recurve category. All of our archers did very well achieving good scores, for three of our archers it was there first competition and they did very well with Artem Semenov scoring 405 points, Laura Ciésa scored 453 and come in 2nd in the beginner female category, which was a very good achievement seeing as she only started shooting this semester. Sean Flavin also did very well with a new personal best of 533 points and winning the guest recurve category.

Even though our competition season is over, we will be organising club events between now and the end of the year for all our members be they competitive archers or just people who enjoy coming to training and shooting every week.

23

March 2016/2 SPORT

GAA

UL clinch Lynch Cup as Seniors miss out on three-in-a-row glory

The ladies football weekend brought mixed emotions to the UL GAA family. Friday proved a very successful day with both the intermediates and seniors qualifying for the Lynch and O’Connor Cup finals respectively.

The Lynch Cup team overcame WIT with a strong performance, while the O’Connor Cup team overturned the league semi-final result by beating DCU.

MARISA KENNEDY On Saturday the Lynch Cup team arose early and headed to the pitch with a send-off by the O’Connor Cup team. DIT stood between UL and their first ever Lynch Cup title.

This was the second time this side met DIT in the

competition, having lost to the Dublin side in the earlier stages. However, UL were not going to let history repeat itself and laid down an early marker after just 13 minutes when Emma Needham hit the back of the net. Bronagh Sheridan helped keep DIT in touch through a well taken free. The UL defence put in an

The captains handshake before before the O’Connor Cup game with 4th year Sports Science student, Kate Keaney leading the UL team. PHOTO: ANOISPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

enormous shift, not allowing DIT a path through and clearing a huge amount of ball and the forwards responded. Sarah Ryan hit a wonderful point before Player of the Match, Laura Rodgers scored the teams second goal. DIT hit a slight purple patch just before half time, scoring three unanswered points from the boot of Sheridan and Aoife Thompson.

It was all UL at the start of the second half. Shauna Molloy and Ellen Dowling put points on the board before Ryan did supreme work to gain a penalty which she herself put away. DIT pulled a goal back through Niamh Halton but this only served to motivate the UL team who scored five more points to see out a nine-point victory.

Next up the O’Connor Cup team took to the pitch for the showcase event of the day. UL were looking for their third consecutive title, while oppositions UCD were looking for their first title since 2006. The first half was a tight encounter to say the least. Both defences ran the show, both UCD and UL having to work extremely hard to gain a score. Kate

UL GAA’s senior ladies football team before their O'Connor Cup final against UCD. PHOTO: ANOISPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

UL GAA’s intermediate ladies football team following their Lynch Cup win against DIT. PHOTO: ANOISPHOTOGRAPHY.COM O’Sullivan was first off the mark for UCD, closely followed by Niamh O’Dea for the Limerick side. A rasper of a shot from the Clare star then rattled the crossbar. A point apiece then followed to leave

BADMINTON

Limerick County Mixed League 2016

UL Badminton’s Grade H team Win CAROLINE BREEN

WEDNESDAY March 9 proved to be a very exciting day indeed for the grade H badminton team.

The team, made up of Adrian Kenneally, Tiarnan Healy, Sam Costello, Colman Coakley, Sarah Geoghegan, Caroline Breen (Captain), Jane Kirwan and Rachel McDonnell played outstandingly well to overcome Effin and claim the title.

The team had played Bruree and Effin both at home and away in this year’s league. They won three out of four of the games, guaranteeing their place in the final and losing only once at home to Effin.

The final match commenced

at Mungret Hall at 8pm. The first four games gave nothing away, resulting in a 2-2 tie. Effin took ladies singles and ladies doubles while UL won both mens singles and mens doubles. Luckily for the UL team however, the tie did not last long. Our team stepped out with a new found confidence and quickly took all three mixed games and in doing so became the Grade H Limerick County Mixed League Champions. The final score of the match was a comfortable 5-2.

The team will now go on to represent Limerick in the Munster’s which will be held in the University of Limerick next month. We wish them the very best of luck in their attempts to reach All Irelands!

the sides level after the lowscoring first half.

Then came the UCD onslaught. Player of the Match, Nicola Ward fired home for the game’s only goal, while substitute, Emma Guckian immediately made her presence known with two points.

UL eventually weathered the storm and started to gain their own momentum late in the second half. Roisin Leonard struck four frees plus a magnificent point from play, while O’Dea also added to the cause. However, the clock was not the friend of the UL girls as the final point to draw the game evaded the Limerick side and the O’Connor Cup

returned to Belfield.

The Ladies Football weekend marks the end of the competitive season for UL GAA Club and we would like to thank all players, mentors, supporters, sponsors and members for the time and dedication they have shown our club over the past year.

It has been a hugely successful year with our four senior teams making the weekends, two All Ireland League titles, a Fresher Blitz title, a Munster Championship and four All Ireland Championship titles.

Well done to all involved and we are looking forward to next year already!

Lynch Cup winning captain, Eva O'Dea with her family.

PHOTO: ANOISPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

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March 2016/2