Sin Volume 16 Issue 4 by Student Independent News

FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER | VOL 16, ISSUE 4 | 27 OCT 2014

NEWS

INSIDE

NUI Galway Students’ Union President Declan Higgins commented; “We are very concerned about this, and we have noted it was reported in local newspapers. This is a massive cause of concern as it is a clear health and safety risk to our students and more over to our community.” Regarding the discovery of the paraphernalia he added; “I will be bringing our concerns to the attention of University management. It is important that anyone concerned about this issue or sees anything suspicious brings it to the attention of the appropriate authorities.” Students’ Union Welfare Officer Aoife Ní Shúilleabháin said; “We would urge all students to take extra care when leaving campus late in the evening or walking in isolated areas.” This advice applies in particular to Students staying out towards Newcastle and Corrib Village. Head of security in NUI Galway Gerry Nolan has pleaded

for students and staff alike to be vigilant for suspicious activity. Due to the sheer size of the campus (263 acres), patrolling it requires co-operation across the board from students and staff a like to tackle issues of this nature. He explained that the security team operating on campus depends on the help of the general public and student body to make NUI Galway a safer place. He went on to say that they are working closely with the Gardaí to tackle the use of heroin on campus. The Students’ Union will be running a personal safety campaign from 3 to 7 November to raise awareness of ways to ensure your own personal safety on and off campus. If you spot anything suspicious on campus please contact either the local Garda Station on (091) 538000 or the NUI Galway Security on (091) 493333. Both numbers are available 24 hours a day.

Almost 3,000 students graduated from NUI Galway during the Autumn Conferring Ceremonies which took place from 18-24 October. Pictured is Charlie Byrne of Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop with Dr John Kenny and President of NUI Galway Dr Jim Browne. Charlie Byrne received an Masters of Arts honoris causa.

FINAL WORD

SPORT

ARTS

Autumn Conferring Ceremonies

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Sin Newspaper can confirm that the heroin problem currently gripping Galway is closer to the heart of campus than initially thought. Large amounts of burnt tin foil, empty packaging and even used syringes have been found on campus. The pathway along the River Corrib past the Engineering building and adjacent to the Student Accommodation at Corrib Village was littered with used drug paraphernalia last week. In recent months the heroin problem in Galway has reached new heights. Gardaí now estimate that there are over 100 known heroin users in the City alone, with a further 700 to 800 suspected casual users of the drug also in the city. The problem has now spilled onto the NUI Galway campus. In August, The Connacht Tribune reported that Judge Mary Fahy had imposed a six month sentence on a man for engaging in

sale of drugs on the NUI Galway campus last April. The sentence does not seem to have deterred those using on campus. Various pieces of equipment designed for the cooking and injecting of the ‘Class A’ substance were found on campus in recent weeks. All the findings have been subsequently reported to campus security. A recent follow up report in the Tribune suggested that heroin use had continued out towards the pitches by Dangan along the Corrib River. They reported that “drug users [were] openly ‘cooking up’ heroin” in the wooded area surrounding the path leading to the Student accommodation and the campus beyond. It is not the first time there has been reports of heroin in close proximity to the student populous. In 2012, Gardaí were called to remove three men from a toilet on campus, one who it transpired had been carrying heroin on his person.

LIFESTYLE

By John Brennan

FEATURES

Heroin use on campus poses threat to students

College fees now second highest in Europe

Galway celebrates international children’s festival

ESRI predicts by 2020 everyone in Ireland will have a job

Malala and Kailash Satyarthi win Nobel Peace Prize

THIS WEEK’S DEBATE: Should the health unit introduce a charge?

The Curious European

Market Thyself

To dissect a Broken Heart

Halloween: One day around the world

Want to dress up as the big yellow thing or Smokey’s Pigeon?

Halloween Makeup Tutorials

Music and Movies to get freaky with this Halloween

The Essence of the Beard

Style Spotter

Student Speak: Do you even lift?

Sin’s Poetry competition is back

Galway SHC: Portumna face uncertain wait

World’s Scariest Sportspersons

DEBATE: Does money ruin sport?

Diary of the Smokey’s Pigeon

College Insider

2 NEWS

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

College fees now second highest in Europe By Michael Farrell Both the student maintenance grant and the Back to Education Allowance remained unchanged on Tuesday 14 October when Minister for Finance Michael Noonan announced the Budget for 2015, while the student contribution charge increased by €250 to €3000. This increase to €3000 is the last increase in the student contribution charge scheduled by the government and leaves Ireland with the second highest student fees in Europe, according to the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). Other decisions that are likely to affect students are the returning of the €25m taken from Higher Education Institutions in the last two years and the new threshold of €12,000 at which low income earners will begin to pay the Universal Social Charge. Payments for the Student Maintenance Grant have also now been restructured with four payments of the grant before December 2015 and five afterwards rather than three before and six afterwards. This decision was due to the growing cost of first semester in college.

Speaking after the budget was announced Laura Harmon, President of the USI said; “We’re glad that students reliant on the Back to Education Allowance and Student Maintenance Grant won’t experience further cuts, and we’re pleased that the money withheld from the third level system for two years is being returned. These provisions were key to our pre-budget asks. “In addition, the rebalancing of the grant will make things easier for students in the difficult first semester of study – showing that student concerns have been heeded in the development of the budget. “Whilst we’re glad that no new cuts to student supports will be introduced in this budget, we’re not exactly breathing sighs of relief. The escalator on student contribution fees adds €250 more on to fees which are the second highest student fees in Europe, placing enormous financial pressure on students and families.” NUI Galway Students’ Union President Declan Higgins said that, although he was glad that there were no cuts to education in Budget

2015, rising rent prices for students should have been taken into account. “From the outset, it is clear our members are under mounting pressure to make ends meet, as are their families. Obviously, in circumstances where cuts have been imposed year on year, we are happy that these have been left untouched,” he said. “A greater issue is emerging in that rent prices are climbing with very little clear vision on how to tackle the issue. The student contribution is forming part of a wider discourse about the value of education as a public good in our society, and it is time that we start viewing education for what it is and what it gives: a public good for the betterment of all our citizens.” Another positive announcement in the budget was that there would be 1,700 new teaching posts. This will provide a boost to trainee teachers who have struggled to get full time positions, due to education cuts, in recent years. The breakdown of these positions will be: 920 mainstream teachers, 480 resource teachers and 365 special needs teachers.

NUI galway home to teaching heroes By Lisa Fogarty Dr Deirdre Curran, Cairnes School of Business & Economics and Dr Mark Lang, School of Physics, were both honoured at the inaugural National Teaching Hero Awards in Dublin Castle on 30 September. These awards celebrate the impact that teachers in higher education are having on their students’ learning at a key transition. The Teaching Hero Awards are a student-led initiative that was launched in January. The Awards were established by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and the Union of Students in Ireland. Dr Curran has been a lecturer in the management discipline since 1997 and Dr Lang in the School of Physics since 1992. Both have contributed greatly to their disciplines here at NUI Galway and it was students Phelim Kelly, Declan Higgins and Luke Morgan that nominated them for the National Teaching Hero Awards. Dr Deirdre Curran, prior to joining NUI Galway worked as an associate lecturer for the National College of Ireland and as an independent management consultant. She was also the past director of one of the

Autumn Conferrings at NUI Galway By Ciara Treacy Almost 3,000 students graduated from NUI Galway during the Autumn Conferring Ceremonies which took place from 18-24 October. The week’s events began with conferrings for the Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development, where awards were conferred on almost 950 students who completed their certificate, diploma and degree courses at many locations across the country. Three Honorary Masters Degrees were also conferred on Carl Hession, Charlie Byrne and Patricia Burke Brogan during the week. In advance of the conferring ceremonies, Dr Jim

Browne, President of NUI Galway, said; “NUI Galway is fortunate to be associated with many outstanding honorary graduates throughout its history. This week we are proud to honour Carl Hession, Charlie Byrne and Patricia Burke Brogan. “Each of these individuals has made an outstanding and distinctive contribution to the diverse fields of music, education, literature and the arts. NUI Galway is very pleased to be in a position to recognise their exceptional talents and achievements.” Carl Hession, a music teacher at Coláiste Iognáid, was conferred with a Masters of Music honoris causa. Mr Hession has designed

and taught the Music Methodology on NUI Galway’s Professional Diploma in Education programme. In recent years as Musical Director for the University’s Medical Orchestra, he has helped rekindle and support the development of students’ musical talents, and to promote music engagement amongst students within the School of Medicine. Charlie Byrne, founder of the self-titled Bookshop, was conferred with a Masters of Arts honoris causa. His shop, which opened in 1988 originally as a market stall, has grown successfully over the years and is now recognised as one of Ireland’s most successful bookshops.

The business has become a cultural venue in Galway City and in 2013 Mr Byrne was awarded the Irish Times Bookshop of the Year award. A Masters of Arts honoris causa was also conferred on Patricia Burke Brogan, an internationally renowned poet, playwright and painter. Her paintings and graphics have been exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally, and she has won many awards for her plays, poems, graphics and short stories. Her stage play Eclipsed was presented with a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival in 1992 and has since been produced all over the world and been translated into many languages.

School’s postgraduate programmes and is also on the programme board of two of the postgraduate programmes. Dr Curran is currently acting as the School co-ordinator for the Chartered Institute of Personal Development. “Teaching is very important to me and I cannot tell you how pleased I was to get the Teaching Hero Award, particularly because it is a student-led initiative,” said Dr Curran. “The fact that it is a national award sends the message that good teaching matters and I am so honoured to have my name attached to that.” Dr Curran’s teaching philosophy is to develop in students not only a

knowledge of the subject area, but also the ability to think critically about the concepts, rationale and implications for life outside the university. Dr Mark Lang’s main research interest is in gamma-ray astronomy. He is a member of the NUI Galway Centre for Astronomy, the Astronomical Science Group of Ireland and the International Astronomical Union. “I was delighted and a bit surprised to win a Teaching Hero Award,” said Dr Lang. “I’d like to say a big thank you to all the students who nominated me and to the Students’ Union who nominated me. I don’t really feel like a ‘hero’; I suppose I will have to wear my red underpants over my jeans now!”

Pictured recently at the National Teaching Hero Awards in Dublin Castle were (l-r): NUI Galway students Phelim Kelly and Luke Morgan; Dr Deirdre Curran, NUI Galway’s School of Business and Economics and Whitaker Institute; Declan Higgins, NUI Galway Students Union President; Dr Mark Lang, NUI Galway’s School of Physics; and and Dr Iain Mac Labhrainn, Director of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at NUI Galway.

EXPLORE funding available for new projects The Students’ Union/NUI Galway EXPLORE initiative has re-opened for the 2014/2015 academic year. Applications are now being sought from students and staff wishing to work in partnership on innovative new projects to benefit NUI Galway and/or the wider community. With up to €900 available per successful project, this is a great way to pilot a new idea. EXPLORE projects must involve a minimum of one student and a minimum of one staff member, and be able demonstrate innovation,

partnership and impact. EXPLORE is the only scheme of its type in Irish higher education. Since launching in January 2012 the initiative has supported over 400 staff and students at NUI Galway to implement 65 exciting new projects. Previous participants say taking part in EXPLORE has helped them develop new skills, boost their CV, make new contacts and access additional funding for their project. Find out more and apply by Wednesday, 5 November 2014 at www.su.nuigalway. ie/explore.

NEWS 3

October 27 2014

Have you visited sin.ie yet?

Are yis mad going out dressed like that?!

By Jessica Thompson I adore Halloween. It’s one of my favourite holidays. I think I love it more than Christmas, though I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll change my mind when Christmas comes around. There’s something about dressing up that makes me nostalgic. I’ve had some pretty wicked costumes in my day, some of which I would be only too delighted to explain to you. Witches and vampires were my favourite costumes. In fact, I think there were five consecutive years – maybe even more – that I dressed up as a vampire. Not the silly, sparkly, Twilight kind of vampire, mind you. I was more of a Dracula fan and went with very messy hair, fake blood everywhere and those annoying, plastic teeth that take up your whole mouth, but definitely completed the costume. Oh, and the cape. I always had to have a cape. In popular culture, Dracula is always wearing a black cape, with a very high collar. It was an essential part of my costume, and it was always home-made.

I went all out one Halloween with a witch costume. I must have been about six or seven and it was a year when my parents had the time to make me a costume that didn’t comprise several black bin liners. Not that I have anything against bin liners. The bin liner costumes from back in my day were far from rubbish (see what I did there?). But this was an award-winning witch costume. My mother rolled up a Rice Krispies box and made a hat out of it. My dad made me a broom to rival all shopbought brooms, and I had one of those long, warty noses with the elastic string that goes around your head. I won a big bag of sweets for that costume. It is still, to this day, my greatest achievement. Then as I reached my teenage years, the costumes became less elaborate. Halloween is for kids. What would my friends think if I went out with a full face of face paint? I’d be a laughing stock! Costumes from these years included a rocker clown… from Hell (just a wig and a red nose along with my usual attire of that era – all black clothing and a leather jacket); a dead caterpillar… from Hell (this was a three-person costume; trust me, it worked); and a cat (complete with ears, tail, black leather trousers and a black top… oh, and whiskers drawn on with eye liner was about the height of my makeup).

32 pages once a fortnight simply isn’t enough when it comes to covering all the great stories on campus and entertaining our readers every day. This year, we’ll be ensuring our website is constantly updated with great news stories, opinion pieces, fashion, sport and much more. Visit our website at www.sin.ie or simply scan the QR code. There was one year I actually did go all out. I was a corpse bride, with a full costume and beautiful (albeit deathly) makeup. I showed up to the so-called “fancy dress” party and felt like Cady from Mean Girls. Nobody else was dressed up, aside from the odd witch hat or devil horns. One girl wore a sexy Snow White outfit over her jeans and tshirt. When did Halloween become about being sexy? Last week I watched a video on Buzzfeed about men trying on women’s Halloween costumes, including a sexy ladybug, a sexy fire fighter, a sexy nun and a sexy girl scout. Ok, Mean Girls clearly stated that Halloween was about dressing up in slutty lingerie and wearing some sort of animal ears – “I’m a mouse… duh!” But honestly, the day after Halloween is the first day of winter. What are yis at going around dressed like that? Sure, yis’ll catch yer death (bonus points if there’s someone dressed as the Grim Reaper nearby)!

Oisín Ó hEartáin performing in Heat One of NUI Galway’s Got Talent in the College Bar. Picture: Daniel O’Loughlin

Editor in Chief: Jessica Thompson editor@sin.ie Layout: Shannon Reeves | contact via Ed. NEWS Ciara Treacy | localnews.sined@gmail.com Chelsea Tabert | nationalnews.sined@gmail.com FEATURES Eoin Molloy | opinion.sined@gmail.com Áine O’Donnell | features.sined@gmail.com LIFESTYLE Jenna Hodgins | fashion.sined@gmail.com

Since I’ve come to Galway, I’ve always worn warm clothes. My norm has been leather trousers, a white shirt covered in blood and a corset over that shirt – sexy but sophisticated… and practical. For makeup, I like to put talcum powder all over my face (it’s far more gentle on the skin and stays on longer than white face paint). I use everyday makeup like black eye shadow or liquid eye liner for anything that needs to be black, and red lipstick for blood. Finally, I backcomb my hair until I have what could almost be called an afro and sprinkle talcum powder in it to give it more of a grey deathly look, and I’m ready to hit the town as… I dunno. A zombie or something. Two years ago I found a veil in the Cellar bar and upgraded my costume to a Corpse Bride. The results, as you can see from my photo above, were pretty good. But last year I was all about the warmth. My boyfriend and I spent Halloween running around New York City in onesies. I was a pig. He was a tiger. The Americans loved us. Seriously, they took our photo and put it on the Wall of Fame in the gift store of the Rockefeller Centre. This year we’ll be wearing those same onesies around Disneyland Paris. Let’s see how the French handle us! Onesies are the future. And if you don’t believe me, check out Hazel’s Yellow Brick Road column on page 15. She’ll learn ya! For the sake of all that is scary, wrap up this Halloween. It’s winter the next day and there’s nothing sexy about a ‘sexy ladybug’ with a cold. Happy Halloween! Jess Twitter: @Jess__Thompson

UPCOMING SIN MEETINGS There will be no Sin Meeting on Thursday 30 October Meeting as usual on Thursday 6 November All Sin meetings will take place at 6pm in TB305. TB305 can be located on the first floor of Tower 2 (on the Arts Concourse). Meetings are open to everyone and new members are always welcome!

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4 NEWS

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

New extension planned for University Hospital Galway By Micheál O’ Brien A three storey extension to University Hospital Galway has been confirmed to start construction as early as January or February next year. That’s according to local Labour Party TD Derek Nolan. The €70m extension was originally announced in August 2013 by Clinical Director of Hospitals in Galway and Roscommon, Dr David O’Keeffe. The development will consist of single rooms with en suites and is being built on to St. Rita’s ward which cares for those who have suffered from stroke and elderly people. Speaking to the Connacht Tribune, Deputy Nolan said that the project “will go some way towards easing overcrowding and allowing greater flexibility in the hospital’s operation. “The new beds will each be in individual rooms with their own bathrooms offering patients

excellent facilities and privacy.” This is welcome news for the hospital which was given no extra beds when its cancer services commenced. Since then, the hospital has also been designated with the treatment of oesophageal cancer and lung cancer surgery – without the provision of extra beds. The lack of beds is a tenuous issue especially considering the recent report stating that the Emergency Department (ED) of UHG is no longer compliant with infection prevention and control standards. The report by Ann Cosgrove, General Manager of Galway University Hospitals, claims that the ED does not enable compliance with the Emergency Medicine Programme or Unscheduled Care Patient Experience targets. A feasibility study is now being carried out on two options to replace the current ED. One option entails completely

replacing the ED with an entirely new building incorporating an Acute Medical Unit and an Acute Surgical Unit, costing a total of €30 million. The second idea is for a six storey building that would include four floors to be used as replacement accommodation for the Maternity Service and would cost €60 million. The planned extension and renovations are sure to ease the burden on a hospital whose ED is struggling with the numbers of patients waiting for admission and the lack of beds available for provision. To curb the influx of people the hospital has released a statement saying “The public are reminded to keep the Emergency Department for emergencies and to contact their GP. The hospital is working strenuously to ensure access to beds is carried out intensely throughout each day by the patient flow team.”

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Galway success in recent by-elections By Ciara Treacy Two Galway natives were victorious in recent elections to the Dáil and Seanad. Michael Fitzmaurice was elected to the Dáil in the Roscommon/South-Leitrim byelection while Gerard Craughwell was voted to fill MEP Deirdre Clune’s seat in the Seanad. Both ran as Independent candidates. Michael Fitzmaurice hails from the Roscommon/Galway border and had served as a Councillor in the Tuam Electoral Area prior to his election to the Dáil. As Chairperson of the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association, he has been fighting to preserve Ireland’s boglands and ran his campaign on an agricultural platform.

He now fills the seat left vacant by MEP Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan. He defeated Fianna Fáil’s Ivan Connaughton, who had been favourite to win, on the seventh count. This was not the only surprise in the by-elections, as Anti-Austerity Alliance candidate Paul Murphy was elected to take MEP Brian Hayes’ former seat in the Dublin South-West constituency. Meanwhile Salthill man Gerard Craughwell won the Seanad by-election, beating Fine Gael’s John McNulty and Sinn Féin Councillor Catherine Seeley. The seat was reserved for those with a Cultural and Educational background, and the controversy surrounding McNulty’s election to the board of the Irish Museum

of Modern Art led him to request Fine Gael members to abstain from voting for him. In his youth Craughwell had served in the Royal Irish Rangers infantry of the British Army before returning to Ireland and moving up the ranks to Sergeant in Renmore Barracks. He later qualified as a teacher and served as President of the Teacher’s Union of Ireland from 2012 until June this year. His election to the Upper House has caused the government to lose its majority in the Seanad. Craughwell has pledged to vote as an independent in the Upper House, where he hopes to focus on the development of education in Ireland.

NUI Galway launches new two-year online diploma: Diplóma sa Chultúr Dúchais By Jenna Hodgins The Diploma in Traditional Culture (Diplóma sa Chultúr Dúchais) was recently launched by Steve Ó Culáin, CEO of Údarás na Gaeltachta. The launch night took place at Áras na hOllscoile in Carna. The blended learning programme will be tutored and delivered by Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge and will run for two academic years. The demand for outreach programmes in the discipline of Irish cultural studies continues to grow at NUI Galway. An online alternative to the traditional learning models has been developed in order to further meet the demand for Irish speakers across the country. Údarás na Gaeltachta CEO, Steve Ó Cúláin said; “Educational pro-

grammes such as the Dioplóma sa Chultúr Dúchais have an important role in perpetuating traditional Gaeltacht and Irish Culture, and in doing so, assist in the intergenerational transmission of the Irish Language and its indigenous culture. “This programme creates the opportunity to showcase our rich culture to a wider audience and in doing so nurture new educational and employment opportunities based on our natural resources.” The diploma will cover the following subject areas such as, Aspects of Folklore, Traditional Arts, Material Culture, Traditional Customs and Song. The course will include an online forum which allows students to share ideas, opinions, knowledge and experience of traditional culture with their classmates and fellow learners,

regardless of their location in Ireland. Leaners will have access to digital databases rich in academic archives that will prove beneficial for their online learning experience, and in general enrich the course as a whole. In tangent with the online tuition, workshops will be held in Gaeltacht Centres to act as a supplement to their learning and cultural experiences acquired online. Programme Director Dónal Ó Droighneáin said: “This new programme will afford both Gaeltacht and Irish-speaking communities throughout the island of Ireland the opportunity to undertake an academic and cultural expedition, regardless of their location. Furthermore, it is the indigenous culture of these communities that the programme will investigate and exhibit.”

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By Micheál O’ Brien Baboró, Ireland’s premier arts festival for children and families, ran in Galway city and county from 11-18 October. The festival which celebrated its 18th birthday this year had events, exhibitions and interactive workshops in the Black Box Theatre, THT Studio, An Taibhdhearc, and the Town Hall Theatre. To mark its 18th birthday, the festival for children exhibited 18 illustrated panels depicting 18 cultural rights in five languages, inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Ireland is a signatory. According to the organisers of the festival the panels “underpinned the very foundation of Baboró” and aimed to raise awareness about every child’s right to participate in the arts. Baboró kicked off properly on

11 October with its spectacular inflatable structure Amocco – a one-of-a-kind sensory experience of light, colour, sound and design and a highlight of the festival. It magically reimagined the Spanish Arch for nine days of the festivities. The younger audiences had the chance to delight in wonderful dance show Flying Cow by DeStilte, a dance company from The Netherlands and in The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean – an award winning puppet show by regular visitor to Baboró Shona Reppe. For the slightly older children there were a number of theatre productions. ‘The Odysssey Experience’ by the USA’s Experiential Theater Company, the multiple awards winning ‘Tragical Life of Cheeseboy’ written by Finegan Kruckemeye and ‘Stories of a Yellow Town’ by Galway duo The Gombeens all took place over the week in various locations.

The festival even had free events for all of the family such as a Sea Science Exploration Zone in Galway City Museum and the Irish Premiere of a ground-breaking exhibition, ‘Citizens of the World, Now’ at the KBC Hub in Eyre Square. The festival is a healthy indicator of the activities and events available to the children of Galway. Even the week before Baboró, Charlie Byrne’s bookshop hosted a Build-a-Book Workshop in conjunction with ‘Books Are My Bag’ Campaign. The workshop saw students of NUI Galway, staff of Charlie Byrne’s and local writers come together for children’s story time and a fun buildyour-own-book workshop for kids. Speaking to Sin, popular local author Patricia Forde said; “there was a great crowd of children, lots of noise and fun and of course stories, we need more days like this!”

NEWS 5

October 27 2014

Mental health issues on the ESRI predicts by 2020 everyone decrease but still a major problem in Ireland will have a job By Kieran Kilkelly Studies show that 25% of people will be directly affected by mental health issues and 44% will experience it once in their lives – be it on their own or through family or friends. It is an ever-growing problem within society. Earlier this month the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) published its 12 th annual report dealing with self-harm in Ireland. The National Registry of Deliberate Self Harm report found that there were some 11061 incidents of self-harm in 2013 involving 8,772 individuals. This represents a 6% decrease from the figure in 2012; however, it is still a 6% difference in numbers from when before the recession hit in 2008. In relation to gender 54% of these cases were female and 46% male and of the almost 18,500 that were admitted into psychiatric care last year 51% were women suggesting that it is a shared burden and not biased to gender. However, early statistics show that of the provisional 475 deaths to suicide last year 396 (83%) were men and the 79 (17%) women. The figures for 2011 and 2012 read very simi-

lar to that of the estimated 2013 numbers with an imbalance of males committing suicide over females – 83% to 17% in 2011 and 81% to 19% in 2012. On further investigation it is seen that men who ended up in hospital over self-abuse, were more likely to leave without medical recommendation (17% versus 12%) and also there were more women admitted to treatment rather than men (25% versus 21%). When you add this to the suicide rates it can be suggested that there is still a stigma attached to mental health surrounding the male population of Ireland. O f t h o s e t hat w e re admitted, the most common diagnoses were that of depressive disorders (28%), followed by schizophrenia (20%), mania (11%) and alcoholic disorders (8%) – which was related to 34% of self-harm cases. Alcohol, while prevalent in a lot of self-harm cases, was not the most associated method; two-thirds of cases (67.5%) had some degree of drug overdose involved. Hanging (6.6%), cutting (24.2%), poisoning (1.9%) and drowning (3%) were the other methods used. Despite these statistics

being worrying there are more alarming figures. Of the 11,061 hospital attendees, 52.8% (5840) were discharged without further treatment. When you look at the amount of repeat acts – more than one in five – it can be speculated that the healthcare system hasn’t got the resources to deal with mental health problems. This can be additionally backed up by the fact that 14.5% of patients left before being treated. The most concern surrounding mental health, though, is the number of young people that it affects. We rank 4th highest in Europe for deaths by suicide in the age group 15-19 year olds – 11th lowest overall in Europe – and one-third of the individuals who went to hospitals to be treated for self-harm were under the age of 25 giving reason to believe that there is an isolated pressure among young people. The recent budget has shown that €20 million will be given to towards to community mental health services as part of the “A Vision For Change” project launched in 2006. Based on these figures though, is it really enough to combat this problem?

By Dean Buckley The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has released a new economic forecast for Ireland that predicts a drop in unemployment to 9.6% by next year and full employment by 2020. In addition to good news on employment, the ESRI also expects a 1.3% increase in wages over the next two years, if the economy doesn’t suffer any further shocks. Unemployment in Ireland has been over 10% since January 2009, and hasn’t been at fully employment, or under 5%, since early 2008. The author of the report, David Duffy, described Ireland’s economic recovery as “broad-based” and

“stronger than previously thought”. However, their predictions are not consistent with findings of the Central Bank and the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The CSO’s own information suggests average pay packet is still shrinking, and that most pay rises will go to the country’s top earners. Further, the Central Bank predicts unemployment will only go as low as 10.3% based on its own research and findings. The ESRI is one of Ireland’s most prominent economic think-tanks, and is funded primarily through government revenue and sponsorship by Irish businesses. Economics commentators such as Dan O’Brien have criticised the ESRI for

what he described as its “rose-tinted spectacles” and “blind spot for risks”. Senior economist Richard Tol, who left the ESRI in 2012, has accused the group of lack of transparency in regards to their funding and questioned the independence of their research and findings. Economist David McWilliams, the best-selling author of The Pope’s Children, lambasted the ESRI in 2011 for allegedly “getting its forecast wrong for years”, and particularly for failing to predict the recession and for severely underestimating its effects. The ESRI maintains its research is sound and responded to Dr Tol’s comments with an op-ed claiming transparency was at the heart of its mission.

Breakthrough in Type-1 Diabetes research could see the end of insulin injections By Chelsea Tabert Scientists at Harvard University in Cambr idge, Massachusetts, have confirmed that they can successfully manufacture “hundreds of millions of mature human pancreatic cells” to treat diabetics. This breakthrough means that that the need for daily insulin injection treatments would be replaced by longterm cell transplants. After successful trials on mice, scientists are confident that human trials could begin within a few years. These beta pancreatic cells, which are manufactured from stem cells, are produced in industrial-sized bioreactors, and

would be transplanted into a patient within an implant to protect them from immune system attacks. These transplanted cells would generate the insulin that is crucial to diabetics and eliminate the need for daily injections. Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London said; “A scientific breakthrough is to make functional cells that cure a diabetic mouse, but a major medical breakthrough is to be able to manufacture at large enough scale the functional cells to treat all diabetics. This research is therefore a scientific and potentially a major medical breakthrough.

“If this scalable technology is proven to work in both the clinic and in the manufacturing facility, the impact on the treatment of diabetes will be a medical game-changer on a par with antibiotics and bacterial infections.” Mason was also quick to note that although research has brought them to this stage before, previous attempts to manufacture and ultimately achieve scalable quantities of the mature beta cells have failed. There is huge promise to come from this research and the mature beta cells will be of practical benefit to diabetic patients, he concluded.

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6 NEWS

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

Malala and Kailash Satyarthi Britain to build nuclear plant within win Nobel Peace Prize By Tomás M. Creamer Malala Yousafzai, female education activist and survivor of an assassination attempt by the Pakistani Taliban, has become the youngest person ever to receive the Noble Peace price – arguably the most prestigious prize one can receive. Malala jointly won the Nobel Peace prize with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian child rights campaigner. While the much publicised attempt at her life in 2012 shocked the world and brought Malala fame, Malala is not only notable because she has been a victim. Malala has stated that she does not want to be “the girl who was shot by the Taliban”. She has also published a

book about her life in Pakistan – I am Malala, which was co-written with Journalist Christina Lamb. Malala acknowledged her father at the accepting ceremonies, saying he has had a large impact on who she is today. Growing up as a member of the Pashtun minority in the North-West of Pakistan, in the Swat province, she was raised in a society where deeply conservative beliefs are held; especially in regards to women’s rights. Her father, Ziauddin, a prominent educational activist in the area, has founded a string of schools to enhance the public education provision in the country, one of which Malala attended herself. Unlike many other men

in the locality, Ziauddin prized his daughter, which was somewhat unusual in a culture which heavily favoured boys. He also allowed her to participate fully in his activism. Her first active part in her father’s long-running advocacy of education for all children in Pakistani society was as a writer of an anonymous blog for the BBC, when she was 11 years old. Malala then became involved in the filming of a documentary about the Pakistani Taliban’s attacks o n f e ma l e e d u c at i o n . Although she originally had ambitions to become a doctor, she decided to become involved in political activism, inspired by her father’s example. After recovering from

an assassination attempt in 2012, she has continued to speak out for the right to education for all girls which is a serious problem in her native country of Pakistan. Due to concerns for her own safety she has spent the last two years in Birmingham, England. Despite some cynicism towards the widespread admiration for this young women, particularly in Pakistan where a large minority find her campaigns sacrilegious, Malala has played an active part in promoting the cause of education for girls, and is considered a role model for many. Perhaps this is why, above all else, she was honoured with such a prestigious award; The Nobel Peace Prize.

240km of Ireland By Mark Laherty The European Commission approved a financing plan for the construction of two nuclear plants in Somerset, England, 240km (150 miles) from the Irish coast. The EU’s executive arm ruled on 8 October that Britain could give French company EDF a guaranteed price of £92.50 (115.55 euro) per megawatt-hour for 35 years, plus a state guarantee of ten billion pounds (over 12.5 billion euros), to build the Hinkley Point C power station. Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said the decision was solely made on the grounds of state-aid rules, with Commissioners not discussing their “personal

The truth behind Norway’s first child bride By Samantha Kelly “I learned from my mom yesterday that I’m getting married. I will marry Geir and it is a bit strange because I know he really is so grown up,” writes Thea in her first blog in September. Translated from Norwegian. Thea is a 12-year-old marketing strategy to promote the awareness of child brides across the world. Plan International is an international development organisation operating in 50 countries across Africa, Asia and America to promote and protect the rights of children. Particularly within Plan Canada, Rosemary McCarney, from Toronto, is promoting a marketing campaign to highlight the reality of child marriages through the development of Thea’s story. The idea of a child bride in western culture sparked the creation of a blog that has developed over the months before the 12-year-old Norwegian girl is set to marry the 37-year-old man, Geir. This blog shows the mental maturity of how and what a 12-year-old thinks on the matter of marriage, in particu-

lar her own wedding. Approximately 142 million young girls will be married off within the next decade - a concern that must be addressed. Rosemary from Plan Canada talks about how the “world is waking up to the particular things holding girls back”; moreover, the issue of education. At present there are roughly 65 million girls across the world, who are not in an education program. Studies have shown that a leading cause of child marriages comes from a lack of education. These same studies have shown that in comparison with a girl who has no educational opportunities, just nine years will increase the chances of a stable life and can lead to consented weddings, rather than child-brides. Rosemary also talks about how America will have to enforce laws in each state to stop underage and un-consented marriage. Thea’s blog is currently emphasizing the reality that a child bride goes through daily, in hopes that awareness will be raised, and non-consensual child marriages across the world can be stopped.

or political” views. The EU decision marks a major victory for nuclear energy three years after the Fukushima disaster, where a tsunami triggered by the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake resulted in a meltdown of three of the plant’s six nuclear reactors. The disaster brought the nuclear industry to its knees. Hinkley Point is a remarkably ambitious deal which will give the industry a boost. A vote by the union’s 28 commissioners narrowly approved the deal, despite fierce resistance from activists and several member states. In August, the Court of Appeal in Britain ruled against An Taisce in a case brought by the environmental body on the proposed nuclear plant at Hinkley. An Taisce had argued that the British government should have consulted with Ireland under the terms of the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), a European directive. The Court of Appeal found against An Taisce’s claim, adding that it was not necessary to refer the case to the European Court of Justice. Critics have also complained that there are insufficient plans for the removal of the nuclear waste that the plant will produce. Austria has confirmed it would bring an action to the European Court of Justice in relation to the decision, describing it as a “bad precedent”. British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne welcomed the decision as “excellent news”. Greenpeace described the decision as a “sell-out to the nuclear industry at the expense of taxpayers and the environment”, claiming that the commission planned to pay for the construction of the plant largely through tax. The cost of the plant’s construction is estimated as £24.5 billion (30 billion euros). Operations are scheduled to begin in 2023. The plant will have an operational lifetime of about 60 years.

FEATURES 7

October 27 2014

THIS WEEK’S DEBATE:

Should a €10 charge be introduced for the Student Health Unit?? YES: ¤10 is a small price to pay NO: Paying an additional fee to have your health assessed is not acceptable By Gráinne O’Donovan

This is the week that an important question will be asked of the student body of NUIG: Should there be a charge for the medical centre’s GP visits? As of yet, there is a charge for a wide variety of services, a full list of which sits on the main university website, but the GP visits themselves remain free. As the referendum draws near, there has been much talk about the impending charge for the student medical centre. I have heard numerous student representatives espouse the virtues of a free service, but I can’t help but feel that the bulk of this argument rests on the deep-seated human love of not paying for things. Students, as a demographic, are perpetually scrounging for change. However, the proposed charge for a GP visit is in the region of €5 to €15. Personally, I feel that they are not going to make the charge any more than €10. And I don’t have any objection its introduction. In much the same way that there’s no such thing as a free meal, there’s no such thing as a free medical s er vice. The practitioners must be paid by the university, and their equipment and prescriptions and a host of hidden costs should also be paid for. Given that my local GP charges me €60 for a visit – €40 for a check-up or prescription refill – I see

absolutely nothing wrong with being charged €10 for the service. It’s still a damn side better than begging my parents to loan me fifty quid because of a pain in my ear. I see no reason why this charge would act as a deterrent. In my experience, the people who postpone going to the doctor do not do so for financial reasons; they do so because they do not see their medical concerns as urgent. I know the people who set aside money every other day so that they can afford to go out on a weekend but scoff at the notion of doing this for a doctor’s appointment. People, by and large, have the money. They are just not willing to go through the hoops of making an appointment and sitting in a waiting room and sitting with a doctor and explaining a weird pain in their chest that may or may not be a problem. The fiscal barrier to the most basic of health care is minimal to non-existent. If a student genuinely needs health care but has difficulty with money day to day, why would there not be some kind of accounts system? The university has the student’s records on file, arranging an appointment-now-pay-later scheme shouldn’t be difficult by any stretch of the imagination. You may recognise the system as what the library already does.

It’s a functional system. Everyone I know who earnestly feels that a €10 charge for a once-off service significantly impacts their quality of life owns a medical card. This is because if you are honestly in that degree of poverty, the government has a responsibility to ensure your ongoing existence. If a student is earnestly in this much of a financial constraint, they will likely qualify for the university medical card, as 10% of students do. €10 is pocket change; it’s the price of a packet of cigarettes, and plenty of people can scrounge change together for that. The charge is going to be introduced anyway, either through an increase in fees or through an upfront charge with each visit. If the medical services need money, they will get it from us, and the university will do whatever it can to ensure that this vital service keeps ticking over. It is simply a matter of how the student body intends to pay for it. That is what this referendum is earnestly about. Do you feel that it makes more sense for those who use the medical services pay for their frequent use of it? Do you believe that those who avoid the medical centre out of stubbornness should contribute to its functionality? I for one, will be interested in how the student body votes this week.

By Chelsea Tabert As any student or their parents know – college isn’t cheap. There are a lot of things in this world that tuition fees could cover, especially if you’re studying abroad or at a higher level such as postgraduate. Sure, at a first glance the idea of having to pay only €10 for a walk-in service at the Student Health Unit seems fair enough, especially in comparison to the €50-€60 you’d generally be paying at home. However, when you really get into the details of these costs, all of a sudden it doesn’t seem so fair. First things first, each student pays their tuition fees. These fees that each student pays include a sum of money that goes towards the student levy. The student levy, as described on NUI Galway’s website states that, “All full time undergraduate programmes contain three elements (1) tuition; (2) student contribution charge; and (3) student levy. The student levy (€224 in 2014/15) is payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI or any other funding body. The levy is allocated to the following activities: sports clubs, societies… Student Health Unit.” €224 per person towards a student levy doesn’t seem so bad. Now when you mul-

tiply that amount with the number of student enrolled in the college which is currently is over 17,000 you get a whopping total of €3,808,000. That’s how much money is pooled into the 2014/2015 student levy account, at minimum. The above sum excludes all payments the Student Health Unit already receives from students for what they consider additional services provided. These services include various vaccinations, commencing oral contraception for the first time, physiotherapy, and ear syringing services. When you add these accumulated amounts to the above portion that they are provided from the student levy, it is only another clear reason why we should not be adding further costs onto the service – which I should add is proudly advertised all throughout NUI Galway’s website as a “free service to all students”. With that amount of money being divided up between societies, sports clubs, Flirt FM, and other means, there is no reason why students, who are already living off one chicken fillet and a few noodle packs per week, should have to pay a further sum of money to get their temperature checked and sent on their way. It is understandable that due to recent staff reductions the health clinic is now

only able to act as an acute illness service, but again, this just adds to the reasons why we should not have to pay to visit the centre. If a student is ill and wishes to see the doctor they are first introduced to a nurse who makes an assessment. Then, if necessary, and the clinic provides the services you need, the nurse will refer you onto the doctor. In most cases the services that are needed are not covered in the Student Health Unit and you will be advised to see either your home doctor, or another physician in town. This is fine if there is no cover charge to find this out, however, if the €10 fee is introduced, what is the point in paying this just to be turned away to see another doctor and ultimately pay the original fee of €50-60? I should also add that yes, the doctors and nurses in the Health Unit are doing the best they have with the resources available to them, however, this still does not dismiss the fact that paying an additional fee to have your health assessed is not acceptable. If it is already mandatory that we pay a lump sum of money towards the Student Health Unit indirectly via NUI Galway’s student levy, why should we then have to pay an additional amount to them?

8 FEATURES The Curious How to

European

By Marcus Mac Dhonnagáin The enemy is at its gates, yet all it does is give an elephant’s yawn. Its citizens storm the streets, demanding solidarity, but all it does is shove them to the ground. Rather than be a real world leader, it’s content to languish in the political mud. Turkey’s place in the entire Iraq-Syrian conflict is a unique one. It is very much the last stop saloon before large wild Middle East, and as such, holds a large sway of power in the region’s future. Over the last few weeks, the US has attempted to lasso long-time friends and one-time foes around a war table to unite them in a single purpose: The destruction of Daesh (the Arab acronym for IS). But this coalition’s table has sprouted long cracks, and groans loudly at the mere mention of Syrian dictator Basharr Al-Assad. While Daesh might threaten the interests of nearly all of the great Middle Eastern powers, Assad still has plenty of friends in Iran and Lebanon. The US, ever keen to play diplomat, pursues only a short term policy that lacks any sort of constructive vision. Thus it has been up to Turkey to speak up, demanding that if Daesh is to be fought in Syria, then likewise Assad should be dealt with too. It implies a line of thinking that demands a plan for what a post-Daesh, post-Assad regime might resemble. It’s a challenge to the West’s tendency to intervene in conflicts and then not take full responsibility for post-conflict scenarios. The smouldering ruins of Libya are a haunting example, and even today warlords and their militias divvy up the nation’s spoils. Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is appealing for responsibility. This is in turn undermined by his own irresponsible actions. His treatment of Kobane exemplifies this. The brave Syrian-Kurds hold the town against an encroaching jihad fighter force; their tenacity being rewarded with idle tanks parked at the Turkish border, refusing to budge an inch as the city burns before them. Turkey and the Kurds – or rather the Marxist Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) – share a long and violent history, but had begun to reconcile last year. Erdoğan, instead of using Daesh as a means to further peace between the two people, has chosen to spurn them. Why? Fear. Though the idea of a new Caliphate enforcing barbarous Sharia Law should horrify Turkey’s secular rulers, what it’s more afraid

lose your geopolitical allies and alienate your citizens of is the potential for the Kurds to use the situation to their advantage and achieve their long held dreams of statehood. Given that twenty percent of Turkey’s population is ethnically Kurdish, such fears are understandable. However, in refusing to aid Kobane’s defenders, however, Turkey implicitly reveals that it sees Daesh less of a threat than it does the PKK. Aside from seeing Turkey’s secularism as utter heresy, it also has strategic purpose: Turkey controls two dams on the two major rivers that flow into both Syria and Iraq – the Euphrates and Tigris – and has reduced the flow of water into both countries. Thus, we see a Turkey of contradictions: On the one hand it calls for the West to finally address Syria properly, and remove a tyrannical dictator whose fall from power has destabilised so many countries. It has opened its bordered has allowed countless of hundreds refugees to seek shelter within its borders. Yet, much like how the US seems to lack imagination for what a post-Assad Syria might look like, the Turks refuse to even contemplate the idea of an autonomous Kurdistan region. If the Syrian conflict is to ever end, then agreement and compromise must be found. Daesh must be defeated, but Assad too must be properly toppled. In creating a new Syria, it’s sure that any new government – whether it’s confederal or federal – be built to give the vested parties of power a share in power. Those include the Kurds, the Alawites, the Sunnis, the Shiites and the Free Syrian Army. Turkey could build a stable future for the Syrian-Kurds, while also making peace with the PKK. It has an opportunity to build a long lasting relationship of peace. It serves not only a tactical and strategic purpose, but also one that would endow stability between the two. Turkey could be a leader among nations in this present Syrian-Iraq crisis, but if it continues to hesitate between this path and its destructive self-interested political ploys, then it will be destined to resign itself to incoherency.

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

Mionscéalta na Mic Léinn Staid na Gaeilge sna Scoileanna Tríú leibhéal - Todhchaí na Teanga Le Feidhlim Seoighe, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn D’fhreastail mé féin ar bhunscoil lánGhaeilge, agus rinne mé m’ardteist trí mheán na Gaeilge. Is cúis náire dom a rá nach raibh suim dá laghad agam i gcúrsaí Gaeilge sular fhreastail mé ar an ollscoil in OÉ Gaillimh. Le bheith fírinneach, is é an t-aon suim a bhí agam sa teanga ná an 10% breise a bhí le fáil ar thorthaí mo chuid scrúduithe de bharr gur sheol mo thuismitheoirí chuig scoil a mhúin i mo theanga dhúchais mé. Ní raibh aon bhród agam as an teanga. Ní raibh ann ach bealach nádúrtha le labhairt le mo mhuintir. Is i mBéarla a labhair mé le mo chuid cairde ar scoil, d’ainneoin go raibh Gaeilge acu freisin. Ní raibh aon spéis ag na múinteoirí muid a spreagadh chun bheith bródúil as an teanga ach an oiread. Úsáideadh an Ghaeilge mar phionós. Rinneadh í a shacadh siar inár gcraos, agus ansin mura rabhamar sásta í a labhairt, bhí orainn fanacht siar i ndiaidh na scoile. Sin é. Tharla sé arís agus arís eile. Is é an t-aon fáth ar labhraíomar an teanga ná chun na múinteoirí a choinneáil mór linn, ach ní dhearnamar é sin fiú, mar gurbh é an Béarla an bealach a bhí againn le troid i gcoinne an Údaráis. Níor cheart pionós a ghearradh ar mhic léinn nach bhfuil sásta Gaeilge a labhairt ar scoil. Cuireann sé seo na seanlaethanta i gcuimhne dom, nuair a d’fhágtaí dath na ndaol ort mura raibh an aimsir fháistineach de na briathra neamhrialta ar eolas agat. Is beag an difríocht idir an dá chóras seo. Agus ní rabhamar linn féin. Aon duine ar labhair mé leo riamh, dúirt siad go raibh meas acu ar an teanga, agus grá acu di, ach gurbh é an córas oideachais, ar bhealach amháin nó ar bhealach eile, a bhí ag teacht salach air seo agus a bhí ag cur bac orthu Gaeilge a fhoghlaim. Nuair a bhreathnaítear ar chás an tríú leibhéal, ámh, is scéal iomlán éagsúil atá ann. Tá difríocht mór mílítheach i gceist leis an ardoideachas. Bíonn ar dhaoine foghlaim de bharr go bhfuil suim acu san ábhar. Labhraíonn daoine an teanga de bharr go bhfuil grá acu di. Bíonn siad páirteach in imeachtaí de bharr go mbíonn an-chraic acu ann. Is ag an gcéad Oireachtas ar fhreastail mé air, i gCill Airne san bhliain 2011, a thuig mé an tábhacht a bhaineann lenár dteanga agus lenár n-oidhreacht. Ó shin i leith táim ag déanamh gach iarracht mic léinn a mhealladh chun saol na Gaeilge. Saol iomlán difriúil. Oícheanta

fada ag damhsa ar na boird i gClub Chonradh na Gaeilge, nó i gClub Áras na nGael, an áit dubh le mic léinn, ag damhsa leo, agus gan focal Béarla a chloisteáil san áit. Turais a eagrú chuig an gCeathrú Rua, cuairt a thabhairt ar Thigh Josie, ciorcail comhrá a eagrú, ranganna amhránaíochta ar an Sean-Nós, Díospóireachtaí, agus neart eile chomh maith.

Níor cheart pionós a ghearradh ar mhic léinn nach bhfuil sásta Gaeilge a labhairt ar scoil. Agus is é sin an post atá agamsa anois; ag obair d’Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn mar Oifigeach na Gaeilge náisiúnta ar an tríú leibhéal d’fhonn mic léinn a mhealladh chun saol na craice agus na Gaeilge. Coicís ó shin, bhí nach mór 150 mac Léinn ó gach uile choláiste in Éirinn i gCeannáras Chonradh na Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath chun Cúrsa Traenála a dhéanamh. Bhí ceardlanna ar siúl mar chuid de faoi cén chaoi ar féidir daoine óga eile a dhéanamh gníomhach i gcúrsaí Gaeilge, agus faoi cén chaoi an líon is mó daoine a mhealladh chun ócáidí Gaelacha i do Scoil féin. Ar cheann de na fadhbanna is mó a bhíonn agamsa agus mé ag iarraidh mic léinn a mhealladh chun na Gaeilge ná an drochíomhá atá uirthi de dheasca an mhéid ama a chaith siad sna seomraí ranga dorcha, leadránacha. Is iad na daoine óga atá ag coinneáil na Gaeilge beo. I ngach Ollscoil in Éirinn, is iad na Cumainn Ghaelacha na cumann is bríomhaire, is mó ar fud na gcampas. Is é an dream seo atá ag scaipeadh na teanga, agus is é an dream seo a chinnteoidh go dtabharfar an Ghaeilge ar aghaidh don chéad ghlúin eile.

FEATURES 9

October 27 2014

Don’t even bother applying for that job…unless

Market Thyself

By John Mulry

Picture the scene: you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed (when you should be paying attention in your lecture) and you see someone has posted a job opening via the #jobfairy hashtag. You look at the opening and click the link. You get really excited. This job seems perfect for you. It’s with one of the top companies in your field; while it’s an entry level position there’s massive scope for advancement. That’s it; you’ve made the decision to apply. To apply all you have to do is send your CV and cover letter to info@[companyname].ie. You think to yourself, “that’s no problem, I’ll throw my CV together and write a quick letter explaining why I want the job”. You send them off and go about your merry way thinking that you’ve got this job in the bag. Now since its Halloween season I’m going to ‘scare the living bayjasus’ out you. In that paragraph above there are three

critical mistakes that job applicants consistently make that will make your job application about as welcome as Jack the Ripper at a tea party. Can you spot them? Not to worry if you can’t, I’m going to break these mistakes down for you and ensure that when you do apply for that coveted position, you get it noticed, you get it read and you get the interview. First of all, the response directions: send your CV to whatever generic company email they give. The problem here is; you’re going to be doing what most likely hundreds if not thousands of other applicants will be doing. Sure you could follow the instructions and hope that your CV and letter will stand out amongst the thousands of “please find attached my CV and cover letter” emails the employee will receive. It won’t, which means you won’t get noticed either. You could do that, but as your marketing maverick I highly suggest you avoid that route like the plague. Why try and compete with everyone else? You could jazz up your email subject line to get attention and this is a somewhat valid way but I suggest taking the less crowded way and do what I call ‘showing up like nobody else’. This is one thing I talk about in my complimentary monthly marketing seminars a lot and ‘showing up like nobody else’ will be the focus of the next three issues (it’s that important) but for now here’s some pointers.

The easy way to show up like no one else is to send in your application via email but also mail your printed CV and cover letter in the post (yes it means spending 68c on a stamp) so it lands on your potential employers desk. How many printed applications are they going to receive? I’ll hazard a guess…very, very few if any.

want the job bad enough, put in the time and effort to research the company, the position and put together a bespoke application specific to that position. “Why I want the job” – this is cardinal sin number one and to me the most important. In marketing (and remember when you’re applying for positions, or looking for a girlfriend, boyfriend For years, I’d put together a makeshift CV or whatever you’re marketing yourself ), then blanket copy and paste to every and my very first rule is, it’s not about you, it’s any position available hoping for the best. about them. Clients, customers and equally This is what I call throwing mud against potential employers don’t care one iota. the wall and hoping some of it sticks. Make your application all about you and you Why? Simple, people don’t bother, it definitely won’t get the interview. takes effort. This offers you a huge advanRemember this acronym, it’s served me tage. Your competition for attention has well and it shall serve you well too. WIIFM. gone way down. Plus it’s a practical display What’s in it for me? Print it off; stick it on of your skill set; thinking outside the box your fridge. That’s what potential customand being creative. ers and clients are thinking when they Throwing a CV together. Admittedly, I did see advertising or marketing. And more this for years, I’d put together a makeshift importantly for you applying for that covCV then blanket copy and paste to every and eted position, that’s what the company or any position available hoping for the best. organisation are thinking: what you can do This is what I call throwing mud against the for them. wall and hoping some of it sticks. I see the They don’t care why you want the job; same day in day out in the advertising and they care about what you can offer them, marketing I see. Do this and you won’t get whether or not you can add value to the company, if you can’t you’re an expense, it read. Like using a scatter gun approach instead not a asset worthy of investment. of a laser targeted rifle. Thankfully I learned I’ll cover each of these points in more my lesson quickly and you can avoid the detail in the next three issues. Until next mistakes I did. Like I said I’ll cover this in time, Happy Halloween. depth in future issues but essentially, if you www.JohnMulry.com

Here’s looking at you, kid

By Ciara Treacy Our previous university president had a fondness for a graduation joke which was perfected over his years at conferring ceremonies. The tale goes that once upon a time, a girl went up to collect the fruit of her years of college work and when the president congratulated her as Gaeilge - “comhghairdeas” - she replied with “thank you, you’re gorgeous too!” Although arising at an ungodly hour to perfect my hairdo, I failed to get a similar compliment from Dr Jim. Oh well, there’s always the next graduation – I’ll have to scour Pinterest for some better styles in the meantime.

I was delighted to incorporate the mortarboard into my outfit, even if it is a metaphor for the ‘cap’ on females’ educations which was traditionally the norm. Since I’m in the midst of pursuing a Masters degree I chose not to take offence at the connotation of an educational glass ceiling and more importantly, I happily welcomed any way of hiding my forehead. I still feel I should have burned my bra in aid of the women’s movement the next day to compensate though. Anyway, the lesson to be learned from the president’s anecdote and mortarboard-gate is that tradition and routine are accepted, and expected, at times like being conferred with one’s degree. Much

like the use of Latin in the ceremony, or the fact that people generally abandon their pride and head to Karma for the week that’s in it. Funnily, invoking these traditions marks the end of a routine for us all. For at least three years we have all pursued our undergraduate degrees, safe in the warm bosom of this campus and the comforting knowledge that graduation was a long way away. Except now it has happened. Surely that’s a thought spookier than anything to be seen this Halloween. When you start NUI Galway, to use a much-loved patois of the West, you generally do not know ‘your arse from your elbow’. When you walk into a lecture hall filled with hundreds of people, or try to navigate your way around the library, or see Donegal mammies still in the car crying over their wee fellas’ departure, it’s hard to believe you’ll ever really figure out what the hell is going on. But you do. This university becomes a home to people. There are so many little quirks of college which people hold dear, and which they find hard to leave. Of course it’s the

people who make a place what it is – some who will stay in our lives long after college and others who we may not see much of again; regardless the link will always be there of the blissful university years. Like Rick Blaine says to Miss Ilsa as she departs Casablanca, “we’ll always have Paris”. The lessons we learn at college stay with us too – maybe not the ins and outs of our course, but the knowledge we gained from life outside the lecture halls. Anyone who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after. We’re constantly learning – how to make difficult decisions, how to deal with people with different points of view, how to do the grocery shopping on our own. Of course when leaving NUI Galway for the big bad world, remember why you stayed for so long. My fear about departing next year is counteracted by the suspicion I’ll be one of those old students who stay forever, hugging the Big Yellow Thing for dear life and recounting stories from yesteryear. For now I’m going to follow a previous column’s advice and savour the journey, and continue to thank all divine powers that I did not trip on the way to collect my degree.

10 FEATURES

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

This week I found myself thinking about relationships a lot. Mainly, why am I single? Each week, my brother and I meet up for food – partly because we only see

one another once a week since he moved out of home and partially because, well, we both just love food. So as we were having lunch in the Bialann this week, I looked around and thought about all the other students with their boyfriends and those that might be going through a break up. I said to my brother; “You know people probably think we’re a couple, I bet that’s why we’re both single.” Apart from him not being too impressed and saying he was never going for food with me in college again, it did make me think further

about the idea of being single and being in a relationship. Two of my really close friends from home both had break ups with their boyfriends recently. I was so sorry for them, just thinking about spending four years with someone and then that’s it, over and done – all that time with someone just gone. Not just that, but one of these girls believes with all her heart that if she is not in a relationship then there must be something wrong

with her. Like why would no one want to be with her? Then there are those friends who jump in and out of relationships constantly to avoid being single for too long. Sometimes this makes me feel like I should also be in a relationship, because what if others look at me and wonder if there’s a reason I’ve been single this past year? When I think about it, we are responsible for our own happiness and when you’re not happy in a relationship it’s not so easy to identify a reason. Some may feel that it’s best to stay with their boyfriends or girlfriends because it’s the right thing to do (even though they are miserable), when actually being happy is a choice; you can choose to be happy. When something goes wrong in a relationship – when it has run its course – then it’s time to leave that relationship, and this is okay.

I sat there that evening, doing nothing, just sitting. What else could I do? It was a Friday evening after all. Usually, we’d do something like go to the cinema or perhaps go out for a few drinks. If she was tired we’d just relax and be our playful selves; it was simple. That was the thing about it, I was different around her, she made me comfortable; there was no expectation or pressures to be a stereotypical person in a stereotypical world. I was the most me that I have ever been; all my sides came out.

A Snapchat selfie confirmed it – “landed safely”. She looked more beautiful than ever in that photo. But I guess hills are greener and all that eh? Eight seconds and the picture was gone, just as she was. You can never describe that feeling when you lose someone while they’re still alive, that just a certain set of circumstances prohibit both of ye from being together at a particular time in your life. You become filled with emptiness. I guess that’s why I couldn’t eat.

It could explain the days after, spent walking lonesome, contemplating details of where it went wrong also. T h e q u e s t i o n “ w hy couldn’t I be heartless?” came over my mind multiple times. If I was callous I wouldn’t care for her anymore, it would have just been a ‘fling’ and meant nothing now and I’d be well on my way towards my next partner. It wouldn’t bother me when I see someone that slightly resembles her, or when something minor

triggers my frontal lobe – or whatever part of the brain deals with memory – and flashes her smiling face across my mind. My whole world wouldn’t sink when I see her friends in the hallways and wave to them remembering all the good memories. To be without feeling would be so easy. But the more I walk and the more I think, I realise to be heartless would be to have sacrificed everything. It would be to give up those stomach feelings inside that

By Samantha Kelly

A lot of people shy away from this idea, but surely no one wants to be in a relationship where they know it is not going anywhere for them? This girl I talked about is so afraid of being single because she has been in a relationship for so long, she doesn’t know where to start being single. She actually asked me; “how do I be single, like, what do I do?” I was honestly shocked that this girl who is so beautiful, smart, in college, very independent and works, could be so dependable on a relationship to feel stable. Now to be fair I do understand where she is coming from. When I went through a break up with someone I was with for two years, I thought to myself, “What happens now?” It can be difficult to come from calls, texts, dates, hanging out and even just having this person you know is there, to nothing.

However, I told her to do things for herself, get dolled up and head out on a night with her friends just because she wants to look fab for herself and no one else; spend more time on her college work to improve her grades; work out to look good and feel confident; do things with her friends; just keep busy to avoid feeling like you need someone there. Basically, back to the Bialann, I found myself thinking about relationships and what it means to be happy while I’m single. I’m not single because there’s something wrong with me; I’m single because it is my choice to be happy and at this moment a relationship is not the thing that would make me happy. The sooner more people realise that although breakups are hard and it can at times feel lonesome, not being in a relationship it most definitely is not forever.

are normally sickly but for some reason are uplifting. They give you the ability to float, or think you can float because you are on a high. But now all I can do is fall and prepare myself for the crash back to an ultimate lonely reality. The pain, I guess, will be worth it; like a penance for sins that were never committed. Until then I wonder. I wonder what might have happened and curiosity sets in. I want to know how she would react to the chill of a

springtime breeze? Or how her toes would crinkle as she walked across barefoot on a January’s kitchen morn? But they are just wishes on shooting stars that don’t exist and magic lamps that cannot be rubbed. Isolated wants are all they are and to ask these questions is to torture myself, not physically or mentally but the worst kind; emotionally. So I must try and get on with things the way they are, as we depart as two rather than one into the sunset of our new beginnings.

FEATURES 11

October 27 2014

Paul Kenny

Year of graduation: 2007 Course at NUI Galway: Bachelor of Business, Masters of Ecommerce (Did not complete the Masters!) Current Occupation: Founder CEO of Cobone. com, Co Founder CEO Triperna.com, Managing Partner Emerge Ventures What is your fondest memory of NUI Galway? What I liked most about the university was that it really felt like a family, although it was growing significantly in the time I was there. Everything and everyone was very accessible and it was a lot of fun to be there. RAG week was always a fun time and we used to play a lot of pranks on each other and at lectures, thankfully we never got caught!

How did attending NUI Galway develop you as a person? I was never a particularly good student being honest and I did not really enjoy the process of education where exams are a determinant of what you should do in your future. From an education perspective I am probably not the best person to talk to but from a cultural point it was a great University to be a part of. Galway and NUI Galway tie together so nicely, being able to walk to the centre of town within 5 minutes and having everything at your doorstep; it was a great place to be a student. What three pieces of advice would you give to NUI Galway students who want to become entrepreneurs? As soon as you graduate – get on a plane and explore the world for a few years. If you do get on a plane, don’t go where everyone else is going; don’t be a follower, be a leader and be the first to go to a destination. Stop making excuses for why you have not achieved something, the key strength of an entrepreneur is resillance and you need to keep pushing

through the pain to be successful. Success is not made in one day or one piece of luck; it is made over thousands of actions that you make every single day. What ignited the spark in you to start a new business? The primary spark came from the first three jobs I took while working in Dubai. I moved to Dubai in 2007 as an intern for Jumeirah Group. It was an amazing experience and it gave me such a great launching board to build my career. After 18 months I moved to a media company which I only lasted at for six months before I resigned. At the time, I thought there was something wrong with me but I could not handle having a boss. I then moved to Emirates as a consultant for six months and again I resigned. I knew then that the main reason I wanted to start a business was that I had to be my own boss. I knew I could never report to someone again and that was the spark that kicked things off.

there was no websites online that you could buy anything from; even books, DVDs or music were not available online. During the first few years I spent here I took the time to understand the local culture and how I would need to adapt a product that would scale locally. At the same time Groupon was scaling fast in the USA and I saw a significant opportunity to leverage that locally. My first business was an interesting one as we used to deliver the coupons to people’s doors as not many users had a credit card. That meant that 80% of our business was delivering pieces of paper to peoples doors around the Middle East and that is how we scaled. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur? I have made many sacrifices throughout the journey which have not been easy. It is hard to keep everything at a happy medium when you are launch-

ing your own company so you tend to have to drop the ball on a number of things. It’s not an easy thing to do and often people would look at someone successful and say ‘wow he has gotten there and probably had it easy’. In fact, most do not know the hard work, the late nights and the amount of sacrifice you need to make to be an entrepreneur. It’s really not an easy thing to do and it definitely does not give you a level of comfort. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most? I have huge respect for entrepreneurs that persevere and continue to deliver no matter what the environment is. I would admire many companies but the entrepreneur is the person that matters. I recently watched an episode of the Irish version of Dragons Den. There was a lady named Grainne Kelly who is the Founder and CEO of an amazing company called BubbleBum.

She was given an offer which wasn’t a bad one for investment on the show, and I am sure everyone thought she would accept it but she declined. I spoke to Grainne after the show and there are not many entrepreneurs I would know that have the drive and perseverance that she has shown. Who has been your greatest inspiration? Michael Jordan, the basketball player. His quote is the one that motivates me to this day – “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen”. If you could go back and do it all again, what would you do differently? Being honest, I wouldn’t change a thing. The journey so far has been a real roller coaster and I hope it continues this way for a long time to come. I don’t believe I would be standing here today if I would change anything in the past.

How did the idea for your business come about? I was fortunate to come to Dubai in 2007 when eCommerce was still relatively new. At the time,

CÉIM: New academic peer support scheme for Engineering students By Ciarán McGreal Being a first year in college can be difficult, especially for Engineering students. The hours are long and there are lots of assignments to be done. When I started in Engineering last September, CÉIM was just beginning. CÉIM is an academic peerled support scheme for first year engineers is a joint initiative of the Students’ Union and the College of Engineering and Informatics. It is based on the proven Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) or Supplemental Instruction (SI) model and is in its second year. I have been lucky to be involved both this year as a student leader and last year as a student. First year students meet once a week in small groups of between five and 20 to learn from each other with support from two or three trained second year student leaders. CÉIM sessions are designed to help students gain a greater

understanding of coursework and adapt to university life in a relaxed environment. As student leaders, we facilitate, as opposed to teach, the students. This is what differentiates CÉIM from lectures and tutorials. In lectures and tutorials students are given information directly. In CÉIM, students reach answers themselves through teamwork and support from the leaders. CÉIM sessions are driven by the first years. They decide what material is to be covered and it is then up to the student leaders to structure the sessions. Student leaders communicate with their groups through Facebook, email and by text. Feedback from first years to the student leaders is crucial for planning relevant, informative sessions. Studies worldwide have shown that students who participate in peer-assisted programmes like CÉIM often benefit academically. That said, there are many other benefits for students who attend CÉIM.

It gives them a chance to meet other first years and working in groups increases their confidence. Students get biscuits and (sometimes) pizza at the sessions. The food always goes down well with the first years and the leaders. There are plenty of benefits for student leaders as well. We underwent two days of professional training, developed communication, leadership and teamwork skills; we gained work experience to enhance our CVs, and we gain satisfaction from helping first years settle into university. The main benefits for the College of Engineering and Informatics are that students who attend CÉIM are likely to transition well to university and manage their coursework better, and staff can get feedback through the student leaders. Overall, CÉIM is an excellent scheme. Despite only being in its second year, the feedback from first years has been positive and over the next few years it should go from strength to strength. GUF SU Diary Advert 148x210_2014.indd 1

05/06/2014 12:56

THE SU PAGES STUDENTS' UNION COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON: KARL PICARD Hey folks, my name is Karl Picard. I'm a final year BA student and I’m your SU Chairperson too. It's my job to make sure things run smoothly during SU Council. I also work alongside the conveners to make sure every class has an elected class rep. I work with the other exec members in organising the various campaigns that the SU run and help out during residence runs too. If you've any questions about the SU or are looking to get involved feel free to give me a shout!

RESPONSIBILITIES The SU Council Chairperson chairs the meetings of the SU Council and represents all Class Representatives on the Executive Committee.

CONVENOR OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, PUBLIC POLICY & LAW: MEGAN REILLY

CONVENOR OF THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE: JOANNE DUFFY

Hi guys, I'm Megan Reilly, Convenor for the College of Business, Public Policy and Law 2014/15. At the moment, I'm a second year student of Commerce with Accounting. I've been involved with the Students' Union as a class rep until now and I have no plans of leaving it anytime soon! I'm here basically to assist with any issues or problems you may be having. Feel free to contact me, you'll find all my details here. I look forward to hearing from you!

Hey guys, my name is Joanne Duffy and I'm a 3rd year Undenominated Science student, and your new Science Convener. I like candle-lit dinners and long walks on the beach... Ah no, but really, I'm super passionate about science and even more passionate about student politics, and I'm always around if you need anything. I'm involved in societies and love a bit of banter, so don't be afraid to say hello if you see me around. Drop me a line in an e-mail or give me a call any time, I'll be happy to help!

RESPONSIBILITIES

They work with each of the College Convenors They shall act as the chairpersons of each to ensure that every class has a Class relevant College Class Representatives Council (‘College Council'). Representative. Déannan Cathaoirleach Chomhairle They shall represent their College's class Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn cathaoirleacht ar representatives and students at the chruinnithe Chomhairle Chomhaltas na Mac Executive Committee. Léinn agus déannann sé ionadaíocht ar gach They shall work with the Chairperson Ionadaí Ranga ar an gCoiste Feidhmiúcháin. of Students' Union Council to see that

They shall act as the chairpersons of each relevant College ClassRepresentatives Council (‘College Council'). They shall represent their College's class representatives and students at the Executive Committee.

They shall work with the Chairperson of Students' Union Council to see that Oibríonn sé le gach Tionólaí Coláiste lena each class in the University has a class each class in the University has a class chinnitiú go bhfuil Ionadaí Ranga ag gach rang. representative. representative.

CONTACT

Karl Picard Mobile: 085 8146576 su.council@nuigalway.ie

CONTACT

Megan Reilly Mobile: 086 2283856 su.business@nuigalway.ie

CONTACT

Joanne Duffy Mobile: 085 8407440 su.science@nuigalway.ie

14 HAPPY HALLOWEEN Halloween: one day around the world By Yvonne Clinton The origins of Halloween can be found in Ireland, with the Celts. But in over a millennium, the pagan festival of Samhain has truly gone global. The most extravagant celebrant of Halloween is the USA. This reporter spent one Halloween there as a child, and was wowed by the exuberance of it all. Dressed as a traditional ‘witch’ in a cast-off costume, she was well-overshadowed by the imagination of the Americans. Alongside the typical cats and ghosts, there was a giant baby, complete with dummy, wearing a onesie – long before onesies were ‘in’. Parties were held in neighbourhood houses, and bags were filled with strange ‘candy’, all of which seemed to be flavoured with peanut butter. Ringing a doorbell, this reporter was spooked as the hall light went on, followed by a flashcard emerging in the glass asking what she wanted. With the reply ‘trick or treat’, a pale, bloodied hand reached out through the letterbox with some Hersheys. But while the Americans go all out, what about the rest of the world? Our nearest neighbours, Great Britain, first embraced Samhain as ‘All Hallows Eve’, with children carving jack o’lanterns from pumpkins and going door-to-door singing. But the Protestant Revolution would put an end to the festival, as, without All Saints Day, there was no ‘All Hallows Eve’. They would not be bereft of an autumnal celebration for long. When traitor Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament one November 5th, a new holiday was born – Guy Fawkes Day. Today, effigies of Guy Fawkes are burnt on bonfires across the Britain, with children going door to door asking for “a penny for the guy!” to fund their wood-burning. In China, Halloween is a very different celebration. Known as Teng Chieh, it is a festival to remember the dead. Food and

water are placed before photographs of deceased family members, and bonfires and lanterns are lit to guide their spirits as they roam the earth on Halloween night. Buddhists fashion paper boats and burn them in the evening hours, to symbolically ‘free’ the spirits of the pretas to ascend to heaven. Pretas are the spirits of people who died by accident or through drowning, never receiving a proper burial. Japan celebrates the ‘Obon Festival’, also dedicated to deceased ancestors. In contrast to other countries, ‘Obon’ is traditionally held in the summer months. The dead are believed to return to their birthplaces, and in rural areas the path from gravestones to ancestral homes are often swept clean for the spirits. Unusually for a European nation, France never traditionally celebrated Halloween. Regarded as an ‘Ameri c a n ’ h o l i d ay , i t wa s m o st l y unknown until the 1990s. However, the French love of parties has led to its rapid growth. Today, many international companies engage in Halloween-themed advertising and many shops decorate their windows with pumpkins. People dress in ‘scary’ costumes to attend parties, but trick-or-treating has yet to become widespread. Despite our increasingly globalised world, we still celebrate Halloween in a diverse range of ways.

Halloween Fun Bike Ride AN MHEITHEAL ROTHAR (Galway’s Community Bike Workshop) invites all Galway cyclists to take a part in this year’s Halloween themed ‘Critical Mass’ bike ride. At 7pm on Friday 31 October, cyclists will assemble at the entrance to NUI Galway (opposite Ward’s shop) to kick off the ‘carnival on wheels’, which will encompass the inner city, finishing at the Spanish Arch. The cycle takes approximately one

hour (depending on traffic) and everyone is welcome, in fancy dress or not. Haunt the streets of Galway on a spooky community cycle for monsters, witches, goblins and more. This event hopes to promote safe cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly activity, and to encourage motorists to be more aware of cyclists on our roads. This fun family friendly event will include music, and everyone is welcome.

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

Young girls attempt murder in the name of Slenderman By Mark Laherty Now and again, absurd Halloween horror stories hold just enough influence over their audience to break out to the other side of the screen. Arguably one of the most repulsive examples of this is last summer’s Slenderman attacks. In Waukesh, Wisconsin, in late May, 12-yearolds Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier attempted to kill a classmate to prove themselves worthy of Slenderman, a fictional character popular on the internet. They lured her into the woods to play a game. Once there, one held the victim down while the other stabbed her 19 times. The victim managed to crawl to a road, where she lay on the sidewalk with stab wounds in her arms, legs, and torso. Many of the stab wounds had struck major organs. A cyclist found her and called 911. The local Police and Fire Departments responded, located the girl, and brought her to hospital for surgery. The victim survived the assault. Geyser and Weier went missing, but were located over four hours later and taken into custody without incident. They were held on charges of attempted first degree intentional homicide. Local Police Chief Russel P. Jack released a statement saying that the police believe, based on their investigation, that Geyser and Weier planned the attack for several months.

“This should be a wake-up call for all parents. The internet has changed the way we live. It is full of information and wonderful sites that teach and entertain. The internet can also be full of dark and wicked things.” This and other similar responses from officials and the public attempt to place the story in the context of cultural fears such as our concept of girlhood, technology, the barrier of communication between children and their parents, and, of course, the character of Slenderman. Kathleen Heide, a professor of criminology at the University of Southern Florida, said in an interview with Newsweek that “when these episodes come up, people right away think girls are becoming more violent. There is no evidence that the involvement of girls in homicide or murder is increasing”. Slenderman was created by Eric Knudsen for a Photoshop contest on the online forum Something Awful. The concept was never copyrighted, so people created their own media based on the character, including fanfiction, photo edits, and video games. One of the most notable is the found-footage horror web series Marble Hornets. His characteristics vary, as there is no original text. He is often shown in leafless forests. His abilities usually include causing memory loss, coughing fits known as ‘slendersickness’ according to Know Your Meme, and a litany of paranoid behaviours. Stories usually depict him stalking his targets slowly, often over many years, and driving them to madness. The CBS Idea Channel described the character and related media as “the first internet myth”.

Irish mythological monsters and demons By Kieran Kilkelly Everyone remembers the stories of Cuchulainn, Fionn Mac Cumhaill and other Irish tales but somewhere along the line, bits of our Celtic heritage got left behind. I’m talking of the demons of Celtic mythology that are never talked about; they are a lot more frightening than your contemporary monsters.

BEAN SIDHE (BANSHEE): Anyone who has seen Darby O’Gill and the Little People will remember this beast and her wail. Legend has it that she used to appear as someone was about to die. The closer her howl could be heard, the nearer she was to the house, arriving in a black cart with six black horses. Her appearance generally differs from story to story with her ranging from being to decrepit to a most beautiful temptress. DULLAHAN: This lad was the original headless horseman and his image would send chills down your spine. Carrying his head in his hands, he wore all black and rode through the countryside on a black stallion. He was the most fearful of monsters in Celtic mythology and if you were unlucky enough for him to pass you as you were riding you could be struck blind. However, if he stopped as he passed you and called your name that was the end of you as he was calling your soul to him.

DEARG-DUR (VAMPIRE): Distinct similarities can be made between that of a Dearg-Dur and a vampire –the name itself translates to “red blood sucker”. It is generally accepted that it took the shape of an attractive female women back from the dead who was once married off unwillingly and committed suicide because of the husband’s cruelty. It is said that once she rises, she uses her beauty to attract men and then kill them. LEANAN SIDHE: This is possibly the most sadistic of the Celtic monsters. Known to inspire creativity to artists and poets alike, she would show herself and make them her lover. They would bask in her intelligence and creativity until they became infatuated by her. However, she was never content and would leave, meaning they’d become depressed at her absence and eventually die. If that wasn’t enough, she would collect their blood in a cauldron, which was where she got all of her inspiration from. PÚCA: This spirit could take the shape of almost anything it wished. It translates as the Irish for ghost and it is no wonder as it is quite haunting. Usually found waiting at crossroads or bridges, it’s only aim is to wreak havoc among the living world. Often transforming into a horse or cow it would throw its victim above on its back and go for a mad dash across the countryside, terrifying whoever may happen to be on its back. While that doesn’t sound too bad, it was also know to transform into a bat or bird just so it could scratch the face off travellers of the road.

October 27 2014

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 15 Trick or Treat, ya Penguin ya

By Hazel Doyle Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something nice to eat. If you don’t, I don’t care; I’ll pull down your underwear! That was hilarious when I was five and I first learnt it. It still makes me happy inside, but only about the first three times I hear it every year. I love Halloween. I hate fireworks and bangers – because I’m an old lady – but I love getting dressed up and eating sweets, so it’s the perfect holiday for me. Plus it’s multi-denominational, therefore it’s highly inclusive. All you atheists out there should be happy enough with that. Yes, hippies, it is commercial, but you can’t please everyone. When you were in primary school, the big Halloween decision was whether to go as the traditional witch or a more non-descript monster-type. College affords you much more opportunity to be creative. A couple of years ago I saw a boy dressed up as a Facebook profile page. Whoever you are, that was brilliant. It was just a white board, with a little strip of blue on the top and a rectangle cut out for the face; genius. I bet his arms hurt from carrying it around all night, but you could leave a comment on his wall with a black marker, so I’m sure that he got lots of likes. I was thinking about gathering together a

merry band of mates to go as a packet of M&Ms. Everyone could get a bit of cardboard and paint it a different colour and put an ‘M’ on the front. Bag-zay going as the red one! But maybe you’d look like a bit of a weirdo in the ladies room, just chilling, waiting for the loo, in your giant red cardboard cut-out. The ‘and’ in the ‘M&M’s implies there is always more than one. Nothing screams ‘loner’ like the last ‘M’ in the packet. My friend went as Princess Jasmine from Aladdin when she was four. She was quite the creative little tyke, wasn’t she? But the story is pretty hilarious, seeing as it was snowing that year for Halloween so she had to wear one of those turtle-neck jumpers under her bikini-top. That’s the problem really. It does be freezing on Halloween, so it does. So what can you wear that will keep you warm and still get you some candy this October 31st? The answer: onesies. There’s all manner of them knocking around. Not only will they make a handy-dandy-ready-made costume, but after a good wash, they’ll make a great little all-in-one pyjama set, perfect for sexy nights in in front of Downton Abbey on your own. Awh yeah. You could make your Mam very happy, and get a Bunny onesie, and then wear a little luminous vest over it. She’d be delighted you won’t be knocked over by any cars when you’re Trick or Treating, and you could claim you were going as the Duracell Bunny; safe and snug in your Bunny Suit, just as nature intended. Don’t be that loser who goes out as ‘my friend’. Boys are woeful for that. And girls who just wear next to nothing and

claim they’re a ‘sexy mouse’ or whatever are actually just as bad. We live in Ireland, so you can show off your legs in the lashings of rain on any night in the year; Halloween is the one chance you get all year to not look your best, and still be in with a chance of the shift. The better the costume, the better the chance. Two years ago I was chatting to a couple of penguins in Eyre Square on Halloween night. They were great craic, so they were. And the next day, as I traipsed to the library I caught sight of a penguin walking back from the Londis on Newcastle Road, with a €2 hot chicken roll. Had this penguin been lucky enough to warm his flippers the night before? Was this his little penguin waddle of shame? Or his stride of pride, for that matter? You know what? He was one happy bunny (eh… penguin) with his chicken roll and his onesie that day, so whatever happened him that Halloween, he’d been nicely prepared for it in his onesie costume. He might not have been so lucky had he just gone as ‘my friend’. The moral of the story? Get going on a costume, and you’ve a penguin’s chance of success. Maybe someone will write a column about your hot chicken roll next year. Sure, anything for the shift, like?

Grumpy man’s guide to Halloween By Kieran Kilkelly It’s that time of year again; Halloween. The time of year where I get haunted relentlessly by expectant children dressed in overpriced and unoriginal costumes – “Oh you’re a witch?” “Never would have thought of that one!” It sickens me. What kind of culture have we created where we encourage kids to go knock on random houses to get free things? It is essentially unarmed robbery, as in the eyes of society if you don’t give them anything you’re perceived as a bad person. And if you don’t have anything sweet money is an acceptable alternative – the money that you’ve been out all day working hard to earn and you have to give it away just like that. And God help you if you give them peanuts, apples or anything else that is good for them. You might as well just kick them from your doorstep to the kerb because they won’t complain about you so much. Whose idea was it to give them sweets and chocolate anyway?

Someone with half a brain that’s who. But seriously it is relentless every year. “Trick ‘r’ Treat” rings out annoyingly from those little kids as they profit from their free sugar buzz. What even is “Trick ‘r’ Treat” anyway? It is practically a threat of vandalism. Give us sweets now or we’re going to do something awful to you. How can anyone justify that as a yearly tradition? Even though the little brats don’t actually live up to the name of the custom. No, if there is anyone that practices that “trick” part of the culture it is those pubescent teens. Just as you begin to relax after your ESB bill has been escalated into unattainable heights due to the amount of times the doorbell has been pressed, fireworks begin to go off. And not those ones where you can sit back and look out your window at the beauty of the colours and patterns but the ones that sound like a cat being dragged through the street under a car tyre. And then the cats themselves begin to

wail and the dogs start to bark and those migraines that you used to get come back in their

droves. Is it too much to ask to be left alone? Apparently it is. So this year I’m cutting the cable of my doorbell, investing in a set of earplugs and living in darkness on the night of October 31; all in the name of trying to have some peace and quiet in my own home. Madness it is.

Adult Horror Story By Dean Buckley Let me tell you a tale of the most exquisite horror and the most dreadful delight. One day in the very near future, you will fall asleep, and when you wake up you won’t have another entire summer off for around forty years. Every single day of the week, you’ll be forced to perform up to twelve hours of dedicated labour with only the smallest of breaks – time you absolutely cannot use for any other purpose. The only people you’ll interact with in this impersonal hell are your direct competitors for increased resources in a world of ever-growing scarcity. You will gather periodically around dispensers of water or coffee to discuss banalities and feign interest in each other’s lives, even as you plot to undo them. At the end of each day’s sentence, you will amble home with hope in your heart, only to discover that dark place has sapped the very life from your bones, leaving you lethargic and incapable of deriving joy from the activities you love. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the weekend to recuperate and maybe even spend a few hours trying to distract yourself from the crushing inevitability of returning to the endless cycle of mindless production and listless slouching. And if you’re even luckier, you might get a solid week or two to experience the world you’ve been denied and fall in love with it all over again, only to have it ripped from your grasp like a child’s comfort blanket at the dawn of criminal liability. Of course, these are just the symptoms of the most fortunate anyway. Should you ever find love in this world, you will never ever be able to spend just the right amount of time with your better half. Either you can’t spend enough time between working or sleeping or you’ll be stuck spending too much time together in a single burst in an attempt to make up for the other days. And if you reproduce, you’ll never feel like a sufficient presence in your children’s lives whether you’re too distant or you overcompensate and suffocate them. Either way, somewhere in the hearts of your partners and children, a tiny shard of disappointment will prick them always, and they shall prick you in turn. And that’s if you’re fortunate. If not, you’ll have to survive on meagre scraps that barely keep a roof over your head, clothes on your body and food in your gut. Society will make you feel constantly like a parasite and even without the obligations of work, you’ll never actually have free time because you’ll be made to constantly apologise for your own victimisation at the hands of humanity. Yes, it’s all true, and it’s beginning now! Don’t you feel those cold spikes of worry in the back of your mind whispering bitter everythings all night long? And, finally, as you awaken one morning from uneasy dreams, you’ll find yourself transformed in your bed into a monstrous adult. Yes, it’s a tragedy of a disease.

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Costumes inspired by NUI Galway By Áine O Donnell Coming up with a unique and interesting Halloween costume year on year can become quite taxing. With exams creeping up on us and the work gradually mounting, the majority of students are spending all of their time on campus so where better to get inspiration for your Halloween ensemble? Here is Sin’s guide to costumes inspired by NUI Galway: SMOKEY’S PIGEON: Smokey’s pigeon is

fast becoming an icon and what better way homage to this legend than with a costume? Impersonating Smokey’s pigeon may seem like a daunting task but all you need is a beak

fashioned from an empty coffee cup painted orange and the insides of your mother’s finest down pillow glued onto a t-shirt. To commit to the look don’t forget to walk with a bit of a limp. Sure to be a popular one with the ladies. BIG YELLOW THING: The Big Yellow Thing

is an NUI Galway landmark and has been a meeting place for students for years. Creating the Big Yellow Thing costume takes a lot of commitment and many bowls of cereal. Once you have amassed several empty boxes of Aldi’s finest Coco Rice, get yourself some yellow paint (bought in an art shop or robbed from a younger sibling) and then assemble the feat of architecture with a friend and plenty of tape. The Big Yellow Thing costume is best

unveiled at a house party because it is unlikely that you will make any friends stabbing people with your sharp corners in a Galway nightclub. LIBO COP: No student will ever graduate from

NUI Galway without a good scolding from Libo Cop. Observing Libo Cop in action will be crucial to nailing this costume. After several hours of observation in the Silent Zone, you will need to get yourself a red tie, an officiallooking lanyard, a blue shirt and a face of fury. Before heading out, practice shushing in the mirror as part of your beauty regime. To truly wow all your friends, spend the entire evening breaking up shifting couples by informing them “people are trying to study” and threatening to kick out the DJ for playing loud music.

A FINAL YEAR: There is nothing scarier than a caffeine-starved final year during study week. To find an appropriate character, study before compiling the costume; just look in the windows of the reading room and wait for one of them to crack. Pull on your oldest and ugliest pair of tracksuit bottoms followed by some mismatched socks. You will also need to unearth your Leaving Cert hoodie and not wash your hair for at least a week to complete the outfit. You must only talk about how stressed you are and all your pending assignments on Halloween night. If you feel yourself starting to break character, just crouch in a corner and start crying while muttering about dissertations.

9 Halloween costumes for The Halloween costumes the lazy and quick-witted you see every year By Dean Buckley We don’t all have the time or the money or the energy to put together an elaborate costume for Halloween, but thankfully, there are options. HOMICIDAL MANIAC: In the wise words of

Wednesday Addams, “they look just like everyone else”. And if somebody questions whether it counts as a costume, just tilt your head forward and stare at them through your eyebrows. They’ll drop all complaints. FUNCTIONING ADULT: Let’s be fair,

there’s nothing quite as scary as impending adulthood. Bills, children, employment, responsibility. Just dress how you expect a middle-aged person with a respectable well-paid job would dress. Then walk up to your friends and say “hi, I’m you in twenty years, no matter how hard you try”. NUDIST ON STRIKE: Wear normal clothes,

but maybe look like you don’t wear normal clothes a lot. You’re not wearing anything on the wrong body part, but your co-ordination is off. As a finishing touch, ramble around screaming about how all you wanted to do was be naked in public, but then Charlie had to go and make it weird. Goddammit, Charlie. THE SPECTRE OF MORTALITY: Bounce from conversation to conversation, blending in with the ordinary flow of society. Then disrupt our voluntary refusal to be aware of the transience of the world by whispering the thoughts we lock away in the darkest part of ourselves. Life is just the process of marching towards the inexorable and consumptive void of death. Everything will fall apart, all that makes us who we are will one day return to the dust from whence we came. One day, there’ll be no one left to remember us.

THE SIMS: I would tell you to look up what

clothes are available in different versions of The Sims, but the games have an active and vibrant online mod community who’ve guaranteed that pretty much any clothing that exists anywhere in the world is available for download, so you can more or less go nuts, by which I mean dress in your own clothes. 404 COSTUME NOT FOUND: Unfortu-

nately, due to lag, your costume isn’t loading properly at the moment. Please try again later. Yikes, now you just straight can’t connect to the Internet. Maybe try switching it on and off again? Okay, we’re back but now it’s not connecting to the server. Whatever, you can just read a book instead or something. ALTERNATE UNIVERSE YOU: You are

a version of yourself from an alternate universe where the only difference is that your name is spelled with an apostrophe, but the apostrophe doesn’t actually affect pronunciation. Angrily correct anyone who doesn’t pronounce Jen’na correctly. GOD: You are the creator of reality,

the unmoved mover, the great I am, that which precedes all things, even time and causality itself. After all, who is anyone else to tell you what God looks like? And if they do challenge you, just ask them some questions. What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us? Just a stranger on a bus? GAME OF THRONES COSPLAY: Step one: find a white bed sheet. Step two: cut holes for your eyes. Step three: identify which of the beloved yet dead characters from the hit TV series Game of Thrones you’re representing. You have a lot of choices.

By Lisa Fogarty Every year Halloween manages to creep up on us unprepared students and suddenly, there is a mad last-minute dash into town to try and find something suitable to wear. As a result of this, there are a few costumes that reappear year after year that require minimal effort and cost very little. These last minute jobs are now a familiar sight in Eyre Square after midnight throughout Halloween week. ANIMALS: The animal costume couldn’t get much more cliché. The sight of tiger face paint or leopard patterns all over girls’ arms is a familiar look on Halloween. Of course, this can look well when done properly but when there are fifty tigers roaming around Galway on the same night, the wild animal costume turns into a plain old sheep just following the herd. MARIO AND LUIGI: Good old Mario and Luigi are bound to make an appearance, or two, or three, on Halloween night this year. This couple costume is sold in every fancy dress shop in the country and the duo is a very popular choice for lads. Simply slipping into the ready-made costume of Mario and Luigi involves so little effort which makes it the no-brainer costume for the Halloween festivities. DISNEY PRINCESSES: We have all seen the wannabe Disney princesses strutting their stuff down Shop Street every

alloween – these princess costumes H are anything but princess-like. Poor Snow White is reinvented with short puffy tutus, tight revealing bustiers, over the knee stockings and maybe even a cape. Walt Disney would turn in his grave if he saw the degraded state of his beloved princesses on Halloween. ARMY OFFICER: The army officer costume is seriously cliché and just plain predictable. The green and black camouflage will definitely be making an appearance this Halloween. It is an easy, last minute costume to throw together: a bit of camouflage gear, a pair of shorts and then just dirty yourself up a bit. There you have it, you’re an army officer. THE FATHER TED TRIO: Ted, Jack and Dougal are bound to make an appearance this year - though these costumes are just hilarious. This is one of the easiest costumes for lads to pull off last minute. The black suit and shirt, white collar with Dougal’s red sweater vest and Father Jack’s dishevelled appearance are so easily put together. These three may be an Irishonly cliché but who doesn’t love a bit of Father Ted. SANDY AND THE PINK LADIES: I’ll put my hands up straight away - I am guilty of dressing up as Sandy last year for Halloween. You can be sure that blondes everywhere have either done the same already or thought about going as Sandy this year. It is impossible to find a costume easier to do or more done than Sandy. The Pink Ladies are also very easy to do. College girls are forever in debt to Grease for making Halloween so unbelievably easy.

October 27 2014

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 17

Halloween Makeup Tutorials By Sorcha O’Connor and Grace McKeever

NATIVE AMERICAN MAKEUP

1. Apply base coat of foundation. 2. Use large brush to contour face with bronzer. 3. Trace the inside of the bronzer with the gold shimmer. 4. Use the brown palette to make an intense, smokey-eye. 5. Outline in black eyeliner and apply fake eyelashes. 6. Trace around nostrils in brown eyeliner and fill in with a brown shadow. 7. Outline mouth and attach a line from nose to lips. 8. Fill in lips with nude lipstick. 9. Draw on whiskers.

SIMPLE SKELETON

Complete the look… Backcomb hair and quiff the front section (for any retired Irish dancers, stick your wig on the back for a dramatic mane of hair!)

ONE-SIDED CANDY SKULL What you need: blue face paint, red face paint/ lipstick, fake eyelashes and bronze powder 1. After applying foundation, use a small paintbrush to trace a line across nose and cheekbones with the blue paint. 2. Use fingers to liberally apply more blue paint across face to thicken the line. 3. Take red lipstick/face paint and draw two short lines, one above and one below either side of the blue line. 4. Apply bronze shimmer to eyes and stick on fake eyelashes for a pretty, Pocahontas-inspired look! Complete the look… Boys: Any Aztec print clothing, a pair of chinos and you’re good to go! Girls: A white dress, a brown/Aztec waistcoat and a cute pair of boots.

FEROCIOUS FELINE

What you need: dark foundation, bronzer, gold shimmer, brown eye shadow palette, black and brown eyeliner, fake eyelashes and nude lipstick.

1. Cover face (and eyebrows) with white face paint 2. In small triangular form apply green face paint from eyelids to eyebrow arch 3. Apply blue face paint around green triangle reaching mid forehead 4. Outline eyes with black face paint and define the green triangles 5. Paint lips black 6. Draw, using black face paint, wacky eyebrows 7. Apply fake blood on face at your own discretion! 8. Place clown nose on or paint on using red face paint! Complete the look… Wear button-up pyjamas or a onesie, spray red hairspray in your hair and back comb to within an inch of its life!

What you need: White face paint, black eye shadow/face paint and moisturiser. 1. Apply white face paint. 2. Mix black eye shadow/face paint with some moisturiser for a smoother consistency. 3. Outline around eye i.e. underneath/over eyebrows using black eye shadow. 4. Make roughly 16 markings on the mouth coming both upwards and downwards from the lip line indicating teeth. Lines don’t need to be precise and straight. 5. At the hollows of cheeks make large black circles with points protruding further up cheekbones. 6. Paint the end of the nose black with points on either side of the bridge. 7. Using a brush smudge lines and create a smoky effect.

DEATHLY DOLL

Complete the look… Add points/ further lines down neck and onto collar bone for a more authentic look! What you need: white, black, red, yellow, orange, blue face paint, paintbrush, sponge. 1. Cover half of face in white face paint. 2. Use black to define the split down the face and fill out bottom of nose. 3. Fill in half of lips with black, making marks indicating stitches. Carry on a thinner black line up face, exaggerating mouth. 4. Use blue face paint and encircle your eye. 5. Using yellow, draw petals around the blue, define in black and exaggerate using the red face paint. 6. Create a small rainbow on forehead using the colourful paints. 7. Use black face paint sparingly to create a hollow on the bottom of the cheek with a sponge. Complete the look… You can look up floral patterns online for a more colourful look. Girls: A full flower hairband looks great with messy, tangled hair.

CREEPY CLOWN

What you need: White, blue, green and black face paint, fake blood and clown nose.

What you need: Foundation, coloured eye shadow, white face paint, black face paint (or liquid eyeliner), brown face paint/eye shadow and red lipstick 1. After applying foundation (covering eyebrows), paint on white semi-circles underneath the eye to give a wideeyed doll look. 2. Outline white semi-circles using black eyeliner or face paint and flick brush to create 5/6 small bottom “eyelashes”. 3. Use coloured eye shadow on eyelids and extend past eyebrows. 4. Draw thin eyebrows above coloured eye shadow. 5. Trace from corner of mouth outwards to mid cheek using black face paint placing some criss-crosses upon the line. 6. Paint on red lips. Complete the look… Wear a white blouse with a denim skirt/ pinafore and tie hair back using a ribbon.

18 HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

5 Artists to get Freaky Friday with this Halloween By Heather Robinson Halloween continues to garner a mixed reaction each year. Some people may prefer a quiet night in with a stack of good films (check out ‘Sorcha & Heather’s Infinite Gorelist’ for ideas), while others will be found busting their scariest dance moves on the floor. Whether you plan on going all out this year or having a more private party be sure to add these artists to your Halloween playlist for a mighty fine time. LORDE: This hauntingly clever singer will bewitch you with her hypnotic lyrics and sound. Lorde would be perfect to play during a scary story session or a night home alone if you’re feeling particularly gutsy. She’ll give any Halloween evening that extra chill factor. She has just the right amount of mystery and depth to set the tone for the night. Songs to listen to: ‘Glory and Gore’, ‘A World Alone’ and ‘Tennis Court’ PARAMORE: If you happen to throw on a Par-

amore album at a wild Halloween bash, don’t be surprised when everyone starts dancing uncontrollably. Who doesn’t like a good pop rock mosh pit? Easy to dance to, easy to love

and loaded with energy; Paramore will keep the party going even after the costumes have worn away and the makeup has smeared. What else could you ask for? Songs to listen to: ‘Now’, ‘Careful’, ‘Ignorance’ and ‘Proof’ MEAT LOAF:I’ve heard that a Meat Loaf per-

formance is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience; from bottling performances to divulging personal anecdotes, he’s always been a winner apparently. Look up his album trilogy Bat Out of Hell and have a top-class scare-fest with his unique and powerful vocal sound. It’s not a party without a little Meat Loaf. While you’re at it, check out his performances in Fight Club (1999) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Songs to listen to: ‘Two out of three ain’t bad’, ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’ and ‘Bat out of Hell’ MICHAEL JACKSON: Who can forget good

ole’ MJ? Michael Jackson will do more than ‘thrill’ you this Halloween Friday. Anyone who hangs out in the College Bar can testify that he’s a classic staple in any decent playlist regardless of season. He’s also inspired many costumes over the years (people just love dressing up like Michael Jackson don’t

they?). His hip-shaking tunes will have you moonwalking past midnight. Songs to listen to: ‘Thriller’, ‘Beat it’ and ‘Blame it on the Boogie’ SIA: A brief survey confirmed that Sia is at

the tip top of the party playlists this Halloween. Recommendations of her song

Sorcha and Heather’s Infinite Gore-list (See what we did there? Nick and Norah? Infinite Playlist? Yeah, we know.)

to look at bacon the same way! (pig-blood humour, sorry!).

By Sorcha O’Connor and Heather Robinson

BLAIR WITCH PROJECT: You think Paranor-

Superclub not your thing? Can’t decide between being a sexy pumpkin or a sexy Big Yellow Thing? Well here’s our infinite guide to a thrifty (student-budget approved) movie night this 31 October.

mal Activity was creepy? This, The Blair Witch Project absolutely trounces it on the terror scale. The amateur, hand-held camera effect drags you into the woods with these three film students and you are left to navigate the darkness alongside them. It’s a bone chilling, 90s scare-fest that made one of us pee their pants.

SCREAM: “What’s your favourite scary movie?”

HALLOWEENTOWN: Yeah ok, so this again

Could it be this tried and tested horror mystery? There’s a high impact serial killer on the loose and Sidney and her friends are on the list. Who can she trust? Who can save her? And is the cloaked killer closer than she thinks?

is down the line of Hocus Pocus when it comes to scariness. But this Disney, childhood favourite from 1998 is a must watch if the aforementioned pant-peeing isn’t your thing. Marnie, Dylan and Sophie race to get the ingredients to activate Merlyn’s wand to stop the evil forces threatening Halloweentown. Sounds exhilarating, right? Well, ok, maybe not but seeing as you are probably too old for Trick or Treating, you can secretly watch this for a trip down memory lane.

HOCUS POCUS: So maybe this one is a lit-

LOT S OF REFRE SH M E N P R OM

‘Chandelier’ echoed within these affirmations as everyone recalls the melancholy vibes making it all the more worthy. Her message on alcoholism and heavy partying is a resounding one and should be kept in mind this Friday. Better be safe than sorry guys! Songs to listen to: ‘Chandelier’.

tle less gore and a little more of a nostalgic treat this Halloween. This one is an oldie but a goldie, the adorable Max embarking on a whirlwind adventure on Halloween night with Salem’s Sanderson sisters hot on his and Thackery Binx’s tail. CARRIE: Stephen King’s gore-tastic, teleki-

netic horror masterpiece was transformed for the big screen in 1976 and 2013. Take your pick as Sissy Spacek (1976) or Chloe Grace Moretz (2013) in the role of the victimized Carrie, either way you won’t be able

If you exhaust this list (or we chose really badly with the ones we featured), look no further than The Ring, Paranormal Activity, Saw, The Exorcist, The Conjuring and The Cabin in the Woods. Maybe something will, eh, jump out at you. Hmmm, ok that’s a pretty poor joke but we have run out of Halloween humour. Enjoy!

REVIEW: The Devil’s Rejects By Tom Garavan

With gugai & Ted

music you love, music you love to hate and all your guilty pleasures

TUESDAYS & WEDNESDAYS, 11PM LATE BAR

EVERY NIGHT

After the events of House of 1000 Corpses Sheriff Wydell (Forsythe) leads a team of police to eliminate the infamous Firefly family. A firefight at the family home sees Otis (Mosely) and Baby (Moon) escape. Enlisting the help of their patriarch, Captain Spaulding (Haig) the trio embark on a bloody path to escape the righteous wrath of Rob Zombie follows up his cult classic with this sequel, The Devil’s Rejects, and quite aptly named it is. Whilst not as gruesome as House of a Thousand Corpses, this film really expands on the Firefly family’s workings. Released in July 2005, this film has really dated well. Nothing has really come close to showing the workings of such a sinister group (The Texas Chainsaw series perhaps).

It’s one of those few films where the focus is on the anti-heroes. We see what lengths they will go to for survival and this in itself is quite disturbing. Amazing performances by Mosely, Haig and Moon really bring the Firefly family to life. Their spontaneous actions will keep an audience on their toes. Zombie takes a seemingly tongue-incheek approach with some of the scenes. At one point the family is arguing over whether to get ice-cream. Considering they are on the run for over 75 murders, it’s nice to see they have priorities, right? If you want to feel uneasy, yet enthralled this Halloween, I definitely recommend giving this a look. The Firefly family will have you captivated and disgusted at the same time. And you can find out why everyone calls them ‘The Devil’s Rejects’.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN 19

Why you should watch American Horror Story By Laura Roddy Season four of American Horror Story: Freakshow premiered on 8 October on FX. Each new season brings with it a new horror story set in America. The first season is based on the story of a haunted house, the second in an insane asylum, the third is about a witch’s coven in modern-day Salem and the latest follows a circus freakshow. Unlike other TV shows, storylines don’t get exhausted and characters don’t become dull; which may mean that, perhaps, it will go on forever, or at least until its producers

run out of scary stories. The fact that each season is also a unit in itself means that if you don’t like one season you can skip and still enjoy the next; however, it’s rare for someone not to like this TV programme, even if horror and gore are not your thing. Once you get past the ‘scariness ‘of the series, or become desensitised, the storylines are brilliantly written and will keep you enthralled. This TV series is not like the average ‘scary’ movie you see in the cinema. And again, each series deals with a different type of ‘scary’, from ghosts to serial killers to witches.

REVIEW: Annabelle By Jane Kearns Coming on the tails of the hugely successful The Conjuring, James Wan’s latest creation is almost exactly what you’d expect from the team who produced some of the most successful horror movies of the past 10 years. Released just in time for Halloween, Annabelle comes as a sort of prequel to 2013’s The Conjuring and follows harrowing story of a family plagued by a demonic doll. This may sound like a thinly veiled reboot, but does a genuinely good job of raising the goose bumps and keeping tensions high throughout. The story opens with a brief prologue involving three unnerved nurses talking about a doll that moves around all by itself. The film then transports us to a year earlier, when John (Ward Horton) gives his pregnant wife, Mia (Annabelle Wallis) an antique doll. All is well until John and Mia’s neighbours are murdered by their estranged daughter Annabelle and her satanic boyfriend in a Manson Family-style killing spree that sees Mia stabbed in the stomach and Annabelle commit suicide with the doll in her grips. From here, things just go from bad to worse for John and Mia. In terms of plot, Annabelle has all the tropes Wan’s previous films; procession, a child in danger, a terrorized parent and an older ally willing to help save the young family from doom. This time however, Wan stepped back as director and allowed his cinematographer John R. Leonetti to take the helm and direct a film that is far more visually stimulating and, at times, scarier than its predecessors. Leonetti uses his knowledge as a cinematographer to craft simple scenes steeped in creeping, brooding menace, and deftly avoids going down the gore route to produce a film that relies more on anticipation than outright horror to thrill the audience. The performances are perfectly adequate for this type of film, Annabelle Wallis as Mia does a decent job as the terrorized young mother at the centre of the story and Tony Amendola and Alfre Woodard are great as the priest and friend who try to help.

Along with a jarring score and classic 70s horror feel Annabelle is a genuinely good modern horror movie, but despite this it is unlikely to have any enduring legacy. Still, it’s quite impressive that such an enjoyable and thrilling film can be wrought from a rather tired and silly premise.

The strength of this TV series is firstly its characters and secondly, the actors that play their parts. Actors from previous seasons are ‘recycled’ in new seasons. It is interesting to see them play different roles and sometimes they come across so different to their previous part you don’t recognize them for a few episodes in. For example, in the first season of American Horror Story, Murder House, Jessica Lange won three awards for her role as Constance Langdon, the lady who lives next door to the haunted house. In the second season, Asylum, she played the character of Sister Judy ‘Jude’ Martin.

It was in this season of Asylum that actress, Sarah Paulson shone through and was awarded, Best Supporting Actress at the Third Critics’ Awards and in the third season of American Horror Story, Coven, got the role of Cordellia Foxx, ‘mother’ of the coven. Two episodes in and American Horror Story: Freakshow seems as delightful as the others. With Lange starring as Elsa Mars, the lady who runs the freakshow, Sarah Paulson playing the characters of Bette and Dot Tottler who are Siamese twins and the familiar face of Evan Peters acting as Jimmy Darling, there seems to be plenty of treats ahead.

Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters reboot announced By Mark Laherty A Ghostbusters reboot starring an all-female team has been announced. Currently in development, the movie will be directed by Paul Feige (Bridesmaids, female buddy action comedy The Heat) and co-written by him and creative partner Katie Dippold of Parks and Recreation. In a lengthy interview with

Entertainment Weekly, Feig said he was initially hesitant. After all, the first two films are considered classics. Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal told him no one else wanted to touch it either. Nonetheless, Feig resolved to go ahead. “It’s a shame to just let this thing sit there. I want to see another one. My favourite thing to do is work with funny women. I was like, what if it was an all-female cast? If they were all women?,” he said. “Suddenly, my mind kind of exploded: that would be really fun. And then I thought, well, what if we just make it new? “It’s not coming into the world that existed before. It’s always hard if the world has gone through this big ghost attack, how do you do it again? “I wanted it to come into our world where there’s talk of ghosts but they’re not really credible, and so what would happen in our world if this happened today?” Feig also clarified that he’s actively trying to avoid damaging the original movies; “I love the first one so much I don’t want to do anything to ruin the memory of that. So it just felt like, let’s just restart it because then we can have new dynamics. I want the technology to be even cooler. I want it to be really scary.” No official movement has been made on casting. Original Ghostbuster Bill Murray suggested Emma Stone, Linda Cardellini, Kristen Wiig, and Melissa McCarthy. The project spent years in development as a direct sequel intending to bring back the beloved original team of Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis. After many script setbacks, it shifted to the idea of showing a next generation of wisecracking scientists – think Son of the Pink Panther. Efforts were further punctured by the death of Ramis and departure of original director Ivan Reitman earlier this year. Thus, Feig took a new approach for a fresh start, both for the project and the whole franchise. Feig tweeted on 8 October that the movie “will star hilarious women. That’s who I’m gonna call.”

20 HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

Who are we afraid of? By Dean Buckley I am not what one would call a horror nut. But my girlfriend is, and I study English, where horror is an incredibly important genre, so I have a lot of thoughts about what horror I do consume. For example, one of the reasons I love the horror masterpiece Sinister so much is because the whole thing proceeds with a slow certainty that’s a hundred times scarier than most slasher and monster films on the market. There is not a single moment where the characters will get out of this okay, because the villain represents the inevitability of death. That’s why the victims are killed by their own children, and all that remains of them is video footage. Sinister is about mortality and aging and legacy and replacement and remembrance. I think that’s a totally reasonable fear that we can all relate to, one way or another.

But we need to stop and think about what we’re afraid of when we watch a horror film, read a horror book or play a horror game. For example, Dracula is a compendium of lots of different traits that mark him as “other” to the cishet middle-class white male “default” of society. He’s foreign and physically deformed and disrupts the gender binary by acting as both mother and father in terms of vampire reproduction. He steals the women of the white heroes, and his evil plan is to flood the world with his equally parasitic young. Yes, Dracula is the monstrosity of “the foreigners are stealing our women” and “Britain is gonna be full of foreigners”. And you might think this is just pretentious literary nonsense, but I ask you to consider two things. One, this is a column in the literature section, what were you expecting? Two, we have stacks of evidence this kind of thing affects how people think.

For example, how many horror monsters can essentially be boiled down to “mentallyill people are super scary, you guys”? To name just one, there’s Mike Myers from Halloween. To name several more, there’s Norman Bates from Psycho, there’s Francis Dolarhyde from Red Dragon, there’s Jack Torrance from The Shining, there’s Annie Wilkes from Misery, there’s Henry Bowers from IT, goddamn, Stephen King, get your house in order. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest a link between the constant portrayal of mentally-ill people as dangerous monsters and the endless stigma against people with mental illness. People look at and think of us as unhinged and threatening. I’ve felt it before myself. There are better monsters that articulate better fears. How about the Xenomorphs from Alien, who represent the horror of rape and pregnancy? How about Margaret White from Carrie, who represents the horror of sexual ignorance and control? How

about Hannibal Lecter, who represents the scariest thing in the world; wealthy, educated white men? What are we being taught to think when we consume horror? In Silence of the Lambs, we’ve got Buffalo Bill, who’s a monster because of his confused gender and sexual identities. That’s bad. In Predator, we’ve got the Predators, alien/foreign savages usurping western men’s rightful place as the hunter instead of the hunted. That’s bad. To circle back to video games, I invite you to look at Bioshock, one of the most brilliant works of horror in living memory. Ultimately, every single villain is an extreme individualist who cares only about satisfying their own base desires, and nothing for the wants or needs or rights of anyone else. Those people exist, and we should be afraid of them. Think about who we fear.

The Jabberwock(y) – Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, Lewis Carroll.

Cthulhu - The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft Haunting fantasy and science-fiction since 1926, Cthulhu is the enormous beast with a tentacle beardface (sometimes depicted as just having a casual squid for a head), massive claws, scaly-rubbery skin, and of course it has huge satanic wings to match.

Top 5 Literary Monsters By Jenna Hodgins

It, or Pennywise the Dancing Clown – It, Stephen King.

The Balrog – Lord of the Rings universe, J.R.R Tolkien

For those of you who are not familiar with the book, Pennywise is the clown-form taken by the shape-shifting creature called ‘It’ by the locals of Derry, Maine. It lives in the sewers and preys on children, taking the form of the monster or thing most frightening to them which is often a scaryass sharp-toothed clown named Pennywise. The worst thing about It is the creature isn’t always this easily-recognisable demon clown all the time, therefore he’s hard to catch. It has appeared as a mummy, a leper, a talking sink (trust me that’s freaky) and even a carnivorous bird. The biggest jerk-move It has played was shape-shifting into his victims (all of which have had limbs removed) and haunted one of the victim’s friends. Arachnophobes, skip ahead. The creature’s true form is a giant spider who spins a web that if you look at it, will either make you go insane or you’ll just die.

Balrogs went through a rough enough time during the First Age. Eventually all that oppression, war and what appeared to be Balrog genocide left the species extinct except for one last Balrog – that’s our friend. No sympathy needed for this guy; he’s friendly with Orcs and earned the nickname ‘Durin’s Bane’ after he slaughtered the last Dwarf King in the Third Age. Also, in Gnomish, ‘Balrog’ derives from ‘balc’ which means cruel, and ‘graug’ meaning demon. Gandalf died fighting this guy after the ever-so-epic “you shall not pass” episode with the bridge. Fair enough, Gandalf the Grey became the more powerful Gandalf the White, but I think grey suited his complexion more.

The Jabberwock first appears in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass wherein Alice finds these nonsensical poems about “The Jabberwock with eyes of flame”, afterwards Alice comments on how it “seems very pretty”. Alice was definitely on acid. The Jabberwocky has become this great poem in the sense of its lexicon of nonce words and portmanteaus etc. etc., but the fact still remains the Jabberwock is so scary that Lewis Carroll had to make-up words to describe how horrifying it is. Tim Burton’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland features the Jabberwock who is voiced by Christopher Lee A.K.A Saruman, A.K.A Death, A.K.A plays the bad-guy-in-nearly-every-film-he’s-in.

Cthulhu is and looks nasty. However, he is described as a God that some deluded cults follow partially because of its telepathic abilities, and y’know, a fear of God complex perhaps too. Grendel – Beowulf

English students who actually read the books, you’ll understand why this one is particularly terrifying. For those who didn’t – make sure to look under your bed tonight before you sleep. Grendel is the monster of your childhood nightmares who feeds on strong warriors whilst they sleep. Beowulf got lucky and defeated Grendel because well, he’s Beowulf but then he had to deal with its mother. Grendel did have a face only a mother could love.

BOOK REVIEW: Nocturnes by John Connolly By Dean Buckley Some books haunt you, and Nocturnes by John Connolly is one of them, so what better book to review right before Halloween? One of the most unsung literary heroes of modern Dublin, the bearded and bescarfed man is best known for his series of detective novels concerning anti-hero Charlie Parker, but Nocturnes is the more beautiful and terrifying work, an anthology of short horror fiction bookended by a pair of novellas. Several of the stories owe something to masters of the genre, as with the opening novella, “The Cancer Cowboy Rides”, a brilliant homage to Stephen King.

But the short stories are the rather more interesting part of the collection, primarily because they’re all variations on what might seem like cliché topics. To pick some examples: one child gets kidnapped by evil circus folk; another child is replaced by a changeling; some more children are involved in sinister secret society operating within a British boarding school; yet another child is haunted by a monster from the forest. But what really sells these stories is Connolly’s refusal to cheapen them with lame twists. If there’s a twist, it’s always brilliantly unsettling, and where there’s not, he instead opts for a creeping inevi-

tability, replacing the shock of the reveal with the most intimate descriptions of a soul hurtling towards terrible despair. On the former’s hand, there’s the clown story, “Some Children Wander By Mistake”, the ending of which reveals the kidnapped child has slowly transformed into a clown and will now join these inhuman monsters in consuming the flesh of children. On the latter’s hand, there’s the changeling story, “The New Daughter”, which follows the father of the tale as he marches slowly and tearfully towards an inexorable fate. For a bit of both, “The Ritual of the

Bones” sees us through a meeting of a very obviously sinister secret school society that ends with the protagonist escaping the clutches of an eldritch abomination, only for it to be subtly implied that the British Empire is literally sustained by sacrificing the working class to said monster. Sometimes in his detective work, Connolly has been accused of a certain predictability and trite repetitiveness. If so, it’s nowhere to be found in Nocturnes, where his already excellent prose is brought to life by an astounding inventiveness Nocturnes is the essential read this and every Halloween.

EXPLORE

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Maoiniú €900 ar fáil in aghaidh an tionscadail All NUI Galway staff and students are welcome to apply. Apply now at www.su.nuigalway.ie/explore. Applications close: Wednesday, 5 November 2014

NUI GALWAY, YOUR NATIONAL F*&%KING TREASURE IS COMING TO YOU! Join National F*&%king Treasure, Performance Legend and Accidental Activist – Panti – in her hit comedy High Heels in Low Places, as she hitches up her skirt and hitchhikes to NUI Galway this November. Panti will be glamming up the O’Flaherty Theatre on Monday 17th November at 8pm. Tickets €5 from the Students’ Union Office and the SU Engineering Desk (NUIG Student ID Required) go on sale Tuesday 28th October. This warm and wicked evening of scandalously fun tales charts brushes with infamy, near misses with fame, and adventures in the seedy underbelly as Panti steadies herself (with gin) after the international whirlwind that has been dubbed 'Pantigate'. High Heels in Low Places played to chock-a-block houses and rave reviews earlier this year in Dublin’s Vicar Street, Cork’s Opera House and the Galway International Arts Festival. Critics called it “Hilarious” (Hotpress) and “a wickedly funny evening” (Irish Independent) with “impeccable one-liners” (The Herald). So round up your lover, your mother, your neighbour and your classmates as the ‘High Queen of Ireland’ invites you in to her ultra-padded, hyper-real, stilettoshaped world, embracing you in her over-inflated bosom and promising that you can ask her anything.

22 LIFESTYLE

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

Why we should say 'no' to sugar By Laura Roddy The sugar debate has really become a big topic of conversation in Ireland over the past three years. Some stories in the national papers have questioned if sugar is the new cocaine with many doctors confirming it contributes to obesity, cancer and heart disease. This minute granulated white stuff is, in fact, eight times more addictive than cocaine and Americans are consuming 152 pounds of it a year. According to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing led by Trinity College, Dublin, four out of five people over the age of 50 in Ireland are either overweight or obese. For years, the general consensus among dieticians, doctors and nutritionists was that diets high in fat contribute to obesity. Low-fat products have been on the market for over ten years and despite people purchasing them and becoming more “health-conscious” the fat problem is actually getting worse. Furthermore, these products are loaded with sugar in order to make them taste better now that they have lost their fat. Professor Donal O’ Shea of the Royal Col-

lege of Surgeons maintains that scientific evidence shows that sugar contributes to obesity more than ever before. It is interesting to note that the rise of obesity levels within Ireland correlate to the import in sugar. In the 1900s when sugar was a luxury and not every home was stocked with it, obesity was not a problem in Ireland; families would have a fry every morning for breakfast and the idea of low-fat milk did not exist. However, with the rise of the imports in sugar, this began to change and as the twentieth century wore on the obesity problem became bigger. This echoes globally as in the US from 1970 to 2000 there has been a 25% increase in added sugars. The Irish government has been playing with the idea of implementing a sugar tax in order to tackle the growing problems of obesity and type II diabetes in Ireland. Australia have a tax on sweets and France has a tax on fizzy drinks. So what is it about sugar that makes it so bad for us and why do we like it so much? There are two basic units of sugar: fructose and glucose. Everything that we eat, whether it is carbohydrate, protein, vegetable or fruit, breaks down to glucose in

our bodies. Glucose is then utilised by our bodies and changed into energy. This is what keeps us alive and ticking. David Gillespie, author of the Sweet Poison books, maintains that glucose is good for us but fructose is harmful to our bodies. Table sugar (sucrose), the stuff that is added to every baked good, bar of chocolate, can of coke, processed food and most condiments and sauces is divided into half glucose sugar and half fructose sugar.

In the 1900s when sugar was a luxury and not every home was stocked with it, obesity was not a problem in Ireland. Gillespie goes back to the cave men. When our forefathers were once hunting and gathering food in the forest or jungles the sweeter a substance tasted, the more energy that it contained. For this reason, the starving caveman would get excited when he tasted something very sweet and it was programmed

in our minds since then that sweet was positive. However, it was rare for a caveman to come across an apple or a piece of fruit and even rarer for him to come upon honey. Fructose just wasn’t part of their diet and the small measures of it found in fruit at rare occasions meant that the caveman’s body did not have to deal with it; because of this the human body was not built to digest it. When it is eaten in large quantities, such as in sugary drinks and sweets it goes into our bodies undetected by the part of our brain that recognises, fat, carbohydrate and protein and tells us when we are full; it is stored in fat tissues in the body and furthermore, as our brain cannot process it, we do not know when we are full of it. One must remember, however, when applying this to fruit that there is only 5-6 grams of fructose in an apple for example; unlike with fizzy drinks this is mixed with fibre and minerals. The human body is not likely to eat two apples in a row but it can easily drink two cans of coke, containing 19.5 grams of fructose each.

LIFESTYLE 23

October 27 2014

The Essence of a Beard

By John Brennan You should be about a month into your beard growth. At this stage you should be tentatively tip toeing your way up the path towards true manhood. I’ve every faith that with my tutelage we can turn you into a manlier man than Macho Man Randy Savage. A beard should engage all of the senses. Both yours and the senses of the countless envious onlookers you now interact with on a daily

basis. It is your responsibility – nay, your duty – to fully harness and maximise this unspeakable potential currently scruffing up your face. We’ve discussed why you should grow a beard and how to lay the foundations required to actually pull off an epic, jealousy-inducing behemoth of a beard. Now we head for the unmistakeable aromas required to fully utilize your potentially high-calibre beard. To strengthen beard growth, punch yourself in the face. Go ahead; I’ll give you a moment. Dry your eyes and let’s continue on our journey to the mecca of masculinity. You can rock an epic beard, sure. Remember you need to style it, dress it and pamper it appropriately. If you don’t your beard is akin to a Scottish Terriers arse. So take care of your face and the beard it houses. I don’t mean book it into a spa, give it a bubble bath and mollycoddle it. I mean literally wash your goddam beard. Effectively, it’s the frontline of your face so treat it well. Personally, I use L’Oreal Hydra Energetic Charcoal Scrub to wash my face and beard. On occasion I have also used shampoo and conditioner which positively fluffify your beard to upside down afro proportions. It should also be clear by now that your beard gives you the uncanny ability to coin expressions. The larger the beard; the better and catchier the expressions you can coin. The Charcoal Scrub has a texture that is luxurious, callous and conducive to improving testosterone levels (probably).

A healthy beard also gives you the ability to make totally unsubstantiated claims like the one above. Before you think that goes against the very fabric of the man you hope to become, Grizzly Adams washed his beard and he used this ability to actually befriend a bear. Seriously; an actual bear. Also, you’ll notice the words ‘bear’ and ‘beard’ are practically the same. They no longer need to be mutually exclusive. Your mission for this issue is to use your beard to befriend an actual grizzly bear. As we’re well on the way towards the dark and dank recesses of the Irish winter at this stage, you’ll see that in fashion and thermal terms your beard should negate the need or necessity for a scarf. Your beard is an anatomical scarf. The larger and thicker it gets the more suave, nonchalant and weather proof you’ll be, so just unleash the beard. No scarves mean that you save money. So in these financially perilous times you must find wealth in beard terms, not fiscal ones. Wool and beards go together like beards and beards. That isn’t a typo. You should only socialize with other bearded people, so you better start that Facebook cull with all the requisite expediency expected of one of Obi Wans apprentices. Get to it young paduwan.

A manly Irish beard should typically smell like turf. I appreciate not everyone is an energy luddite like myself and probably use gas or electricity, so turf may not be an option. Now, if you’re trying to grow a beard and still wearing Joop, then I suspect you still wear Lynx Africa and probably don’t deserve the beard you’re trying to cultivate, so shave it off and stay forever young basking in the essences of youth and prepubescence. Smells that should typically accompany your beard include Paco Rabanne Invictus, Diesel Only the Brave (Tattoo) and Hugo Boss. Other essences may be acceptable but these are quintessential man smells. Using the likes of Abercrombie&Fitch, Spicebomb or David Beckham are actually scientifically proven to damage your beard growth and more importantly people’s perception of your previously flourishing masculinity. Petrol, firelighters, cut grass, scotch and vanilla are other smells that I feel offer you the greatest chances of harnessing beard potential. Your beard should be growing, structured, tidy and aromatic at this stage. Next we’ll take you towards the next stage of masculinity and the inherent link between beards, toughness and weights.

Bearded Backpacker: A rough guide to Inter-railing By John Brennan Inter-railing is something everyone needs to do. It’s a rite of passage. It was the first extended period of time in which I fended for myself and didn’t have a safety net home being just a bus or taxi away. It is something that definitely sets you well on the path to being bitten by the travel bug. You’ll suffer from perennial itchy feet after your trip. Grabbing trains across Europe is a great way to spend a month. I booked my inter-rail pass for about €320 at the time which gave me 22 days of continuous travel across Europe. Essentially it activates from the first time you use it to get on a train and expires 22 days after that date, so get where you are going and know your route. Well-planned trips will allow you to maximize your backpacking exploits at a lower cost. You can book yours or at least research which one suits you best on www.interrail. eu; they offer a comprehensive list of maps, rail timetables and information which will be invaluable to all potential inter-railers. I’d advise you grab some travel insurance, a decent backpack and some comfortable shoes. These three will combined with an inter-rail pass and a wad of cash guarantee awesome times. First things first though: planning the route. I went Amsterdam-Berlin-PragueKrakow-Bratislava-Budapest-Zagreb-Lake Bled-Salzburg-Munich. I booked a flight to Amsterdam and booked a flight home from Munich some six weeks later. Everything in between was an adventure.

I’ve decided to throw up five places I’d definitely recommend. You can tweet me questions (@Jbrennan88) regarding the others if you’d like. Amsterdam is a ridiculously pricey city. Book your hostel well in advance. Food, drink and other things Amsterdam is famed for are all quite expensive. Amsterdam is both a beautiful and an easily navigable city. Tourist sites like Anne Frank’s House, Van Gogh Museum, Heineken Experience and even things like the Amsterdam Arena (Ajax’s home ground) all cost a fair bit and while you’re flush at the start of your trip, bear in mind you’ll need to budget for all these things. The other side of Amsterdam – the noncultural side – has its pitfalls and expenses. Look after yourself here, be sensible and beware the “friendly” guys and girls trying to sell you most things. Don’t over spend here. It’s a huge trap and easily done. Berlin is an absolutely amazing city. In historical, cultural and recreational terms it packs a serious punch. Museum Island is awesome and thoroughly worth a day of your time at least. Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gates, Reichstag and the poignant Holocaust memorial are all things you simply have to visit. This sprawling city is another easily navigable one. It’s not all culture though. The night life in Berlin is outrageous. Raves, dusk till dawn clubs and pretty much anything you can imagine. It’s an awesome place to spend a few days and nowhere near as pricey as the ‘Dam.

Prague is cheap. Prague, like Berlin, has some really beautiful landmarks and really packs a cultural punch. Prague is a city with an unavoidable undercurrent of gothic architectural magnificence. It also has an unavoidable five-storey night club and is fantastically priced. Great beer; castles; parks and clubs; what more could you want? Krakow: What a city. I absolutely implore you to go to Krakow. With a marked dark recent history involving the Nazis and the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp is something every person needs to experience to understand the darkest aspects of human nature. Oscar Schindler’s factory definitely warrants a trip too while in the city. Krakow is a hugely friendly city. It’s quaint, medieval and rustic all at once. The market square is a sprawling expanse and really something to behold. Polish cuisine is really good too. Nightlife in Krakow genuinely takes some beating. It’s a perfect balance of acting the maggot and learning a lot about the world around you. Great spot altogether. Budapest : Two separate cities and once the centrepiece of the maelstrom of countries that made up the now defunct Hapsburg Empire; Buda and Pest. With a myriad of small streets to lose yourself in, monuments to mark the passing of Communism, the Turkish baths and the castle sitting on one side of the Danube and the Zoo located on an island in the middle

of it, it is unlike anywhere else in Europe. With government buildings that loom and impress and Cathedrals that tower over the city, Budapest really holds its own. Watch your pockets here and be wary of dodgy overcharging taxis. These are just five of my favourites I think your trip needs to include. There are many other great places to go but this is obviously a subjective list. In terms of a budget I’d reckon you’d need to set aside 50 a day for food and drink if you’re that way inclined and between 10-15 quid for a dorm room. If you’re sensible with money you’d easily get away with €1,500 spending money for a month, but it’s always good to have extra money in case of an emergency. Next up we’ll discuss South East Asia on a shoestring budget.

24 LIFESTYLE

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

BetaBrand hire female comedians to model Fall Comedy Collection By Claire Stone BetaBrand has always been unique. As the creators of the ‘dress yoga pant’ and ‘cordarounds’, their clothes have been questionable at the best of times. This week Betabrand are in the spotlight again with their decision to hire female comedians to model their Fall Comedy Collection. The feature contains quirky, fun pictures of the comedians posing in apparel like the “brain scan dress” and “gay jeans”. The decision was born from their previous success of hiring PhD students to model their spring smart collection. The company hoped to create a campaign that would build around their reputation of being smart and cheeky while introducing their brand to intellects in various career paths. BetaBrand have been praised around the globe for their choice to celebrate the achievements of women through modelling, a platform many view as oppressing for women. Choosing to showcase intelligence as beautiful is a refreshing stance to modelling, as many critics have pointed out. The message and concept behind BetaBrand’s campaign is one that I would love

to buy into. Trouble is, I’m not entirely convinced they’ve gone about it the right way. The truth is, the ordinary model has been hurt. This campaign relies on stereotypes; it is reinforcing the idea that models are dumb. Modelling is a serious career. Gruelling and demanding as it is; it’s one that people often forget involves real skill that requires serious training to master (I’ve watched all the seasons of Americas Next Time Model, I know what I’m talking about). Quite often, models do not get the recognition they deserve for their fair trade. What is the intelligence this campaign talks about? Is it having a degree, a PhD or a successful career? If so, what are we saying to the people who aren’t “intelligent”? And what if I’m not pretty or intelligent? Where does that leave me? If we want to truly make people feel better about themselves should we not be showing that there is beauty in being ordinary too? Sending a message isn’t what this campaign is about. Look at the campaign from a marketing perspective. It’s extremely clever. Try deny that their apparel is definitely aimed more towards the welleducated, upper middle class (they sell “Corporate Ladder Climbing Pants” and “Executive Hoodies” after all).

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Using smart people, with a high profile, to model their clothes for them screams success gains the attention of their target audience by showcasing that they appreciate intelligence, and in turn those, while attracting the attention of the media worldwide as they no doubt intended. However critics must ask themselves if it’s fair to fault them. With a “citizen app” that encourages customers to act as models, one must give Kudos to Betabrand for trying to challenge the values

of society and indeed the modelling industry. It’s got to start somewhere. We need people brave enough to do it.

Look Good Feel Better Campaign By Orla Furey Look Good Feel Better Campaign (LGFB) is a programme for cancer patients receiving treatment or in remission. The Campaign deals with cancer patients struggling to cope with the changes their treatment is having on their physical appearance and emotional wellbeing. The support service is free of charge. It is open to men and women. For men, in particular, support is provided for skin changes, hair loss and ways of managing stress. In addition women are taught the latest techniques for cosmetic application. LGFB helps teenagers diagnosed with cancer come to terms with the effect their illness has on the social aspect of their lives. The campaign is in place in over twenty countries around the world, including Ireland, the U.S. and Germany. It was founded in 1989 by the personal care

products council foundation, a charitable organisation founded by the personal care products council. Professionals in the beauty and cosmetics industry volunteer with LGFB. The programme is supported by donations and fundraising. The original idea for the organisation originated when a doctor asked the former Personal Care Products Council President Ed Kavanaugh to help provide a ‘’makeover’’ for a woman receiving cancer treatment. The woman was experiencing depression as she was unable to cope with the negative effects her treatment was having on her appearance. She was so self conscious she refused to leave her room. Kavanaugh provided the woman with a cosmetologist and cosmetics. The makeover immediately uplifted the woman’s spirit and so the simple idea soon turned into LGFB.

Brace your skin, winter is coming By Lisa Fogarty At this time of the year the weather really can wreak havoc on your skin and dealing with chapped lips, cracked and dry skin becomes a daily struggle. Tackling these problems can be done by throwing a few of these skincare essentials into your bag before going outside to face the day.

moisturiser that softens, soothes and relieves dry skin. As it is high in fatty acids and nutrients, it is able to penetrate further than the top layer of skin. This means that cocoa butter deeply hydrates and nourishes the skin. Palmer's Cocoa Butter cream comes in pocket size form – perfect for quick relief from dry skin. It smells wonderfully of coconut too! AVEENO RESTORE & PROTECT HAND CREAM:

VASELINE: Vaseline is probably the best thing

Available at SU Shop, SU Reception, and Reception (Archway): only €5 Proceeds to SU charities (Console and BelongTo) Calendar features winning photos from Capture Your Campus photo competition 2014 (Mark & Marina, above, have photos featured) www.nuigalway.ie/captureyourcampus

ever invented when it comes to dry skin or chapped lips. It is not a moisturiser, but a petroleum-based gel which can be used to soften and lock in moisture on dry skin. When applied to chapped lips, it helps retain moisture and prevents your lips from drying out. Vaseline is also a great remedy for upstarts under your nail beds. The cold is particularly harsh on this area of skin and Vaseline helps to protect and soothe painful upstarts. PALMER'S COCOA BUTTER FORMULA CONCENTRATED CREAM: Cocoa butter is a

miracle-worker on dry skin. It is an advanced

A little tube of hand cream is a handbag or 'man'-bag must-have. Aveeno hand cream is non-greasy, easily absorbed and non-fragranced, which is better for dry skin. It relieves very dry and chapped hands from the tight and irritable sensation of dry skin. Rub a small amount of this cream onto your hands before wrapping them up against the cold and they will remain protected for the day. E45 Dermatological Cream is another pocket size hand cream which helps soothe and relieve dry or chapped skin. Any one of these products will help protect your dry skin or chapped lips from the cold this winter.

LIFESTYLE 25

October 27 2014

STUDENT SPEAK: Does the gym make your physique more desirable? By Chelsea Tabert and Claire Stone

Some of the braver lads straight up admit that appearance is what motivates them to go The gym would be a dismal place without to the gym; the idea of making themselves the boys there to keep one company. Nearly more attractive to the ladies. every one of us has thought something simiMaybe the truth then, is that it’s a healthy lar at one point in our busy, or not so, gym bit of both. lives. “I initially started going to the gym to get It appears that today’s lad culture has become fit, then it became addictive. Girls started to gym culture. Why such a drastic change notice me more, so I suppose I keep it up for both now,” said James in lifestyle choices? Perhaps it’s the never ending shows Pham (final year Science). Whatever the realike Geordie Shore son for going to that create a much the gym, some larger impact part of it must on our selfbe because esteem than it’s enjoyable. thought. Has O t h e r w i s e, it changed like a bad the norms HEALTH AESTHETICS fad diet, they of society, what we find just wouldn’t attractive and do it. what we strive Whether to be? it be the odd The majority glance from Why lads go to the gym of the lads surthe fit girl across veyed claim that the gym, the envious looks from fellow they go to the gym lads, or the feeling of solely for health reasons. The odd smirk or two accomplishment it gives that accompanied this so-called you, one of these aspects must be truth told a different story, however. enough motivation to keep going.

“I see it as a sport. I want “It shows they have a hobby, or something they care to see how much I can achieve. Plus, it makes about. Not just drinkyou feel so good ing and being a and full of energy general party Are girls more attracted afterwards,” said boy,” said Louto gym goers? Joshua (2nd ise (3rd year year EngineerArts). ing). While othInteresters admitted ingly, the theywereeasily attracted to girls were the physique pretty split of a regular on the idea NO YES of whether the g y m - g o e r, physique of gym they stressed goers was attrachow it would tive to them or not. be a priority for While the majority them when looking did seem to approve of for a man. guys and their gym culture, “It wouldn’t be a dealthey were also quick to point out breaker. It’s just nice,” said Fiona that it wasn’t always the physical attractive- Lynch (2nd year Arts with Journalism). So what can we take from all this? ness that they found appealing. “I wouldn’t necessarily have a preference With a clear divide between the girls’ for someone who works out, but I do like the opinion of whether gym-ing really matidea that the lad looks after himself,” said ters in a partner; it’s a safe bet to say Siobhan Byrne (3rd year commerce). you should do whatever you feel most Many girls also expressed the importance comfortable with. of the motive behind going to the gym; if it The pressure of gym culture isn’t what was a passion for sport and not an obsession it seems. Maybe it’s just a ghost we’ve all with looking good. conjured up.

STYLE SPOTTERS By Áine Leech and Fiona Lynch

AOIBHÍN MCGONAGALL

KAYLA

MICHAELA O'SHAUGHNESSY

ESTHER WATERS

BOOTS: Docs BAG: Marc Jacobs JACKET: H&M SCARF: Penney WINTER MUST-HAVES: Sparkly dresses CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Hats and Docs

CARDIGAN: Bershka JEANS: River Island SHOES: Converse WINTER MUST-HAVES: Scarves and knits CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: High-waisted jeans

COAT: Grandfather's (Vintage) BOOTS: Steve Madden SCARF: Zara DRESS: Asos WINTER MUST-HAVES: Over-

DRESS: H&M TOP: Vintage - East London thrift store SHOES: Office WINTER MUST-HAVES: Fur-trimmed

sized scarf, black Chelsea boots CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Her Longchamp bag BLOG: lifeofaladybear

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Vintage Schoolbag

boots, camel coats, furry hats

26 ENTERTAINMENT Analysis of the American Sniper Trailer By Mark Laherty A new trailer has landed for Clint Eastwood’s upcoming American Sniper, an action biopic starring Bradley Cooper as prolific sharpshooter Chris Kyle. Based on the SEAL’s autobiography, the film shows Kyle’s service in Iraq, and how his skill earned him the admiration of his allies and the unwelcome interest of enemies and insurgents. The trailer focuses on the building of tension rather than giving away the action. Even before we’re past the logos, the recognisable sound of a rifle being loaded is heard – the key here is atmosphere. Next, a nice close-up of noted space racoon Bradley Cooper’s beard. Kyle has a man on a comms unit in his crosshairs. He’s told by his superior to take the shot if he thinks the man is asking the opposing troops to move

– but, as someone beside him notes, he could just be calling his mother. This sets what seems to be a recurring philosophical dilemma in the movie: to decide based on limited evidence whether to kill someone, and to have no means of knowing for sure that the right decision was taken. This conflict is reprised as a suspicious woman and child walk through the wrecked plaza, which flashes back and forth to memories of Kyle’s family life. Yes, it seems a fair chunk of this movie will be given over to a subplot about our sniper trying to be a good husband and father from the other side of the world. This isn’t a move I’m particularly optimistic about. Since we’re only given a series of three-second clips of it, it’s difficult to say whether this will be a good dramatic angle on the character or if it’ll just fall flat.

Having said that, the contrast between the warzone and playing with his kids definitely works. If all this seems artsy and refined, be aware that the ending of the trailer descends into an audio track of escalating heartbeats and rushed breathing, which is about as cutting-edge as that French movie about the trip to the moon. It’s clear that Clint Eastwood knows how to make a movie – we all knew that by now anyway. What I’m concerned about is the story upon which these finely executed techniques are draped. Look past the razzle-dazzle: grizzled SEAL has family issues, fights for his life, and looks awesome. This movie will clearly be a case study in the technical craft of filmmaking, but so far the only part I’m at all invested in is Bradley Cooper’s beard. American Sniper is scheduled for release on 16 January 2015.

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

REVIEW: Stretch By Ken Glennon This month sees the return of The A-Team and The Grey director Joe Carnahan with the low-budget action-comic curio Stretch. Shelved by Universal Studious, having been slated for release last March, Carnahan’s latest makes its way to video on demand this month Patrick Wilson is the eponymous Stretch, a downtrodden limo-driver who over the course of one day must pay off six thousand dollars in gambling debts or face grievous bodily harm. And he’s single, stalking his ex (Brooklyn Decker), a recovering addict, unemployed actor and doesn’t believe in fate as we’re informed in a six-minute opening narration that clarifies Stretch is approaching middle-age with “jack shit” to show for it. Offering a long-shot chance at redemption is a debauched billionaire who skydives, mostly naked, onto Stretch’s car offering to pay off his debts should he complete a night’s worth of unique requests. Said naked billionaireskydiver is played with relish by Chris Pine, looking like Charles Manson and with a manic glare in his eye that offers a bulldozer to the Cap-

tain Kirk personas Pine’s become a star with. What follows, after an unencouraging opening involving a bizarre and unwelcome intrusion by David Hasellhoff (and a fun cameo by Ray Liotta) is an increasingly enjoyable obstacle course of a night for the ever engaging Wilson to survive. From a hedonistic social club favoured by Pine’s sadomasochist client, an FBI under-cover operation, evading the brute force of a rival limo companies enforcer and the grating presence of a former driver turned suicide turned hallucination (Ed Helms), Stretch has fun putting Patrick Wilson through a marathon of depraved oddballs and scenarios only to dust him down and set him off again. There are touches of Fight Club in Pine’s dialogue (complete with motivational self-punching) and Wilson’s dissatisfied smart-mouth who spends the night trying to dig his way out of a life rut and the tone bears a closer resemblance to the perverse and random gags found in Smoin’Aces (Pine’s comic closing speech in that film about randomness and the way of the world could have been a thematic jumping-off point for this film).

Not everything thrown at the screen works. Namely the grating, self-satisfied deceased driver played by Ed Helms who appears to Stretch from time to time to taunt him as well as Hassellhoff’s mercifully brief cameo which features a pointless monologue about Hassellhoff and sodomy that isn’t very funny. In both cases the humour falls flat or just reeks of random for random’s sake and Pine’s droning billionaire doesn’t have the devastating impact I think the film-makers aspired to. Those gripes aside Carnahan and his very fine cast score more hits than misses. With a comparatively limited budget but seemingly free to do whatever he could afford, Carnahan inventively has fun with increasingly outlandish results. He’s blessed with a terrific leading man, at once likeable, quick-witted and comically adaptable to the myriad of perversities thrown his way. While the eccentricities prevalent in Stretch make it understandable that a big studio wouldn’t back it, in a positive sense it looks like a film that was made independently. It’s worth seeing for Patrick Wilson and having promised to refund anyone online who didn’t like the film I think Carnahan’s money is safe.

LUNCHTIME LECTURES: Sin’s Poetry Dr Justin Tonra Competition The Special Collections is Back

Lunchtime Lectures Series 2014/5 will continue on Wednesday 5 November with "Bad Books: On the Value of Error and Imperfection" by Dr Justin Tonra from the English Department. In comparison with the fluid and ephemeral electronic texts of our digital age, early printed books (14501850) bear visible traces of how they were made, where they have been, and how they were used – and perhaps more obviously when they contain errors or imperfections. This talk will examine a number of bad books from NUI Galway’s Special Collections, arguing that they possess a fruitful and productive individuality which

poems sing soft truths as does weak advertising and yet here we are your words will appear in most resplendent black ink on these very pages

can allow us to better understand and appreciate their value, and the wider history of books. Some of our bad books will be on display during the talk. All are welcome to the G011 Seminar Room in the Hardiman Building at 1pm, but please do arrive early as seating is limited.

we have just one rule one-hundred and twenty lines or less if you like email your entries literature.sined @gmail.com yes, this is haiku I am the lit editor what did you expect CLOSING DATE:

Friday 14th November

28 SPORT

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

Corofin capture 16th title Galway SHC: Portumna face uncertain wait By Michael Farrell

It was a game as one-sided as the bookmakers odds of 1/12 suggested before the match, as Corofin defeated St. Michael’s on a score line of 5-12 to 0-9 and retained the Frank Fox Cup. It was always going to be a difficult ask for St. Michael’s to defeat the defending champions, but even more so when you consider the fact that the Galway city based club do not even have a home pitch at the moment. With their grounds on Seamus Quirke road out of action for the last four years, the Newcastle/Westside club had been forced to train on any pitch they could find around Galway city. The club even had a spell using the NUI Galway pitches in Dangan while they were on their travels. This year was also the first time they qualified to the SFC final. Contrast this with the winning machine that is Corofin GAC. After their latest win, they have now 10 county titles since 1997. However, despite the odds on a Corofin win, the game still had to be played. St. Michael’s started well with a free from Eddie Hoare, but after that the game was all but finished by a ruthless scoring spree from the defending champions. They racked up 2-7 without reply, the goals coming from Michéal Lundy and Michael Farragher. Half backs Liam Silke, Ciaran McGrath and Alan Burke were also prominent and raided from defence to grab a score each. John Kenny’s men did manage a small rally near the end of the first half, kicking

three scores and leaving the score at 2-9 to 0-4 at the halftime break. Corofin were enjoying all the play and, in truth, St. Michael’s could have been further behind only for their efficiency in front of goals — they managed to convert four of their five first half chances. The Westside men did start the second half better and enjoyed their best spell of the match up until the 46th minute, when Lundy grabbed his second goal. Also instrumental in the semi-final victory over Milltown, with a haul of 1-3, Lundy’s pace was a constant threat to the St. Michael’s defence. Lundy’s goal had put a stop to the St. Michael’s purple patch, where Eamon Brannigan, Brian Madden and Captain Eddie Hoare had raised white flags, and the game petered out near the end. Gary Sice and substitute Joe Canney added further goals at the death to give the scoreboard a thoroughly lopsided look. St. Michael’s didn’t deserve to lose by 18 points, but that margin really does show that Corofin are a class above any other team in Galway at the moment. Speaking after the game, Michéal Lundy said; “It is the first time for many of us to win back-to-back titles so we will enjoy this first and then turn our attentions to the Connacht championship.” Clearly both Lundy and Corofin will feel that there are bigger challenges on the horizon and will be aiming to at least get to the Connacht SFC final; especially after a disappointing one point loss to Castlebar Mitchels in last year’s semifinal.

Archery season in full swing By NUI Galway Archery club The Clubs Day was a fantastic success, seeing over 450 of you signing up to the NUI Galway Archery club. Congratulations. For what, I hear you say? The beginning of the new term means the start of our beginner course that sees all you beginners turning out on Wednesdays for training. With six weeks now completed, this means they have successfully completed the beginner course. Don’t worry if you have been unable to make it, you’re still able to come along and attend at any stage. The Irish Open Indoor Championships will be hosted by University Limerick on 1 and 2 November. Archers of all levels from around the country will compete for the top rankings to start the season and battle it out to retain the top spot in the national rankings. NUI Galway Archery club will have two current students and one alumni competing in the compound team and two Recurves as well. Saturday will see them scoring 60 arrows with a maximum score of 600, to be ranked for the head to head

on Sunday. The team rounds will then take place on Sunday evening. This will then pave the way for our first Intervarsity which will be held in Dublin City University on 22 November. 12 of our finest archers along with a few beginners will be going alone in all three categories: Barebow, Recurve and Compound; these three categories also have three levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced. Every archer is fighting for the top spot on the intervarsity championships, even within our own club.

LAST YEAR’S RESULTS WERE TEAM RESULTS: Recurve 5th, BareBow 1st,

Compound 1st INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 1st male recurve, 2nd

male Barebow, 1st female Barebow, 1st male compound We are hoping to continue the success of last year and even improve on the overall scores in all categories. Watch this space for updates on results and rankings throughout the year.

By Michael Farrell The Galway Senior Hurling Championship is in a state of chaos, as Portumna wait in the final for the eventual victors of the Turloughmore/Beagh deciding group game. The deciding group match has already been played, with Turloughmore coming out on top of a 1-19 to 0-16 score line. However, Beagh lodged an objection after the match on the basis that defender Matthew Keating, who played for Turloughmore in the game, was ineligible to do so.

At the time of writing, this dispute is still rumbling on. A likely outcome is that, in classic GAA fashion, the match will be replayed.

Keating had been granted a transfer to play with U.S team Long Island Gaels, during the summer. A player is not supposed to play in two different championships and so Turloughmore appeared to be in breach of these rules.

Keating, a former All-Ireland winning minor, had been granted a transfer to play with U.S team Long Island Gaels, during the summer. According to the rules of this transfer, a player is not supposed to play in two different championships and so Turloughmore appeared to be in breach of these rules. This was the view the Galway CCC took and they promptly threw Turloughmore out of the competition. Club officials immediately lodged an objection to this ruling and the case was brought to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA). Following a DRA meeting in Mullingar on Saturday 11 October, a press release, outlining their plan of action, was released by Galway Gaa;

“The Galway GAA Management Committee will now establish a new Investigation Committee to reprocess the request from the Beagh GAA Club to investigate the composition of the Turloughmore Team that played in the Galway Senior Hurling Championship Game on 14th September 2014.”

While all of this was happening, all other games in the championship continued to be played. The winner of the group game, whether the match is replayed or decided by committee, will have to play Ardrahan in the quarter final, Gort in the semi-final and Portumna in the final. The real losers here are the players from all clubs involved, who will in all likelihood be playing hurling until December. Particularly unfortunate will be the team who will have to play a fully fit and fresh Portumna side, who will have an extra six weeks of training behind them, in the final. Portumna, the Reigning All-Ireland champions, find themselves back in the final courtesy of a hard fought 1-15 to 0-15 win over Craughwell. In a tight game, it was predictable that it would be Joe Canning who would prove the difference. The three-time All-Star scored eight points and the all-important goal for his side. Craughwell will be disappointed as they had enough of the play to win the match, especially if they had converted even a fraction of their nineteen wides. Unfortunately, a team of Portumna’s quality will not hand out a win easily and Fergal Healy and company will be left rueing what might have been. The eventual winners may count their blessings that the shambolic GAA schedule allows for such a delay in fixtures, as if this dispute arose in any other county, the likelihood is that the winners of the county championship would miss the provincial championship altogether.

SPORT â&#x20AC;&#x201A;29

October 27 2014

ROY KEANE: The Second Half; only half a viewing of the man By Maurice Brosnan One of my earliest and certainly the clearest memory of Roy Keane is from the infamous AlfInge HĂĽland challenge. I was just a kid, watching what was for me the eagerly anticipated Saturday night show Premier Soccer Saturday when Keane imitated the Bruce Lee karate-kick and mercilessly went through Haland with a knee high challenge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wow, why did he do that?â&#x20AC;? I wondered. A year later, the world cup was on. Ever since the Iran play-off I had anticipated it for months. Suddenly I saw a RTE news report telling me Keane was sent home after a massive bust-up with manager, Mick McCarthy. Despite then Taoiseach Bertie Ahernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best efforts Roy wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to return and later released a book stating McCarthy could

â&#x20AC;&#x153;rot in hellâ&#x20AC;?. Again; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wow, why did he do that?â&#x20AC;? Roy Keane has never been shy in the media. Before this book he did an extremely enjoyable documentary on his long running feud with Viera. Before that there is a series of controversial appearances in the media, whether it is his work as a pundit on ITV or a series of comical interviews with the media when he was manager at Ipswich. This book is not the accumulation of all his life stories that one might have expected, it really just picks up from the last one and one could certainly see a recap, life-reflection book later in his life. After the week long media circus before the book, many may feel that there was no need to read it, that the media had done a sufficient job in summarising the books main points. Indeed,

the PR handling around this book is a lesson in promoting a book. It was bizarre and embellished but yet strangely inebriating. The stories kept coming; The Haland tackle, a fight with Schmeichel, Ronaldoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrival caused by John Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shea, Abba in the dressing room, Roy shaved his beard! The circus was in town, embarrassingly over the top reaction from the media. To the book itself. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an easy read, sprinkled with humour and also enough honesty to make it appear sincere. Much media attention has been focused on the topic of his bust-up with Ferguson. However, interestingly Keane later tells of the aftermath of a loss to Man United while he was manager of Sunderland. Ferguson came to see him and saw he was struggling, so offered Johnny Evans

Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scariest sportspeople By Dean Buckley Classical texts describe a monstrous race called the panotti with ears so big that they used them as blankets against the chill of the night. Some say the panotti were driven from their homeland by human aggression and one day they will return to claim bloody vengeance on us all. Good thing we have Mike Tyson. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of genuinely terrifying people in the world of sport â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the sort you definitely wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to meet down a dark alley. The most obvious example is probably Mike Tyson, biter of ears and destroyer of worlds, raper of women and assaulter of motorists. Luckily, it seems Mike has turned his back on his violent past. Unfortunately, Luis SuĂĄrez has risen to take his place as consumer of human flesh. Though thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably a bit unfair; I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think Suarez is that scary off-pitch. The same canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be said of the human neck, Brock Lesnar. I mean, yes heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now in the WWE and therefore not actually fighting anyone.

But letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not forget that Lesnar is pretty much a machine built for the sole purpose of reducing other men to whimpering puddles of bloodied flesh and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s damn efficient as machines go. Still, outside the ring, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be intimidated by Lesnar by virtue of his size, but he seems like a pretty nice guy. His personality isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t threatening. Then we have Serena Williams. Also known as Serena â&#x20AC;&#x153;Threatened to Kill a Linesman for a Bad Callâ&#x20AC;? Williams or Serena â&#x20AC;&#x153;Told an Umpire to Look the Other Way if She Passed Her in the Street, or Elseâ&#x20AC;? Williams. Serena Williams is very scary. You know when you look at Serena Williams that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing a person who could and would choke you with your own spinal cord. And yet, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather meet Serena Williams in a dodgy part of town than basically any camogie or hurling team. They want you to think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing a sport. Sometimes, even Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m fooled, but letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s be real. Camogie and hurling are â&#x20AC;&#x153;sportsâ&#x20AC;? where a bunch of physically perfect superhu-

mans run around and practice their swordsmanship. There are no other sports in the world so similar to armed conflict than camogie and hurling. One day soon, Lar Corbett will march on the DĂĄil, scimitar in one hand and revolution in the other. What revolution? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what makes them scary. However, there is one man who inspires a terror no other can. O t h e r p l a y e r s h av e described him thus: usually when someone from the opposing team approaches you, someone shouts â&#x20AC;&#x153;man onâ&#x20AC;?. When this man approaches you, the Jaws theme starts playing. Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playing it? The universe. From his cold dead eyes to his granite scowl, this man does little to dispel any sense that you are actually talking to a prolific serial killer. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to be in a dark alley to be afraid of this man. I just need to be in the same reality as him. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why Roy Keane is the scariest sportsman in history.

back to him on loan. The book is not quite as insulting towards Ferguson as the media suggests. He discusses the dynamic of a team excellently, particularly how the players would always try to help a new player who wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t performing, but only if they thought that player was trying e.g. Diego Forlan. What Roddy Doyle has done brilliantly is include what makes Keane tick, his anger, motivation for playing, and his thought-process. How he dealt with injury that ultimately ended his career and how his uncertain life impacted his family (with regard to moving) is also discussed which makes for insightful reading. However, what this book does best is shine a light on the life of a manager. Before a game against Everton, Keane showed his players the famous Al Pacino speech

as motivation. They lost 7-1. It hurt him deeply; â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hardly left the bed for forty-eight hours. â&#x20AC;Ś I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I even showered for two or three days. I was punishing myself.â&#x20AC;?A theme develops of a man who has difficulty in dealings with losses. As a manager at Ipswich, he had little or no say in transfers. The dynamics of the boardroom are interesting too. He tells of his first meetings with the shareholders, one of whom stood up and announced; â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Roy Keane should resign immediately from his position as a manager of this football club.â&#x20AC;? He praises Steve Bruce for his handlings of his various owners his previous jobs, and seems to regret not handling the owners of his previous clubs in the same way. Ultimately, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the scoresettling, highly controversial read you might have expected. It is how-

ever a new reflection of the man. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a limited reflection, and a reflection of Keane the player and manager but not the person. He is honest, but only with regard to certain things, honest enough to sell a book but not honest enough to make it a great book. Reading between the lines, Keane is an intelligent, emotional man who has quite a few regrets, the way his united career ended, his handling of injuries, leaving Sunderland, his stint at Ipswich. If he ever does write a life-reflection, summary of his career and analysis each of his controversies, one phrase could sum them up and make a great title; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wow, why did I do that?â&#x20AC;?

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30 SPORT

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 4

SPORTS DEBATE: Does money ruin sport? Money hasn’t ruined sport just yet, but will eventually By Kieran Kilkelly Once upon a time, people competed in sporting events to show strength, honour and pride. If you were victorious crowds would chant your name such as they did Maximus’ in Gladiator. Now though it is not enough to have an arena full of people anxiously breathless over what you are about to do next. You are not an esteemed athlete unless your pay cheque matches your abilities – not to mention your ego. And there are some big egos (and pay cheques) out there. The top 100 paid sportspeople in 2014, according to Forbes Magazine, make a total income of $2.75 billion in a calendar year, which is up 5% on last year’s figure. That figure is more than the UK’s Gross Domestic Profit (GDP) in 2013. These 100 people make more in a year than a whole country does. How can that be justified? It can’t be. BBC Sport recently published their annual “Price of Football” report and the results are somewhat shocking. For a start, ticket increases since 2011 have risen at almost twice the rate as the cost of living. Does that not suggest greed on part of the men in charge of these clubs? Or maybe it shows that wage demands have spiralled out of control and the 13% increase had to be implemented so as to cover costs? It would make sense after all with the average wage in the Premier League being over £30,000 per week – a 40% increase on the £22,000 average weekly pay that was there in 2011. This enormous rise had to be covered by someone and while sponsorship and television rights went up also, it just wasn’t enough and the fans were the ones who were pick-pocketed. They are the easy target of course. Children can now grow up watching their sporting heroes on television and will want to see them live and that is where exploitation begins. This attitude of ‘take what you can get while you can’ comes out. And it is not just children growing up now that are being robbed and overcharged, it is those loyal fans that have stayed with the clubs as they have propelled up and down division. They have invested their lives into their respective clubs, travelling ridiculous round trips to away games and signing their hearts out at home games. And for what? To be milked of every last penny. Sport, especially soccer, has lost the respect and credibility it once had ever since the introduction of it to commercialism. While the entertainment value has improved to a certain degree, it doesn’t add up in your pocket.

And it doesn’t just affect people who go to see the live version of sporting events, television are making their profit too. Sky Sports charge €64 euro a month to avail of their services. An Irish person living off minimum wage would have to work over 7 hours a month just to, perhaps, see their team in action a maximum of four times, see two Formula 1 races, that one major golf tournament or a couple of rugby matches. Even if you were to avail of everything that was shown on Sky Sports it is still over €2 a day added to your bills. People might say that it’s only the price of a cup of tea and a bar of chocolate everyday but if you were told that you could save almost €800 a year by not having them would you? I know I would. It is not just the professional sports though where the fans are being victimised financially. In our very own backyard, the GAA represents the deadly sin that is greed.

Money does not ruin sport, people do By Eoin Molloy Soccer players earn grotesque amounts of money. This cannot be countered, or remedied in any way. We must simply accept it at face value. Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly earns £292,000 per week adjusted after tax. A number this high can never, ever be justified as a weekly salary for any profession, but Ronaldo certainly does his best to make up for his hefty price tag. The man is an animal, and he gets better every year. This season alone his goalscoring average is well above one goal per game. So why should Ronaldo earn enough to buy a country house each and every week? Because he can. The money is there to pay him. It really is as simple as that. It would be a totally different story if football clubs were operating at a loss to pay these ridiculous salaries, but they just aren’t.

Ticket increases since 2011 There is an outrageous have risen at almost twice amount of money in the the rate as the cost of living. GAA. It has in excess Does that not suggest of one million members greed on part of the men globally, and assets in in charge of these clubs? excess of ¤2.6 billion. For an amateur sport where costs are minimal, we the supporters of our particular counties and clubs have to pay astronomical prices for tickets. You would think that not having the expenditure of paying players wages – which is the highest cost for most sporting clubs in most sports – would mean that ticket prices would remain at a reasonable price. But no, they don’t, they charge top dollar and get away with it. We the Average Joe are keeping the interest in sport alive. By attending or watching these games we add atmosphere and become part of them, as if our childhood dreams of being on that pitch, court or other such area were coming true. But with the influx of cash from media sponsors and wealthy business men and women who are bored and want a new challenge, the sport has been ruined for us, the simple folk, for which the weekend match or sporting event is an escape from the reality of our own boring lives. Watching sport we can talk like experts about in play decisions these professionals (or amateurs) have made. That past-time is slowly fading and will soon become a privilege. If the increase continues we will be priced out of enjoyment and then and only then, will we realise that money has in fact ruined sport.

Agents work hard to get good deals for their players, and that’s the way it should be. With the influx of sweet, sweet MiddleEastern and Russian petrol money into the world of professional football, clubs have more money to throw about than players to spend it on. It’s a seller’s market, and players are capitalising on it. If football players’ salaries were capped, then where would the money go? This would certainly be a good idea if the money was guaranteed to go to a charitable cause, or into developing the club’s infrastructure, but this would never be the case. We live in the real world, and people take what they can get. If salaries were capped, the excess money would be retained by the owners or by third parties. If the players didn’t get the money, then it would trickle down and end up in the pocket of someone less deserving. Speaking of money being soaked up by undeserving people, the GAA have been shamelessly capitalising on the unselfish efforts of players for a long time now. Arguments like ‘GAA players do it for the love of the game’ are all well and good, if you are playing at the lower levels. Strangely enough, it’s often people who don’t play the game at the highest level who

offer tired arguments such as this. There is an outrageous amount of money in the GAA. It has in excess of one million members globally, assets in excess of €2.6 billion, and declared total revenues of €94.8 million with total gross profit of €78.5 million (2010). The GAA has seemingly infinite streams of revenue: concerts, lucrative sponsorship deals, TV deals with international sports broadcasters and of course, gate receipts. It feels as though they are on the take from players. The GAA involuntarily makes the strongest possible case for paying players by not paying them. Managers, referees, trainers, physiotherapists, county board officials and GAA administrative officials all get paid. As with everything else in Ireland, money is soaked up by middle-men and hangers on. Don’t get me wrong, referees and managers deserve to be paid, just not half as much as the players themselves. Without the players, there is no spectacle, no money, no pompous Gaelic Athletic Association. As with soccer, not paying players would be alright if there was no money available. But that just does not apply in this circumstance. GAA players’ diet and train year-round, while having to hold down full time jobs as well. While it does help to keep players humble, having a full-time job inhibits progression. Would Ronaldo be scoring fifty-odd goals a year if he had a full-time job? Not likely. Hurlers and footballers are under immense pressure. In no other sport do amateur players perform in front of 80,000 plus spectators in a packed stadium, for sheer enjoyment of the game. While this is certainly a positive attribute of the game, it is a dangerous one. Players who under-perform on the biggest stage are subjected to ridicule in the media and by fans. For amateurs, this just is not okay. Media pundits often tear into players for bad performances, forgetting that these players are fuelled by intrinsic motivation and sheer love for the game only. It would be all well-and-good to criticise Wayne Rooney for a bad game, because the man is being paid a fortune to tog out, but the same cannot be said for GAA players. Money does not ruin sports, people do. Money cannot decide what it is spent on, but people can. Money is not an active party in this debate, it is a bystander. Money will always be present in sport. Players deserve to receive a decent slice of whatever money is available in any given sport. If sponsors, administrative officials, referees and managers all profit financially from a sport, why shouldn’t the players?

FINAL WORD 31

October 27 2014

THE COLLEGE INSIDER Mattress arrested for being drunk and disorderly outside Supermac's in Eyre Square Crime Correspondent: Eoin Molloy OUTRIGHT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE erupted recently outside Supermac’s in Eyre Square after a mattress was arrested for being drunk and disorderly. The mattress was hauled off to Mill Street at around 3am for allegedly telling a police officer to ‘bounce’. The officers sprung to action, arresting the unruly mattress. The mattress spent the night in a cell. The large crowd

of night-time revellers were quickly dispersed after that. A close friend of the mattress (who name will be kept under wraps) contacted Sin to explain the situation. “Matty was just out on the tear, having a good time with the boys outside Supermacs, as ya do,” explained the source. “Then some rowdy young fellas came and started bouncing on him. They tore the sheets off him!” Tensions then spiralled out of control as

‘Matty’ threatened to attack his tormentors. The Gardaí were closely monitoring the situation, and pulled the mattress off the young men. He spent the night in a cell and was released the following morning with a fine. Matthew the mattress is preparing a legal case. He believes he was wrongfully arrested and has set up a social media campaign to pay for his legal fees. For more information, like the Facebook page: #Justice4Matty.

Photo via the Connacht Tribune and Xadacka Photography.

NUI Galway scientists discover cure for Ebola in flat 7up By Eoin Molloy THIRD YEAR STUDENTS of un-denominated science have reportedly discovered the long-awaited cure to Ebola. Jamie Hennessy and Padraig ‘Podge’ Concannon, from Skerries and Buncrana respectively, reportedly made the breakthrough when experimenting

with hangover cures. The two students held a conference with the world’s media in front of NUI Galway’s quadrangle, Friday last. When asked how they came up with the wonder cure, Hennessy (21) and Concannon (22) said that they identified the initial symptoms of the Ebola virus: fevers, headaches and muscle pain.

They ascertained that these symptoms were much like your average hangover, so they began a series of ‘trial and error’ tests after nights out. Mr Hennessy said that the ‘old reliables’ like fast food, panadol and isotonic drinks did not perform consistently as a hangover cure, so they would certainly do little to stop Ebola. The most successful cure of the two geniuses sample set was a combination of flat 7up and dry, butter-less toast. This potent combination eliminated all hangover/Ebola symptoms at the first time of asking.

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The two then “took the findings to the concourse labs” where they doublechecked their wonder-cure by “putting coloured liquids into beakers and examining said coloured liquids while wearing impressive white lab coats”. The World Health Organisation has reached out to the genius scientists and offered them both full time positions at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The world now waits with bated breath to see if the cure helps to contain the savage virus as it rages across Western Africa.

I’M BACK!

Try as they might they couldn’t keep me out. And I brought friends too, what’s more. It’s so good to be in the warmth again, especially after three nights in a hurricane. I don’t actually know what a hurricane is but my friend Henry said it’s something that the government created for Irish people to complain about rather than the recent Budget or something or other like that. I can’t say how I got back in because I don’t expect to be here for long and it’s a secret. I think people high up want to get rid of me permanently. First the changing of the furniture last year, then the doors and now I’m told they sell fancy coffees. I guess pigeons don’t fit in with that “scene”; we’re more traditional creatures. I’m going to fight them though, and it started last week where I let the first years know my presence! One girl removed half of Smokey’s with the high pitched scream she let out in terror at the sight of me. This is my home and no one can remove me from it or take it away from me. I’m going to fight this and get a just and fair end.

#JusticeforSmokeysPigeon Follow @Smokeys_Pigeon on Twitter for regular pigeon musings