The College Tribune Volume 23 Issue 12

The

Features

Summer festival preview inside

Pages 8-9

Siren

The College Tribune investigates the Basque struggle for independence

The College Tribune

April 20th 2010

The Difference is we’re independent

Issue 12 Volume 23

Sleep-out leads to rent freeze l UCD agrees not to increase rent

l Accommodation still most expensive

Karina Bracken A number of UCD students took to sleeping outside the main gate last week to protest against the price of accommodation on campus. Just before the protest the University agreed to freeze the price of rents for next year.

Tents were set up on a grass verge at the main entrance to Belfield at the N11 flyover last Tuesday 13th of April at 9pm.

The sleep-out ended at 9am the following Wednesday morning.

“We’re sending a message to the university authorities that we will not tolerate their ludicrous policy of increasing campus rents annually, especially in this economic climate,” said UCD Students’ Union President Gary Redmond.

In light of the University’s decision not to go ahead with the planned increase, Redmond stated: “This is a step in the right direction - the university now understands the grave financial issues facing students and is making moves to easing the burden of paying rent.”

The cost of renting in campus residences has risen over the last few years and has failed to decrease in line with dropping rents across Dublin and the rest of the country. A report last year showed that UCD has one of the highest student accommodation costs in Ireland.

“The latest reports from Daft.ie show that rents in the Dublin 4 and 14 areas - bordering Belfield - are dropping considerably, yet UCD continues to hike its campus rent. It’s just baffling,” says UCDSU Campaigns Officer Paddy Ryan.

UCD’s en-suite accommodation is the most expensive at €400 more than Trinity Halls and €1,110 more than DCU’s

Residences. The University of Limerick and NUI Maynooth have previously announced a rent freeze for 2010/11.

The Union is also against UCD’s “inconsistent approach to charging students for residences utilities.” They disagree with the diverse methods used for different

residences as some have to pay per usage, while other charge a flat fee and offer no refund if less utilities than paid for are used. UCD has conceded slightly on the issue, agreeing to stagger the amount of utilities payments throughout the academic year.

Drunk driver jailed for injuring UCD student

l l

Gubnet McDonagh A man who knocked down and injured a UCD student while drunk driving has been jailed for three years.

Oliver Dunne (32) received the sentence at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last week with the final eighteen months suspended.

UCD student Cian McGovern was injured after Dunne hit him with his car on November 29th 2008. The student was left with a permanent knee injury which ended his ambitions of playing Gaelic football.

During the trial the court was told that Dunne

“Living on campus is a vital part of the student experience, but UCD is making it more and more difficult for students to afford to live on campus,” says UCD Students’ Union Welfare Officer Scott Ahearn. “The university is trying to rip off students and we aren’t going to stand for

it any longer.”

UCD furthermore agreed to waive the €27 credit card charge when paying for accommodation. The sleep-out went ahead as the University has yet to agree to the introduction of a monthly rent scheme.

Student’s GAA ambitions quashed Driver had extenuating circumstances had been thrown out of his home due to marriage difficulties and had planned to sleep in his car the night he hit McGovern. Suffering from depression, Dunne had just been released from St Patrick’s Hospital, where he had been for three-months, when he drove intoxicated on alcohol and antidepressants.

The student was standing on Dawson Street with a group of friends trying to flag a taxi when Dunne made an illegal right turn at speed onto the road and knocked him down.

Witnesses saw McGovern being thrown onto the car’s bonnet before rolling to the ground.

Dunne was later arrested after crashing his car into a wall at Ely Place. He refused to give a

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breath sample, however Gardaí on duty said he admitted to being drunk and explained he had done “a terrible thing”.

Dunne pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop, injuring McGovern and refusing to give a breath test at Harcourt Garda Station on the night in question. Judge Katherine Delahunt described the incident as “an appalling series of events”, fining Dunne €1,000 and disqualifying him from driving for two years.

UCD student McGovern had been a keen GAA football player with hopes of getting on the Cavan under-21 team before the knee injury, which required two operations.

2

News

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

Students protest Israeli speaker visit l

Group supports Palestine

l

Advisor gets security detail on campus

News in briefs Compiled by Karina Bracken

Karina Bracken A group of students turned out to protest the appearance of an Israeli speaker at a talk on campus last Tuesday.

Members of the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, the Socialist Workers’ Party and Students in Solidarity turned out against Israeli advisor and former ambassador Dore Gold.

Gold spoke to a group of UCD students and staff in the William Jefferson Clinton Auditorium. Attendees at the seminar were lightly heckled by protestors outside the Global Irish Institute carrying Palestinian flags.

The group protested outside for the duration of the talk, threatening to stay there “until Palestine is free”. Protesters chanted in support of Palestine and slogans such as “Give us our passports back.”

UCD student Ben McCormack of Students in Solidarity spoke to the College Tribune. “Israel has continually upheld apartheid and a racist regime against the Palestinian people. They’ve denied them so many rights, killed them and bombed then on so many occasions.”

“We’re here to say that we don’t agree with that and it’s wrong for UCD to even invite this person onto campus, particularly if UCD goes by their own respect aspect of their Code of Conduct.”

“There has been so little information about the visit. UCD have kept it so under wraps that we basically had to rush this campaign and just set it up today. We threw up posters but most of them were torn down,” explained McCormack.

Roborugby Rugby received a technological makeover this week in the form of Siemens RoboRugby Challenge.

The event was held last Thursday in UCD’s Engineering Centre.

The competitive miniature Roborugby players were made from thousands of Lego pieces. Nineteen autonomous robots competed and an additional award was included this year for the team with the ‘BestDressed Robot’.

According to the organisers, the RoboRugby design exercise “provides students with a platform to illustrate their innovation and creative thinking in an engaging and enjoyable context.”

“The competition encourages students to develop their ingenuity and problem-solving skills, while capitalising on the popularity of rugby to promote careers in engineering.”

UCD aims for gold “We’ve had posters ripped down before but the fact that his happened so quickly really shows how those of the UCD hierarchy don’t want any trouble from this. It seems they want any protest locked down so there is no recompense for this visitor.”

One student who attended the talk, and asked not to be named, said that it was part of a course they were taking. “Sure I dis-

agreed with some of his views, but I think that people also have a right to free speech at the end of the day and even if you don’t like it, it can be interesting to hear what other people have to say.”

Dore Gold has served in various diplomatic positions under several Israeli governments and was the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. He is the current Pres-

ident of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Gold was given a Garda escort to and from UCD and members of UCD Buildings & Services and Pulse Security were stationed outside the building.

Students in Solidarity describe themselves as a new left-wing activist group on campus that campaign for local and international issues.

Don’t mind doing it for the kids

l Minister opens new crèche extension l 61 more childcare places

Cathy Buckmaster Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Barry Andrews made the trip out to UCD last Wednesday to officially open a new extension to the crèche on campus.

Former student Andrews was by joined UCD Registrar and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr Philip Nolan, VicePresident for Students Martin Butler, UCDSU Sabbatical Officers, UCD staff and students, and some young crèche attendees.

Andrews proved a dab hand at handling children during a photo op when he posed with some very cooperative kids decked out in builder’s outfits.

The Oakmount Crèche on campus is available for UCD students and staff and members of the local community. The crèche now caters for 112 children, with the extension creating 61 more childcare places and seven more jobs on campus.

The building was designed by ABA Architects with “the layout, acoustics, lighting, equipment and furnishings designed to have constructive impact on children’s learning and behaviour”.

The new extension also uses passive and active solar energy and a high degree of glazing throughout to allow as much light as possible into the building.

Manager Jennifer Kinsella believes the new extension will enhance the experience of children at the Oakmount crèche.

“It has been open about 30 odd years but it was originally much smaller with only about 30/40 places.”

“The extension finally opened in January.

They basically duplicated all the rooms.

We have another common room. We’re very excited about the Magic Room as it has a performance stage. There’s also a

beautiful back garden which has amalgamated brilliantly because it goes right back to the forest behind so we can incorporate a bit of gardening also.”

The crèche was set up to cater for students with children but it is also open to staff, explains Kinsella “There’s a kind of a combination. Primarily, the service is for students. So, we have a couple of waiting lists so when a place is available. We give student families first preference and then if the family declines, we will the offer it to staff families.”

Kinsella says that there are a number of services that the crèche offers. “We have an after school programme and an after school collection vehicle so we cater for four months right up to nine years and we run a summer camp.”

One parent who is studying Forestry at UCD commented that “the new extension is great; it looks very nice and is so modern.”

Another parent who is a staff member in the James Joyce library complemented the new building. “I think the extension is a great development. I have a daughter and son in the crèche and they really enjoy it. I work in the library so my daughter has been in the crèche for two and a half years and she really enjoys it. And my son is only a little guy but he really seems to enjoy it as well.”

For students interested in having a child placed in the crèche, there is a student subsidy available from UCD Childcare Assistance Fund, from which students can be awarded to up to half of the fee.

Andrews spoke of his delight at being asked to officially open the extension.

“The children were telling me they absolutely love the place and they really seem to enjoy it.”

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin last week spoke in UCD about using the college as a pre-Olympics training ground ahead of London 2012.

She appealed to ambassadors from around the world to have their athletes use Dublin before the games.

“It is about marketing Ireland as a place and as a people - proud of who we are, open and welcoming - to promote tourism and culture on this great stage. There are top class facilities in UCD and I appeal to all the ambassadors to bring their teams,” she said.

UCD Director of Sport Brian Mullins said the university could benefit from the Olympics if they can tempt teams to come to the campus. “The college’s international reputation will be enhanced and the country will get a much needed injection of income”.

He added the teams will have to pay a bill in order to use the facilities at UCD. “Any additional income we can get is always welcome in these challenging economic conditions”.

Tribune office trashed Members of the College Tribune finally woke up and smelled the mouldy tea this week. Not content with wallowing in their own filth peddling, Tribune Towers has become a hotbed of diseased lady bits and penis light switches.

UCD Buildings & Services were horrified to discover a substantial quantity of toilet roll and condoms and Vodafone ads hanging from the ceiling. It is unconfirmed whether or not they were used. One services steward became physically sick at the sight of a life-size Twilight poster and had to be sent home early from work. Reports also suggest that they are harbouring a giraffe, dodo and a Charming Man. The College Tribune, emulating UCD’s impressive communication strategy, failed to comment but it is alleged that a constant stream of grunting, swearing and glass bottle clinking emanates from the office at all times.

News

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

The year in review

3

With exams around the corner and the end in sight, News Editor Karina Bracken looks back at the year that has been In a world full of uncertainty, it is sometimes comforting to know that some things are certain, like Black Monday for instance. The College Tribune began the academic year 09/10 by reporting on the bi-annual squaring off between students and security at the Student Bar. Black Monday 2.0 at the beginning of the second semester offered up similar scenes. Students just wanna have fun, as the altered song would go.

The fight against the proposed reintroduction of third level fees was one of the biggest stories of the year. It was ultimately the Green Party that saved the day, making no fees one of their conditions for continuing on in government. The spectre of fees however has raised its ghoulish head recently, with former Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe and HEA chief Tom Boland hinting that the Irish third-level sector will need more student financial contribution to sustain itself in the com-

ing years. This is reflected by the fact that the Registration Fee looks set to rise again next year from the current €1,500 to a reported €2,000. At an Oireachtas Committee meeting in recent months, UCD President Dr Hugh Brady admitted that the registration charge was fees by another name.

The introduction of charges to the Student Health Service at the beginning of the semester elicited some protest among UCD’s student population. Previously free of charge, the Students’ Union were criticised for allowing the move to happen.

Dr. Sandra Tighe said that the charges are essential to meet the budget deficit and maintain a health service on campus. On the other hand, STI screening was finally introduced to the health centre after years of SU promises. The Union is now considering implementing a mandatory once-ayear student health insurance payment as an alternative to the current pay-per-visit

system.

There has been much talk of strikes this year, and it did result in a one-day shut down of UCD in December. The strikers earned little sympathy from some as they heckled passers by and attempted to stop vehicles from entering campus. The future is presently uncertain as trade unions and the government attempt to hammer out a deal on pay cuts. After the public sector pay reduction announced in last Decembers budget, many teachers’ unions decided on a course of work-to-rule that has yet to be lifted.

On the other end of the spectrum, the seven presidents of Irish universities made the news for refusing to take a voluntary pay cut. The College Tribune then reported that UCD President Hugh Brady had spent €100,000 on travel experiences during his tenure.

The SU Night Bus got off to a ropey start when at times it failed to turn up for stu-

dents waiting after a night out in the city centre. The No. 10 bus continued its lovehate affair with UCD as its services were reintroduced to campus after 8pm but shortly afterwards curtailed again due to ongoing anti-social behaviour.

The recession has spared very few in Ireland this year, including UCD students. In November we reported that more students than ever before were seeking financial assistance from the various funds available in UCD. Graduates are also facing problems with mounting unemployment levels in which young people are particularly affected. The University itself was subject to innumerable cutbacks, this was especially noticed this year in the curtailment of library opening hours. UCDSU had to slash its budget and Sabbatical Officer wages were cut.

It was an interesting year for student politics. UCDSU incumbent President Gary Redmond was elected USI President re-

A year in cartoons

cently. UCDSU Education Officer Donnacha Ó Súilleabháin dropped out of the running for USI Education Officer after failing to receive the support of his colleagues for the position. Ó Súilleabháin was beaten by RON at the USI husting in UCD. A number of Science students attended the meeting looking for answers from Ó Súilleabháin after the College Tribune reported that Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin had not received any money from Science Day ‘09.

As of yet, no explanation has been forthcoming.

While there was controversy, the year was not without its colourful moments. In one instance, The Turbine was briefly plagued by the pesky Belfield Bugle, anonymously printed and distributed throughout UCD. Its proponents packed it in when they realised that no one was actually laughing.

You can get all A's and still flunk life.

e-mail entscrew@ucdents.com to get involved next year.

Focus

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

5

Landmarks of UCD

As the college year draws to a close David Costello looks at the iconic monuments that give our great campus its unique, ahem, charm The Blob Ah the ‘Blob’, the meeting place for generations of students, the location where College publications left and the hang out of a mysterious group of board-game playing undergraduates.

What is the truth behind the legend that surrounds this four foot by four foot statue standing proudly outside theatre L in the Newman Building. Is it a representation of the 1958 horror film starring Steve McQueen about a giant-amoeba like alien that terrorises a small American town or is it a portrayal of the hideous looking blob fish that inhabits the recesses of the ocean off the Australian coast?

Sadly the answer to both of these is a resound, no. Unfortunately this particular piece of sculpture’s history is not quite as exciting as a B-List horror film or a rare fish. The Blob’s official title is in fact the rather drab sounding ‘Bowl Piece’. The piece was created by the English artist Patrick O’Sullivan during a sculpture symposium in 1978. The piece is made from marble and limestone and apparently refers to an ancient Irish stone mill.

Despite The College Tribune’s diligent investigating no trace remains as to how ‘Bowl Piece’ was re-christened the Blob but considering it’s formlessness, it’s as good a name as any.

The Trap Lurking in the basement beneath the Arts block lies the infamous Student Union run games room called The Trap. Apparently its nickname was given to it during the early 90’s when it was suspected of being the culprit behind the disappearance of several Ag Science students who ventured in one day for a few games of pool and never came out again.

Legend has it that they remain trapped in a vicious cycle of pool, video games and dodgy Nirvana records to the present day.

So it you’re ever in the basement of the Newman Building late at night and hear the clink of pool balls you know where to look.

In reality the history of the Trap is as interesting as the rumours. Thanks to research done by Sam McGrath we can now shed some light on the Traps founding.

When the UCD campus at Belfield was

originally set up in the 1960’s there was little provision for student social life. This continued through to the 70’s when the first UCD Students Union was founded in 1976.

Sam’s father Billy was elected ‘Social, Cultural, Welfare and Travel Officer’ and immediately set about petitioning college authorities for some form of games room where students could ‘hang out’.

Their requests were constantly denied until late one night Billy and a “few of the Ents gang” smuggled three pool tables into the present day DramSoc Theatre and left them there over night. Over the next few days they printed posters and placed them around campus and word soon spread. The college authorities’ stomach for the fight collapsed and Billy was informed that they could have the use of the vacant room beside the lockers for a games rooms, the site of the present day Trap.

When Billy returned to UCD a few years later he discovered it had somehow gained the nickname of ‘The Trap’ and so it remains to the present day.

The Tunnels We could hardly have a feature on the places of UCD without discussing that most famous of urban legends that haunts the corridors of the college, the tunnels.

Unlike our braver, bolder and all round more Bear Grylls like colleagues in the other college paper, the College Tribune lacked the necessary chest hair to venture into the subterranean nether regions of the university. Instead it took its preferred route of lurking on internet board sites and attempting to chat up members of the Services department for the juicy low down on the tunnels.

As per usual however, neither of the strategies paid off as it realised that the tunnels aren’t as interesting as reputation makes them out. Nonetheless it will do it’s best to enlighten its readers on what lies beneath.

Contrary to popular belief there isn’t a ravenous first year eating monster inhabiting the tunnels and no, Hugh Brady doesn’t have a Bond-villainesque lair down there.

In fact the only rumour that might pos-

sibly be true concerns Newman building architect Andrzej Wejchert’s plans to use the tunnels as an anti-riot device against legions of rowdy 1970’s students.

The story goes that the college authorities feared a repeat of the Paris protest of 1968 on their doorstep. Unfortunately this is also false as construction on the tunnels did not begin until the early 70’s making the aforementioned explanation for the tunnels existence void.

The truth is much blander; the labyrinth was in fact constructed as service tunnels where all of the colleges heating, electricity, water and phone lines are stored which explains the absence of any electricity cables from the UCD skyline.

The tunnels span between one and 1.5 kilometres in length and run from the Quinn School of Business down as far as the Water Tower at the Clonskeagh Gate making the college entirely navigable from below ground. They really aren’t that interesting after all.

The Secret Lake How do you get to it? Ah yes, the eternal questions of every incoming fresher, overexcited by tales of Dutch Soc’s famed late

night orgies by the lake shore.

Despite the apparent difficulty of every rosy cheeked newbie in locating the lake, this reporter donned its hiking boots and safari hat and headed off into the wilds of UCD in search of this mysterious location using the Vet Building as a starting point.

Te search can leave you downtrodden, seemingly condemned to wandering the grounds of the college forever in search of U.C.D.’s very own El Dorado. However, if one just walks toward Health Science from the concourse and walks past and follows the road around to the right with The Conway institute on the left, the glimmer of murky, slightly blue-ish water will eventually catch your eye.

It comprises of a ring of trees surrounding a small lake. In the centre of the lake nestled a small island. The only sound was the shrilling of bird song and the beat of tribal drums (unfortunately the latter isn’t true, this reporter just lets his imagination run away with itself sometimes).

Suddenly the distant rumble of cars on the N11 intruded on the serenity of the scene. This reminds us that the secret lake is really just a part of the college’s biodiversity mumbo- jumbo idea.

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Features

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

Travel

7

A Walk to Remember

The ancient pilgrimage route of Santiago de Compostela has been a journey of adversity and joy to travellers for centuries, as Charles O’Donnell found for himself The contemplation of walking 800 kilometres across the length of Spain is something you can only anticipate in hope.

There is no certainty that such a plan can be followed through.

We all occasionally set ourselves goals that we never fulfil; whether it is quitting smoking, studying more or whatever it is you fine hard to do. And my anticipation of this trip was analogous to my general sense of future failure in the above aforementioned categories.

The Camino de Frances, the most famous of the Caminos, starts at the French side of the Pyrenees in a pretty French village called St. Jean Pied-de-Port. There is a train line direct from Bayonne – just beside Biarritz.

This is without doubt the hardest day in terms of elevation. There is a climb of about 1,200 metres and it is tough going, as most of it is contained within several kilometres. I anticipated not doing the whole 27 kilometres in one day, however, when I got to the only place of lodging along the way; I just wanted to keep going. But what really kills for me is not the ascent, but rather the descent.

After a full day’s walking there is nothing worse than descending down a steep slope; each step finding its grip in an endless succession of uncomfortable positions. For this reason it is highly recommended to have hiking boots with ankle support – I personally prefer the lighter ones, and if you take it easy, they are fine to make the trip. But if the first day, through the Pyrenees is the hardest in terms of elevation, it compares noting in terms of the Meseta for endurance.

If you decide to walk from the beginning - which is the only way I could possibly

recommend - you are eventually going to have to confront the desert-like Meseta.

Without doubt the hardest most gruelling stage you will have to endure – unless you go at a time when the weather is cooler.

Everyone wakes early each morning in a frantic panic, just in order to escape a few hours of that unforgiving sun.

The vast openness of the region allows nowhere to receive shade. And the tragic thing is, as you enter the latter part of the day, and exhaustion kicks in, you are dealing with facing towards the sun. That is really when the Meseta hurts. However, for all its suffering, it is an amazingly rewarding experience. There is a real feeling of triumph, pushing yourself to limits you can’t imagine. Forget walking the steep paths of the Pyrenees – elevation means nothing compared to a climate so hot.

But for all the enduring suffering and pain, what really makes the Camino special as far as I am concerned is the social element. It is hard to beat stopping off several times during the day take a break or have a beer. It gives you something to strive for, to break the seemingly endless distances apart. But all this is secondary to what takes place after a day’s walking.

If your budget can afford to spend €10 for a meal at night it is really worth it. You are fed remarkably well, and wine is included.

But, I would recommend trying to do a bit more home-cooking. The Italians are the real masters at it, and you should try and get in on their way of doing things.

Festivals in Northern Spain are everywhere. If you plan a bit ahead you could reward yourself with many. However, chance alone should at least secure a few.

Festivals are great way of getting to see a real piece of Spanish life. They range from

Gaeilge

medieval, to bull-running, to gift-giving to kids. There is always a great buzz and you are always made very welcome. But if you are going to go in the middle of the summer you could not do better than timing it around the famous San Fermin Bull festival just outside Pamplona.

Pamplona is only three days walk from the French border, however, it is often the start for many and if you don’t fancy the gruelling Pyrenees, this is the place to start. I myself actually caught the Bayonne equivalent by chance, just outside Biarritz, and because it is that bit later in the summer, I would definitely recommend it to start off the trip.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a wine connoisseur, or at least like drinking it, you will appreciate the Rioja region. I would

really recommend taking a stop in Logrono, the capital of Rioja. There is a beautiful wine and tapas district in the centre, which I gladly arrived upon by chance.

I suppose I would describe it as Logrono’s answer to Temple Bar, just without all the crap that goes with it. You can get glasses of wine for as cheap as 60c and there are

Tá Fine Gael tar éis fogha a thabhairt faoi theanga na Gaeilge. D’fhógair Brian Hayes go gcreideann a pháirtí go mba chóir go mbeadh an Ghaeilge roghnach tar éis an Teastais Shóisearaigh. Is de bharr fianaise a thugann le fios go ndéanann 1,326 den 2,297 duine a fhaigheann díolúine ón Gaeilge staidéar ar theanga éigin eile a tháinig seo chun cinn, agus polasaí atá ag an bpáirtí le tamall maith de bhlianta anois.

Is aisteach an cur chuige seo áfach agus ní gá é a chíoradh go rómhion le tuiscint go bhfuil loighic na tuairimíochta seo gan bhunús ar fad. Is é ata á rá acu ná de bharr go bhfuil teipthe ar mhúineadh na Gaeilge, dar leo, agus go bhfuil roinnt daoine ag éalú ó fhoghlaim an ábhair, ba chóir an t-ábhar a dhéanamh roghnach. Ach nach gciallódh sin go ndéanfadh dream níos lú staidéar uirthi? a deir Séamas Saoránach. Bhuel de réir an taighde idirnáisiúnta, an t-aon toradh a bheadh air ná go mbeadh titim shuntasach i líon na ndaoine a bheadh ag foghlaim na teanga. Ainneoin seo tá Fine Gael diongbháilte air.

plenty of different bars to crawl. It makes a great place to stop and relax a bit – try and get there for a weekend and plan an easy day the day after.

One thing I really can’t recommend enough if you are serious about getting the most out of the trip, is to learn some Spanish. I myself didn’t even get beyond the Michel Thomas for Beginner’s but still it gave me enough to get by and build on.

Before the end I was able to engage more than partially in conversations, and it really makes the whole experience better.

Without some basic level of Spanish you will struggle, people in most parts will not be able to speak English. But don’t be frightened as Spanish is a relatively easy language, and a basic level will go a long way.

All along the route the distance to Santiago is marked. And at first there is such disillusionment as the severity of the distance does not seem to be made any less daunting. But before you know it, that number soon gets smaller and smaller.

However, it really hits home when you reach the 100 kilometre mark. Just that feeling of entering into double digit numbers really is amazing. You get a real sense of nearing the end. And it is for this reason why I would really recommend doing the whole thing.

What only three or four weeks ago seemed like some crazy idea, in which you weren’t even sure of succeeding, now becomes something actually real and purposeful.

Also, the advantage of arriving at the end of August is that the whole trail quietens down, and the newcomers who often flock to catch the last 100kms are now rarely to be seen.

The last day of the walk is unreal. There

Fine Gall

Léirítear baol an bheartais atá pleanáilte go follasach sna tíortha a ghlac an cinneadh seo cheana. I Sasana bhíodh 88% den daonra scoile ag déanamh staidéir ar theanga éigin sa bhliain 2001 ach sa bhliain 2004 tugadh rogha do na scoláirí. Faoi 2008 ba léir torthaí an chinnidh úd, gan aon teanga idir lámha ag 56% de na scoláirí.

Más rud é go bhfuil Fine Gael go mór i gcoinne na teanga cén fáth nach bhfuil siad sásta é seo a rá go neamhbhalbh? Seans maith go bhfuil siad ina coinne agus go gceapann siad go dtuillfidh a leithéid seo de bheart vótaí dóibh ón lucht frithGhaeilge. Áfach ní dócha gur dream iontach mór é seo a vótálfadh ar an mbonn sin amháin agus is cinnte go bhfuil dream éigin, chomh mór céanna is dócha, a chuirfidh i gcoinne Fhine Gael ar an mbonn céanna.

Tá an baol ann go mbeidh Fine Gael i gcumhacht agus go dtacóidh Páirtí an Lucht Oibre leo faoi bhrú. Ach an rud is baolaí ar fad ná go dtacódh Páirtí an Lucht Oibre leis an mbeartas ó bhun.

Deir Hayes, ar urlabhraí Fhine Gael i

are two types of emotions that generally take people over in such an experience; they are laughter and tears. Thankfully for me it was the former. You hit a high that is indescribable, every sense of being there just hits home.

The city of Santiago itself is a beautiful city; you will be planted right in the centre, where the church is. The Church really is magnificent, and you should try and catch a Mass there. It is conducted in such a traditional way and there is something remarkably mystical about it, with the banging of the drums, and the robes the priests wear. You can actually see the coffin in which St.James is interred.

If you are still up for a bit of adventure, and if you have an extra few days to walk you should carry on to Finisterre. If you are short of time there are several buses going each day. It is the most western point of continental Europe, and it was traditionally known as the end of the world - hence its name.

If you are fortunate enough to get clear skies – this part of Spain is notorious for being overcast, even in the summer – the sunset is unreal. As you stare out with no land in sight, only the vast Atlantic Ocean, a most remarkable sight lies before you.

There are some really good websites that give great information on the Camino.

The main bits of advice I can offer is to have a good pair of boots. Carry light – seriously no more than 8-10 kilos. A good supply of Deep-Heat really helps as it can be quiet hard to get along the way. Some people take magnesium as it provides replenishment for the muscles, and try and pace yourself.

dtaobh chúrsaí oideachais agus eolaíochta é, go bhfuil thar am a aithint gur chóir go mbeadh an rogha ag duine ag leibhéal an Teastais Shóisearaigh ó thaobh na Gaeilge.

Ní luaitear aon cheo faoin mBéarla nó faoin Mata, ábhar eile a bhfuil ceisteanna ann ina thaobh toisc easpa suime nó caighdeáin a cuireadh ina leith ar na mallaibh. Rud eisceachtúil is ea an Ghaeilge áfach. Teanga í a bhfuil maitheas ann inti féin, beag beann ar chúinsí fostaíochta, ach aithnítear leis gur mó go mór an seans atá ag duine post a fháil má tá an Ghaeilge acu ná a mhalairt.

Ní fhéadfainn tír ar bith eile a mbeadh féinmheas is féinurraim acu ag dul ar an mbóthar seo. Má tá lochtanna ar mhúineadh na teanga ceartaigh iad, ach bímis cáiréiseach leo. Dealraíonn sé gur beartas frithGhaeilge é seo ó Fhine Gael nár caitheadh mórán ama á roghnú, gnáthnós imeachta an pháirtí i leith pholasaithe nua, cheapfá. Dúnghaois gan dealramh é dóibh siúd a thugann aird ar bhrí ár mBunreachta is polasaithe an stáit ó gur bunaíodh é.

Eoin Ó Murchú

8

Features

A different point of view

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

Diarmuid Breatnach, the Chairman of the Dublin Basque Solidarity Committee talks to Eileen Gahan about the current issues in the Basque struggle for independence Reports of state-sponsored murder, torture of prisoners and censorship of the media would be expected to belong to corrupt third world dictatorships or the old fascist countries of Europe.

But Diarmuid Breatnach, the chairman of the Dublin Basque Solidarity Committee speaks of such things being committed against the Basque people today, in the modern democratic E.U. state of Spain.

The first association that springs to most peoples mind when Basque nationalism is mentioned is E.T.A. and terrorism and it is because of this that Breatnach is eager to raise awareness of injustices inflicted on the Basques.

Breatnach became interested in the Basque nationalist movement a number of years ago, in part due to a family connection to the region and in part because of a general sympathy for oppressed people in general and the similarities he sees between the struggles of the Irish and the Basque people.

The majority of Basque people wish for an independent Basque state, although many do not support the use of violence to gain it. However the Spanish state will not even allow the question of separation from Spain to be put to the Basque people.

Breatnach tells how in 2008 a referendum was proposed by a Basque nationalist party, the P.N.V. which would ask Basques firstly if they supported E.T.A. and secondly if they wanted independence.

“It expected that people would say no to the first and yes to the second. But the Spanish state said they could ask the first question but not the second, because it violates the Spanish constitution, which upholds that the State is one and that the army can be called on to defend it. And so the question of separation can’t be considered.”

One of the most serious issues facing the Basque nationalist movement is the way Basque prisoners are treated by the Spanish judicial system. Many have alleged that they were tortured by police to obtain a confession and Amnesty International has repeatedly criticised the lack precautions in place in the Spanish state to prevent this, as have the E.U. Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Terrorism and the U.N. equivalent.

Breatnach explains “The standard practise for Basque prisoners is a five day detention where they have no access to their own doctor or solicitor. There is no recording of the interrogation by C.C.T.V. That’s one of the issues that international bodies have taken up with them, not only that torture takes place but that the Spanish state gives impunity to torturers.”

Breatnach goes on to detail the difficulties of Basque prisoners in getting a fair trail. “The Spanish have a special court called the Audiencia Nacional for terrorism cases. That is a three judge court, with no jury, in which they have a record of accepting minimal evidence against people and sentencing them to long periods in prison, often based on confessions that people have retracted in court because they said that they were tortured.”

A recent case in which prisoners claimed to have been tortured is that of the Basque language newspaper Egunkaria, which was closed down in 2003 for alleged links to E.T.A. Five journalists were brought to court, despite an admission by the Spanish State prosecutor that there was no evidence against them and they should not have been arrested. The verdict in the trial was only delivered last week, seven years after the five were first arrested.

The judgement was something of a landmark, as Breatnach details. “The judges

said that not only was there no involvement of the newspaper with E.T.A. but there was nothing in the evidence that in anyway implicated these people with E.T.A. Furthermore the judges said the Spanish constitution had been violated by closing the newspaper, as it is both a serious breach of civil liberties to close a newspaper, and the rights of the Basque language are enshrined in the constitution. They also seemed to say that they accept the evidence of the five accused and their medical evidence, that they were tortured.”

This toleration of torture and violence by the state is not a new feature in the Basque issue. In the 1970’s and 80’s a team of

the Interior went to prison but they got less time than a youth gets now for burning an A.T.M. There seems to be impunity for those who act on behalf of the state but the full force of the law and even more is brought against those whom the state sees as a threat.” Breatnach says.

It would be unfair to discuss only the violence committed by the Spanish State without looking at the various bombings and killings committed by E.T.A. over the years. E.T.A. have been responsible for over 800 deaths, often through the use of car bombs and have also targeted individuals such as politicians, journalists and business people who it says stand in the way of the aim of Basque independence.

Spanish security forces, known as G.A.L. carried out a campaign of state sponsored terror that included murder, kidnapping and torture of those suspected to be involved with E.T.A. However many innocent people also suffered and Breatnach says “It was denied repeatedly at the time but 27 people had been killed over two or three years, not all of whom were even Basques. They seemed to get quite indiscriminate in their killing towards the end.”

That the Spanish State did manage G.A.L. was eventually proven in 2008 and this led to some convictions for those involved.

“It’s ironic that it was eventually a rightwing Spanish newspaper, (‘El Mundo’), which led the investigation because the right-wing papers had an axe to grind with the socialist government.

The Chief of Police and the Minister of

Although they have not been very active in recent years, at their height in the 1980’s E.T.A. killed dozens of people each year particularly using car bombs.

In recent years there have been huge protests by Basque people themselves at E.T.A. killing, one of the most recent being in 2009 when there was massive public demonstration in Bilbao condemning the killing of a leading figure in the Spanish security forces.

However Breatnach feels that much of ETA’s violence was a response to the violence of the Spanish State. “In the 1950’s when the young group, then known as E.T.A. started agitating for more militancy (in the struggle for independence) they were targeted by the Guardia Civil and were tortured. Then they took up arms.

The Spanish State has been feeding the violence and many Basques feel like this.

Features

The College Tribune April 20th 2010 They would say ‘How can you blame E.T.A. for the violence, we have a right to strike back at them, especially if our families are being tortured’ and then there are other Basques who would say that they are against violence of any kind including the Spanish State.”

However most polls would suggest that the majority of Basque people are totally against the use of violence.

In a poll taken at the University of the Basque Country 64% of students surveyed said they rejected E.T.A. completely while another 13% said that they may have supported their actions in the past but no longer did.

Breatnach responded to this. “I’m not sure about those figures, how representative or how they were taken.

However there is a wide range of opinions about the use of violence. Within the Basque population plenty of people feel that they have a right to resist in arms when they are being oppressed in arms.”

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask Breatnach his own opinion about the use of violence by elements within the Basque nationalist campaign. “The Dublin Basque Solidarity Committee has no view on this. They feel that armed acts committed by

Within the Basque population plenty of people feel that they have a right to resist in arms when they are being oppressed in arms Basques are as a result of a political situation and that if certain changes are made then acts of violence wont need to happen and they wont happen.”

“My own personal view is that they of course do have right to resist armed oppression with arms. Now that doesn’t mean that it is always appropriate to do so. That is not to say that every action is well thought out or a good one. That is not to say that it is o.k. to have some innocent people become casualties. These are all things that I do not agree with. But look at the history of the world I have yet to see a single people who have freed themselves from an armed force without the use of arms, including ourselves.”

Breatnach also spoke of concerns in the Basque community that state-supported murders were still being carried out. In particular he detailed the case of Jon Anza, an E.T.A. member who went missing over a year ago and whose body was found a few weeks ago in a Toulouse morgue where it had lain, unidentified for eight months. He gave several reasons why he suspects the Spanish State was involved. Firstly the fact that he was not identified despite the fact that he was listed as a missing person and the French and Spanish police both had descriptions of him and were looking for him seems highly suspicious. Also his family have not been allowed to have their own doctor examine the body and were refused permission to be present at the autopsy which may be an attempt to conceal signs of torture.

“In addition a right-wing newspaper has divulged that in Toulouse a few days after his family had declared

his disappearance, four under-cover Guardia Civil had left the hotel in which they were staying, in such a hurry that they left two of their guns under a mattress. Around the time of Anza’s disappearance there were also five Basque citizens on both sides of the border who alleged that they had been kidnapped by people they believed to be Spanish security forces, who had tortured them, either to force them to give information or to become agents. So it seems the belief is well founded that a G.A.L. type of operation in going on again and the French state is collaborating with it.”

However the campaign for Basque independence is not only carried out by armed groups but also political parties. The Basque Nationalist Party, or P.N.V., which Breatnach explains is somewhat similar to the Irish Fianna Fail party also states that it wishes for an independent Basque state and has a majority in the Basque Government, which has some degree of autonomy.

However Breatnach says that many Basque political parties are also treated unjustly by the Spanish State, with left wing Nationalist parties regularly being outlawed despite the fact that they hold 15-20% of Basque votes. Among those to be outlawed were Herri Batasuna and a number of political platforms, which the Spanish State claimed was merely a political wing of E.T.A. When asked if there were good grounds for believing this Breatnach replied “I would say no. The Spanish State is saying that anyone who holds the aims of E.T.A. must therefore be part of E.T.A. But the aims of E.T.A. are a Basque-speaking independent country and of course lots of Basque people aspire to those things as well but are not part of ETA or even support ETA.” The Dublin Basque Solidarity Committee aims to raise awareness about the issues facing the Basque people and also to promote Basque culture, such as food and music. It does this by public protests and handing out leaflets but it has also run festivals to celebrate Basque food and music.

Although he spoke mainly about the challenges and problems facing the Basque people Breatnach was also very keen to talk about their strengths.

One area he feels they have excelled in their language. “The majority of Basque children in the southern country are educated through Basque, a bit like the Gaelscoil in Ireland. The interest in the language is very strong and street signs are in Basque and so it is publicly visible and taught. However there is no requirement to use it in public service, unlike Catalonia, so Basques are not guaranteed services in their own language.”

“The Basque nationalist movement is very active in many other ways aside from independence. For example there are many community projects where they take over buildings, rather like a squat. But it is run as social centre where there are art and music classes and youth debates. The Left movement is very strong there and thousands regularly turn out for protests.”

“There is a lot we could learn from them as in Ireland the Left is pitifully weak. Despite problems they have done something wonderful with the language. There is a vibrant community with many festivals. These are all things we could well do with learning here and I wish people would support the Basques because they deserve to be supported.”

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A Land of Mysteries

To the world, the Basque Country is known for violence and adversity but Sisi Rabenstein prefers to discuss the intricacies of its language and culture Located in central-northern Spain and on the south-eastern tip of France, the Greater Basque Region (Euskadi) contains the Northern Basque Country, which is located within the French border, and within Spain are the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) and the autonomous region of Navarre.

There is thought to be around 2.4 million Basques in the Spain regions of the Basque countries and a quarter of a million in the Northern Basque Country.

Basque, natively known as ‘Euskara’, is only spoken by around 25%-35% of the Basque people and of this amount; over 90% of these speakers are located in the Spanish Basque regions. In the Northern Basque country, Basque is suffering, due to its status as only a ‘regional’ language.

Basque, is listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the ‘UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger’ but what is fascinating about this language is its status as a language isolate.

The question arose as simply; ‘Is Basque related to Spanish?’ the answer came rather resoundingly, as no. In light of this, many academics aimed to link it to further reaching languages in Eurasia or North America for example, but all results have been inconclusive.

Basque still enjoys the status of an isolated language, seemingly developing separately from any surrounding languages, with few if any, links to European languages.

Much like in Ireland, there are different ways in which Basque is taught, some schools practice immersion (like the gaelscoileanna), some teach Basque as a second language and some schools do not teach Basque, often preferring to teach English, which is fast becoming another language for communication between the Basque and the Spanish.

There have been many measures taken to revitalize Basque, the creation of a standardised form called ‘Batua’ in the 1960s, allowed for better communication between Basques as the dialects can be very different; this also allowed for more standard publications and now we see publica-

tions and broadcasting in ‘Batua’.

The Basque country is an interesting case if we compare it to the issue we have and have had, here in Ireland. Irish Gaelic is listed as ‘definitely endangered’ on the UNESCO chart and it is very hard to state the number of speakers, but in 2002 it was stated that there are around 1.5 million speakers, representing around 41% of the population at the time. Begging the question; why the difference in classification?

Irish seems more prevalent.

One of the largest factors in the decline of Basque was Francisco Franco, the 68th Leader of the Government of Spain (19391973). He retracted the official recognition of Basque, Catalan and Galician, as official languages and enforced a Spanish only agenda through heightened control of the growing mass media and the recently made compulsory national school system.

In the 1970s it was accepted that Basque would die out in the next few decades if not years and in 1973, as a preventative measure, the Basque immersion schools (Iskatola) were created and were state financed. These spread from their origin in the BAC, to Navarre and the Northern Basque Country.

The Basque country has a very rich culture, one of matrilineal rule, agricultural industry, gastronomic obsession and much like Ireland, devout Catholicism well into the twentieth century.

The ‘Euskaldunak’ (the Basque term for the Basque) have always had a high respect for the role of women in society, with matrilineal inheritance laws until the twentieth century that were unheard of in other European countries.

Women were in the work force, high positions in society and in France the Basque woman was the head of the household from Pre-Roman times un-

til the French Revolution.

The Basque country is thought of as the gastronomic centre of the area, which is a high honour indeed. There is a communal tradition when it comes to feasting, where men cook in groups for themselves and take much time enjoying their efforts.

Yet another link to Irish culture is their drinking habits. The Basque love ‘sidra’ (or cider as we know it) and visits to ‘sidrarias’ are popular social outings. Alongside this, the Basque tend not to drink in one bar, but to visit many in a night, a ‘pub crawl’, which they call a ‘potéo’, with small drinks or shots at each bar.

A newer tradition has arisen among young people in many areas of Spain, to drink ‘kalimotxo’; a cocktail of Cola and red wine, perhaps not quite as familiar to the Irish.

It is not surprising that the Basque claim for independence is dear to their heart.

The Basque are a different ethnic group with a coloniser language and their native language, which is far removed from their main language.

Much like the struggle between Ireland and England, the tale of the Basque Country, contained within a country made up of several different regions (some with their own language), is a long and complicated one.

It has left its people with a fierce sense of identity and many, with a hunger to revitalise their language, possible to make more explicit, the differences between themselves and the country that governs them.

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News

Comment

&

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

Debate

Long live the arts

You know the way it is. When you’re flush you don’t need to worry but when you’re broke you watch the cents and reassess

your priorities, try to get straight, decide what’s really important.

This is the position that Ireland is in as the weak foundations of the economic phenomenon known as the Celtic Tiger have crumbled away, as the tax base has collapsed, full employment is a distant memory and we are all in hock for years. The Government has to make cuts, concentrating on economic growth, job creation and the delivery of essential public services.

If, like me, you work in a sector such as the arts that is very dependent on public funding you need to have a good argument as to why your activity should be protected.

With many colleagues I spent a good deal of time last year campaigning for the arts in the shadow of Colm McCarthy’s review of the state’s investment in public services. Questions had been raised about the value of the work done by state bodies the Arts Council, Film Ireland and Culture Ireland. The Arts Council

could be cut, Culture Ireland scrapped and Film Ireland’s functions incorporated into another state body. This was quite an alarming prospect, even in the light of the dismal state of the economy. More alarming possibly was that, apart from the plain fact of there being a reduced capacity to invest in the arts, questions had been raised about the value or necessity of arts in the first place.

I mean, come on, Ireland and the arts…

It’s obvious isn’t it? Obviously not. The arts sector had been on a rising funding curve for most of the past fifteen years, sustained by the economic bubble as much as other aspects of contemporary Ireland. Was the cultural infrastructure that had been developed in now danger of becoming another ghost estate?

The arguments that were used by the National Campaign for the Arts were, of necessity, predominantly economic in nature.

The arts were good for jobs, cultural tourism and our international reputation. The Global Irish Economic Forum at Farmleigh galvanized the arguments that connected Ireland’s recovery with arts and culture. These are arguments that resonate with a country that is in economic trouble. However, the arts are not just something nice to have if you can afford it, neither are they a panacea when the money is running out.

While there is no doubt that many of the

claims made about arts and culture have substance it is also important to remember that the arts also have intrinsic value before they add value to other things. Art and culture create a public space for a society’s dialogue with itself but also they enable us to have a private life of imagination and contemplation.

When we want to draw attention to the achievements of Irish artist we understandably cite the international prizes that have been won – Nobel prizes, Oscars, Man Bookers, Costas, Tony, Emmys, Oliviers, Grammys and so on. As well as all of these fantastic achievements we should not forget the many small and unremarkable daily victories that make up the creative lives of artists and of the public.

It’s not a case of public money paying for theatre seats or hospital beds. I believe that the arts have much to contribute to our national wellbeing, both economically and socially, and to building a cohesive and sustainable society.

The place where I work, Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar, is not just about a vision or a mission statement. Ours is a place where artists meet the public and each other, where ideas are exchanged and communities are created. Each artwork enables a conversation and it is through these conversations that diverse groups of people make sense of themselves and of the world around them.

There has been a lot of talk about systemic importance in recent days and of things that cannot be allowed to fail. I believe that art and ideas and our capacity to imagine a future are also of systemic importance. In the past our revolutions have been fuelled by the visions of poets.

Now that the idea that we are a society as well as an economy regains ground I think that we all have a role in discussing the values around which a renewed Ireland can be built. That’s my argument for the arts.

Willie White Willie White has been Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre, Dublin since 2002.

He is responsible for the financial and artistic performance of the organisation and for commissioning, co-production and programming for two performance spaces and occasional off-site projects.

Before Project Arts Centre, he worked for RTÉ for four years. He has contributed articles to a number of arts publications as well as to The Irish Times and Dubliner Magazine. Willie is a graduate of TCD and UCD where he read English and Irish Theatre respectively.

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News

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

Tribune

A Fond(ish) Farewell As the end of the academic year is nigh, we must leave our residency as editors of the College Tribune and bid our readers farewell, but not before dishing the dirt.

In a year of great memories and some difficulties, it was made somewhat easier by the surprise parties, festive decorations, wall doodling, multitudinous cups of coffee, the odd partaking of an alcoholic beverage or two and subsequent drinking games (which meant that none of us could look each other in the eye the following morning). Not to mention the wonderful articles, laughing fits and the dedication and passion of all our writers.

But enough of the schmaltz. We at The College Tribune are a deeply embittered bunch, and do not like to waste the word count needlessly praising an absolutely useless bunch of section editors and contributors, when they all know how much we appreciate them and their help throughout the year.

So with that said, thank you to our News Editor Karina “Where good newspapers go to die” Bracken for being the biggest

filth peddler the College Tribune has possibly ever seen, for the unexplainable noises she made on production weekends, for saving our asses by being the biggest grammar Nazi going and that infectious dictaphone laugh (no matter how much she hates it).

There is no way we could have done it without you.

Thank you to our Features Editor Eileen “Everytime I pop a cork, a f****** ambulance is called” Gahan for putting your glowing academic record on hold to take on the difficult job of Features, for very successfully negotiating with terrorists, and for always being up for the craic despite the numerous-attempts-at-resuscitation bruises.

Special mention to Sisi “My internet’s down” Rabenstein for her dedication to and passion for features all year despite her many commitments. Thank you Eoin “I write plays and publish magazines in my spare time, no big deal” O’Murchu for seeing the strain that an Irish article put on editors who only have “cúpla focal” and for coming to our aid as the College Tribune’s first Irish Editor.

Thank you to our perennially blaspheming Turbine Editor James “I’m not emo, I just wear my fringe this way” Grannell for being a constant source of humour, eccentricity and sleaze in the office all year, and for making contributors feel more welcome than trick or treaters at Gary Glitter’s house. You will never have to think about a sideline again.

Promise.

Thank you to Sports Editor Colman “Get a taste of my mustard” Hanley and Deputy Editor Eoghan “The only one of us who will have a job” Brophy for pestering people for interviews and giving up your precious weekends to cover all those matches and ensure a top notch sports section every issue. We have complete faith in you Colman and know you will do a wonderful job next year. Try not to fuck it up.

Thank you Music Editor Jim “I’m such a hipster I can pull off white jeans” Scully for, without fail, never getting up before 3pm and always missing deadlines. If you’re one thing, it’s consistent. However, your deep-rooted love of music and dedication to hunting down interviews ensured a colourful

Editorial and diverse music section. Special mention to music’s chief contributor, Ryan “Here’s hoping its cystic fibrosis” Cullen, for his always cynical and undoubtedly scathing opinion about everything. We salute you for staying true to the Big Beat Manifesto.

Thank you to our Arts Editor Katie “Oh, I thought you meant NEXT week” Godwin for her devotion to her section all year and making sure humour always had a place. We would also like to pay gratitude to her many smutty Facebook status updates which had us quoting her all year. Especially the cactus one.

Thank you Fashion Editor Aoifa “I’m such a painfully hip scene kid, I could die” Smyth for being the star section-editor all year by never missing a deadline, always watching word counts, including images and being just plain stylish all year. You made the rest of us feel bad about our appearance. Special mention to Cathal “Powerscourt steps? Best place for a nap sure!” O’Gara for being an equal opportunities type of guy and giving the men of UCD a voice in a female-dominated genre.

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Thank you Barry “Every bloody time with the attachments!” Hennessy for being so talented with a camera and for the many wonderful shots he took that made the rest of us feel like annoying tourists with disposables. And a heads up to Daniela Sabina “Hallelujah we don’t have to spend the weekend on Google images now!”

Sirbu who took some of our wonderful stock shots of UCD. Big shout out also to all of the Tribune elders with a special mention to Peter “Springtime for Hitler” Lahiff, Dan “Doesn’t know the difference between Reply and Reply All’ McDonnell, Caitrina “You’re wearing my dress” Cody and Colin “Abortion kills the inner child” Gleeson.

Thanks for everything guys.

Your ever-loving, and oh-sopatient, College Tribune Volume 23 editors, Cathy “Enjoys flexing a certain muscle” Buckmaster and Philip “Why is there so much toilet paper and condoms in the office?!”

Connolly

The College Tribune The Difference is we’re independent 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

kr a P a sic s e J h le b a Sara t s r o f g n i k er loo p i h s n o i relat

It’s Satire Stupid!

Man fights fire with fire, fire brigade ask him to leave Woman who looses leg in accident called Eileen Sudden eruption brings mile high club to abrupt end Research shows 7/5 of all people do not understand fractions.

Man with open mind loses brain Polish send letters to stationary shops in search of a new ruler Legless prostitute provides cash and carry business

School for smugness The ‘Stones may have been able to get no satisfaction, but the entire population of UCD is certainly rolling in it.

A smug sense of self-worth pervades UCD these days, like volcanic ash in Northern Europe’s airspace. In some fatal instances, students have overdosed on self-confidence highs and choked on their massive egos.

Nowhere is this more evident than in UCD’s Students’ “does my head look big in this?” Union. Donnacha “It was just bad reporting” Ó Súilleabháin refuses to accept the facts at face value.

(Note: the Education Officer’s personal definition of “libel” can also be found in the Oxford dictionary – but under the entry for “truth”). Gary “We defeated fees, the Greens had nothing to do with it” Redmond will finally leave UCD next year for the bright and shining lights of USI. Scott “Gary singlehandedly defeated fees, the Greens had nothing to do with it” Ahearn will once again be in the Welfare hot-seat. Mike “Pat himself on the back” O’Donoghue and Paddy “Where am I again?” Ryan will surely make the same immense impression on the wider world that they have in UCD.

If smugness could be printed as a berliner and have a print run of ten thousand, then it would assume the form of the University “the difference is we’re dependent” Observer. The literate half of the student population may be happy to learn that the paper has seceded from the Union, establishing the Republic of Observia. Columnist Agony Anto believes a lesson in self-determination “will teach those patronising, ‘holier than thou’ fucks a thing or two about socioeconomic realities”.

The College Tribune editors and Smedia whores Cathy Buckmaster and Philip Connolly have more nominations than Tiger Woods could shake a willy at, Phathy Cockmaster shows that good ol’ fashioned hackery is alive and kicking journalist integrity in the nuts. Connolly has interviewed esteemed writers like Fisk and Chomsky but is continually reduced to raging chronic abuse at Adobe “cocksucker” InDesign. Buckmaster may have doe eyes but they belie the absolute bitch within. Lucky she has a car or Madam Editor would have been sleeping with the fishes long ago.

Rough and hard in UCD Two brave and intrepid reporters from the Turbine have put their standards and dignity aside and have gone undercover in a bid to locate the best places to have sex on the UCD campus.

The first area our reporters tried out was the small island on the UCD Lake. There were of course pros and cons to sex on the lake, as our reporters soon found out.

The fact that you’re already wet by the time you get there, for instance, means you needn’t waste any time on foreplay.

Also, the cold conditions are the perfect excuse for any men who are lacking in length or girth. Unfortunately, however, the resident swans that use the island as their own pleasure ground savagely attacked our reporters. They were left looking more like they had been to an S&M fetish night than a passionately ro-

mantic evening on the lake.

Next on the agenda were the tunnels in the arts block. They run along the back of the lecture theatres and are rarely frequented by anyone of good moral standings. Security are the only people apart from horny hormonal students to venture into the dark, dank, damp dungeons of the arts block so you’re sure to avoid disturbance.

Unfortunately the cold conditions might result in a bad case of piles if you spend too much time on the ground in the tunnels. Our reporters found out to their surprise and delight that if other likeminded exhibitionists are at hand you may find yourself in a wonderful gangbang. They do however suggest that you are well stocked on lube, as they found difficulty walking to their next destina-

tion unaided.

The last area our reporters tried out for size was of course the College Tribune couch*. As long as the stains of previous conquests don’t turn you off, then this can be a most wonderful experience as our reporters found out many, many times.

It was large, solid and comfortable; the couch of course was good too. The only drawbacks were the editors who insisted on remaining in the room while the research was conducted. Condoms were later utilized to make a stylish chandler, which serves as a reminder of the hard work of our dogged reporters. *Tried and tested

Sport

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

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Sport

The College Tribune 20.04.10 www.thecollegetribune.net

Super League Today is a sad day for the sporting world. This, dear friends, marks the end of this fine papers Superleague reporting for this year.

Yes readers, it’s true. The end has come and now you must face a harrowing summer without the premium soccer reporting which has been unfailingly provided in this column.

From the first Superleague game this reporter was sent to, at which the difficulty of locating Astro 1 was extolled, to the latest analysis of the league tables, much has been learnt about the previously mysterious game of soccer. Nutmeg is no longer just a spice, while a banana kick doesn’t bring thoughts of flying fruit to mind.

The year has lived up to the promise of the Superleague web site and has been one of “blood, sweat and beers”. Teams have more often than not been made up at the last minute, with desperate attempts to rouse friends from their beds after a hard nights drinking and fornicating in Coppers.

A clear divide emerged throughout the year between those who have excelled and those who have sadly fallen by the wayside, their position on the scoreboard dropping faster than Paris Hiltons knickers in a Marriot hotel room.

HIV Eindhoven, The Sex Offenders, and Virgin Orient are all topping their respective leagues. Of course

if The Sex Offenders get their hands on Virgin Orient, it could be all about HIV. On the other end of things are Belfield Bullets, Your Mum’s a Keeper, and Bavarian Leverkusen who have the unenviable position of being at the bottom of their leagues, though they’re sure to understand that it’s just a game.

AC Alittlesiluettoofmilan must get special mention of course, not just because they lie second place in the Premier Saturday league table, but also because their name is the pick of the bunch in the competition.

In the week ahead, round five of the League Cup will be taking place. It would seem likely that The Posh Town Boys will come out victorious in their game against Marsh’s Money Back Specials as they just have that slight edge over them.

The game between The Sex Offenders and AC Alittlesiluettoofmilan is much harder to call. As long as The Sex Offenders don’t get a hold of Alittlesiluettoofmilans Fandango, who knows what might happen.

Round four of the Star Cup also takes place this week with four matches being played.

Attempting to call any of them would be a fools game and also far too much effort on a sunny Sunday evening. Readers will simply have to go look and find out for themselves because this reporters career in sports writing is sadly now over forever.

It’s football but not as we know it

So the time has come for the last goodbye. Hopefully this column has caused little offence and some laughs.

Good luck to all the teams and thank you for allowing a bewildered satire writer to hang out on the sideline and make nonsensical notes about your play through-

out the year.

But as I depart, remember these words of wisdom.

Some of you will see the cup half full, some will see it half empty, but most of you will never see a cup at all.

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Sport

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

Galwey optimistic of Irish success With three Irish sides looking forward to semi-finals European competition, Munster legend Mick Galwey talks to Colman Hanley about the chances of the Irish provinces chances The May bank holiday weekend will be a much anticipated time for all Irish rugby fans. At least 15,000 people are set to travel to abroad (volcanic weather cloud permitting) to see Leinster and Munster in action in the Heineken Cup semi-finals, while Connacht face Toulon at home in the Amlin Challenge Cup. The pressure and nerves of the big games is a familiar experience to former Ireland and Munster captain Mick Galwey. Born in Currow Co. Kerry, ‘Gaillimh’ won an AllIreland senior football winners medal with the Kingdom in 1986 as a nineteen year old, before going on to concentrate on rugby with Shannon and Munster. Galwey won 41 caps for Ireland, and was selected for the British and Irish Lions for their 1993 tour of New Zealand.

With such great experience behind him, Galwey’s opinion is always one to carefully listen to, so his appraisal of the work of Tony McGahan’s Munster side in the Heineken quarter-final is worthy to note.

“I thought Munster were very professional against Northampton. They went back to what they do best which is controlling games. The forwards did well and Ronan O’Gara kicked particularly well by putting the forwards into the right positions and I think it was the complete team game. With Paul O’Connell out, they were looking for leaders and Marcus Horan, John Hayes, Mick O’Driscoll and Alan Quinlan really upped their performances.”

But having negotiated Northampton for a second time at home in Thomond, Munster now face the daunting trip to San Sebastian to face Biarritz. Galwey recognises the tough task facing his former side, but remains hopeful. “Biarritz have never lost in San Sebastian, but Munster have beaten Biarritz in a Heineken cup final before so there’s history there. If Munster can go there with a full squad, and hopefully have Paul O’Connell and others come through the Magners League, they’ve a good chance.

History says that an away semi-final like this is tough going, but it’s nothing new to Munster and they’ll know what’s facing them.”

Life’s just a game of inches, so is football

Turning to the current Heineken champions, Galwey pointed out that last year’s success made Leinster tough opposition as was seen in their narrow but unconvincing win over Clermont Auvergne.

“You take your luck when you get it and you take your chances, and that’s what I admired most about Leinster against Clermont. When they needed to score, they did. If you don’t have luck, you’ve nothing. Some people said Leinster were lucky to beat Harlequins on their way to the final last year, and then they turned it around and hammered Munster in the semi-final in Croke Park. Leinster will know that a repeat of the Clermont performance won’t do against Toulouse.

However Galwey cautiously noted that the injury worries over Jonny Sexton and Rob Kearney was a cause for concern. “Leinster need all their big players. Toulouse have a fantastic back line as was seen in the last round against Stade Francais and also huge strength in depth which means they can up the tempo in matches. But in saying that, Leinster have gone there before and won so that’s the one thing they’ll take out of it.”

When pushed for answer on the chances of the dream ‘Munster vs Leinster’ final in the Stade de France on the 22nd of May, Galwey as ever remained diplomatic. “Both provinces have shown they are capable of beating anybody in Europe on any given day. I certainly wouldn’t write them off. It’s going

Ben McCormack The most expensive sport in America is starting to gain a large following in Europe as the sellout of London’s Wembley stadium and the Super Bowl’s record ratings in Europe proved. The popularity is also seen in our own UCD Sentinels.

“Last season we won six and lost two in the junior league. This was the best record for any rookie team so we decided to go on to the next stage,” explains UCD captain Paddy Buttner. Buttner has been involved for three seasons and seen the transition to the senior league. “It’s a big step up as there’s a lot more co-ordination on all areas, offense, defense and special teams.”

UCD seem to have drawn the short straw as far as the Irish American Football League (IAFL) goes, being placed in the same group as the long established Cork Admirals and last seasons Shamrock Bowl winners UL Vikings. “It’s a tough group for us, but UL took three seasons to get a winning season and now they’re the team to beat. But I think next year we’ll have a winning season.”

In recessionary times, most sports have seen budget cuts, but American football hasn’t.

“It’s great that the sport is finally getting recognition. It’s a very expensive sport to get involved with, but we use the funding of both the college and IAFL to the best we can to

to be a big ask, but when it comes to those big asks, that’s when the real teams come out. I wouldn’t rule it out, but I wouldn’t put my house on it either.”

Unable to coerce Galwey into putting his money on the finalists of the Heineken, the former Irish captain was then asked of Connacht’s chances in the Amlin Cup. Galwey gives the western province a chance, pointing to the talent of their ‘immense talent’, Seán Cronin, as one reason why they can win.

“Seán’s a player I coached at Shannon a while back, and now he’s one of the leading lights in Connacht and having a great season. Toulon are one of the best sides in Europe, but Connacht have proven time and time again they’re hard to beat in the Sportsgrounds. I hope they get the support they deserve, because after the work they’ve put in, it would be great to see them go all the way.”

Galwey gives each province a fair chance of success. After the disappointing end to Ireland’s Six Nations campaign, European success in the Heineken Cup or for Connacht would be a good end to the provincial season. If the three sides can show some of the determination and guile that Galwey had as a player, May could be a busy time for Irish rugby fans.

make sure that our players don’t have to give an arm and a leg.”

When asked why American Football is so different from other sports in Ireland the two players point to one thing, the idea of the team. “I have been involved in winning seasons, and it’s great when things go well,” Paddy states, “but even when we lost those two games there was no blame, no loss in support for one another, just a simple analysis of what went wrong.”

Nick adds the rookie perspective, “Even our current season, 0-2 so far, were not shameful because we fought hard on every drive and our character showed hugely.”

The American college game is on a level that we in Ireland would faint at, a combination of both all-Irelands in some places, and I had to ask the two keen fans would we ever see the same here. “I want to see it, the tail-gaiting, the rivalry, the build up towards any game.”

“At the moment even rugby, soccer and GAA are minor events in this college, where is the support for the local team?” states Paddy, backed up by his defensive captain, “It will take development of our sport to the level of those others before we even think about it though.”

UCD’s next home game is on the April 25th in Belfield against the Dublin Dragons. For more details, email ucdsentinels@gmail.com

Sport

The College Tribune April 20th 2010

15

Snooker Ken come back

With Ireland well represented in the World Championships and snooker underdoing a renaissance, 1997 World champion Ken Doherty speaks to Colman Hanley

The World snooker championship at the Crucible in Sheffield was one of the biggest and most popular sporting events in Europe during the 1970’s and 1980’s, but in the past decade appears to have fallen off the radar of main sports fans.

The victories of Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor remain with many senior sporting fans, while the victories of Stephen Hendry remain with the younger generation who follow the sport. For Irish fans, Ken Doherty’s victory in 1997 was an un-forgettable experience as he defeated then world number one Hendry by eighteen frames to twelve in the early hours of the morning.

However snooker has struggled to reach those heights since, and Doherty’s form has not hit the heights of that tremendous success in 1997 either. Last year, ‘the darling of Dublin’ hit rock bottom by failing to qualify for the World Championships, his first absence from the Crucible arena since 1993.

Doherty, speaking to The College Tribune before his first round match with Mark Selby, admitted that missing out on the ac-

tion in Sheffield for the first time in sixteen years hurt.

“It’s great to be back. I was very disappointed to miss out last year, it was pretty hard even watching the tournament to be honest. I’ve come through tough matches with Jimmy White and Joe Swail, both good pals, and managed to put things to the back of my mind and just concentrate on the matches and think of what winning would mean.”

But despite his positivity before the game, saying that his form is coming back, Doherty’s claim that Selby would be ‘tough opposition’ proved correct as he exited the tournament last Sunday in a 10-4 defeat.

After the game, Doherty praised his opponent by claiming, ‘He could be the next John Higgins. He’s that tough to beat.’

Doherty though still remains confident about his future and Irish hopes in this year’s tournament. Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen became the second player to qualify for the second round at the Crucible, defeating England’s Tom Ford 10-4, while Fergal O’Brien begins his tournament against Australia’s Neil Robertson.

UCD Clubhouse

Doherty admits O’Brien faces a tough task against Robertson, but gives his fellow Dubliner a chance.

“Fergal’s been playing really well lately and with a lot of confidence. It’s a tough game for him, but anything can happen.

The Crucible has always thrown up some strange results and big names have fallen at the first fence. It’s always possible there and that’s what makes it so exciting.”

Snooker is also in the process of receiving a makeover in terms of its image to the general audience and a change in terms of the game as well. Barry Ahearn has brought in to raise the profile of the game and replicate the success he achieved with Darts, a game which now has proven to be one of Sky’s highest rated sports after soccer and rugby. Doherty believes that Ahearn’s efforts can only strenghten the sport.

“I think we need someone like Barry Ahearn at the helm of the game. We’ve sort of been in the doldrums before that and not going anywhere, we’ve only had six ranking tournaments this year before he took over and last year was only seven or eight. It’s pretty bleak really, basically

Success at Tae Kwon Do Championships UCD reigned supreme in the Irish Intervarsity championships, where against a large number of colleges across the country, UCD were crowned overall winners with six Tae Kwon do competitors were crowned Intervarsity champions.

Aaro Viertio (two), Ciarán Brennan, Niall Nelligan, Kevin Doherty and Ian Woods claimed gold medals as UCD headed the medal table.

Colours success for UCD Swim team UCD defeated their rivals Trinity College 5551 on their rivals home turf, while also the four by 25 and four by 50 Medley and Freestyle relays.

The performances of David Cooney, Vinnie McArdle, Sarah Caulfield and Sarah Bolton particularly put in strong performances in

we’ve only been part-time for the past couple of years through lack of sponsorship and tournaments.

“But he seems to want to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and introduce new tournaments and new concepts. It can only be good for snooker. If you jazz it up a bit, it can only make it more appealing for television, sponsors, and of course for the audience to come around to watch and support snooker. Looking at what he’s

UCD’s success. The win gives UCD further encouragement ahead of the proposed new 50 metre pool in the new Sports centre next year.

Commenting on the success of his athletes, UCD coach Earl McCarthy, “‘This year the Colours event between UCD and Trinity proved particularly competitive. Convincing performances by both male and female UCD swimmers indicates how the UCD Swim team is moving from strength to strength.

With new swimmers coming through, it bodes well for the future of the club and makes the prospect of training and competing in our own swimming pool on-campus all the more exciting’.

The colours victory, serves as great preparation for UCD in their upcoming Irish Nationals event against clubs across the country.

UCD Sailing club deny Trinity five in a row

done with darts for example, it’s been magnificent. If he can cut a revival for us, it really would be amazing.”

Revival is the key word for Doherty. Having hit rock bottom last year, Doherty’s outlook is a lot more positive and snookers future is looking healthier already after the brief impact of Ahearn. Whether it’s Doherty, O’Brien or Allen, Irish snooker is similarly back to looking good.

The annual Sailing Colours Match took place last Easter Saturday 3rd April in Dun Laoghaire harbour, hosted by Trinity College Dublin and the Royal St. George Yacht Club with UCD coming out on top for the first time since 2005.

Although the wind was light, boats were successfully launched mid Saturday morning.

Teams UCD2 and UCD4 managed to defeat their respective Trinity teams in their best of three races, with UCD3 narrowly missing out on a win when a team boat sailed around the wrong mark in their last race. Trinity’s thirds, fifths, sixths, alumni and ladies’ teams took wins in their races.

The wind had filled in by the time the two colleges’ first teams came to race. Tight racing and a lot of shouting brought the “best of five” final to the fifth deciding race. UCD took the last race making the score 3-2 in their favour, leaving captain Sharon Quigley to claim the honours for UCD.

Mick Galwey

Ken Doherty

The College Tribune meets the rugby legend

Is Snooker returning to the big time?

Interview Page 19

Interview Page 18

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Sport

The College Tribune 20.4.10 thecollegetribune.net

UCD stars to clash in U21 Final UCD keeper Ger Barron argues a decision (above) in UCD’s EA Sports Cup win.

Photography by Barry Hennessy

Wilson fires students to victory Eoghan Brophy Belfield Bowl EA Sports Cup First Round UCD 1 Athlone Town 0 Wilson 71

UCD came through the EA Sports first round tie last Tuesday night in a tough game against their First Division opponents Athlone Town.

Playing for the student’s Leinster senior league side for the last number of seasons, Dwayne Wilson finally earned his debut for the first team and took his opportunity by earning UCD a place in the next round against Shamrock Rovers.

While Athlone only made a few changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Shelbourne, Paul Corry was the sole survivor from the UCD team that lost 3-0 to Dundalk as Martin Russell rung in the changes.

The first chance of the game fell to the Midlander’s Stephen Place, son of manager Brendan, but he headed over the bar three minutes in. UCD responded with chances from Keith Ward and eventual man of the match Chris Mulhall, but they were unable to break down the Athlone rearguard. A double save from UCD keeper Ger Barron kept his goal intact, while Corry and Sean Houston also missed chances before the break.

The turning point in the game came when Ward went over on his ankle and had to come off with the second half less than

ten minutes old. Enter one time Nike Irish Sprint Champion Dwayne Wilson. Twenty minutes after his entrance, UCD took the lead. Naturally, Wilson won the race to the ball with Athlone full back Mark Nolan to Mulhall’s through ball, and he took his chance by calmly slotting home past Athlone’s Michael Slingerman.

Place came close to bringing the game into extra time with seven minutes remaining when his header come back off the crossbar and was scrambled away to safety as UCD held on to their slender advantage.

The victory gives Martin Russell’s men a home tie against Shamrock Rovers in the next round on 10/11 May. While Rovers will look to rest players, they will not take the game too lightly as the Tallaght faithful look for some first silverware to their

trophy cabinet in Tallaght.

UCD return to league action when they face their first division rivals from last year Sporting Fingal. The game marks the return of Ronan Finn, UCD’s captain last year who left for the FAI Cup champions. Kick-off in the bowl is 7:45pm on Thursday night.

UCD: Barron; Harding, Kelly, Leahy (c), O’Connor; Corry, Fallon, Mulhall; Fitzgerald, Houston, Ward (Wilson 54).

Subs not used: Roche, Doyle, Russell, McGinley.

UCD will be well represented in the All-Ireland U21 football final with Rory O’Carroll and Barry O’Rorke of Dublin to face Danny Curran’s Donegal.

Dublin advanced to the final following their 2-10 to 0-8 victory over Roscommon, O’Carroll and O’Rorke both starting for the ‘Dubs.’ Roscommon, featuring UCD fresher Niall Kilroy, were easily beaten after two early goals in the first half.

In the other semi-final, Curran lined out for Donegal in their 0-12 to 0-4 victory, ‘Young footballer of the year’ Michael Murphy finishing with a 0-6 tally.

With O’Rorke expected to line out in the Dublin forwards, and Curran in the Donegal backs, the two Irish 3rd students are likely to clash, while O’Carroll has the challenge of keeping the talented Michael Murphy quiet. The U21 final is set for May 1st, with the GAA expected to confirm the time and venue details later this week.