Dub8

DUB8

F

E E r

Issue 14

APRIL 2019

relax the mind learn to quit How HYPNOSIS can help smokers stop and more

THE FINAL.indd 1

From Dublin to Damascus One soldier’s journey

tackling mental health head on

07/04/2019 19:33

www. mriphonedublin.com OpeNing Hours: 9:ooam-19:00pm Monday to SundAy Contact: 089 200 0005 “Complete mobile phone and PC service”

2 THE FINAL.indd 2

07/04/2019 19:33

Editorial In September, 14 journalism students gathered in a small computer lab, ready to embark on the daunting task of producing and publishing an actual, physical magazine.

Countless hours, hard work and dedication were put in to this magazine, covering everything from local businesses and people, to social issues affecting us all; we wanted it to be a clear representation of Dublin 8.

As a group, we put in all our effort to create an experience for our readers and to open themselves up to the community of Dublin 8. Our magazine covers sport, culture, entertainment, mental health and more diverse topics.

These stories are often lost in the noise that is mainstream media, but we are here to give them a voice. Our talented reporters ventured into our capital to capture moments of both joy and distress, success and struggle.

We have dealt with our fair share of challenges over the course of the production, but our team rose to the occasion, and today we can be proud of what we achieved.

3 THE FINAL.indd 3

07/04/2019 19:33

CONTE 10 From Dublin to Damascus

7 HYPNOSIS

33 Improve Your Mental Health

13 ROLLER DERBY

24 Dublin FleA market

37 Visa crisis

4 THE FINAL.indd 4

07/04/2019 19:33

TENTS 12 Wrestling

35 Irelands Oldest Pub

23 Francis ST

15 Anti doping

41 Mental Health 2018

25 Tivoli closes 17 ReactioN to VAT increase 40 Jam Art

19 Luas anti-social 28 French family business

21 Little bird

30 St. Nicholas Theatre This magazine was produced by journalism students in GriďŹƒth College Dublin. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of the editorial team or the management of GriďŹƒth College or any of its employees.

5 THE FINAL.indd 5

07/04/2019 19:33

Photo by Sebastion Mahon

THE FINAL.indd 6

07/04/2019 19:33

Hypnosis and how it’s effective for quitting smoking Fodhla O’Connell-Grennell

L

eaning back into a leather armchair, Kay’s voice softly guides me to relax.

The deeper I fall into a relaxing state, the more distant I become from my conscious mind. I understand why people mistake this sense of relaxation as falling asleep. When I begin using my subconscious mind, I question if I am asleep too.

Kay’s voice directs my vivid dreams and afterwards I can hear her telling me that my hypnosis is complete. Two and a half hours later, I return to my conscious mind.

The Healthy Ireland Survey found that approximately 830,000 Irish adults are smokers.

The HSE’s latest quit smoking campaign shows that over one million people have quit smoking this year. Due to the price of cigarettes rising in the Budget 2019, more and more smokers are attempting to quit.

A 2001 study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis examined the effectiveness of hypnosis in connection with quitting smoking. Of the 43 smokers who underwent the hypnosis, 39 remained smoke-free after 6 months. The high success of this study

THE FINAL.indd 7

shows that hypnosis is effective for quitting smoking, but how?

Irish Hypnosis LTD is “Ireland’s premier nationwide hypnotherapy clinic network”. Kay Dooner is a co-founder of the Dublin 8 clinic, along with her daughter, Samantha.

Kay, is also the founder of the Dublin 10 clinic and Samantha is the founder of the Dublin 12 clinic as well. They believe that people are more important than their environmental or financial circumstances and invite anyone to take part in their hypnotherapy clinics. Kay and Samantha agree that they want to make their clinics accessible to everyone. These areas are big areas and the majority of people who smoke in them are heavy smokers. The different class structures in these areas make it vital that they are open for everyone.

They want to offer these people a fair opportunity to conquer their smoking habits without stressing about their financial situations.

“I really believe that it is for people, it doesn’t matter where you come from, but it does money wise, so that’s why there

“For it to work effectively, if you’re not 100% committed, we cannot let you go out of here not 100% a non-smoker” Kay’s hypnosis centre Photos by Sebastian F. Mahon

7 07/04/2019 19:33

Fodhla’s consultation with Kay.

by Seb F. Mahon

power and most people when they decide to give up, “we all know how long that lasts.” The conscious mind has a gatekeeper which is a critical factor according to Kay. The gatekeeper wants to allow the conscious mind to change the subconscious mind, but it can’t. This is where hypnosis comes in.

“We get you so relaxed, actually confused, and then the subconscious cannot cope with it.” The subconscious accepts each and every suggestion the hypnotist puts in place.

Kay’s voice narrates my dreams. She clicks her fingers and I open my eyes. I am in my conscious mind again. I am surprised to realise that I have been using my subconscious mind for over two hours. I struggle to remember exactly what I had been dreaming about or hearing in my hypnosis.

Wondering if I had been hypnotised, I remember Sam reassuring me, “we test our work”, and that when I had no control over the movement of my finger; I was in a hypnotic state.

are these clinics”.

The kindness of Samantha and Kay is what really helped me relax when preparing for my own experience of quit smoking hypnosis. I didn’t know what to expect from hypnosis; whether it would work or not.

The stories I had heard about quit smoking hypnosis had all been success stories, which encouraged me to stay positive for my own experience. During my consultation with Kay, the one thing she asked me for was for my commitment. This is one of the most important steps of hypnosis. Without commitment, people will find ways to bypass the suggestions the hypnotist puts in place in the subconscious mind.

“For it to work effectively, if you’re not 100% committed, we cannot let you go out of here not 100% a non-smoker”. People will be turned away if she believes they are not 100% committed as she “wont waste anyone’s hard-earned money” or her own time.

At the beginning of my consultation, she put the first page of my form to the side.

This is so she could determine whether I am committed or not. After agreeing that I am committed to quit smoking and once I signed the first form, we headed into the hypnosis room and began.

Struggling to keep my eyes open, I allowed them to close naturally. Kay’s soothing voice has guided me to do so. She relaxes me further by asking me to concentrate on my breathing in and out while opening my eyes in between. Soon, I am not in control of my body anymore. My index finger follows a rhythm of moving up and down with Kay’s voice having the only control over its movements. I know I am now using my subconscious mind, “the most powerful part of the mind, but laziest”. This part of the mind is based on “feelings, emotions, beliefs and habits”.

The conscious mind focuses on will-

Kay is proud to test her work for her clients.

She shows every single person how hypnosis has really worked for them. For quit smoking hypnosis, her biggest worry would be that someone would get into their car to drive home and that they would have a cigarette. The dangers of this is that if you attempt to smoke afterwards, you can end up feeling very sick. She gives her clients a smoke before they leave to test her work. If a client can smoke the full cigarette, they will get their hypnosis for half-price.

While standing outside, I take the first drag off my cigarette. At first, I thought I was fine. I felt disheartened thinking my hypnosis wasn’t effective. It wasn’t until I took a second drag that I felt the blood drop from my head. A third drag and I was dizzy, unable to hold my balance. There was no way I could finish the cigarette. After

“We get you so relaxed, actually confused, and then the subconcious cannot cope with it”

8 THE FINAL.indd 8

07/04/2019 19:33

Testing Fodhla’s relaxation during hypnosis.

Photo by Sebastian F. Mahon

sitting down and drinking a glass of water, I started to feel normal again. There was no doubt that my hypnosis had been successful. Kay told me other stories of where people had gotten sick into her plant pots outside. Once the client is committed and the quit smoking suggestions have been put in place, there should be no way for a client to be able to smoke.

For quit smoking hypnosis, it only takes one session to work. Although, Sam warns: “If there was a death in the family next week or if you lost your job that would be a trigger, so automatically the subconscious mind is going to go, ‘well the only thing that made me feel secure and safe was smoking so I’m going back to that’”. The hypnotist has no control over these unforeseen events. She also says that “you don’t

have to substitute for the likes of the vape, the chewing gum, the patches, because most people’s experience is that they take off the patch and the head goes”.

After the hypnosis, Kay assures there are “no withdrawal symptoms or cravings”.

Three weeks after my hypnosis, I couldn’t agree more with her. Not only have I not smoked, but I haven’t wanted to either, which is impressive for a heavy smoker like I was. There are no negative effects whatsoever with hypnosis and the benefits are huge.

“When you see someone who could die from the next cigarette they smoke, to have them in that chair or that clinic, and to have them walking out not smoking again, to give them the chance of living, that is one of the biggest benefits for me.”

“When you see someone who could die from the next cigarette they smoke, to have them in that chair or that clinic, and to have them walking out not smoking again, to give them the chance of living, that is one of the biggest benefits for me.”

9 THE FINAL.indd 9

07/04/2019 19:33

6 Months, 182 Days, 3230km - From Dublin to Damascus Auriane Mallein

From a Dublin 8 area born and breed soldier, we discovered what spending six months in Syria on a UN mission was like.

“I want to be a soldier when I grow up”, is one sentence parents hear often whilst raising children. Minister of State at the Department of Defense, Paul Kehoe, would agree with that.

Indeed, the Defense Forces personnel is to reach 9500 people, counting on the new enrollments and the end of careers in the army, it’s a total of 800 new recruits who join the different corps of the Irish Army every year.

But on November 11th, 2018, we commemorate the anniversary of the signature of the Armistice marking the end of the First World War and brought to light the men and women of the past and present Irish Army.

A hundred years later, one Irish soldier speaks up on what being part of the army is like in 2018.

(The interviewee has asked to remain anonymous, to respect their wish, we’ll refer to them as James) As we walk into the café, a strong thirty minutes before the interview, our guest is already sitting at the bar, sipping a cup of coffee (black, no sugar). Surprised, though very happy, we set up our material.

It’s 9.00am and the caffeine intake is starting to kick in though we’re guessing we won’t be needing it given the intensity of what James is saying.

He is a tall man in his late twenties, with strictly short brown hair and the clearest blue eyes; we can tell he’s trying to relax but his gait is still very military; after all he’s just come back from duty overseas.

Where were you and when did you get back?

James: “My battalion was deployed in Syria, on the Golan Heights, and I got back almost two weeks ago. We were deployed as part of the UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) mission by the UN. It was my first tour overseas for a six month long mission”.

How do you prepare for such a challenge?

James: “I enrolled when I was eighteen, so it’s been my job for quite a little while now.

The preparation is mostly about technicality and the fact that you have to be able to rely on yourself, your equipment and your squad at all times. First of all, there’s a

“I love my job and wouldn’t exchange it for anything in the world; but it has to have a purpose of peace, which I have found in the An tArm. If this ceases at any point I would have to quit.” lot of physical preparation, training usually in Wicklow. Sports play a great role because it allows us to prepare both mentally and physically. Then there’s the technicalities, about the country you’re going to, the other nations who will be there under the UN flag, the civilians, etc.. and then you have practical field exercises. It’s a twelve weeks programme once you’ve been selected to go.”

What’s a typical day in the life of an Irish Peacekeeper overseas?

James: “I can’t really tell you about that, nothing is left to chance. We landed in Damascus then to get up to the Golan Heights with another mean of transportation; once we got there the first thing to do after choosing a bunk was to test the weapons and artillery because a patrol was planned on the following day. When you’re on patrol you are on 24/7 alert. Life at camp is a little different but let’s say the 20 seconds shower is one of my favorite part of the day.”

UNDOF Deployment Map. By UNDOF.U NMissions.ORG

10 THE FINAL.indd 10

07/04/2019 19:33

Soldiers in Demascus.

Photos by Irish Defence force

On a personal level, what has been the most rewarding part of you first tour of duty to UNDOF? James: “I would say the fact that me and my fellow soldiers actually contributed to putting this mission in a strong position for the future peace that the beautiful country of Syria has earned. Also, my whole group came back from this mission which is not always the case for the soldiers from all over the world deployed in a country like Syria.”

“Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace” - Ulysses S. Grant, James: “I love my job and wouldn’t exchange it for anything in the world; but it has to have a purpose of peace, which I have found in An tArm. If this ceases at any point I would have to quit.”

It is a dangerous job so why this career?

James: “It’s in my blood I guess; the men and women of my family have been part of the army for the past five generations

if I’m correct. And I never really envisioned anything else, any other job for me than being in the army. It is still a choice, I am not part of the army because it’s a tradition, because my relatives were. I’m serving my country thanks to my ancestors and because I’ve been inspired by them.”

Has that first tour changed the way you see your career in the army?

James: “I wouldn’t say it has changed my vision, but I understand some things better now. For example, why one soldier’s number of tours overseas is limited. They take a toll, though reasonable, on a soldier these missions.”

You said earlier that your family history inspired you to enroll, so I believe the duty to remember is close to your heart?

James: “Well yes, very much and especially in 2018, a hundred years after World War I. I know my great grand-mother was a nurse on the battlefield and so was my grand-mother during World War II. My great grand-father died in France and was buried there. As for my father, he’s just retired from the army and works with a charity that helps soldiers deal and heal from PTSD. As you said, it is a family story.”

Soldiers in Demascus. Photos by Irish Defence Force

11 THE FINAL.indd 11

07/04/2019 19:33

OTT Wrestling Photo taken from free images

Adam Tracey-Timoney

Irish Whip Wrestling for the 4th time

Four years anniversary show

O

ver the Top Wrestling – known as OTT – thrilled their hard-core Irish fans with a four year anniversary wrestling show on the October 13, 2018.

The show itself happened at the National Stadium in Dublin 8 and housed over 1500 cheering Irish Fans. Wrestlers from all over the world took part at the wrestling show to trill the fans in attendance.

Wrestlers from Japan, Ireland, England and many other countries took part in the show, showing the different types of wrestling from each country.

Sean Daly, an Irish wrestling critic who goes by the name “irishwrestlingfan” said, “Over the Top Wrestling keeps on getting better and better over the last four years and this show was the best one yet.”

Sean Daly also said Irish Wrestling has never looked better and with a bright future for Irish wrestlers who knows what will happen with Irish wrestling promotions.

Other wrestling fans lost their voice at the show cheering for their favourite and booing the heels, who are known as the bad guys.

From the fans reviews, the match that stole the show was the six man tag between “Los Ingobernables De Japon” vs Shane Strickland, Flamita and Bandido.

The main event was for the Over the Top Wrestling world title

between Walter and Will Ospreay, in a hard hitting, high-flying spectacle in which the champ Walter retained. the title.

The first OTT show took place in the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin on October 3, 2014. It has grown bigger since the formation of the Irish owned promotion.

The promotion is aimed towards over age 18s wrestling fans who wants to have a good time drinking and cheering at the sport they love.

Over the Top Wresting sold out the National Stadium with 2200 fans on the April 15, 2017. Even though they haven’t been able to reach that number again, it is only a matter of time with more fans starting to get into the sport of wrestling.

The history making for OTT doesn’t stop there. They had their second annual all women event called “Defiant 2” on October 14, 2018 the next day and it was a show not to miss.

For the fans that missed the shows or those who wants to see the four years anniversary, you can re-watch and catch the next show on demand at overthetopwrestling.pivotshare.com.

With Irish wrestlers such as Sheamus, Finn Balor and Becky Lynch in World Wrestling Entertainment, the biggest wrestling promotion, who knows what will happen with Irish wrestling but what we do know is sky’s the limit for Over the Top Wrestling and their Irish wrestlers.

“Over the Top Wrestling keeps on getting better and better”, according to Irish wrestling critic Sean Daly.”

12 THE FINAL.indd 12

07/04/2019 19:33

Roller Derby, what is it ?

Daniel Kennedy

R

oller Derby is the fastest growing women’s sport in the world with approximately 1250 members worldwide, mostly played in the USA, according to Matt Moffett of WSJ. You might have heard of it through hearsay or a passing glance at eir’s broadband ad and might have an idea of the rough play and the hard knocks that come with this sport, but if you haven’t that is what this article is for.

Dublin Roller Derby is Ireland’s premiere Roller Derby league and has grown to over 90 members since its inception in 2009.

I went to St. Michael’s estate in Inchicore where Dublin Roller Derby is situated in the sports hall to speak with Emma McCaul, one of the players who explained this growing sport to me.

It is generally played in an indoor circuit where players fly around on their roller blades and can be played both clockwise and anti-clockwise.

The rules of the sport are quite simple: The teams ae made up of a roster of fifteen with five players on the track during a round or as it is called in the sport, ‘a

The Dublin Roller Derby team in training.

Photo by Auriane Mallein

jam’.

There are three positions: Jammer, blocker and pivot. The jammer is recognised by a star on their helmet while a pivot has a stripe, and the blocker having no symbol on their helmet. There is one jammer and pivot in during the jam and three blockers.

The jammer is the position that does the scoring in the sport, where the goal is to get their centre of gravity (hips) past the opposition jammer as many times as they can during two periods of the 30 minutes with each jam lasting two minutes.

A jam can be called off prematurely by the jammer in the lead who is known as lead jammer, they do this by tapping their hips multiple times.

The jammer becomes lead jammer by being the first to break through the blockers (known as the pack) and get 10 feet in front.

The blockers’ goal is stop the opposition jammer from lapping their teammate jammer and to help their jammer get past the opposition jammer, while a pivot is a blocker until they are past the star from

the jammer on their team, which usually happens when the jammer is heavily blocked by the opposition.

At this point the pivot is now the jammer and remains the jammer for the remaining time in the jam.

The contact that is allowed in the sports starts with the core of the body where you are allowed to block the opposition from making contact with the core of the body.

However, you cannot engage someone’s back, although you use your back to block.

“For the most part you can use your back to push the opposition off the track but will depend on how the contact takes place, there is seven referees during a game as with so much going on one pair of eyes isn’t enough.”

A penalty occurs when a player makes illegal contact with an opponent and must sit out for 30 seconds.

13 THE FINAL.indd 13

07/04/2019 19:33

Dublin Roller Derby player Emma McCuin Photo by Auriane Mallein

Dublin Roller derby has three teams who play around the country and internationally. A, B and C, as well as three father themed teams, ‘The Whack Hacketts’, ‘Eoin McShovins’ and ‘The Fuppin Baxtards’.

Emma is relatively new to the sport herself, having at the time of the interview only been a member of Dublin Roller Derby for two months and she only had admiration for her new team mates.

“It was super easy to settle, derby is a super accepting environment and is built around female empowerment, doesn’t matter if you are lesbian, bi or trans you will make friends here”, she says.

Hailing from Scotland, Emma was first introduced to roller derby by her ex-partner who skates on the Stockholm team. Emma always finds an excuse to go skating whenever she is here in Dublin or over in Edinburgh.

She was wearing red stripes on her face during the interviewing which was for an island wide campaign known as ´20 by 20´ which is to encourage a 20% rise in female coaches and staff in Irish sport by 2020.

However, face paint is a common thing to wear during matches.

“It is common and is mostly used to build a brand and is personal to the player.

One example is a woman in the states known as ‘Brawn Swanson’ after TV character Ron Swanson, so she always sticks on a moustache during games.” Glitter is also

common, which Emma describes as just ‘fun’ and ‘messy.’

Nicknames are also common in the sport, usually given out after you complete the beginners training known as ‘fresh meat.’

Emma herself is known as Bend over Hackwords. “I got this nickname because I am a cyber security engineer by trade.”

With their A team currently ranked 11th in Europe and 42nd in the world, and with rising numbers involved, Dublin Roller Derby looks set to keep rising in personnel and competitiveness.

“For the most part you can use your back to push the opposition off the track but will depend on how the contact takes place, there is seven referees during a game as with so much going on one pair of eyes isn’t enough.”

A penalty occurs when a player makes illegal contact with an opponent and must sit out for 30 seconds.

Dublin Roller derby has three teams who play around the country and internationally. A, B and C, as well as three father themed teams, ‘The Whack Hacketts’, ‘Eoin McShovins’ and ‘The Fuppin Baxtards’.

Emma is relatively new to the sport herself, having at the time of the interview only been a member of Dublin Roller Derby for two months and she only had admiration for her new team mates.

“It was super easy to settle, derby is a

super accepting environment and is built around female empowerment, doesn’t matter if you are lesbian, bi or trans you will make friends here”, she says.

Hailing from Scotland, Emma was first introduced to roller derby by her ex-partner who skates on the Stockholm team. Emma always finds an excuse to go skating whenever she is here in Dublin or over in Edinburgh.

She was wearing red stripes on her face during the interviewing which was for an island wide campaign known as ´20 by 20´ which is to encourage a 20% rise in female coaches and staff in Irish sport by 2020.

However, face paint is a common thing to wear during matches.

“It is common and is mostly used to build a brand and is personal to the player. One example is a woman in the states known as ‘Brawn Swanson’ after TV character Ron Swanson, so she always sticks on a moustache during games.” Glitter is also common, which Emma describes as just ‘fun’ and ‘messy.’

Nicknames are also common in the sport, usually given out after you complete the beginners training known as ‘fresh meat.’

Emma herself is known as Bend over Hackwords. “I got this nickname because I am a cyber security engineer by trade.”

With their A team currently ranked 11th in Europe and 42nd in the world, and with rising numbers involved, Dublin Roller Derby looks set to keep rising in personnel and competitiveness.

14 THE FINAL.indd 14

07/04/2019 19:33

Irish Boxing’s Anti-Doping system succesful for Now Eugene Boicuks

I

rish boxing’s anti-doping system is adequate, but nothing outstanding.

The growing risk of more athletes using performance enhancing drugs should be a firm warning to those in charge of keeping Irish sport clean. Yet, the current system seems to work.

Boxing has and always been a part of Ireland’s sporting culture. It’s our most successful Olympic sport, with 16 of our 31 total Olympic medals coming from the sport often referred to as ‘the sweet science’.

Surely we take a serious approach into keeping boxing, as well as all other sports clean.

The two organisations involved in doing this are Sport Ireland, who are in charge of the nation’s anti-drug testing, research, education and statistics for all major sporting bodies and The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA).

Sport Ireland answer to the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) and tests for a number of banned substances annually.

After looking at the annual report statistics that Sport Ireland provided me with, there was one major concern that I had noticed.

We are not testing boxers enough.

There were only 42 examples of total tests done on members of the IABA last year which decreased from the 61 total tests in 2016.. The fact that

boxing wasn’t even in the top five most tested sports in 2017 shows that a greater effort must be made to ensure fighters are safe.

Regardless of all opinion on the current system, the fact remains that there’s only been one major failure in Irish boxing for many years.

Former Intermediate All Ireland Champion, Robert ‘Rodgey’ Gorman, a man most famous for the fables that he injured Floyd Mayweather back in their infamous spar in 2008, has spoken out about the issue and feels the current work done by Sport Ireland is effective.

Michael O’Reilly, who tested positive for an anabolic steroid, known as Methandienone, before the Rio Olympics in 2016 and was banned for 4 years at the beginning of 2018.

As he states that there’s “nothing wrong with the current system” but feels the number of failed drug tests will only go up.

“It’s not big at the moment, but I fear it will be, I hope I’m wrong,” predicts the 33 year old former IABA boxer of the year.

Although The Balbriggan native feels the system is currently working, he was shocked and worried when he was told about the amount of tests in boxing as opposed to other sports in the nation.

“Boxing is dangerous enough as it is. I don’t want my life on the line against steroids, it’s like being hit by a 30 mph car as opposed to a 50 mph car.”

Mr. Gorman then compared the effect of steroids to a “robotic arm under the flesh” and stated that “of course boxing should be at least in the top 5.”

Many people involved in boxing around the world feel drug cheats should be banned for life but Robert Gorman feels the 4 year sanction is effective and fair.“4 years should be enough, 4 years without something you love is a lifetime,” said Mr. Gorman.

Mr. Gorman then stated that “everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance.”

Although the number of tests may not be eye catching, the use of ‘whereabouts’ has become a major part of a boxers routine.

According to Eimear Duffy of the IABA, the nation’s elite boxers “must submit a whereabouts in this they must submit a 1 hour testing window.”

During this time, a tester can turn up unannounced and test the boxers for drugs. This allows for random testing

“It’s not big at the moment, but I fear it will be”

15 THE FINAL.indd 15

07/04/2019 19:33

Source: Pexels

to ensure the athletes are always clean and also convenient for fighters because they select what time suits them.

“Most boxers pick 5:00 a.m. as it is the time they’re most likely to be at home,” mentioned Duffy.

Unfortunately, there’s been an increase in whereabouts failures. These failures are separated into three groups.

A filing failure, which is when an athlete fails to return their quarterly whereabouts filing by the given deadlines and there were two examples of these in the IABA last year.

The second type of failure is a missed test, which is when a fighter isn’t available for testing during the time they specified.

There were two incident regarding this that occurred last year.

Finally, the unsuccessful attempt, which is when a fighter isn’t available for testing outside their defined testing hour and there were twelve examples of that happening last year.

Boxers are also encouraged to check all medications on eirpharm.ie, Ireland’s phar-

macy website has been endorsed by Sport Ireland since 2001.

This makes it easy for fighters to make sure their medicines do not contain any added banned substances.

With all of what has been said and everything that has been done to combat doping considered, I was stumped by one question. Does it really matter? Is it the system in place or the mind-set of the individual taking banned substances the key?

Robert Gorman strongly believes it’s the latter and compares doping to smoking.

“It doesn’t matter if you tell people about the long term effect of doing something.

It’s the hit in the moment they care about.

It’s like smoking, you put all the stuff on the packets and people still smoke.”

Correct he may be but my verdict is simple. You’ll never get rid of doping in the sport. All you can do is aim to reduce it as much as possible. People will still attempt to cheat the system but I believe our current research, technology and statistics indicate a bright, clean future for Ireland’s most successful sport.

16 THE FINAL.indd 16

07/04/2019 19:33

Local restaurant Owner Reacts to VAT increase Eugene Boicuks

A

local restaurant owner has spoken out his frustration about the new changes of the increasing rate of value-added tax (VAT) that will go up to 13.5% for businesses in the tourism sector.

Anthony Kelly, the owner of local restaurant ‘Pinheads Pizza’ has been vocal about the changes made in last week’s budget stating that there’s “no excuse” for such high increase.

The changes were made by the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohue, in the annual National Budget , October 10, 2018.

The increase of VAT in the tourism sector was arguably the most controversial part of last year’s budget.

There has been a huge backlash towards the Minister for Tourism, Shane Ross, for allowing the VAT to go up from 9% to 13.5%. Many including Anthony Kelly, felt that Ross’s time is up.

“Sack him,” said the Dublin 8 local as he goes on to say that he feels the people in charge “only think about themselves.”

This drastic jump in VAT may have a catastrophic effect on many, causes local busi-

nesses trying to come up with a solution.

When asked what changes will be made at ‘Pinheads Pizza’ next year to deal with this increase, Kelly’s response was short and stern.

“I’ll have to drop staff,” said the Dubliner as the reality of the potential consequences for all of those involved in the tourism sector was clear.

Another effect of the increase is Ireland’s competitiveness in the tourism sector being in jeopardy, with Adrian Cummings, CEO of the restaurants’ association stating, “VAT at 13.5% would hurt Irish tourism’s competitiveness, resulting in less appeal to overseas visitors.”

“They only care about themselves”.

Kelly agreed with this, claiming, “Course it affects us! Sure people will look and say ‘Ahh, it’s awful expensive here.’ ” Many local businesses will agree with Kelly

who believes the extra workload just isn’t fair.

“I’ll have to do more hours, I do enough as is,” said Kelly.

Shane Ross has defended the increase and this change will allegedly raise €466 million in 2019. Although this hasn’t eased any pain for those affected, with Kelly feeling that VAT change is too drastic, he suggested a gradual increase instead of such a high jump up in VAT. “I would’ve increased it by 1 or 2 % to give people a chance,” said Kelly.

Kelly then proposed that the 13.5 figure should’ve been established as the end goal.

He suggested to “have it increased to 13.5% in 3 years.” This idea would probably have suited the tourism industry more.

Although hotels are also the key in tourism sector, Kelly believes small businesses like him that are the most affected.

“It’s not fair for the smaller businesses. Hotels can afford it, sure all they have to do is put up the price of a room another €10.

It takes me a lot to make that money. It’s the smaller businesses like myself and the chipper next door that can’t afford it, big branches like ‘Wow Burger’ are grand.”

Anthony Kelly, Pinehead Pizza owner Photo by Auriane mallein

17 THE FINAL.indd 17

07/04/2019 19:33

Chicken Products Kiev, Goujons,Fillets.

Available from Wilson’s butchers, Rafarnham shopping center and Dominics’s Road, Tallaght.

Contact our factory in DUNLAVIN 045 401 400

THE FINAL.indd 18

07/04/2019 19:33

Increasing Anti-Social Behaviour on LUAS Clodagh Wilson

T

Red line LUAS Photo by Clodagh Wilson

his year has seen an increase in anti-social behaviour across the country, with figures provided from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), by the Garda, showing an increase of 50% on last years figure.

“This is completely unacceptable behaviour and will not be tolerated. It has no place in civilised society”, said Minister for Justice, Charlie Flanagan, speaking about anti-social behavior on public rail transport earlier this year at a Topical Issue Debate.

“The Government remains committed to ensuring that An Garda Siochana have all the necessary resources to tackle all forms of criminality in our communities”, he reassured. ”Our views on the Luas are that it does what it is designed to do very well and the expectations for it are optimistic, however the concentration of that behaviour in certain black spots creates a level of anxiety regarding the Luas customer experience”, said Thomas J. Stamp, spokesperson from Rail Users Ireland.

The Red Line has been deemed the most dangerous, particularly between St James Hospital and Abbey Street. This stretch has the heaviest passenger loadings with a lot of overwcrowing which has been found to cause agitation amongst passengers, due to limited air conditioning and the closeness of the stops, which allows for a lot of unpaid

hopping on and off.

The Red Line also connects several health clinics for people who have major drug and alcohol another problems, a major hospital and also the Criminal Courts of Justice.

Mr. Stamp also disclosed some complaints: “Common incidents include intoxication caused by drugs leading the person to act in ways that suggest they are not aware that they are in public, so you may have gross indecency, we have had complaints of people having sex and very loud behaviour or fighting or threats of such.

Another problem is pickpocketing. One of the most recent and serious incidents happened at 11:30pm on the September 16, 2018, at the Goldenbridge Luas stop where a student was hospitalised with a fractured skull after an alleged attack.

Rail User Ireland’s opinion and policy has been for the creation of a transport police, but that has been ruled out because of financial concerns. However, Mr. Stamp added that they have also made a submission for the ‘beat’ of city centre gardai to include the Luas in a random manner to act as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour.

Age Action Ireland’s Information Officer, Phil Cooley, said that “anybody can be vulnerable on the Luas, people need to be aware of their personal safety, particularly when using phones”.

They have also encouraged elderly people to invest in personal alarms or panic button systems.

Luas operator Transdev have made no comment on incidents of anti-social behaviour on their trams and have not shared new plans of deterrents against it.

19 THE FINAL.indd 19

07/04/2019 19:33

Kilmainham Jail Photo by Sebastian F. Mahon

THE FINAL.indd 20

07/04/2019 19:33

How Little Bird Came to be a Success

Bronagh Loughlin

Little Bird café and yoga studio Photo by Punk Groves

The story of how Little Bird café came to be a success.

L

ittle Bird is a combined business of a café and yoga studio. Throughout this article, I will be talking to Eileen Fitzpatrick, owner of Little Bird and Kirsten Farrelly, an Interdisciplinary Movement teacher at Little Bird. Eileen and Kirsten had a combined vision for Little Bird, I will be telling the story of how it came to be and how it has become such a success.

I arrived at the door to Little Bird and went in to speak with Eileen about her vision and mission with Little Bird. On arriving I noticed how warm, relaxing and tranquil the café was, it screamed relaxation, the vibe you want for a place with a running yoga studio.

The colour scheme of the café was bright and vibrant, lots of yellow and bright baby blue, two very calming colours. The décor was very modern but also rather eye catching, there was hanging lights yellow and white and the café had not only regular chairs, but also booths and a bar table looking out the window. The café also had a beautiful outdoor garden seating area.

When first speaking to the staff to ask them if Eileen was available yet, I noticed how friendly and relaxed they were. They seemed happy to be working there. They told me I could sit wherever while I wait for

her and asked me if I would like a coffee.

Sitting down on that booth made me feel very at home because of the relaxing and cosy vibe.

It felt very different to franchised cafés where they have such a structured and precise look. Little Bird had cushions and warm wooded tables with warm lighting.

Eileen arrived and came over to greet me and seemed keen to speak about Little Bird’s story.

The first thing Eileen spoke about was the name. She said the name took a long time to come because she had to come up with something that fit the café and the yoga studio. Eileen said, “after months I was in despair and I just looked out the window and I thought God please give me some inspiration, and there was a little bird sitting on a tree outside my window and I thought Little Bird.” She said the name works well for the place because it is not too much in the yoga realm.

The Little Bird website claims that Little Bird is for everyone and with seeing that I was very curious as to why they feel they have mastered that concept. Eileen said “we are not clicky, we are inclusive, we welcome all sizes and ages for yoga. We are trying to break the norm of people feeling they do not belong. We serve

healthy vegetarian food, but we also serve chocolate cake. 90% of the menu is vegetarian. We serve free range pork. We have gluten free options. There is something for everyone- vegan, gluten free, vegetarian and meat. We promote healthy eating but do not lecture people about what to eat either- a choice for everyone.”

The prices of the food at Little Bird are reasonable. She said, “our food is not the cheapest but not the most expensive.

We have expensive ingredients for good quality food and we try to keep it at an affordable price as we want the community to come in”. They have three different menus, breakfast, lunch and brunch.

Little Bird are planning to do dinner soon.

She said “we are going to start opening for dinner in the evenings 2 days a week.

Thursdays and Fridays in about a months’ time”. She explained “it’s more to have a bite to eat than it be a very fancy dinner, serving small plates of good food and they can have a wine or a beer or tea or coffee”. A woman who worked with Little Bird in the past is coming back to work on some recipes for the dinner service coming soon.

“We have lots of fun and help each other out. For example, you’ll find teachers who bus tables if they have a few minutes between classes and cafe staff who help us.”

The decision to start a business came during the recession, as Eileen and her husband both worked as architects but

21 THE FINAL.indd 21

07/04/2019 19:33

THE FINAL.indd 22

07/04/2019 19:33

THE FINAL.indd 23

07/04/2019 19:33

A look inside Little Bird Café Photo by Punk Groves

had difficulty finding work. Eileen said, “one of us had to do something and I came up with the idea to start Little Bird, I was very scared, and I even did a business course to help me start up”.

Kirsten who works as an instructor at Little Bird and helped Eileen come up with the idea of doing yoga said, “despite the big financial risk she took, it was never all about money and yet it was an instant success as it provided exactly what was needed in the yoga community in Dublin”.

Eileen said she had been doing yoga all her life as she felt it kept her sane. She said, “before doing yoga, you may feel uptight and stressed and the way around that for a lot of people is a bottle of wine and yoga is a lot cheaper than a bottle of wine and better for your health”.

Eileen employed yoga teachers she was previously taught by in Dublin. She said, “most of our teachers came from either Samadi yoga studio in Temple Bar or Yoga Dublin”. When asking them to come

she thought they would say no but they seemed happy to. Eventually the yoga teachers she had brought in yoga teachers they knew.

All the instructors at Little Bird teach yoga except for one female instructor who teaches body mechanics. The idea of doing yoga here came to be because of this yoga instructor, Kirsten Farrelly.

She had no space to do yoga and heard about the café idea from Eileen and asked her if she could use the back part of the building for classes.

Kirsten said, “I was always looking for a good environment to teach and so when she showed me the premises she was looking at to open a café in, it was obvious that it was perfect for a combined studio café”.

Kirsten said, “when Eileen reached out to the most experienced teachers in Dublin they were delighted, and she has managed to attract and keep the people

who really believe in Little Bird’s mission”.

The yoga at Little Bird is high in demand, they put on 6-7 classes daily. They have competitors around the local area, but they still manage to get a lot of business.

They have highly qualified teachers, each having at least 10 years of experience.

Eileen said, “they are definitely the most experienced teachers in Dublin”. The room is also custom designed to be a yoga studio. It has a high ceiling and is sound proof from the café. She said, “the teachers really enjoy teaching here and the customers notice the niceness of the place”.

Kirsten said “We have lots of fun and help each other out. For example, you’ll find teachers who bus tables if they have a few minutes between classes and caféstaff who help us if we are having problems with sign ins or computer glitches”. Little Bird is a place that stands out, Eileen said “It’s a community café, here to stay to build genuine connections with people”.

24 THE FINAL.indd 24

07/04/2019 19:33

Francis Street Set for New Refurbishment

Future development plans of the Iveagh Market on Francis Street. Source: The Liberties SSource: The Liberties

Paraic Redmond

Francis Street is set to undergo a new refurbishment

F

rancis street will undergo a large refurbishment, commencing next year. The project is set to replace existing pavements with wider pavements, using high quality stone. There will be new outdoor furniture, added street lighting and raised tables to mark key landmarks and new planted trees.

The project is one of the main recommendations of The Liberties Greening Strategy and Public Realm Plan, will see the historic thoroughfare benefit from a €2.5 million revamp.

The refurbishment will be overseen by the Dublin City Council with it expected to begin next May, according to Stephen Coyne, Manager of the Liberties programme. The plan firstly originated back in 2014 and was granted planning permission in 2017 for the refurbishment.

Francis street is one of the main revamps that is taking place in the Liberties area.

Francis Street is often an overlooked area which neighbours several major tourism

attractions such as St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Teeling Distillery.

outdoor seating after the extension of the pavements.

The existing street currently has narrow paths in places with a wide roadway for motorists. “The refurbishment will make the carriageway more consistent”, says Stephen.

Stephen Coyne believes, “It’s a public realm improvement”. The scheme will try to allow tourists to spend time in the street which will ultimately create a spin-off effect in the area.

The project will improve the quality of the street for the public and create balance on the street. The street contains large areas to park with a significantly smaller area in places for pedestrians.

The revamp plans to create a more flattering appearance by increasing the quality of benches and planting extra trees.

The residents in the area were able to give their opinion in the project through various workshops during the drawing up of the plan.

The development is in the hands of Douglas Wallace Architects. The street improvement will benefit businesses like cafés

The Liberties area is currently undergoing a major regeneration with the addition of a big hotel, an indoor market, a micro brewery, office space and residential accommodation. Some people say the celtic tiger never walked down Francis street.

It’s clear that there has been a huge effort made to help the pocket of Dublin catch up with other inner-city parts of the capital. The revamp that is commencing next May is expected to continue through to 2020.

and restaurants as they will be able to use

“It’s about creating a street that’s attractive and inviting for pedestrians.”

THE FINAL.indd 25

“It’s about creating a street that’s attractive and inviting for pedestrians.”

25 07/04/2019 19:33

Dublin Flea Market Still Without a Home

Alexander Lundquist

“It feels like there is no more space left for markets and co-ops”.

Previous site for the monthly Dublin Flea Market used to set up once a month Photo by Clark Bergan

D

ublin Flea Market are back in talks with Dublin City Council. However, they acknowledged they may have to change their business model to get more help and to be more attractive to landlords in a city where they feel like there is no longer room for local markets.

The founder of Dublin Flea Market, Sharon Greene, said that “Dublin is becoming a business centre, and it is really disheartening to see all the hotels and student accommodations being built in the area”.

The market has been held in The Dublin Food Co-op on Newmarket Square on the last Sunday of every month since it first opened in November, 2008.

However, it was closed in May earlier this year after the owner of the building closed it for re-development.

In the last six months, seven local markets have had to close its doors as rents are going up or their homes are being re-developed.

Market and co-op workers are warning that Dublin is losing important social institutions and fear that the recent development has meant that a lot of people lose their connection to the community.

Sharon Greene said “the social return of local markets cannot compete with guaranteed economic return in modern Dublin. We are again in talks with the City Council, but the market space is very limited, and it

feels like there is no more space left for markets and co-ops. Dublin is the only major European city without a market scene.”

The market usually had around 5000 visitors, and its Christmas market last year attracted 35000 people, but that popularity has now become a problem in their search for a new space to set up their stalls.

“It is almost impossible to find a space big enough where we can afford the rent. We tried to set up in Inchicore together with a few other markets, but we were beaten out by another business”, said Greene.

“People are offering community centres, but they are not big enough for us. We also know that these markets are built by the local community, so we cannot move them very far.”

“There was something for everyone. We had 20 regular stalls and 80 stalls for which you could apply online. We regularly had as many as 750 applications”, she added.

“The market acted as an incubator for organic businesses that have now lost a place to try out their products.”

She feels like the city is doing everything to accommodate tourists without taking the loss of Dublin´s identity into account and says that the city needs to look at cities like Barcelona and Venice who are suffering from over-tourism.

26 THE FINAL.indd 26

07/04/2019 19:33

A loss to dublin city as tivoli set to close

The Tivoli Theatre Photo by Clodagh Wilson

Clodagh Wilson

O

scar Wilde once said, “regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being”.

“It is certainly sad. Sad to see another venue being closed down in Dublin.”

After dripping with entertainment for 84 years, Tivoli Theatre has closed its doors.

The Tivoli Theatre was planted on Frances Street and was sprinkled with drops of characteristics and magic, that blossomed into one of the most well known entertainment hubs in the city.

On December 21st,1934, the theatre first opened its doors as a cinema and variety theatre, replacing the first Tivoli that was built on Burgh Quay in May 1928.

After a couple years, they revamped the theatre and opened as a full time cinema called the Tivoli Cinema, seating 700 people making it the third biggest cinema in Dublin. The Tivoli Cinema was one of six cinemas owned by a company called Associated Picture Houses Ldt, who in 1944, sold the cinemas and eventually set up a new company that we all are familiar with today as ‘Odeon Ldt’.

The Tivoli Cinema then became a bingo hall, derelict due to a fire, a nightclub and shop and finally in 1987 as we know it today, the Tivoli Theatre. The Tivoli is spilt into two sections, upstairs being a

‘cinema styled theatre’ for 475 patrons dedicated to the arts and downstairs a music venue to infuse 1,000 people with live performances.

Over the years the venue has seen some big noises beat through its foundations, such as The Cranberries, Oasis, Blur and The Beastie Boys. The venue can also be hired out so it has seen some big DJ’s and has a massive following for “cutting edge gigs.”

It was also rented out for different uses such as comedy gigs, TED talks, wrestling performances, drag shows, BIMM Live student gigs and intimate appearances from well known musicians and actors.

The Tivoli closed at the end of January 2019, just after the Cheerios Panto they hosted. The landlord has sold the premises to a developer company and plans to demolish it in early 2019.

It is believed that the demolishing of the building has been approved by Anthony Byrne, the owner of the Tivoli Theatre and An Bord Pleanála.

“We would not say big employer, but steady for sure. It has been doing well, in fact, these last two years were very productive in matters of plays, gigs and nightclub events, but unfortunately there was nothing we could do”, Thaís added.

“The employees are unsure what the future holds and are deeply saddened by its closure.”

The promotion company District 8, that regularly hires out the venue for international DJ events said, “the latest developments on the Tivoli site will not affect District 8 in the near future. We have lots of huge shows booked for this year and we have already started booking 2019”.

But is it the end for the Tivoli?

“There are no plans to re-open the Tivoli as far as we know. We believe there are plans of creating small theatre premises, but we won’t be involved in that”, Thaís explained.

According to the plans, there will be a new civic square that will be regenerated as a modern arts and performance facility, named ‘Tivoli Square’, to mark the current theatres existence.

Tivoli Theatre has allowed audiences to feel, hear and watch some of the most profound performers from across the globe. “Great memories, for sure”.

27 THE FINAL.indd 27

07/04/2019 19:33

Galliot Et Gray puts French cusine on the map Galliot Et Gray: how a French family run business took off Aizzaty Sultan

W

alking down the streets of South Circular Road, this specific cafe caught my eye which is Galliot Et Gray. The unique interior design and architecture lured me into the cafe. The moment you walk into the cafe, you get a sudden feeling that you are sitting in a local cafe in Champs Elysee, listening to the accordion playing, whilst drinking your coffee.

Galliot Et Gray is a quirky, french cafe that amidst charisma, by day it’s a cafe by night it transforms into a romantic pizzeria restaurant.

“The area is not just for one section of society and everyone feels comfortable in the area.”

Emma Gray and Gilles Gray are a married couple who are the owners of the restaurant. Emma is Irish whilst Gilles is from France, Fergus Gray, the head chef, is the brother of Emma. He describes the cafe as “Fr-Irish” as it is a mix of French and Irish cultures.

Emma welcomed me into their trendy cafe and I was in awe of the interior design of the cafe. The eccentric interior was designed by Emma as she worked as an interior designer whilst Gilles worked in construction; together their creativity combined is shown and is portrayed through their beautiful cafe.

The family-run business first started off as a food truck that sold pizzas in Greystones.

Due to the recession in 2009, they lost their jobs, “we both were in the building trade [we] started off as a pizza truck and we just grew the business from there”, Emma explained.

From starting their food truck business six years ago, the Grays extended their business to a diverse area in Dublin 8 about a year ago; thus creating - Gaillot et Gray.

Currently, the pizza truck in Greystones is run by the son of Fergus Gray, Nisha Gray. “The pizza truck business is running very well at the moment. It’s a takeaway style sort of business. Greystones is a place growing very fast, it has grown by 25% in four years”, Fergus mentioned in an article in The Liberties.

Emma expressed that working with your family is “good and fun” however she finds it difficult to socialise outside of work. She chose Dublin 8 as “the area was underdeveloped, rents were cheaper and it’s close to our home and our children’s school.”

She claims it makes their work-life balance easier.

When you enter the cafe, the smell of fresh pastries immediately hits you and of course, you start to salivate. Emma explained that every morning they make their bakeries fresh, and homemade.

From 4:00 pm they start to knead the dough for the pizza - the speciality is their pizzas as it’ws unique and different from the others in Dublin. Most pizzas use mozzarella cheese, but not the Grays.

To promote their French cuisine, they use Emmental cheese which is a French favourite, this brings the pizza to life and will tickle your taste buds as the combination of the dough, cheese and special tomato sauce creates a delicious slice.

Their other specialities consist of homemade bread, sourdough is a house favourite. It’s made from nine different types of flour from the fermented yeast. This dipped with their chilli olive oil is certainly the best, and ladies don’t worry about your diet - the bread is healthy!

Emma talked me through the day in the life of being a Gray, and it seems like hard

28 THE FINAL.indd 28

07/04/2019 19:33

p

Freshly baked by Galliot Et Gray Photo by Punk Groves

work. “We have an early start, 5:00 am it is and with kids, this is a nightmare. We finish at 11:00 pm ish and on Saturdays, we start at 3:00 am.” However, even with the tough hours, Emma explained she really loves what she does.

They get a lot of diverse customers from different backgrounds, Fergus explained, “we have lots of writers, artists, actors, musicians. There’s a lot of these types of people in this area. It’s a big mix there are some local people as well. The area’s not just for one section of society and everybody feels comfortable in this area.”

So if you’re ever around the Portobello, please do yourself a favour and visit this cafe. Trust me, your mouth will thank you.

Inside Galliot and Gray Photo by Punk Groves

29 THE FINAL.indd 29

07/04/2019 19:34

St. Nicholas play shocks and engages audience Brendan Coyle,Poster for St Nicholas, By Conor McPherson

Yvonne Teo

Actor of Downton Abbey, Brendan Coyle, to be a part of St. Nicholas play

A

s a foreigner here in Dublin, I am impressed by how Irish people enjoy their night out by going to live theatre. Ireland has made a large contribution to the history of theatre in the Western world. It is known for producing literary geniuses such as Oscar Wilde and Bernard Shaw.

During the Dublin Theatre Festival, St. Nicholas was one of the highlights of this year’s festival. This play was written

by Conor McPherson, a famous Irish playwright, in 1997 starring Brian Cox. This play received its Irish premiere in an intimate new production by the Donmar Warehouse who revived and performed it in London before bringing it to Dublin.

It is performed by Brendan Coyle, an actor in Downton Abbey. Coyle returned to the Irish stage for the first time since 2002. This is the first time that Coyle and McPherson collaborated together since The Weir, which won both the actor and the playwright Olivier awards in 1999.

The director, Simon Evans, began the performance with Coyle entering the stage. He then starts to scatter rice in a

rough circle at the feet of the audience that is sitting nearby. The play starts with, “When I was a boy, I was afraid of the dark. What was there, and maybe one of the things I thought was there was…vampires.”

This play follows a pessimistic and fed-up theatre critic in his late fifties who fell for a beautiful young actress. In pursuing her, he meet a group of modern-day vampires who offer him eternal life. This is where all the darkness began. As the character continued to speak, wandering through the audiences and onto the stage then back to the audiences, the subject remained fearful and the form it took, as it drew the audience into the play.

The stage design by Peter McKintosh is everything. With the impressive office design that allows the audience to get intimate by sitting on the sides of the stage with antique chairs, a desk with an old typewriter and piles of papers scattered on the desk and windows covered with newspaper, making the atmosphere seem dark and mysterious.

“When I was a boy, I was afraid of the dark. What was there, and maybe one of the things I thought was there was there was…vampires.”

30 THE FINAL.indd 30

07/04/2019 19:34

Another nice touch, Coyle walks around the stage by looking into the audiences’ eyes and slightly touching some of them on the shoulder as he passes by their seats during the play. It creates an intimacy between the actor and the audiences. Continuing to draw them into the play quicker.

The early part of the story is focused on the role of the character being a critic and his broken soul. The critic saw himself for being able to do greater things, but sadly he still writes poetry which doesn’t really have much of a future. The second part of the play is entirely a story involving vampires as it is a supernatural play. The ending of the play leaves a mind blowing impact and made the audiences think and wonder of the whole story.

Brendan Coyle really makes the character come to life with his acting. Coyle is able to switch between his emotions naturally as his character portray lots of emotion. Guilt, anger and fear. This play is a must to catch and definitely one of the highlights of the festival.

A scene from the St. Nicholas PLAY

by Yvonne Teo

31 THE FINAL.indd 31

07/04/2019 19:34

Leonard’s Corner Cafe Bar Menu served Monday-Friday 12pm-3pm Opening Hours: Monday-Thursday and Sunday 10:30am-23:30pm Friday and Saturday: 10:30am-00:30pm “Good pints and good atmosphere” Contact:01 454 2332 or email : cafebarlc@gmail.com

32 THE FINAL.indd 32

07/04/2019 19:34

Rehabiltation and theraputic service eve improving mental health Bronagh Loughlin

EVE Thomas Court are a hub service who offer programmes to improve people’s mental health.

A

ccording to Mental Health Ireland, one in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. Of that, around one in ten children will experience mental health problems and depression affect around one in twelve of the whole population.

In addition, 450 million people worldwide have a mental health problem.

Our mental health is important, although there are not always physical signs like with physical illnesses. Mental health can be a serious weight on the mind or in an individual’s life. So, what can we do to help people struggling?

When people are struggling with their mental health, they usually go to their general practitioner (GP). GP’s will often recommend going on medication or even counselling. The question is, are there any other approaches to help people who are struggling?

“We still stand out for our own system. But with other places we all share the same vision.We will always build our programme as a person-centred” Recovery services within the EVE organisational network. Thomas Court HUB is a large facility, which situated in the centre of one of Dublin’s oldest developments, and The Liberties.

Not everyone wants to depend on pills to make them feel better and not many people want to open about their feelings and make themselves vulnerable. So, what is the alternative?

They have been providing services to individuals with mental health difficulties for more than 20 years. will be speaking to Eoghain Doyle, Centre Manager of the Thomas Court Hub Service about how they help people and what their programmes have to offer. On arriving to Thomas Court, I was greeted by Eoghain who immediately gave me a tour of their building.

EVE Thomas Court HUB is one of several centres offering community Rehabilitative/

He brought me down a long hall of offices and to various rooms their programmes

Thomas Court hub service reception area and leaflets about programme Photo supplied by EVE

happen in. There was a woodworking room, a life skills room and a media room.

We walked up the stairs to where I saw a vision board. There was a room with a pool table and a beautiful view of their court yard, this is where we conducted our interview.

The parent organisation is Eastern Vocational Enterprises Limited (EVE). EVE was established as an organisation in 1991. Prior to this for Thomas Court, a lease was required by the old health board and the building was used as a shelter workshop in 1984.

Eoghain explains, “EVE has played a leading role in the provision of high-quality community-based services that meet the needs of adults, consistent with national policy and the ambitions of the Health Safety and Environment (HSE) for the delivery of personal and social services.”

In EVE also, we seek to provide contexts which support people to become active citizens in their local communities by promoting health, well-being, learning and social inclusion in quality person centred community services.”

EVE currently have 19 high-quality person-centred services which are all located

33 THE FINAL.indd 33

07/04/2019 19:34

in CHO 6, 7 and 9, the community health organisations in the HSE, and are spread out around Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare.

Eoghain says, “The services are generally broken down within the following categories, Vocational Training Services (VT), Occupational Services, Clubhouses and Community-based hub services.”

He continues, “Thomas Court are a community-based hub. As a hub-service our program aims to build on existing community development structures, promoting access by people with disabilities to mainstream supports.

Our centre’s aim is to develop programmes linkages that promote the engagement of people with disabilities in mainstream structures.”

“In Thomas Court, we achieve this goal through the ongoing process of reorienting our services by offering dynamic inclusive programmes focused on connecting to the community so that’s a big piece for people, maybe there’s people feeling social isolation.

We’re putting a lot of work into re-engaging back into our own local communities whether it is in the Dublin 8 area or people coming from further away. This involves building on our own achievements and on some of the successes of our family of services,” says Eoghain.

Eoghain explains that their core components to mental health recovery are Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), a way to help people to get well and make their life the way they want it to be.“We find it to be a very useful tool.

It is used in a lot of the EVE mental health services. We promote WRAP in Thomas Court. It’s an invaluable method to mental health recovery.

Another method we apply in EVE is Recovery Context Inventory (RCI). This is an exciting and innovative mental health recovery profiling tool. It is developed here in EVE. It is a web-based questionnaire which allows people to measure the presence of contextual factors in their lives which they believe are important to their wellbeing and recovery,” explained Eoghain.

Eoghain adds, “It is a very transpar-

ent way to get a good read on how someone’s mental health recovery is being managed. It’s about accountability as well, the individual has to be very mindful of where they fit within the criteria aswell as how they are cooperating with the service and how we are supporting that individual.”

He said that their programme base is vast and reflects the ever-changing needs of the population of people who come in and use their services.

“The programme undergoes changes on a four-monthly basis. It is broken down into 3 blocks; Block 1 is from January-April, Block 2 from May-August and Block 3 from September December,” he said.

Some of the programme offered in Thomas Court are life skills, cooking and make and bake.

Eoghain says, “Other programmes from a personal development point of view, such

“We are also planning a programme re-launch in 2019. To bring new life into the service.

as learning from living and understanding and managing stress. All of us encounter stressful situations each day and learning strategies to manage this is vital.”

Music, art, media skills, digital photography, world of work skills, IT, woodwork are other available programmes. They also carry out a blog. Eoghain adds, “These are all to improve the skill sets of the individuals. All programmes filter into each other.”

They are also coming up with new ideas and events to help people further.

Eoghain explains, “There will be a big focus on making care, compassion and learning a part of how we do our business in the HSE. Introducing campaigns such as the values and action campaign. It is celebrating its 2 years anniversary here. It’s about behaviours, how we interact with our colleagues. We hope those campaigns will map out the way of working and help promote recovery.”

re-launch in 2019. To bring new life into the service. We want to bring it to the next level to improve it as a hub service.

Inviting lots of agencies to celebrate with us.”

Thomas Court advertise their services through their websites. “It is a lot of word of mouth. We can assist people on a personal perspective with their education, health, leisure, spirituality, housing etc. Our demographic come from all over not just people who live in Dublin 8, it is always about the wider community.”

Not all centres do the same thing. Some are hub, some are VT, and some are clubhouses so not necessarily. Some are mental health services, autism services and etc.

Eoghain says, “The primary goal of all EVE services is to provide community-based recovery-oriented programmes for people who experience mental health difficulties, intellectual difficulties and Asperger’s syndrome.

As well as physical and sensory disabilities. We do this through our network of vocational and RT and occupational and clubhouse services within 19 locations across the HSE health community.

We offer this support to 1500 people annually.”

He also added that, “We still stand out for our own system, but with other places we all share the same vision. We will always build our programme as a person-centred programme. 2 years programme, key word up to a 2 years programme.

We want people to begin with the end in mind, how they will approach life after.”

“We want to see progress. We want people to use our programme and engage heavily. Step outside your comfort zone, see what is there for you to experiment.

We have about 50 people daily. There is also space for growth if we get more staff,” he continued. Eoghain ends with a quote, “Never give up. There is no such thing as an ending, just a new beginning.”

“We are also planning a programme

34 THE FINAL.indd 34

07/04/2019 19:34

Pub Brazes on after all these years Paraic Redmond

What are the secrets to the Brazen Heads success?

T

he Brazen Head located on Bridge street is Ireland’s oldest pub. There are documents back as far as 1653 of the pub and the current building has been standing since 1754. There has been a hostelry there since 1198.

The pub is glittered in rich history having withstood almost everything the city of Dublin could have thrown at them. The pub was almost destroyed on two occasions during the Easter rising in 1916 and the civil war in 1922.

As well as these historical moments the pub also has catered some memorable individuals.

Robert Emmet planned the rising of 1798 inside the pub and then it was the venue of another rising plan in 1916 as Michael Collins and other leaders of the War of Independence.

The pub has had some well known visitors like the Backstreet Boys and Tom Jones who played when he visited the pub. So what are the secrets to its success?

Although it has a rich history, the Brazen Head may face problems such as continuing its reputation and moving up with the ages without losing its traditional charm.

“The pub has managed to retain the charm and characteristics of its past and in particular its patrons”, says owner of the pub John Hoyne.

The pub is blessed with great interior, a cosy atmosphere and an outdoor cobblestone courtyard. The pub contains pictures of the 1916 rising, ancient Irish artefacts and antique memorable pub objects.

said to be a museum as well as a hospitality outlet.

Many historians and people with an interest in Irish history visit the pub when in the capital. It’s clever and traditional layout is what can be so appealing to visitors.

“Over the years we have evolved from being a couch house Inn to being one of the premier destinations for all the visitors to our city”, John says. The location of the pub is a key factor to its success.

It is located in a neighbourhood with centuries of history. Within a ten minute walk of the city centre. The Brazen Head has become one of the top spots for tourists to visit for a drink or some food.

“This is everything you would expect from an Irish bar”, says Daire Foley, a Welsh tourist.

“You build up a proper Irish bar in your head and its exactly what you think it would be”, his wife adds. Unlike many pubs in Dublin, the Brazen Head has a large amount of tourists which is an important factor that puts this pub above others.

“Being Ireland’s oldest pub we have tried to maintain the pubs traditional appearance to show visitors from overseas what an Irish pub looked like in the past”, said the owner.

So along with its rich history, its charming interior and it being officially the oldest pub in Ireland it also offers daily events to attract the people inside its doors. The pub has music every day of the week, ranging from traditional Irish to country and blues music.

While in the pub you can become familiar with Irish history. The pub could also be

35 THE FINAL.indd 35

07/04/2019 19:34

The Brazen Head Photo supplied by the Brazen Head

The Brazen Head is known as one of the best live music venues and it attracts young and old people from near and far. The Brazen Head serves food every day and follows its old fashioned tradition by serving typical irish dishes that would have been served back in older times.

The authentic entertaining evening allows guests to listen to stories of life in Ireland long ago and for tourists to get a glimpse of Irish heritage. These traditional Irish events attract people into the pub and again is another huge feature in its success.

Stews and fish are popular dishes in the Brazen Head. Another event the pub offers is one of Ireland’s most old fashioned forms of entertainment and social events.

It hosts an evening of storytelling.

The secrets of the pub can be seen in the history, the traditional events and interiors.

These key features are the main ingredients to a successful tourist pub located in Dublin 8.

“Being Ireland’s oldest pub we have tried to maintain the pubs traditional appearance to show visitors from overseas what an Irish pub looked like in the past”

36 THE FINAL.indd 36

07/04/2019 19:34

An image of The Garda National Immigratiwon Bureau, Photo by Clark Bergan.

Foreigners show Frustation over visa appointment system Foreigners in Dublin up in arms over visa appointment system

Alexander lundquist

P

eople waiting hours in the cold was not sustainable. So, when an online booking system was created it was touted as a success. Two years later, are things genuinely better?

appointment that day. To fix this growing problem, the GNIB created an online booking system which has now come under severe criticism from international students and professionals alike.

Foreigners in Dublin are having a hard time getting appointments to get their visas, sometimes having to wait months, creating stress, hopelessness and a desperation that has created a new black market.

“It is almost impossible to book an appointment, for me it took over a month. I spent around two to three hours every day on the GNIB website”, says Mara Garcia, a Mexican national who has lived in Dublin for just over a year.

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) is responsible for immigration in Ireland, and their Dublin office, located in Burgh Quay, was for a long time infamous in the city´s international community for its early morning lines that could sometimes be several streets long.

“It is so stressful, because not only do you have to worry about finding work and, in my case, finishing college, you also have to spend all this time worrying about just being allowed to stay in the country”, she continues.

People sometimes had to start queueing as early as 4:00 a.m. in order to get a visa

She highlights a big problem. Students often must deal with both studies and work, and

when you also must spend a lot of time refreshing the GNIB´s booking page, it can be very hard to make it all work.

“It is so hard to get an appointment in the first place, so when you finally get one you take it, even if you have to miss work like I did”, says Carolina Hernandez, also Mexican, working in Dublin.

“And there is no one to contact and ask questions either”, adds Carolina Miyasaka who came to Ireland from Cuba.

In fact, the GNIB does not even have a phone number listed regarding visa registration, the website stating that “we cannot answer queries via phone at this time”.

They can only be contacted via email, but the GNIB acknowledges that it can take over two weeks to get an answer.

37 THE FINAL.indd 37

07/04/2019 19:34

These three women have been here for a year and are at least settled in by now, but for students arriving in Ireland for the first time, it adds even more to the already daunting challenge of moving to a new country, and in most cases, a new continent.

“It is very frustrating”, says Brian Hearne, programme director at the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS). “It is very tough to come here and settle in the first place, and on top of that you get all this stress”, he says.

Ireland has seen an increase of the number of non-EEA nationals living here by 21% in just the past three years, and Mr Hearne emphasises that the lack of resources devoted to the visa process is a problem.

“And aside from that, you also have these dodgy sites on Facebook”, he continues.

Whenever some see a crisis, others see a business idea. With thousands of people struggling to get appointments, Facebook groups have emerged with people promising to deliver appointment times by using bots. The appointments are then sold to desperate foreigners.

The page GNIBot currently has five thousand likes on Facebook and another group called GNIB and Visa Appointment has over two thousand. You simply have to tell

them what kind of visa you require and fill in the same personal information form you would fill out on GNIB´s website and they will find you a time as soon as possible.

The service costs between 20 and 30 euro. “it is really unfair that you have to pay someone to get you an appointment, especially when it already costs 300 euro to get the visa itself. Plus, you must renew it every year, so the money adds up”, says Mara Garcia.

This problem has been pointed out to the GNIB several times and while they claim to have set up protection against the bots, they are still very much active.

Another way around the system is to temporarily move out of Dublin to nearby counties where you can simply show up to the local Garda station and get your visa the same day, before moving back to the capital. You will have to register in Dublin again, but at least then you have the visa and do not have to worry.

So, what needs to be done? Should the GNIB go back to the old system? Brian Hearne says no, that it would be a step in the wrong direction. “It is still a bad option”, he says. But as American Juan Ferrales puts it: “At least with the old system you knew you were getting an appointment that day or the next.”

38 THE FINAL.indd 38

07/04/2019 19:34

Ja Art factory Sign, 64 Patrick St. Dublin 8. Photo by Samvil Edades

Jam Art Factory, where print art is pivotal componant

J

am Art Factory is an Irish owned store that is renowned for the print art they exhibit. Their goal is to showcase the abundant and talented artists that are emerging in Ireland today. Brothers Mark and John first opened Jam Art Factory in 2011 at 64 Patrick St, Wood Quay, Dublin 8.

Interestingly, before Jam Art Factory came to be, the brothers were on different career paths.

“I was working in an art shop in town, I had one or two exhibitions of my own art. I always found it difficult to display my stuff”, says Mark. His brother John was going through a similar ordeal having just lost his job. Nevertheless, John was also doing a course on starting a business at that time.

During that difficult period, Mark and John had an aunt who was opening up a business in the area of Patrick Street. It was only last minute where she decided that she did not want to go ahead with her plan, so the brothers took over and opened up a business of their own.

Before the place was theirs, the brothers needed to apply to The Iveagh Wealth Fund. The Iveagh which provides the opportunity for investors to access the capital growth and wealth preservation investment process that Iveagh has been providing to the Guinness Family and other family clients since 2006. They had competitors that wanted the same place, but luckily they managed to get it. This then led to the opening of the Jam Art Factory.

In 2013, due to their immense popularity and the support they received, the brothers decided to open a second location in lively Crown Alley Temple Bar. When you first walk into Jam Art Factory Store on Patrick Street, you are immediately greeted by a vibrant and colorful atmosphere. Right away you’ll be captivated by the print art that is largely displayed all over the store.

It is noteworthy that print art was not the main appeal of the store when they first opened.

Samville Edades

When we first started it was a lot of original art and It was paintings, big painting”, says John.

Since 2011 was a time where Ireland was still recovering from the recession those paintings were costly. Print Art became convenient for them because a lot of their customers were culturally immersed tourists who wanted to purchase paintings that they could roll up and easily put into their bags. Jam Art Factory’s main mission was to create a place where they can showcase talented Irish artists.

“We choose art that we like and that we think will fit into the criteria of the shop.

I also find stuff online on Instagram and Facebook, and people getting in touch with us by sending their work. We also go to a lot of craft fairs and art shows in colleges, but at the minute we’re not taking in art as much as we used to because of the limited space”, says Mark.

39 THE FINAL.indd 39

07/04/2019 19:34

Not only is the gallery filled with fresh concepts of print, using both traditional and contemporary techniques, Jam Art Factory also stocks ceramics, textiles, jewelry and street art in strange and wonderful forms.

Since Jam art factory exhibits art that is made in Ireland, a lot of their customers are tourists who are avid art fans and who want to take a memory of Ireland home with them. Needless to say, they also have a lot of Irish customers. These customers can range from one-time buyers to art collectors. Jam Art Factory ships internationally so customers around the

world can purchase their products Jam Art Factory occasionally hosts a variety of events in their stores. They recently had a Roald Dahl exhibition in which thirteen artists called ‘The Blind Elephants Collective’ produced different designs dedicated to Roald Dahl’s work.

The designs were then displayed all over the store. Every year they also have artists and designers that come in and talk about their designs.

The brothers have indeed come a long way and they are certainly proud of their achievements.

“The most exciting part about all this

is that we did it ourselves, me and my brother. Even just working with different Irish artists and designers seeing different styles is exciting, it’s always good to see something new”, says Mark.

The brothers are always working with new artists to create new and exciting designs to keep up with the rising demand..

If you would like to know more about Jam Art Factory, make sure to pop into their stores in Patrick St, Dublin 8 or Temple Bar, Dublin 2. You can also visit their website at jamartfactory.com or follow them on social medias such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Mark, Founder of Jam Art Factory. Photographed by Samvil Edades

40 THE FINAL.indd 40

07/04/2019 19:34

Mental Health Week 2018 Launch Focuses on Young People

“Increasing prominence of social media profiles and dynamic tech culture rising pressure on adolescents in Ireland.”

Jennifer Emenike

Mental health week 2018 launch has child and adolescent therapists, the Ombudsman for children and other experts speaking on behalf of our young people’s mental health.

Increasing prominence of social media profiles and dynamic tech culture rising pressure on adolescents in Ireland according to Dr. Colman Noctor. “The child and adolescent therapist warn that we should try to control our way of thinking because it’s important to our mental wellbeing", says Dr. Colman Noctor.

The Ombudsman for children emphasizes the need to protect the children’s rights and respect it.

Dr. Niall Muldoon says, "we need to talk to them, consult them, and get their views". He insisted that there should be primary health support through mental health services and feels that it should be given equal resources to physical health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to her or his community.

Organisers and speakers of Mental Health Week at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Photo by Joe Gavin

Research carried out by the WHO suggests that anxiety and stress disorders will cost the global economy over $1 trillion. Further studies revealed there is a link with the increased engagement on social media and high levels of stress, anxiety and depression especially among young adults.

According to a UNICEF report in 2017, one in 10,000 Irish fifteen to nineteen-year olds will die by suicide.

Notwithstanding, there are many nonprofit organisations in Ireland which are helping

to bridge the gap which has been created through stigmatising people with mental health problems. See Change Ireland are supporting many young people to overcome these challenges.

The young people in Ireland are not left helpless according to Kiki Martire, the youth outreach and training at Spunout.ie. She says there are services available to them such as educational programmes, counselling and non-judgmental listening.

Ms. Zoe Forde the See Change Youth Ambassador was diagnosed with depression at eighteen, and later with anxiety. See Change helped her through her difficult period of poor mental health.

Ms. Zoe Forde says that sharing experiences is something that is greatly needed in the modern world. Dr. Colman Noctor reveals that we can also use the improved technology of the modern world to reach many who may not otherwise be reached.

Advising that people can use technology in a way that can isolate themselves. But instead should be using it in a way that opens doors for individuals not just to express themselves but also to listen and understand each other.

In addition, he points out how social media can be a vehicle for reaching out to others. Also bringing the needed meaning and purpose in lives. Now more than ever there is more information and more life style options, presented particularly on social media.

41 THE FINAL.indd 41

07/04/2019 19:34

By Yvonne Teo

42 THE FINAL.indd 42

07/04/2019 19:34

By Auriane Mallein

THE FINAL.indd 43

07/04/2019 19:34

Africa-Irish Development Initiative Zephrynus Zeph Ikeh – Founder and Business Development Director Jennifer Emenike – Programme and Event Coordinator Contact: Mobile: +353 87 320 2307 email aidiclbg@gmail.com

“We don’t count the Difference, we make the Differences count”.

THE FINAL.indd 44

07/04/2019 19:34