The College Tribune Volume 23 Issue 11

Features

The

Siren

The College Tribune investigates scandal in the catholic church

Scouting for Girls interview inside

Pages 6-7

The College Tribune

April 7th 2010

The Difference is we’re independent

Graduates face all work and no pay l

l

Issue 11 Volume 23

Lending a hand

Some with degrees earn less than €400 per week Graduate unemployment at 10% Philip Connolly

Twenty percent of college graduates taking their first step on the career ladder are earning little more than they would on the dole, with an average gross salary of €400 a week or less.

University graduates who have achieved honours degrees are being forced to accept starting salaries that are €10,000 below the average industrial wage. As unemployment soared to a record high last year, graduate starting salaries plunged by €4,000 on the whole.

Thousands of people are choosing to return to higher education to ride out the recession and as well as this, emigration is also gradually rising.

It was revealed that the unemployment rate among graduates has rocketed to ten percent after a comprehensive study was carried out by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) concerning how the class of 2008 fared in the workplace last year.

For the lucky graduates who did find work, many were earning less than €12,999 nine months after their graduation. The worst hit faculties were Arts, Food, Sciences and

Technology graduates.

A further five percent were managing to earn between €13,000 and €16,999 nine months after departing their university, with another ten percent earning between €17,000 and €20,999 per year.

This translates as one-in-five college graduates starting on salaries of less than €405 a week; far below the normal industrial wage of €625 per week.

With just 30% of Arts graduates managing to find work, nearly half (48.3%) of students studying in this discipline opted to continue with their studies. This is a figure which is significantly higher than for any other discipline.

Exactly half of these third level graduates with honours degrees were working at the time of the HEA study last year (45% of them in Ireland and five percent overseas), while 34% were in further study.

The most common starting salary for those who found work in Ireland was €17,000-€24,999, compared with €21,000- €24,999 a year earlier.

INSIDE Continued, Page 4

UCD’s Amnesty International Society takes a more artistic approach to petitioning by collecting handprints for Palestine in the Student Centre last Wednesday. Amnesty Auditor Molly Aylesbury explained that the petition was against “atrocities committed” in Gaza last year during Operation Cast Iron

News Focus:Page 5 Photo by Barry Hennessy

Two-vote victory for Redmond Amy Walsh UCD Students’ Union’s incumbent President Gary Redmond was elected President of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) by only two votes at the organisation’s Annual Congress last week.

USI is a national board representative of third and fourth level students and affiliated with Students’ Unions around the country. Its annual congress on the 30th of March saw Redmond narrowly defeat the current USI Equality Officer Linda Kelly with 109 votes to 107.

“I’m obviously absolutely delighted. I think

that the organisation of the USI has a lot of potential... I will try and harness some of that potential and represent students on a national level for the next twelve months,” said Redmond after his win.

The implementation of a better student support system is a priority for the USI next year, according to Redmond. “The grant system we have at the moment is nothing short of a shambles. We have issues with the student registration charge of €1,500 not being spent on student services. Ultimately, I don’t think we are a million miles away from another battle against the reintroduction of third level

l l

Redmond wins USI presidency 109 to 107 LGBT and Equality positions unfilled

fees” “It’s a vital time for education in Ireland.

We need more investment and more supports for students to produce top-quality graduates, who will help drive the knowledge-based economy we aim to build,” claimed Redmond.

In a drive to make USI more relevant to students both candidates for the President position proposed to introduce a discount card. “I would like to adopt some of the additional services that NUS in the UK offers, things like the national student discount card,” said Redmond.

Among his other duties, Redmond will sit

www.thecollegetribune.net

on both the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Irish Universities Quality boards.

The other USI positions for 2010/11 were also voted upon at the Congress in Ballinasloe, Galway. The President of Trinity College Dublin’s SU, Cónán O Bróin, was elected Deputy President of the USI.

INSIDE Continued, pg 4

2

News

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

CAO increase set to strain system l l

Capping college numbers a possibility Lack of funding raises fees spectre

Colman Hanley

Boland, Chief Executive of the HEA, suggested back in November 2009 that third level places may have to be capped in The Higher Education Authority (HEA) order to provide the quality of education have revealed that a record number of ap- that had been planned for. plicants have applied to the Central Appli- “The implications of such a decision cation Office (CAO) this year. would be that the competition for places The HEA disclosed that the 2010 year has would intensify, but those who do get a seen 71,843 apply to the CAO, an increase place in college would have a quality eduof 6.2% on the figure in 2009. Points in cation guaranteed,” Boland stated.

Arts, Business and Science are expected to He also admitted that capping numbers rise as a result, while Law and Architecture meant capping the “ambitions, hopes and could see points tallies fall due to the slow life chances” of some. However at the market and low job prospects in the two same time, Boland said that failure to act sectors at present. would lead to the risk of disillusioning The increase in numbers will put even fur- those who committed to higher education ther strain on the higher education sector, and could ultimately mean second rate following on from the six percent reduc- degrees. tion in funding. Malcolm Byrne, former Taking into account the rise in numbers UCDSU Education Officer and current and lack of funding, Byrne stated: “That Head of Communications for the HEA, (capping) is the model that has been purechoed the concerns expressed by his su- sued in the UK, they have taken the deperior, Tom Boland. cision to cap the number of places. The “We face a number of choices, if we are participation rate in the UK at 40% is a lot going to continue to expand our higher lower than ours, which we estimate to be education system and to meet the various at 67%. This is the choice that we have to objectives that we have set for ourselves. make, as the cost for each additional place Those objectives include increased partici- that has to be provided is around €10,500.” pation rates, increased opportunities for “The logic of the funding debate is if we those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are going to continue to fund an expanand maintaining the quality of courses. sion of the higher education system and That will require additional resourcing. if people want places in college, there can Where that resourcing will come from, we be a certain amount of saving made. But at Hot panini & coffee 259mm x 170mm - College Tribune.pdf 01/04/2010 15:28:21 haven’t had that debate properly yet.” the end of the day, more places will mean

Photograhy by Daniela Sabina Sirbu there are greater costs involved.”

“That money has to be found from somewhere, that cost has to be found from the tax payer continuing to pay, or where there

is a greater contribution coming from the learner, or more likely the graduate.”

The issue of third level fees is clearly not dead in the water, and as these figures

show, the matter is unlikely to go away in the near future.

with a coffee / tea C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

News

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

Mounting tension between candidates

News in brief Compiled by Karina Bracken

l Candidates dispute ad l No rules broken

Flyer ban imposed The UCD Societies Council last week imposed an all-out ban on the flyering of any public spaces on campus.

The ban, which is now in effect, applies to all societies and advertising for events.

In an email to society auditors the Council stated: “Societies are not permitted to use flyers for any purpose on campus, without exception.

This ban is effective immediately and will remain in place until the Societies Council has met to resolve the issues at hand.”

Niall Dolphin Disagreement has erupted between two candidates running for the Postgraduate Officer position in UCD’s Students’ Union Executive elections, the College Tribune has learned.

Martin Lawless and Patrick Conroy are at odds over the former’s decision to take out a full page ad in a college newspaper.

Lawless is an M. Sc. student and Auditor of the Mature Student Society and the SU’s Mature Student Programme Officer. It is alleged by Conroy that Lawless paid for a full page advertisement in the University Observer as part of his campaign.

Patrick Conroy, a 3rd year History and Politics student, disagrees with the publication of the ad. “I was completely unaware that candidates would be permitted to place an election message in the paper. While I fully acknowledge its editorial independence, I thought it should never have been allowed in an SU election.”

“I was not made aware of the “deal”... I was given no fair chance to put my own message in the same issue. It gave my opponent an unfair advantage,” said Conroy.

Lawless told the College Tribune that it was completely within his rights to place the advertisement. “I booked the ad at market rates and

A student’s duty Students may no longer be automatically exempt from jury duty, if new recommendations become law.

The recommendation to remove the blanket exemption that currently operates to excuse many people from serving on jury panels is outlined in the latest consultation paper from the Law Reform Commission (LRC).

The document looks set to pave the way for the most radical overhaul of juries in more than 30 years.

The present laws dating from 1976 give TDs, senators, civil servants, army personnel, priests, nuns, doctors, nurses and vets an automatic pardon from serving. This also extends to anyone working in a solicitor’s office, lay people in garda stations, lighthouse keepers, ship captains, airline pilots, university lecturers and full-time students.

UCD collider connection The Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful atom smasher ever built, was partly constructed in UCD. The collider is currently operated by Cern in Switzerland and caused mild panic last year when it attempted to recreate the science behind the Big Bang.

Last week high energy collisions began to occur in the LHC. One of the four sensitive detectors placed around the ring, LCHb, which records the smaller components created by the collisions, measures their energies and gleans details about them, was built in UCD before its installation in Cern.

UCD PhD students, James Keaveney, Dermot Moran and Stephen Farey are part of the LHCb group and were on hand to witness the event.

“It is a real pinch-yourself moment to realise what you are doing,” said Mr Keaveney. “It has been a day of excitement and a new beginning. We finally have some data to chew on.”

“We are very excited, it is a fantastic result for science,” said Dr Rolf Heuer, director general of Cern. “It is a great day to be a particle physicist.”

3

Photograhy by Daniela Sabina Sirbu

Rule to work

l One hour extra for lecturers l Contracts to be reviewed Cathy Buckmaster Under the conditions of a new public service deal, lecturers may have to work for an additional hour per week, as well as having their employment contracts reviewed.

The agreement comes after negotiations between unions and the Government this week sought to break the deadlock over public sector pay cuts. The deal commits teaching unions and higher education staff to complete an hour extra work a week. In addition, employment contracts will be subject to a review, which could signal a future shake-up of third level staff levels.

This new deal denotes that the review of teaching contracts will “identify and remove any impediments to the provision of efficient and effective teaching to students in all sectors.”

The deal will be put to a ballot of members in three teaching unions: INTO, ASTI and TUI. The terms of the agreement will be discussed at this week’s teachers’ conferences.

Last week, a TUI spokesperson commented that “any talk of this being a done deal is completely inaccurate. It is important to stress that nothing has been agreed and TUI members

alone will make a decision on the proposals through a ballot.”

Second-level teachers in Ireland have one of the shortest school years in the OECD with only 167 days per year, compared with the OECD average of 185 days per year.

It is not only second level teachers that have been subject to criticism: the McCarthy report released last year was derisive about work practices across the higher education sector. The fourteen institutes of technology across the country were particularly singled out.

The new agreement consigns unions to execute new measures providing for reorganisation of surplus teachers. The proposed deal also paves the way for more flexible deployment of special needs assistants in schools. There is also a planned reduction in the number of VECs (Vocational Education Committees).

In other news, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan replaced incumbent Batt O’Keeffe in the role of Minister for Education in last week’s cabinet reshuffle. The Department of Education and Science was renamed the Department of Education and Skills, while the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will be called the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. Coughlan and O’Keeffe swapped roles, in what was seen as a demotion and a promotion respectively for the Ministers.

cleared it with the Returning Officer prior to confirming it with the Observer. The money I used to place the ad was from my own personal funds. This was a commercial transaction and had nothing to do with the SU,” stated Lawless.

A spokesperson for the SU confirmed that Lawless broke no rules by placing the ad. “The University Observer is editorially independent of the Students’ Union, as enshrined in Article 16 of the SU Constitution. This means that the SU has no input into what content, ads, images etc. go into the paper.”

“There is no spending limit in the Executive & Programme Officer Elections, as per the rules of the SU Returning Office. I understand that Martin checked with the Union Returning Officer before placing the ad, which he is paying for himself,” stated the spokesperson.

Conroy believes that the election should be left “to the students to choose their representatives and allow an open and fair democratic election focused on issues.”

Alongside the Postgraduate Officer position, students will be choosing an Equality Officer, Women’s Officer, Environmental Officer, Irish Language Officer and nine Programme Officers. Voting for the Executive elections will take place on the 7th and 8th April.

4

News

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

Graduates salaries plummet by €4000 l

Continued from page 1 Philip Connolly

The HEA report recognises the fact that one of the reasons which could account for their low wages is the proportion of 2008’s graduates that may not be gaining employment related to their qualifications.

HEA chair Michael Kelly commented that the numbers of third-level graduates entering the workforce remained healthy, which he claimed highlighted the huge importance of higher-education qualifications.

“It is through a highly trained workforce that our future economic and social wellbeing depends,” he wrote in his introduction to the report.

The report shows the ‘seeking employment’ rate for honours graduates has risen from three percent two years ago to ten per cent last year.

It also stated that a further six percent were “unavailable for work”. The HEA

commented this may be a result of the growing popularity of ‘gap’ years taken by newly qualified graduates to travel or volunteer.

A gender bias in salary in favour of males still persists despite higher academic achievements by females entering the workforce. More females (8.3%) than males (4.8%) reported earning less than €12,999 nine months after graduation.

On the whole, vets are the best paid faculty graduate with 80% of them reporting a starting salary of over €33,000 per annum.

With just under a third of Arts Graduates managing to find work, almost half opted to continue their studies. The HEA report claimed this may be due to the general perception that an arts degree provides a “stepping stone” to further study and that a second qualification will improve their chances in the workforce.

Unusually, the HEA survey also revealed that just two out of five of the 2008 Science graduates were working last year despite the reported shortage of scientists.

In fact, slightly more graduates of Science were studying for further qualifications than working, 43p% compared with 42.6p%, while almost one in ten said they were still looking for employment.

To be expected after the recent property collapse, architects were the worst affected with an unemployment rate of 18.5% in this area. Those who did find work had to settle for very low salaries.

As well as architects, engineers also have found finding work difficult, with 16.3% of the class of 2008 still seeking employment nine months on. It should be noted that many of these were civil engineering graduates who were knocked back by the crash in the construction sector.

However, with the Jobseekers Allowance for those between the ages of 22-24 providing a €150 personal rate with an additional €130.10 increase as a qualified adult, many of the graduates currently employed were not earning significantly more than those who were unemployed.

Redmond elected Usi President l

Continued from front page Amy Walsh

The position of Welfare Officer was filled by UCC SU’s current Welfare Officer, Rebecca Murphy. All candidates for the posts of LGBT Rights Officer and Equality Officer lost out to Re – Open Nominations (RON).

Current UCDSU Education Officer Donnacha Ó Súilleabháin dropped out of the race for his equivalent position in the USI after UCDSU selected RON 57 to 7 votes instead of choosing to endorse him.

UCD LGBT Auditor Siobhán McGuire narrowly missed out on the LGBT Officer role with 96 votes to RON’s 100. A motion to downgrade the position was

not passed as an agreement was reached.

The position will no longer be full-time but it will be part-time and reduced pay.

McGuire commented that the agreement “ensures that the officer (when elected) does not lose any of the responsibilities or rights the position currently has but remains on Officer Board and is still in charge of Pink Training among other responsibilities.”

“This also suits those who wanted to downgrade the position in the first place as the officer will technically be part-time.

The downgrade motions would have changed the role entirely and could possibly have ruined the work USI has put into the LGBT campaign for years. This way both sides are catered for and content,” McGuire added.

If you can’t do, teach l Jump in numbers for teaching l Popular career change option Cathy Buckmaster With the prospect of no graduate jobs and poor wages for those that have work, hundreds of students have decided to practice the age-old mantra: if you can’t do, teach.

Due to the high demand for places, Hibernia College, which operates online, has reported that it is increasing its bi-annual allocation to 380 students.

Colleges across Ireland and the UK are similarly reporting a large number of Irish students choosing to train as teachers. These students are in addition to the 1,400 graduates every year from teaching universities such as St Patrick’s and the Mary Immaculate.

Professionals educated and trained in other fields are also deciding to change their current careers for jobs in teaching. The teaching profession is often seen as a comfortable job due to the 15 weeks’ holidays and a sixhour day. According to Sean Rowland of Hibernia College; “Teaching is seen as a life-style choice.”

“Their original careers didn’t promote much family time or personal satisfaction. Although salaries may drop initially, expenses such as childcare and tax bills will reduce. The

overall quality of live improves.”

However, this sudden interest in the teaching profession has meant that competition for jobs has skyrocketed.

Recently, a post at Killeen National School in Co Galway led to around 250 applications for the position.

Fine Gael’s spokesman for Education and Science, Brian Hayes, said that young teachers should be shown preference in employment. “Whatever happens, we will need more teachers because older teachers are retiring and over half a million children will be in the primary school system this September. That is the most since 1886.”

“Priority must be given to new recruits who are trying to get a foothold in education. A national panel system for substitute and temporary work needs to be put in place.”

One former professional explained his decision to quit his job and take up teaching. “I wasn’t enjoying my job. The pay appeared good but given the hours that I worked, the per-hour rate was not as good as one might imagine. I wanted a better work-life balance and felt that if I left it any longer, I would be too old and burdened with responsibilities to embark on a career change.”

Focus

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

5

Lending a helping hand

In a time of widespread doom and gloom, Karina Bracken looks at those UCD students that are striving to make the world a slightly better place Students, UCD ones in particular, have received a fair share of negative press in recent years. If the national press would have you believe; we are a drinking, fighting, drugged-up and over-sexed lot.

The College Tribune spoke to students in the UCD branches of Amnesty International and the St. Vincent de Paul about giving time to others, and even met with students whose coursework is for charity.

It was raining sideways last Wednesday when UCD’s Amnesty International Society organised a more artistic petition than usual. Looking like good old-fashioned playschool-painting fun, the society collected handprints for their Palestine petition in the Student Centre.

“Petition signing can get a bit boring and repetitive,” admitted Amnesty Auditor Molly Aylesbury. “So for this Palestinian petition we’ve decided to make colourful handprints with paint and present it to the Israeli ambassador.” Molly explained that the petition was against “atrocities committed” in Gaza last year during Operation Cast Iron.

“While both sides were in the wrong, the Israelis had the upper hand as they have a

lot more fire power. They used white phosphorus, which is awful, as it burns when it is exposed to air. So people were just burning in the streets. Then the doctors were just treating it like normal burns so every time the bandages were taken off the people were burning again.”

Molly and the other members decided to re-establish Amnesty as a society in UCD this year, as “it used to be a vital part of the University”. “We all have our own issues, but Amnesty campaigns for human rights everywhere. It’s not just focusing on Ireland, but someone sitting in a prison in Iran who may think that no cares. With Amnesty, they get all these letters of support.”

The letter writing campaigns that Amnesty run have a vital impact, according to Molly. “People don’t think that letter writing has that much of an effect, that it is outdated. However, with one case for example, the prisoner said that after the first letter arrived they started feeding him more regularly.”

“After the second thousand letters came they gave him back his clothes and after more had arrived, the prison warden came

down to see him. It’s not just a UCD thing; people in Ireland are sending letters, then people in France and then all of Europe.”

UCD Amnesty is always on the look out for new members. “We have a meeting almost every week, although we haven’t had a big following this year as we are trying to get off the ground. This year we’ve had film nights with talks, a Mad Hatter tea party and various petition signings, and busking on the concourse,” says Molly.

UCD’s St. Vincent de Paul Society Auditor Kevin Conlon says that the aim of SVP is to help those who need help, whatever form it takes. There are three main groups they work with: the homeless, children and the elderly.

“We do soup runs and visit homeless shelters. There are three homework clubs and two youth groups we are involved in, this focuses on children in disadvantaged areas. We also visit those in a nursing home up near Roebuck and then home visitations as well. There’s also prison soccer.”

During the academic year, the society is also involved in fundraising so that it can keep providing its services.

Chemical Engineering student Gladys Mah is involved in UCDSVP’s ‘Dream Come True’ project which organises social events for children from disadvantaged areas in Dublin and says that she enjoys her time with the kids. The group is going to bring some of the children to the Zoo for the day soon.

“This is to show them that people may look and be different, but it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. You can be different, like an animal, but part of a whole, like a Zoo. This is great for the kids, but the volunteers probably enjoy it more! There are usually a lot more volunteers on this day,” said Gladys.

Recovering from the night’s previous SVP Ball, which ended up in Coppers, Kevin and Gladys explain that there is also a big social element to the society. Officially they have about 700 members, and about 300 of those were actively involved in volunteering activities last semester.

Fresh from their first experience of the poster race, UCD postgraduate students Philip Ashley and Aoife spoke about fundraising for course credits. As part of their Masters in Project Management they have

to organise an event from which the proceeds are donated to charity. “The idea of the course is that we are applying some of the knowledge that we have gained in a practical way,” explains Aoife.

“This project is 50% of the course and the assignment brief is to organise a charity event. We were given a lot of freedom with what we wanted to do, so we decided to go for a fundraising gig. Others are doing things like a golf club or pub quiz,” says Philip.

The Haiti Gig Night is taking place on Wednesday the 14th of April in the Village, doors open at 7pm. There are five performers, one of whom is Kevin McEvoy, a singer-songwriter who is a student in UCD. The others are Heroes in Hiding, Futures Apart and Town Criers. The special headline guests are the Last Tycoons.

“The tickets are only €10 for five bands and then you get free into the club afterwards of you have a ticket”.

“Basically all the bands are playing for charity so they’ve agreed to come for free.

We all knew the bands through different people, so we got them from personal contacts,” adds Philip.

The proceeds from the gig will go to World Vision which was working in Haiti before the earthquake hit and have a bigger presence now, according to Aoife. “They are a good charity as a huge percent of donations go straight to their relief work.”

All of the students that the Tribune spoke to believe that there are many benefits from

helping others. “It’s a brilliant experience even the postering - and we’re definitely learning an awful lot. It’s also great to put on your CV, you can show your employer that you’ve organised an event for charity.

It’ll also be great to see the hard work come through on the night,” says Philip.

“It is amazing the things you get out of the experience, it’s a real eye opener. The average volunteer only does about one hour a week, although it depends on the activity.

The soup run which is every week, does take about three hours to do the full run.

It’s whatever a volunteer can give; we can find them something to do,” says SVP’s Kevin. “We all have a shared humanity and ultimately, looking after some one else’s needs helps you too,” added Amnesty’s Molly.

If you would like to get involved: • Amnesty International Society UCD, Email: Amnesty.i.ucd@gmail. com • UCD St. Vincent de Paul, Email: info@ ucdsvp.com

6

Features

Tom Hayes, secretary of the Alliance Victims Support Group and himself a clerical abuse survivor speaks to Charles O’Donnell Tom Hayes is secretary of the Alliance Victims Support group and is himself a survivor of clerical abuse. Amidst the mixed reactions to the Pope’s letter a fortnight ago, and he gives his own opinion on what is taking place in the Church at the moment.

“We actually support and we have accepted the Pope’s good will in the letter. We genuinely believe that the Church is trying to reach out to satisfy those of us who were in the institutions so that we will not be forgotten. Because of this act we hope that some of the reports into the institutions, such as my own one in County Limerick, will now be made public.”

“As a result of the Pope’s letter those of us who spent our lives in these institutions and who were not invited to take part in the investigation can now read what has been said by the congregation themselves.”

There has been huge pressure on Cardinal Brady to resign over the revelations of his role in the Brendan Smyth case. However, Hayes thinks his role in the cover-up has been blown out of proportion.

“We don’t think there is a reason for the Cardinal to resign. He is not the quiet man that everyone thinks and I believe he will be able to steam-roll reform through.

He is less guilty than most and at the time even Cardinal Daly was unable to have any great influence over the Order in restricting Father Brendan Smyth in carrying out his duties.”

“We don’t see what Cardinal Brady could have done. He did have two meetings with the victims, he then went to the Bishop. The Bishop passed the matter on to the Order and it was their behaviour that was absolutely inexcusable. But even if it went to the Guards at that time they

would have brought the problem to the Bishop. That was the type of deference shown even right up to the eighties.”

Without doubt one of the big problems in the whole affair of abuse cover-ups was the unquestionable power the Church enjoyed in the State. In many ways it was the State which helped create the conditions where justice could not be carried out.

According to Hayes this is a key lesson to be learned from the current revelations regarding clerical sexual abuse. “I have never had any doubt at all that the problem with the Church was its role in society, which was caused by the deference of the State. It allowed the religious orders to see themselves as above the law.”

“I would agree that the Irish State itself allowed the Church to establish itself without any regulatory responsibility. This was particularly the case when a serious offence was reported to the Guards and it was always reported back to the congregation and dealt with by the Congregation, not by the Guards or the Department of Education. The Irish State has never fully been made answerable for their role in all of this.”

It is often said that great suffering is only eased by the two great healers of time and faith, but in Tom Hayes’ case time does not make the pain any better and faith is a comfort that has been taken from him.

“The difficulty we have is that as we grow older we become more bitter and regretful about what has happened. And we regret that we don’t even have our faith to hold onto. But this is not the case for everyone.”

“Many people I have seen around this country and in England are still very religious. I find it very extraordinary that they could still have faith after what took

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

Betrayed by both Church and State

place earlier in their lives.”

Hayes also spoke about what reforms he feels are needed “There needs to be radical change in the Church. The bishops must not be allowed to have the autonomy that they preciously had. Bishops must be held to account in a more forthright way within their own Dioceses, either through the Church or by the State. They should publish the minutes of their meetings in the Bishop’s Conference on the internet so that the laity can see what is taking place.”

Hayes gives the impression of a man with great perspective who seems to have come to terms of with what happened to him however, every so often, it is apparent that anger is still very much a part of him, as it is with many other victims.

“I don’t want to mislead you - I am exceptionally angry with the Church. I left my Church at the Industrial School gates at

Gaeilge

the age of sixteen and I am not a practicing Catholic.”

“I am exceptionally angry with the Church. They have avoided and continue to avoid their responsibilities. When you consider that at the age of sixteen I was left on the streets of Limerick and Cork without any element of support from the State or the Religious, I have a right to be exceptionally angry. I don’t want you to go away with any other view than that I was very badly treated, and many thousands more were too. And we must never forget that.”

“I am afraid I have to tell you that how those of us who were orphans were treated after leaving the in-

stitutions was absolutely disgraceful. I am speaking of how we were treated by the State and by the Congregations themselves and by those people who we were employed by after we left. The State failed us and the Congregation failed us and when we approached the Church they failed us. Irish society as a whole treated us badly.”

Íde na Muc don WHO

Agus clinicí vacsaínithe in éadan fhliú na muc ag druid sa tír seo agus suas le duine as ceathrar cosanta ina aghaidh caithfear an cheist a chur, arbh fhiú an tairbhe an trioblóid? Mhaíodh sciar suntasach de chomhphobal an leighis nárbh fhiú. Go nuige seo tá tuairim is 15,000 duine tar éis báis de thoradh an fhliú ar fud an domhain.

Is mór idir seo agus an 35,000 a bhásaíonn de bharr an fhliú choitianta i Meiriceá gach aon bhliain.

An é, mar sin, gur cuireadh an dubh ina gheal orainn is ar an gceannaireacht rialaithe is leighis? Braitheann roinnt gur mar sin é, gur áibhéil agus bréag ba chúis leis agus gur sin atá taobh thiar de na billiúin gan áireamh a caitheadh ar an vacsaín timpeall na cruinne agus ar na mollta de atá cúlcharntha fud fad an domhain. Tá suas le milliún duine in Éirinn féin tar éis bheith vacsaínithe, ach cheannaigh an rialtas a dhóthain le beagán faoi chois an 4 mhilliún duine a shá le steallaire. Bhí costas €12.8 milliún ar an gcéad bhaisc de vacsaíní agus €13.84 milliún a bhí ar an riar a bhain leis.

Líomhain an Dr Wolfgang Wodarg, dochtúir agus eipidéimeolaí ón nGearmáin, as measc shlua áirithe, gur athraigh an WHO(Eagraíocht Sláinte an Domhain) an sainmhíniú ar phaindéim ó ghalar a thagann chun cinn ar roinnt ilchríocha ag an am céanna agus a bhfuil galracht níos airde ná an meán ag baint leis. Deir sé go bhfuil éifeacht rómhór ag comhlachtaí cógaseolaíocha orthu agus go raibh fógairt úd na paindéime go mór chun dochar na gcáiníocóirí agus na rialtas trí chéile.

Bhraith sé aisteach, leis, an tslí go raibh dhá vacsaín ag teastáil ar dtús, mar go bhfuil sé tagtha chun solais anois gur leor instealladh amháin den vacsaín d’éinne a bhfuil córas imdhíonachta gan lagú acu. Tá fiosrúchán inmheánach ar bun ag an WHO féin agus tá líomhaintí an dochtúra Ghearmánaigh cáinte go géar acu. Ainneoin seo tá pleananna vacsaínithe thíortha timpeall na hEorpa ciorraithe go mór.

In Éirinn tharla an vacsaíniú i gclinicí de chuid Fheidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte, ag dochtúirí ginearálta, agus i

scoileanna. D’éirigh go maith leis an bhfeachtas díriú isteach orthu siúd a bhí i mbaol, dar le cathaoirleach Choláiste na nDochtúirí Ginearálta in Éirinn, an Dr. Mark Walsh. Tá sé den tuairim freisin gur chóir cuimhneamh gur éag breis is scór duine sa tír seo agus gur tháinig beagán faoi 2,000 cás dearbhaithe chun solais leis. Creideann sé go raibh tionchar ag daoine a ghlanadh a gcuid lámh is go raibh sciorta den ádh linn, ach gurbh é an clár vacsaínithe a chinntigh nach raibh cúrsaí chomh dona is a bhí roinnt ag tuar.

Tá leibhéil an fhliú an-íseal faoi láthair, ach is dócha go bhfillfidh an fliú um fhómhar agus an baol ann fós go gclaochlódh an víreas le ceann eile. Áfach ba chóir don WHO aon rian den amhras a ruaigeadh le cinntiú gur féidir le pobal an domhain bheith lánmhuiníneach astu sula mbeadh caint ar vacsaín eile. Is iad caomhnóirí shláinte na cruinne iad agus dualgas leighis is fírinne orthu dá réir.

Eoin Ó Murchú

Features

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

Adrift in a Storm

In the light of the recent child abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in Ireland, U.C.D. Chaplain Fr. Leon Ó’Giollán talks to Eileen Gahan about the response of the Church and its hopes for the future

It is probably true to say that the Catholic Church in Ireland has never come under such fire from its own followers as it has received in recent times, following the countless revelations of child abuse and cover ups.

As a mark of the depth of the crisis Pope Benedict took the unusual step of sending a letter to the Irish Church, yet many still feel the response to the crimes committed by clerics is inadequate.

With calls for many leading clerics in Ireland to resign and demands for reform of the Church coming even from some priests it one assumes it must be a very difficult time for priests in Catholic Church.

Yet Fr. Leon Ó’Giollán, one of U.C.D.’s chaplains, was very willing to discuss these issues when asked.

Although many have criticised Pope Benedict’s letter as not going far enough Fr. Leon feels that “It is a step on the road to reform. Obviously there is much more that needs to be done, it is only one letter and one letter cannot do everything that needs to be done. But I think it should be accepted in the spirit it was written, which is an expression of real sorrow and regret for what was done by certain clergy.”

“The Pope has given a great deal of attention to the Irish Church. You have to bear in mind that he does not have to deal only with the Church in Ireland but all over the world, and there are over 1.6 billion Catholics. He took two whole days out of his incredibly busy schedule to deal with the problems of the Irish Church so we mustn’t undervalue the size of that gesture.”

When asked if he felt that more resignations were needed, Fr. Leon replied that; “The most important thing now is to keep our eye on the ball in ensuring the maximum protection for children and the most vulnerable. So we must consider how this is best served. We have to decide if it is best served by someone who has gained a lot of experience, even experience gained through mistakes, but who would better be able to bring about reform with their knowledge, or whether it is best to just have a clean slate.”

“There is now an enormous amount being done to ensure the protection of children.

Mandatory reporting to the Civil Authorities is now in place, so there is no doubt about what to do in these cases now. And of course child protection is an ongoing process that must be constantly reviewed.”

“As Archbishop Diarmuid Martin pointed out, the number of paedophiles in every society remains constant, so all organisations must remain constantly alert. It would be naïve to assume things will be o.k. now. We need constant reviewing and updating of protection measures.”

Although many of the faithful have lost their trust in the Catholic Church in recent times Fr. Leon says that “it would be a terrible pity for people to jump ship now rather than staying to reform it. My own order, the Jesuit Order, was formed by Ignatius of Loyola, who wanted to reform the Church from within at a time of tremendous change and upheaval during the Counter-Reformation.”

“Ignatius believed in the deepest truth of the Church but was not blind to its faults.

Jesus himself founded the Church on weak human beings-Peter the first Pope himself betrayed Jesus three times –so Jesus was not blind to faults. Catholics have to decide whether they would rather throw stones at the Church from the outside or reform it from within.”

Part of the problem with the Church in Ireland was the excessive deference to its authority and this deterred many people from reporting cases of clerical sexual abuse. Fr. Leon acknowledged that this was the case and that greater lay involvement was needed in the running of the Church.

“Absolutely, more lay involvement is a key

part of change and reform. The Vatican II council reviewed the Church and proposed a new model that that has yet to be implemented. This would not be a pyramidal hierarchical structure but more like a circle with a central government.”

“Every organisation needs leadership, and everyone will have their roles but they will take their lead the centre. In the Dublin Diocese at the moment an important role is being played by lay pastoral workers and here we are seeing Vatican II being implemented. We are seeing single and married women assisting in running of parishes at parochial levels.”

Yet when speaking about controversial issues such as clerical celibacy and women priest he still felt the authority of the Pope in these matters was final. “The Pope sees the overall vision of the whole Church and thinks it best to avoid some issues that would lead to further divisions and we must respect that and his leadership.”

“We must respect the view that some issues are too divisive in some parts of the world. While we may be ready for such changes here other parts of the world are not ready. Perhaps in one hundred years or so such reform may be possible. In principle there is nothing against such reform but not now, not immediately.”

Although many would argue that radical change is needed in the Church and needed immediately Fr. Leon believes that dialogue and discussion is the most important thing now. “We should continue to voice our opinions but also give respect to leadership. In any political system that is the case. We can voice our objections, but without authority and the due process there would be anarchy.”

“You don’t overthrow the government if

7

you don’t agree with it, but bring about change through dialogue and conversation.” However it could be said that it is difficult for many Catholics to trust the authority of the Church when it has so often proved unworthy of trust.

Yet Fr. Leon holds the view that being part of the Church always means holding to important core beliefs while bearing in mind that it is a flawed human structure. He tells me how he has coped with the current difficult circumstances of the Church. “I’ve been a priest now for 25 years this June. Some would say it is very difficult now to be a priest now because of all the scandal that has gone on. And you do feel tainted by that and it is true that it is very painful. But how do I negotiate that? I know that my faith is not in any frail human structure- you expect frailty there, it’s a church of saints and sinners.

But Jesus Christ I have never questioned and he is the rock on which I stand. He founded his church on human frailty.”

Fr. Leon ended the interview with a beautiful image of his view of the Catholic Church. “There is a beautiful painting

by J.M.W. Turner, that he painted when he was only twenty one, called “Fishermen at Sea” and it shows a fishing boat in a rough cruel sea but above the boat the moon shines and a lantern hangs from the mast. The precariousness of the ship is evident but there is hope because of the light shining and the land in the distance.

I compare the Church to that ship and the light to the light of Christ. There is fragility and vulnerability but there is always hope.

The ship of the Church will always have to negotiate difficulties but we must hold on hope.”

Concentrate

...on bigger dreams

Specialist Masters Programmes The next step ...

From September 2010, you have the choice to customise your courses to obtain a specialisation within your chosen MSc programme. These concentrations will help to ensure that your learning experience and your Masters degree is tailormade for you and your needs, and should enhance your opportunities in your chosen career in the future.

MSc in International Management

MSc in Finance

Concentrations available in

Concentrations available in

• Marketing • Social Entrepreneurship • Finance

• Financial Analysis • Investments & Markets • Risk Management • Accounting & Finance

Our MSc in International Management also focuses on personal and professional development (more typical of a higher-level masters programme such as the MBA) and features an International Residency Week, where one or more modules will be delivered in an international business school in one of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India or China).

Our MSc in Finance offers the largest range of optional courses of any similar degree in Ireland, and is the only such degree which is a programme partner with both the CFA Institute and the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association.

Course Director: Dr Mary Lee Rhodes Course Administrator: Jessie Smith im.admissions@tcd.ie

Course Director: Professor Brian Lucey finance.masters@tcd.ie Course Administrator: Elaine Moore finance.admissions@tcd.ie

Trinity College Dublin School of Business

Keep up to date with details on both courses at http://www.tcd.ie/business/specialist-masters/.

Features

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

Travel

9

California Dreamin’

Golden beaches, surfer chicks, skater dudes, Hollywood and the redwood forests are just some of the clichés that David Costello finds are true in California

From its bustling metropolises to sun scorched deserts to golden beaches, California is a state just waiting to be explored.

California takes up an enormous 160,000 square miles of land on the western coast of the United States and packs more mountains, ocean, forests, deserts and cities into its area than nigh on any other country in the world.

A common entry point for visitors to the West Coast is San Francisco. The city is perched on a series of hills, making for a truly unique and vertiginous experience for any sightseer.

The focus of the city is downtown Union Square, an area packed with hotels and tourists. The only activity that really oc-

curs here however is shopping, with a Niketown outlet and the flagship Levi’s store amongst the many outlets enticing you to spend your hard earned dollars.

Continuing northwards, San Francisco’s most recognisable building, the Transamerica pyramid, star of films such as ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ appears on your right hand shoulder. A leisurely stroll takes you into North Beach, the heart of the Italian quarter and epicentre of the ‘Beat’ movement of the 1950’s. The boho character of the place can still be felt in the small cafes and bars of the area such as the aptly named Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store.

At this point in their trip visitors usually head north eastwards to the fog shrouded majesty of the Golden Gate Bridge or take a ferry journey to the infamous Alcatraz

Prison, home to such notorious legends as Al Capone and the Birdman.

The former is best enjoyed by bicycle with companies like Bike and Roll Rentals kitting you out with bike and helmet for $28 dollars per day. The latter visit to the prison is a very unsettling experience with its dark history making it a must-see.

However, being in the hometown of bands such as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane means getting in contact with your inner hippy. There’s no better place to do this than in the still edgy if now slightly gentrified Haight-Ashbury, the original focal point of San Francisco’s counter-culture. The district is worth a wander for its hippy shops and independent music stores

including the enormous Amoeba Records.

For those in search of something stronger the excellent live music venue Club Deluxe has great beer and killer bands to round off your day in the ‘City by the Bay’.

75 miles south of San Francisco lies the trendy yet unassuming town of Santa Cruz, known to Irish students from The Thrill’s depiction of their J1 summer here in the aptly named song ‘Santa Cruz’. Its reputation for some of the world’s best surfing combined with its cafes and bars make the town a worthwhile stop on any itinerary of California.

However Santa Cruz’s main attraction is undoubtedly the mighty redwood forests located in nearby Henry Muir Woods. A relaxing visit to these 300 foot giants is a highlight of any visit to California. Activities include hiking, biking or just taking a

picnic on one of the many snaking trails.

Apart from the 90 miles of the Big Sur the remainder of the central Californian coastline is not really worth a diversion.

Instead, plunge on southwards to the sprawling and oftentimes bewildering mini-nation that is Los Angeles.

The focal point for most visitors to the ‘City of Angels’ is the ever famous Hollywood, star of countless films since 1911.

Contrary to the popular image, little production of films is actually done here with most of the big names such as Universal having long since relocated to Burbank.

This contributed to Hollywood’s decline into scruffiness and crime, a reputation it did not shake off until relatively recently.

Today however, the area has gentrified hugely with the development of the Highland Mall and its next-door neighbour, the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars Ceremony is held annually. Other attractions include the famous ‘Walk of Fame’ collection of star’s handprints that stretches along Hollywood Boulevard.

After dark, the area takes on a different vibe as tourist legions diminish and hip twenty-something Angelinos come and strut their stuff in the bars and clubs of the neighbourhood.

Two of the best are ‘Three Clubs’ which regularly has some of the country’s biggest bands playing and the Musso & Frank Grill, an authentic L.A.P.D. hangout. For resting the head after a night on the tiles, the centrally located Orchid Suites has comfortable rooms at a reasonable price with a heated swimming pool thrown into the bargain two minutes from the Boulevard.

Other worthwhile areas to visit in L.A. include the iconic Beverly Hills and Bel Air, the home of many actors and rock stars.

The Maps of the Stars sold on Hollywood Boulevard will give you directions to the supposed celebrity homes.

For all you students too fond of daytime television Dr.Phil’s home is among those marked if you feel eager to catch a sight of the big man in person. The coastal town of Venice Beach is also a pleasant diversion from the heat of inland L.A. and is great for people watching, swimming or simply taking in the sun.

The strip of land between Los Angeles and San Diego is called Orange County, best known to the outside world from the hit television series The O.C. which de-

picted the lives and loves of effortless cool southern California teenagers growing up in the costal suburb of Newport Beach.

Unfortunately, the real life Orange County is not nearly so exciting with the only notable diversion being the original Disneyland. Otherwise, the only entertainment is surfing and sunbathing, both of which can be done in the infinitely cooler and less pretentious surroundings of San Diego

worthwhile. Attractions include the gigantic U.S.S. Midway, a decommissioned air craft carrier anchored downtown that’s opened to the public.

If you have ever wanted to see what the inside of a U.S. Navy warship looks like here’s your chance. However, be forewarned that it is truly labyrinth and takes hours so make sure you set aside enough time.

just an hour’s car ride to the south.

The last stop on our whirlwind guide to California is the city of San Diego located just north of the Mexican border.

The balmy climate, hectic nightlife, sandy beaches and great tourist attractions all combine to make San Diego a fantastic holiday destination.

The city can be divided into two halves, downtown and the beaches.

If you’re just after sun, sea and ‘gnarly’ surfing, the coast is definitely your first point of call. The beaches are located to the north of downtown including Pacific and Mission beaches, both of which have a youthful, laid-back vibe with lots of surf shops and bars.

If you’re interested at attempting to imitate the local wave riders, Surfari, located at 3740 Mission Boulevard will kit you out with board and wet suit and provides lessons. However, as this writer found out, learning to surf consists of a lot more falling into the waves rather than actually riding them.

If you feel the need for a break from the beach a trip into central San Diego is well

The other downtown attraction is the historic Gaslamp District which is jam packed with bars, restaurants and clubs.

The sheer variety of restaurants means you should have no trouble finding somewhere to grab a tasty bite but for those after some spicy Indian food I found the Bombay Restaurant at 3960 on Fifth Avenue to be particularly good.

For those looking for accommodation the Dolphin Motel in Point Loma is centrally located about halfway between the beaches and downtown. Clean, well appointed rooms combine with excellent service to make for an enjoyable stay. Prices range from $50-$70 a night per room depending on time of year.

Here we must wrap up our tour and have only touched the surface of what the state of California has to offer its visitors. Yosemite National Park, skiing in Lake Tahoe and exploring the deserts are just some of the activities that I missed out on my trip.

Hopefully you too will pay this wonderful state a visit and soon you’ll be California Dreamin’ alongside me.

10

News

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

&

Comment

Debate

A Time of Change in UCD Student Health Service

In an ideal world no one would have to pay individually for their healthcare.

We would all be prepared to pay sufficient in our taxes to fund an excellent, equitable health service which we would not be charged for at the time of consultation. However the reality is that is not the situation at present and the majority of people in Ireland pay for their GP care.

Those who do not have to pay are covered under the HSE Medical Card scheme or GP Visit Card system which allows the holder to receive certain health services free of charge. To receive these services you must undergo a means test to determine your eligibility. Approximately 1.4 million people now have either a full Medical Card or a GP Visit Card.

It is important to be aware of the fact that education has a very positive effect on our health. Health statistics for those of us with third level education are much better than those who left school with very little education.

The Student Health Service in UCD has always operated within significant resource constraints with demand for service consistently higher then available resources. The staff in the service are committed to safe practice, professional standards and to providing the highest possible level of service to students consistent with these principals and available resources.

Budget cutbacks over the last two years have resulted in the loss of a part time

nurse and loss of any funding for locum cover. This created further challenges over the last year. The staff would prefer to be in a position to see all students who wish to avail of the service within a reasonable time period. Resource constraints meant that this was not possible.

Further reductions in exchequer funding allocated to UCD for 2009/2010 resulted in the decision to introduce a charge for the service to offset the effects of the cuts.

In September 2009, a fee per visit was introduced. Provision was made from the start to provide for vulnerable students so that no student would be deprived of the medical care they needed due to inability to pay.

This was done by facilitating the use of a Medical Card/GP Visit Card to cover applicable services where one was presented at the time of service. The cost of attending the UCD Health Service was kept at a lower price than attending a practitioner outside the university, with visits to a GP costing half the price of those outside and students were not asked to pay at the point of service.

In consultation with the Students’ Union and other organisations various funding options were considered. Options such as charging a levy on all students, or charging for consultations backed by an insurance scheme were considered.

Charging per visit was considered the best option with the intention that the fee

would be covered by a proposed new insurance scheme. Charging has been a difficult challenge for staff in a service that was previously free. At the present time there has been no additional funding for the student health service as a result of charges due to the budget situation.

UCD is currently investigating the possibility of offering its students the opportunity to have their primary medical care needs covered under a specially tailored insurance scheme that would be developed to suit the needs of its students.

Such an insurance scheme could cover cost of full GP visits within UCD, Dental care, Optical care, Physiotherapy and could cover half the cost of attending an outside GP. The insurance would also include Travel Insurance, a necessity for all students who plan to travel while they are in college.

If necessary some students can have their package tailored to suit their specific needs as may be required by those heavily involved in sports. Students would be covered for one year, starting at the start of the first semester. Provision would be made for those with medical cards or other cover to opt out.

I believe it is therefore not unreasonable to ask those who can pay for their healthcare to do so, as long as provision is made for vulnerable students who cannot afford to pay. The income generated by charges must be used to further develop

the service to deliver the best possible care to students.

Paying for healthcare is topical at present worldwide as we have seen and there are important decisions to be made in this area in the future. Here in UCD Student Health, we plan to take a proactive approach to ensure that our student’s needs are met long into the future.

An insurance based model is one method which works well in many European countries. I believe an insurance model would work very well here in UCD and would be a model that could provide students with the care they need while in college.

We look forward to working with the Students Union, the Vice President and other stakeholders in ensuring we have the best possible service for our students.

Dr. Sandra Tighe Sandra Tighe is a TCD graduate who has been working in UCD as Director of Student Health for thirteen years. She is a CME tutor for the Bray Avoca area meaning she has the responsibility for the ongoing education for GP’s in the area. She has a special interest in mental health and the effect of inequalities on health status. She has four children and is a foster mother as well as volunteering in Bernardos Preschool in Loughlinstown.

ns Iadt invites applicatio for its unique range of mes postgraduate program for the academic year 2010/2011 vision (Ma)

dio and tele duction for Ra

Broadcast Pro

nagement (PG

t Ma Cultural Even

dip)

gy (MSc)

Cyberpsycholo

ip - Ma/MSc)

(PG d digital Media Public Culture for Film and Screenwriting

Studies (Ma)

television (M

Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland

54429 IADT new.indd 1

ctices (Ma)

Visual arts Pra

Postgraduate

t: (01) 239 4000 / e: info@iadt.ie www.iadt.ie

a)

O

)

10 (6pm - 8pm

22nd april 20 pen Evening:

Institute of Art Design and Technology

8/3/10 11:02:56

News

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

Tribune

Editorial

Money Matters

11

With the recession in full swing, advertising budgets of companies and institutions have been slashed. This has had an effect on both national and student newspapers in the country and elsewhere. Newspapers like this one have had to more than half their rates to attract any advertisement at all. It is with this in mind that the editors of the College Tribune understand a decision to accept advertisement from any potential source.

This being said, there is something unsettling about a candidate up for an election being allowed to obtain a perceived upper hand because they can afford it. This is, of course, an endemic problem in national politics. However, change could and should be grassroots. The system should afford equal opportunities to candidates to promote their positions and promises.

This is not a personal attack, the candidate in question has worked tirelessly for his constituents and ensured that no rules were being broken before making a decision. It is therefore clear the rules that must be changed.

The Students’ Union elections should become more open to all UCD students, not just ones that can afford to advertise in a newspaper.

Never forget to give back

As discussed in this week’s news focus, students nowadays receive a lot of unwarranted criticism, often being slated as greedy, lazy and apathetic.

However, there is a certain reassurance after speaking to members of the UCD branches of Amnesty international and St. Vincent de Paul that there are still those who, despite personal difficulties, can remain altruistic.

As shown, a large number of third level students go out of their way to join and remain active in charitable societies with UCD that make the lives of those less fortunate that little bit easier and they should be commended for their efforts.

Gestures such as the creative idea to collect handprints for a Palestine petition or inventive letter writing campaigns as well as selfless soup runs and visiting homeless shelters may only appear as a small gesture to some but do take time and effort and show that students still care about others besides themselves as well as the fact that it does make a difference.

Charitable societies in UCD such as Amnesty and SVP are always on the look out for new members so think hard about what you could be doing with the spare time that is entrusted to you as a student and see what difference you can make.

€400 a week, what is the point then?

3 years, €400 a week; many students would be forgiven for wondering what the point of their education is. With record numbers of people applying for CAO places, many are doing so for the purpose of carving out a career for themselves. Yet the latest HEA studies show that your career path may not be quite as smooth as first thought.

Perhaps therein lays a long term problem, a lack of foresight and thought. Most of us were told to put down what we wanted to do on our CAO, under the logical assumption that in three or four years time the economic landscape in Ireland could be very true.

College courses such as Physiotherapy, Architecture, Psychology and many others are very worthy and important professions, but the Irish economy does not necessarily need a few hundred of them every year, and thus many students will find themselves out of work as a result.

Many of the problems facing graduating students are related to the economic turmoil this country, alongside most of the western world, this will pass as all economics storms do. Maybe in the future it would be a good idea to encourage students towards certain courses, if you want to excel in a certain area a well educated workforce might just help a tad, and graduates might make a little more than €400 a week.

Until then perhaps the government might want to look at the hundreds of unemployed or underpaid graduates, and find something that may be mutually beneficial to both.

An group of educated young people may prove useful, after all its not as if the country has a problem with Hospitals, or Schools, or Roads, or...

The College Tribune The Difference is we’re independant LG 18, Newman Building (Arts Block) Box 74, Student Centre, UCD Email: collegetribune@gmail.com

Dep. Sports Editor: Eoghan Brophy

Tel: 01 716 8501

Music Editor: Jim Scully

Editors: Cathy Buckmaster Philip Connolly

Arts Editor: Katie Godwin

Design: Philip Connolly

Features Editor: Eileen Gahan

News Editor: Karina Bracken

Fashion Editor: Aoifa Smyth

Turbine Editor: James Grannell

Photography Editor: Barry Hennessy www.barryhennessy.com

Sports Editor: Colman Hanley

Contributors; Niall Dolphin, Christina Finn, Ian Mulholland, David Tracy, Ryan Cullen, Conor McKenna , Ashling Maguire ,Fiona Kennedy, Aine

Keegen, Cathal O’Gara, Aoife Hamill, Kathleen Henry, Noreen Maloney, Caoimhin Millar, Mark Hobbes, Ryan Cullen, Frank Black, David Murphy, Danny Wilson, Caragh Hesse Tyson, Aisling Kennedy, Treasa Dalton, Amy Walsh, Danny Lambert, Aisling Molloy Special Thanks; Huw and Mark at NWM, Amy and Chantal at Universal, Danielle, Colm and Rory at MCD, Colin Glesson and Caitrina Cody, Asya, Maximillian Connolly, Eddie Buckmaster and Corah Lanigan, Jim Henderson, Dan Oggly, Jordan Daly, Simon Ward, Roe McDermott, Carol Parrington, Dan McDonnell

Irish Editor: Eoin Ó Murchú

The College Tribune Wants You If you are interested in writing for this newspaper please do not hesitate to contact us, no experience is required

collegetribune@gmail.com If an error or omission is made in this newspaper, please contact us at collegetribune@gmail.com

Inside

It’s Satire Stupid!

e s u o h White w e n s l unvai y t i r u c e s h c hi-te

Ricky Martin bangs way out of the closet Israel unveils plans to bring Research discovers the problasting peace: ob- lem with Irish Hospitals years of political wrangling over they often don’t have enough doctors and literate Palestine After the Irish health system the solution to nurses to deal with drunken people in Oil found on UCD campus: America set to liberate us Bargain tampons: No strings attached for limited period Enda Kenny’s IQ test results say negative Reports claim nostalgia ain’t what it used to be Amnesiac has deja vu after remembering he’d forgotten this before

the problem has finally been found.

Researchers, who have been working for the last two years, have yesterday unveiled their shocking findings. It was reveled that nearly all beds, in the hospitals involved in the study, were taken up with sick people and invalids.

Tony Lynch, who was involved in the two year long study said he was appalled to see so many hospital beds taken up by the sick. “Everywhere you look there are beds with cancer patients, heart attack patients, stroke victims; the list of life threatening and long term illnesses being treated in most hospitals is simply shocking.” Commented Lynch. He went on to blast heart attack and stroke victims in particular for also clogging up A&E. Lynch stated “ not only are these sick people sucking the money out of the hospitals and taking up too much room, they are also taking doctors away from serious issues like stomach pumping and generally treating drunks. I just think that’s a disgrace.”

When questioned about this, the hospitals involved in the study reveled that

A&E, because these doctors and nurses are treating some cancer patient or are stuck in the maternity ward trying to deliver a new life into the world.

One doctor questioned admitted that there simply is too much attention placed on sick patients who are sucking the life out of hospitals. He said that as a result of this, people needing their stomach pumped and people needing treatment for having had their face kicked in are being ignored for long periods of time.

The study suggested that these very people are the most valued members of society and as a result ought to get premium health care whenever they are taken to A&E. The study went on to suggest that anyone over the age of sixty be refused medical treatment, as a result of their being on borrowed time. All the findings have been passed on to Mary Harney Minister for Health and she is expected to implement the recommendations as soon as possible. She is said to be especially interested in the development of a new obesity clinic in St. James’ hospital.

UCD student brings peace to Ireland by mistake A UCD student and jilted lover has inadvertently caused peace to break out all over Ireland which has, as a result calmed the stormy waters of the Irish economy.

Economic recovery now seems only a hairs breadth away as opposing side’s come together in harmony and love.

The miracle happened when David Blake, a second year computer science student and his girlfriend Siofra Ni Gee, a second year Arts student broke up. The couple separated after an argument late last week.

In an attempt to salvage their relationship David left several voice mails and text messages on Siofras phone, but when she failed to acknowledge them he knew it was time to take things one-step further.

The heartbroken student created a com-

puter virus to get his loves attention. The virus would simply display the words “I know I was an idiot, but everyone’s made mistakes. Can’t we just try to make things better again?”

The virus, also known as a worm, which was only created for Siofra’s eyes ended up circulating throughout the web infecting countless computers with this message of love and reconciliation. As a myriad of people saw the message their hearts began to melt. Forgiveness and love have now filled the land. Enda Kenny and Brian Cowen yesterday embraced in the Dáil with teary apologies from both sides. Even Eamonn Gilmore is said to have joined in the general feeling of goodwill. Here in UCD the SU have patched up their differences and are reported to have full confidence in one

another once again.

The love has also spread to Northern Ireland where Ian Paisley said ‘YES YES YES’ to plans for peace. Sinn Fein and the DUP have buried the hatchet and joined sides for the first time in history.

Bankers have confessed their wrongdoing and asked forgiveness from those who they have hurt and they in turn have warmly accepted them. The super happy feeling has spread throughout Ireland and indeed the whole world with mankind everywhere embracing the love.

But what of David’s original plan to patch things up with Siofra? We here at the Turbine caught up with her between lectures and put the question to her. Has her heart melted like so many others, will she get back with David after his Titanic efforts? Her reply was “f**k no!”

Sport

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

13

the college tribune

Sport

The College Tribune 7.04.10 www.thecollegetribune.net Down the Line

Good Friday in Limerick witnessed a truly unique event. Munster and Leinster played minus both star players, Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll, while locals purchased alcohol. A sight that is wrong on so many levels.

On the pitch though, Leinster showed outwitted their bitter rivals by a point to leave Thomond Park with the four Magners League points and effectively qualify for the end of season play-offs. Munster still remain on course to join them, but now have left themselves with little room for error.

Tony McGahan’s side have little time to reflect on this defeat though as they face Northampton on Saturday in the Heineken Cup quarter-final, 5:30pm. Having only narrowly defeated the English Premiership side 12-9 at home in January, Munster need to improve quickly. With Mick O’Driscoll and Ian Dowling failing to impress last Friday, the return of Captain Paul O’Connell and Keith Earls could be crucial.

Leinster’s Heineken tie sees them face French side Clermont Auvergne this Friday at 8pm. The champions will hope to welcome back Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan to the starting fifteen, but nevertheless, they look in good shape following the win in Limerick.

However, Jonny Sexton’s two missed kicks from five will leave a slight worry in Michael Cheika’s mind. Any erratic form from the outhalf could be punished by Clermont, though the French side travel to the RDS after a 19-10 defeat to Stade Francais.

Michael Bradley’s Connacht side must not be forgotten too, they face Bourgoin on Saturday at 1pm. Having beaten Edinburgh narrowly by 22-21 at the weekend, extending their unbeaten home record to seven, Connacht can also be confident of reaching the semi-finals of the Amlin Cup. What odds on the three sides reaching European semi-finals, around 3-1 apparently.

Despite the heartbreak suffered in the Six Nations, it would be hard to bet against the three provinces this weekend.

Colman Hanley

Super League As the Easter season arrived Superleague was canceled for the holiday. After all, the lads have to make time to go on Easter egg hunts and the likes. As a result of this distinct lack of matches, this week’s column will examine the performances of teams on the league tables.

First up is Division 1 Saturday. Virgin Orient are top of the table with 36 points, showing that they have rather a bit more experience than their name would suggest. The Virgin lads have only lost one of their thirteen games thus far.

Half way down the table is Multiple Scoregasmo with sixteen points, not that impressive at all especially if their witty little name is taken into account. It would seem the only Scoregasmo these lads will be producing is the one they have while crying in front of the mirror.

Bottom of the bunch is Bavarian Leverkusen with a meager five points; in fact out of their sixteen matches they have lost thirteen. Of course it’s about having fun guys and not just the winning and we’re sure that you’re the most fun team out there.

In the Premier Saturday league table HIV Eindhoven are well ahead of the rest, not letting their nasty little affliction get in the way of success. They’ve won thirteen of their sixteen matches drawing one and have a total of 40 points on the table.

UCD Clubhouse

It’s football but not as we know it

Behind them is the team that should win a prize for the best name, AC Alittlesiluettoofmilan with 34 points. Garry Glitter U16s are just under RES- erection with 24 and 26 points respectively; it looks like Glitters lads may never be able to walk the same again.

Belfield Bullets are impressively at the bottom of the table having lost every one of their seventeen matches. Not wanting to be the bringer of bad news, but it looks unlikely that they have a future career in football.

Premier Sunday, like the Catholic Church, is all about The Sex Offenders who are topping the tables there with 39 points having won every one of their thirteen matches! Now that is impressive for the Superleague. These guys are doing something right or else something very, very wrong. Either way, well done.

The closest team to them is Just Jeff, who we just saw a few weeks ago, and although they were just wonderful, it seems they’re just not good enough to catch up with our sexy Sex Offenders.

At the bottom of the Sunday table is Your Mum’s a Keeper, who have lost all sixteen of their games. Above them are Scratch Arse SFB who have drawn more than any other team in the Superleague, so lets have a bit of recognition for that and some soap for their smelly fingers.

It would thus seem that the Superleague is made up of an interesting mix of the very good, the good, the not so good, and, well, the absolute shit bad. However it’s all about the fun, so who really cares.

By Eoghan Brophy

UCD rob UCC of their fourth in a row

Making a splash

UCC came into the final of the Crowley Cup with one thing on their mind, winning the Crowley Cup for the fourth time in four years. UCD had not entered the Crowley Cup in recent years as the Collingwood Cup and Harding trophies took precedence. UCD found themselves in a position to compete in 2010 and compete they did. With the Harding, Collingwood and Colleges and University League titles in the bag, it was time to complete the quartet and a hard fought 1-0 win for the Belfield Students meant the Crowley Cup will nestle in between the three other cups won this year. UCD came flying out of the blocks determined to show their country opposition that a trip to Dublin is not all glamour and big lights. Chance after chance went a miss as Philip Byrne and Brian O’Brochlain terrorised their opposite numbers. The work rate from UCD’s front two allowed space to develop and up stepped Michael Whelan to pick up a breaking ball, shrugging off the challenge of two players before picking his spot and leaving the UCC team to pick themselves up off the floor. Gary O’Toole exclaimed, “Delighted with that!” and UCD certainly were.

UCD continued to flood forward with Whelan bringing the best out of the Cork stopper. The second goal would not come and the half time whistle gave the UCC team a chance to regroup and create a master plan on how to ruin UCD’s day in the sun.

The master plan consisted mainly of UCC upping the tempo and ferocity of their attacks willing the UCD defence to make a mistake. Two tight offside decisions were the closest UCC came to breaking the deadlock until late in the game when a flying save from Conor McGroarty in the UCD net denied Cork any chance of reviving their flailing hopes.

The final whistle brought the Crowley Cup back to UCD for the first time since 2002 and as UCD General Gary O’Toole lifted the cup it was clear that the magnitude of the achievement would not sink in fully until the dust had settled on another UCD Intervarsity celebration.

With the new 50m swimming pool set to be completed soon, UCD Swim club is in the middle of an exciting time. Former Olympian, Earl McCarthy is currently the head coach and some stellar performances from UCD students at the Swimming and Waterpolo Celtic Nations tournament shows the power behind the strokes.

Julieann Galloway, UCD’s Texan swimming took home three individual medals, the 200m Individual medley, 200m front-crawl and 100m Individual Medley while also helping the team win the ladies freestyle. Thomas Higgins also featured in the men’s relay final. The success has come on the back of a very good year for the swim club, with the ladies winning the overall best team at the swimming and lifesaving intervarsities in DCU by seventeen points over their nearest rivals, Trinity. The men finished second only six points behind winners NUI Maynooth.

Golf Final coming up The frosty winter hasn’t made for ideal playing conditions and the poor conditions continued in Athlone as UCD made it through to the All-Ireland Colleges final.

After a convincing 5-0 win over Waterford in the quarter finals UCD were up against University of Ulster, Jordanstown in the semi-finals. Captain and ICGA Stroke Play champion Gerard Kelly led from the front with a three & two win in the opening match in shocking conditions. And after holing out on the 16th Michael Magee followed his captain also with a three & two victory.

Richard Maher sealed the tie with a five & four victory as Jordanstown weren’t able to cope with the conditions.

The last two matches were called in early, giving UCD another half point and leaving the end result at UCD 3 ½ Jordanstown 1 1/2. UCD now go on to the final on Friday week against a strong NUI Maynooth side that have had similarly comfortable results to UCD on their way to the final. It will be close.

14

Sport

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

Creating a buzz

League of Ireland soccer is a product available to 22,000 UCD students, Mark Connors tells Colman Hanley why more should support their college side ‘League of Ireland, that’s rubbish.’ Irish people often have this opinion. Manchester United, Liverpool and Celtic often are the favourites of football Irish football fans. But to the person who dares to say they follow Cork City, Sligo Rovers, Derry City, Saint Pats or even UCD, they are ridiculed. But why so?

Arguably, a concert is best seen live than just seen on MTV, a comedian far funnier on stage than seen on a television screen and a film is best seen at a cinema rather than at home on your laptop. So surely going see football live is worth a try. Irish people get more satisfaction supporting their own county in GAA and country in rugby or soccer, so why not support your local football side.

For Mark Connors from Clondalkin, the League of Ireland and the UCD match experience has become a huge interest. “I went to League of Ireland of games with my mates as just something to do on a Friday night as a way of meeting up with my mates as we don’t always see each due to college and other commitments.”

“Now we meet up every week at the UCD games and have a laugh with each while getting behind the team. Even for the away games, travelling together with friends to the game, it’s a good entertainment.”

UCD’s recent away game to Saint Patrick’s

UCD rugby continues to develop talent

With the climax of UCD’s season in division two of the AIB All Ireland league (AIL) approaching, Colman Hanley assesses how UCD’s 09/10 season has fared It was always going to be a tough season.

Dropping down to division two was always going to be a readjustment for UCD as the IRFU tested its new Division 1A and 1B out, with divisions two and three below that. Division two has been a challenge for this UCD group, but overall, it’s

still been a decent year for UCD rugby.

UCD began the season well, winning four of their opening six games against Corinthians, Greystones, Clonakilty and Old Crescent. But since the turn of the year, it’s been tough for UCD as they have struggled to add to their winning tally having

only recorded two wins from seven.

The bragging rights of claiming the win in the colours clash against Dublin University College (Trinity) is always the biggest fillip for UCD. To claim victory against your nemesis and fellow third level institution is what UCD aim to achieve every

Athletic and Shamrock Rovers, Connors and the rest of the UCD gang have proved to cause a bit of their own noise and atmosphere in encouraging the UCD side. This is something the Dubliner says would appeal to all and encourages others to watch live football.

“We find that a lot of the teams have big support, but they don’t cheer for the whole game. In comparison, we have chants last four or five minutes. It’s great craic. The team have done really well lately too, the way their trying to play football too is really great to watch. We’ve been beaten by Bohs and Pats lately, but at least the team went out to play football.”

year, and this year’s 28-8 victory in Donnybrook was a sweet success for both players and management. Niall Earls 13 point haul showed he has become of one the current panels key players, and it is hoped this year’s team can develop and finish higher in the AIL league.

The loss of Fergus McFadden this season must be acknowledged. Last season, McFadden regularly turned out in the blue of UCD, adding his experience to the ‘Students’ panel and often playing a starring role.

McFadden was complimentary of UCD rugby’s ‘organisation’ and the role played by coaches Bobby Byrne, Gary Coakley and Director of rugby John McClean at the start of the year. However McFadden recently came in for praise by former Munster out-half and current UCD backs coach Killian Keane.

“A couple of years ago, he had been on the bench for Leinster on the Friday night before in an away match in the Magners League and they got back to Dublin at lunch time on the Saturday.”

“Fergus literally got straight into his car from the airport to play and he was more than happy to do it. For me, that is the most impressive thing about him, he has great character and a great team ethic”.

The same Fergus McFadden played 80 minutes in a pulsating Magners League game against Munster last Friday and put in a great display to help Michael Cheika’s Leinster to victory. Similar to their soccer colleagues working on campus, UCD rugby is about developing young players and giving them a chance.

23 year old McFadden is a prime example of this and the fantastic achievement of having six players actively involved in this year’s U20 Six Nations (Rhys Ruddock (c), John Cooney, Dave McSharry, David Doyle, Ben Marshall and Risteard Byrne) is further proof of the

Supporting fellow students and people generally the same age of the normal student at Belfield was another reason Connors cited for supporting ‘the College’. He thinks that the majority of students on campus are missing out on the fortnightly League of Ireland action at the Belfield Bowl; “UCD aren’t my local team, but for the 22,000 or so students studying in UCD and for those few thousand that live on campus, a lot more people should try going out to see a game. I don’t support UCD because they’ve the most fans. I support them because they’re a good club and I can make a difference cheering them and get to know the people around the club.”

Recently in the home game against Bray Wanderers, Connors claimed that the atmosphere amongst the UCD fans singing and cheering the side on. What started off as a small group of nine lads cheering the side on, turned into almost 100 singing and cheering, just one example of a good night and an entertaining 1-0 win for UCD. UCD’s next fixture is away to Dundalk on Friday, while their next home game is against Athlone Town in the Leinster Senior Cup on Tuesday 13th of April at 7:45pm.

For Connors and the UCD fanbase, they are two dates pencilled into the diary. Should Mark Connors be asked who he supports, he’ll proudly say UCD.

ongoing work.

Current club players Robert Kearney and Brian O’Driscoll played roles in the senior side and for the British and Irish Lions this summer, while Kevin McLaughlin and Paddy Wallace also played for Ireland in this year’s Six Nations. The success that these individuals achieve on both the international and European stage with their provinces only serves to boost the profile of UCD rugby and in turn, hopefully continue to attract young players to the college.

The final AIL division two games take place this Saturday, with eleventh placed UCD facing Old Wesley at the Belfield Bowl at 2:30pm. A bonus point win could potentially push UCD up as far as sixth position, but the positivity a win would bring into next season’s campaign is far more important.

Brian Lawless/SPORTSFILE

Sport

The College Tribune April 7th 2010

15

Time-out for UCD With the 2009/2010 basketball season completed, Mark Hobbs assesses the highs and lows for the college side

Daniel James nets this basket against Maree in the U20 final

Paul Mohan / SPORTSFILE

Donald Trump once propounded that “sometimes by losing a battle you find out a new way to win the war”, and perhaps this notion will be of some solace to those involved with UCD Marian basketball.

Ultimately the season ended with the club having scant reward to show for their efforts during the year, but hope springs eternal and one eye will be cast forward optimistically to the next campaign as the current one draws to a slightly disappointing close.

As senior’s coach Fran Ryan and his team conduct their post mortems and reflect on the year, chief of their concerns will be the side’s moderate winning ratio in the Superleague. Five wins from eighteen games is a far from satisfactory return, as UCD struggled to find any momentum and impose themselves on the league table for a sustained period.

The distraction of the Superleague Cup could not lift spirits in the camp either, as UCD were subdued by an experienced Killester team in a 72-53 defeat at the semi final stage. There was no shame in the result though, as the victors went on to claim the trophy in the final.

The students will seek to improve the attacking aspect of their game, having found themselves with the league’s third worst points scored record. This statistic becomes increasingly telling when considered alongside another frustrating figure; five of the team’s defeats were by three points or less.

However, while a few heavy defeats

were suffered along the way, generally the squad held their own and certainly performed with some credit.

Unfortunately sport is a results business, and in games that came down to the wire the students couldn’t find that score or extra push to take them over the winning line. Perhaps all that is lacking is a little nous and experience, a fact that is not lost on Ryan. “We’ve an extremely young panel and this is all about planning and development.”

Had those five narrow losses been narrow wins then the complexion of the season would be completely different, and it is likely that the cold hard statis-

tics of the Superleague table do not tell the full story.

The experienced Niall Meany was described by Ryan as a “fantastic captain and a great leader of this group”, and the senior’s skipper put these qualities to good use coaching the under 20s this season. Meany is well placed to judge the future of the club, and has plenty of reason to be hopeful after guiding the team to their fourth consecutive appearance in the finals of the Under 20’s Cup, eliminating St. Vincent’s, Eanna and Belfast Star en route.

Having won the trophy last year defeating Maree by a single point, the coach spoke of the winning culture becoming contagious and driving on the progress of the club. However, retaining the crown proved too big an ask this year in a rematch of the 2009 final, with Maree running out 70-57 winners despite a notable performance from Cathal Finn who chipped in 16 points for UCD. So while the season ended without any silverware or fanfare, certainly positives can be drawn on - most notably the wealth of talent coming through in the club. In fact the senior side featured impressive performances from Conor and Daniel James, Cathal Finn and Michael Higgins, all of whom are aged twenty or under.

With the benefit of the current campaign’s experience and further physical progress there is no reason why the near misses and disappointments of this year won’t prove to be lessons learned on the way to a war hard fought and well won.

Promising GAA season awaits

With the National football and hurling league’s being so competitive, Colman Hanley examines what the summer holds and some young UCD talent on the inter county scene ‘The Cats’ from Kilkenny won’t have the usual stroll to the All-Ireland final that they’ve been used to if the trends of the National hurling league continue in the summer. The year’s national league has proven to be one of the most exciting and competitive of recent times.

‘The Rebels’ of Cork and ‘the Tribesmen’ of Galway booked their places in the national league final last weekend, and are now set to face off twice as they are yet to fulfil their league meeting.

The renaissance of the Cork hurlers has been one of the main talking points of the year so far, written off stars such as Seán Óg Ó’Hailpín, Dónal Óg Cusack, the twins Ben and Jerry O’Connor and Tom Kenny have excelled in what is manager Dennis Walsh’s first full season in charge without disruption.

Galway meanwhile have done very well to get to the final having been missing their Portumna stars for the majority of the league campaign. Brothers Joe and Ollie Canning settled in without any problem in their opening games of the year for Galway in their 0-17 to 0-15 win over Dublin.

Dublin were unfortunate not to get a result against both the league finalists, Anthony Daly’s men and Tipperary will be two side’s that will hope to be still involved in the Championship come September. Elsewhere in division two, Clare

and Wexford look set to compete in the final as both try to rebuild their weak panels.

In Gaelic football, the league has shown that many of the side’s are capable of beating one another. Cork may have secured their place in the league final, but their defeat away to Tyrone and narrow victories in their five games show that the standard in division one is very close.

The rebels are set to face either Mayo or Dublin in the division one final. A CorkDublin league final in Croke Park would secure the GAA an extra €600,000, the publicity that would be created from such a clash would be beneficial in launching this summer’s championship and be better for neutrals than a Cork-

Mayo clash. Meanwhile Down will face Ulster opposition in the league two final in either Armagh or Donegal.

UCD’s scholars meanwhile were active last weekend in the Cadbury’s U21 AllIreland football championship. In the Leinster U21 final, Barry O’Rorke and Rory O’Carroll played for Dublin in their defeat of John Heslin and Lorcan Smith’s Westmeath in a scoreline of 1-12 to 0-9.

O’Rorke only point of the game came through a free, while Niall Brogan and Craig Dias (Dublin) were not involved.

Elsewhere, UCD’s Danny Curran started in midfield as Donegal shocked Ulster favourites Derry on a scoreline of 1-11 to 0-10. Curran and his teammates had young footballer of the year Michael Murphy to thank as he helped the Tír Chonaill men through to face Cavan in the Ulster final this week.

Unlike the UCD freshers football team who defeated DCU with Murphy last year, Derry couldn’t handle the full-forward as his first half goal proved a crucial difference.

The competitiveness at all levels of intercounty football which one would expect to see in the summer is being displayed early on this season. Should the standard continue, we could be in for a fascinating summer championship football and hurling.

UCD Soccer

Ucd Rugby

The Tribune analyses how the students fared in 09/10

Should you be supporting you local club?

Report Page 18

Report Page 18

the college tribune

Sport

The College Tribune 7.0.10 thecollegetribune.net

Robbie Creevy in action (above)

Photo by Daire Brennan

Students take a share of the spoils Shamrock Rovers 0 UCD 0 Tallaght Stadium Friday, 2 April 2010 Eoghan Brophy UCD recorded another impressive result on Friday night against last season’s Premier Division runners-up Shamrock Rovers.

It could have been more for UCD in this Dublin derby if it was not for some last gasp defending from Rovers and a few fine saves from Northern Ireland international goalkeeper, Alan Mannus.

Martin Russell had the luxury of naming an unchanged side after the 1-0 win over bottom of the table Bray Wanderers, and the coach was able to welcome both goal-

keeper Ger Barron and midfielder Paul Corry back into the panel from injury and name them on the bench.

The game opened brightly as the two sides created a few chances early on, however UCD’s centre-forward Ciarán Kilduff found himself isolated at times, while Rovers once again showed how much they miss the injured strike partnership of Gary Twigg and Dessie Baker.

New signing Thomas Stewart, former Derry City striker, was hoping to answer the Hoops prayers and nearly did so after five minutes. Running onto a pull-back from Billy Dennehy, he skewed his shot over the bar.

Soon after, Brian Shortall made up for his error in the previous Rovers chance by denying former Arsenal youth and Ireland international, Graham Barrett. A through

ball by James Chambers looked destined for Barrett, but Shorthall’s late intervention in cutting off the ball to the forward and letting UCD keeper Billy Brennan to collect.

Ciaran Kilduff had the first chance of note for the students after being played in by Dave McMillan, but Mannus touched his

shot out for a corner.

The Rovers keeper wasn’t taking all the plaudits though as Brennan, who Martin Russell kept faith with him instead of restoring Barron, pulled off a fine save to deny Stewart’s glancing header on the half hour.

Stewart had another half chance in the second half as Rovers broke on the counter from a UCD corner, but the UCD defence got back in time as the Rovers forward failed to capitalise.

Rovers continued to push on as Craig Sives header was cleared off the line after some neat work by Rovers from a corner, while James Chambers was denied by Brennan. The remaining chances fell to the Students.

Greg Bolger, man of the match on the night, showed wonderful vision to find

Kilduff, but Mannus was again on hand to deny the UCD striker. UCD had one last chance with a late goalmouth scramble, but Rovers cleared the danger and the match ended honours even.

While Shamrock Rovers were booed off the pitch by their frustrated supporters, UCD will be happy with the point. The result is further proof of the great progress being made by Martin Russell’s side having lost 3-1 to the same opposition in Tallaght in last season’s FAI cup.

UCD: Brennan; Shortall (Harding 90), Boyle, E McMillan, Nangle; Rusk, Creevy (Corry 68), Bolger, McMahon, D McMillan (Ward 84); Kilduff. Subs not used: Barron, Leahy.