i-Ink April 2023

Almost There !

i-INK Editor

Well, here we are, April already and another year is nearly done. Here at i-Ink we are busy finishing off all our assignments and planning our next steps. We have all worked so hard, so a big congrats to everyone for completing their work and let’s hope everyone gets their deserved marks in those letters in June.

It’s a funny ol’ time of year. Everyone is mostly mad busy, working hard to get their last submissions in by deadline. Teachers are also busy, because remember, they are the people who correct this avalanche of incoming work. But at the same time, it can feel a bit poignant. Perhaps you made great friendships or connections, maybe you fell in love with the place. It could be that saying goodbye to the canteen sausage rolls is breaking your heart. Or maybe you are relieved to be moving on. But believe me when I tell you, the teachers get attached to you all too, so they may shed a little bitty tear once you all run out the door for the last time. Although the peace and quiet afterwards is a sort of consolation. But, don’t be a stranger. Stay in touch, and maybe come back and visit us all sometime.

This is the last i-Ink issue of the year, the special bumperend-of-year issue containing the usual amazing mix of i-Ink

articles. Aran Donnelly gives a frank discussion on local authority action plans in the face of the national housing crisis. Meanwhile Oisín McCarthy writes about U2 and their latest album, Songs of Surrender. Keeping with music, Ava Price gives the low-down on the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. You will find the entire newsletter is filled with photos and articles about the events this year, all which contributed to the great buzz in LCFE. We also have what everyone has been waiting for, the amazing talent showcase, The Big i-INK call out! We had a great selection of submissions this year from learners across loads of disciplines, such as Art, Design, Print, Sculpture, Poetry, Rap, Animation, Photography and the Written Word. We certainly loved reading and looking at all of these inspiring submissions and we think you will too. All are included inside in the second half of this newsletter for your perusing pleasure.

We hope you enjoy reading this year’s final i-INK issue. We had a great year writing this newsletter, so thank you for reading and supporting us. Have a great summer everyone!

Photo: Aine Flynn, LCFE

It’s the end of the year Best of luck to everyone

Shane Cullinane, Principal

Dear learners, It’s April and here we are approaching the business end of the year and I am sure you are all really busy with your final assignments and exams. Myself, the college staff and all of the team here at our Mulgrave Street and Kilmallock Road Campus wish you all the best of luck, stick with it and the rewards will come.

As a year, it seems to have flown by and without a doubt your participation and presence in both campuses have really brought each campus to life. It was super to see throughout the year your support and enthusiasm for college life. The activities and events that were organised and delivered by both you and your teachers were fantastic and you all brought a warmth and energy to each campus.

Looking forward to that next stage in your personal and professional development is where I hope your focus is now. Be hopeful and optimistic about what’s around the corner as a result of the confidence you have

developed through your time with us in the College of FET. In this regard do please chat with our guidance staff, with your teachers and course coordinator and seek out their advice and support. It’s so important to us to ensure that the next step for you is the right one. So with that, thank you and from myself as Principal I would like wish you the very best of luck going forward.

Shane

It was super to see throughout the year your support and enthusiasm for college life. You have all brought a warmth and energy to your campus.

Science in action in Kilmallock Road Campus

You could say this is what budding scientists have been waiting for all year, the chance to get their latex-gloved hands dirty, so to speak.

Donning their lab coats and safety googles, these scientists and researchers of the future, well and truly got their teeth into chemistry.

This is in fact part of the biochemical testing skills demo, where they engage in activities such as simulating an aids

Formerly these skills demos had to be carried out in TUS (formerly LIT) campus, but exciting developments mean this training can all now be conducted in our own KRCKilmallock Road Campus. Well done everyone, we hope all your experiments are successful.

Photograph: Aine Flynn, LCFE

Photographs by Aine Flynn, LCFE.

Housing Crisis in Limerick

Aran Donnelly

One of the most pressing questions relating to the current housing crisis in Ireland is how the Irish government intends to respond to and take action on the ongoing crisis facing thousands of ordinary citizens in this country. At a local level Limerick City & County Council have a number of policies to try and address the housing crisis here in Limerick.

As a local subsidiary of the national government’s Housing for All action plan, Limerick City & County Council developed the Housing Delivery Action Plan 2022 – 2026. This report outlines the details of the Council’s current and projected targets for social and affordable housing delivery during this period. The current Action Plan is for Limerick to deliver a target of 2,693 homes in Limerick, between 2022 and 2026. 40% is via the Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) of Ireland, and 60% via Limerick City & County Council. The plan also includes the delivery of an Annual Monitoring Report each year.

LCCC also outlines targets for both buying and leasing in certain settlements, and to focus on the particular

types of households needed, e.g., single households or family households. Additionally, LCCC outline their plans to reintroduce Affordable Housing Delivery via direct funding from the central government, after that policy was previously abandoned in 2011.

These key actions and policies will be taken within both the Metropolitan District and Municipal Districts of Limerick City and County.

While LCCC have outlined a comprehensive approach to tackling the ongoing accommodation crisis in Limerick, the true extent to how effective and successful this will be is yet to be fully discerned.

In November 2022, Chief Executive Officer Pat Daly of LCCC predicted that Limerick was on track to exceed its housing target for 2026, as it had already done so for 2022, with 45% of the five-year target already being approved in the first year alone.

Reports in September 2022 indicated that 723 new homes were built in Limerick between June 2021 and June 2022 (Lynch, 2022), and reports in November 2022 later indicate that 118 new homes are set to be built in Moyross and Southill over the next few months.

as learners build skills in laboratory techniques

Taylor Swift, The Eras Tour

All you need to know

Ava Price

Taylor Swift’s Eras tour started on Friday the 17th of March 2023 and continues until Wednesday the 9th of August 2023. She announced the tour on last November 2022 when she appeared on Good Morning America, she also announced the news onto all her socials.

The Eras tour is her sixth tour. The reason it is called The Eras tour is because it represents the journey through each musical era of her career. The set list for the tour features 44 songs selected from all her albums. Ranging from her first album that she ever released in 2006 called Taylor Swift with her song Tim McGraw to her newest album released in 2022 called Midnights containing the songs Anti-hero and Midnight Rain. According to Guinness World Records her album Midnights broke the record for Most streamed album,

Most day-one streams of an album, and Most streamed act on Spotify. Her Midnights album broke the record for most steamed album in 24 hours which was previously held by Drake. His album Certified Lover Boy had 153.4 million streams in the space of 24 hours after the release whereas Midnights had 228 million streams. All too well the ten-minute version is also featured in the line up from her Red (Taylor’s Version) album which is one of my favourite songs by her.

Each of her ten albums will have their own act in the tour. She will recreate the aesthetic of each album with costume and set changes. This is her first tour in five years since her Reputation tour in 2018. She was unable to go on tour for her Lover, Folklore and Evermore albums. She is set to play 52 dates for The Eras concert. So far her tour is based in the US, the international dates are yet to be announced.

Regeneration & Regrowth The continuing evolution of U2

Oisin McCarthy

As we navigate this time of year, we tend to associate Spring with generation and regrowth. This year not only is this evident with the environment, coincidentally, regrowth is a value which can be applied to one of Ireland’s greatest exports. Indeed, Ireland’s perhaps most polarising, yet undeniably quintessential musical quartet U2 have reared their heads once again, evolving once again by simply going back to basics with their latest offering, 40 songs of surrender. These entailing degrees of reimagination and poignant remastering of some of their familiar favourites, (some of which include With Or Without You, Beautiful Day, and Vertigo) correlated into an interesting pair along with some entertaining takes on some of the more underrated anthems from the band’s vast and dynamic discography, (City Of Blinding Lights, Walk On, and The Little Things That Give You Away to name a few).

However, it is perhaps for the best that U2 have revisited the fire that made them one pf the most beloved Rock n Roll entities in the world. After all, the last few years for the group have proven tumultuous and far from Rock n Roll. Lead man Bono has completed what would seem to embody a subtle soul search consequential in conjunction with the release of his memoir. The Edge

has appeared a vagabond of sorts, often accompanying Bono in public appearances and side projects. Away from this, we have seen the other half, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton slip out of the limelight due to personal reasons.

However, it has become evident in recent times, that all is not lost for the band’s faithful. Bono and The Edge recently showed this in candid profile, in their sort of homecoming, documented by David Letterman. Seeing Bono and The Edge back amongst their roots was a heart-warming reminder that, while the flame has dimmed a little bit, the endearing soul of the music is still within them, and in the words of Bono himself, if there is a light, then we shouldn’t doubt. While Bono and Edge openly admitted to all four men at least toying with the idea of stepping down, they showed unity in “chasing the dragon of the song yet to be written”. This rediscovering of self-actualisation is coupled with the band’s next big undertaking, a residency in Las Vegas’ newest venue “the sphere”, however this will undoubtedly prove bittersweet for most with drummer Larry Mullen sitting it out due to health reasons. While they may not be the same raucous entity they once were, most can take solace in the fact that perhaps Ireland’s greatest musical product is far from giving up the stage just yet.

Petr (Happy24), CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Art Festival - save the date !

Belltable 25th May 2023

Pat Normoyle

Advanced Art Level 6 along with Art Craft & Design L5 learners are busy producing a collaborative work of Art as part of their Work Experience. This is part of the exciting new Art Festival being run by the Visual Art Department which will open in May and will include an art exhibition, a selection of short films and a fashion show.

This Artwork was made as part of the Advanced Art and the Art & Craft courses for an in house Work Experience. The project was overseen by Course Coordinators Pat Normoyle and Jane Foley.

Positivity

The idea behind the work was to express the inclusion and diversity that exists in Limerick. Also, the learners wanted to express the positivity they felt exiting the Covid pandemic, by so they aimed to work in a more relaxed portrait style.

After a few meetings and much debate, the format was decided. The learners did not want the works behind glass or in frames as they wanted them to be ‘free’ to view without any props.

The portraits were created from photographs of ‘People from Limerick’ taken by the learners, with proper written consent from participants of course. A variety of different techniques were used, Drawing, Painting and Printmaking as well as various materials, Pencil, Paint, Pastels, Ink etc. The learners spent a day on working with each technique, so, a day on drawing portraits, a day on Painting portraits and so on. Each of the learners taking part in the work experience created approximately five works each.

Framing Workshop

The participants also took part in a framing workshop that week in ArtMad, John St Limerick. This gave them vital insight in to how artworks are properly displayed. Once finished, the artworks were spray varnished, this is to protect them over time. The works

were then mounted onto pre-cut blocks of wood using spray glues. The final step was to arrange the works on the wall and to create a balance within the work that was visually pleasing to the eye. The portraits will be hung in the Belltable as part of the Festival.

The Level 6 learners also did a large portrait of wellknown Celebrity, Limerick Native and alumni of the Art & Design Course ‘Blindboy’. This will also be part of the Exhibition in May. The learners wanted to do a portrait based on a celebrity and decided on ‘Blindboy’ as ironically, he never does show his face. The work is made up of 96 separate pieces which were individually worked on by each learner, so each person did not know what the other was doing. It is a large and vibrant piece of work so don’t forget to put the date of 25th May in your Diary.

An awful lot of time and work has been put into these pieces. The groups worked really well as a Team when it was needed and they thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. This will serve them well as they progress onto their individual journeys, whatever path they may take.

Learners, Left to right: Jodie Galvin, Luke McCormack, Amanda Kelly, Judy Prendergast, Conor Francis, Trudy Reardon, Grace Reid, Handy Bravo

LCFE actors tread the boards in exciting showcase performances

Sam Monaghan

ASDM, or Acting for Stage, Screen & Digital Media, to give the course its full title, held a showcase performance recently that not only give these talented actors some real life stage experience, but also allowed the rest of the college to enjoy live performance up close and personal.

This year the ASDM learners have been hard at work studying voice, movement, Shakespeare, modern theatre and improv, all of which has been hugely beneficial. Several workshops have taken place over the year giving the learners an opportunity to explore performance for younger audiences, as well as the work of Michael Chekhov. It’s been a fun year and learners have seen their confidence soar and some are already booking roles in both theatre and film.

The course culminated in a showcase performance, where the learners had the opportunity to flex their acting muscles in front of a live audience. Two

performances took place over two days, with the 10 actors pairing up to perform 5 scenes.

Such a wide variety of acting talent meant that they could cover an array of themes and genres throughout the showcase – I and You by Lauren Gunderson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh, My Friend Duplicity by Enda Walsh, Spinning by Deirdre Kinahan, and Nineteen Ninety-Two by Lisa McGee.

Both the actors and audience had a fantastic time, it was a huge success and a brilliant demonstration of all the work and talent of the ASDM group. Congratulations to all!

Front (left to right): Abby Shannon, Milo McGee. Middle (left to right): Roisin Connolly, Conor O’Donnell, Gerard Keane, Grey Earls, Locrian Gaumont, Padraig Harrington.

Back (left to right): Max Clogan, Sam Monaghan, Philip Wright

Photography field trip

Lenses, Apertures & F-stops in Budapest

i-Ink Editor

Fair play to all the photography teachers, who go far beyond the call of duty, to escort learners to field trips in far flung destinations in difficult conditions. But, no seriously, not jealous, I swear. However, looking at these images from the photography field trip to Budapest, it was definitely worth it. What we see here is LCFE doing what it does best, teaching skills to a very high level, while at the same time building bonds and friendships. And the learners might not have even noticed, because clearly they are having way too much fun. So, any jobs coming up in the photography department? I can carry the bags...

Inaugural LCETB Inter-Campus Football Tournament

Nial Hehir

Believe it or not, LCFE isn’t the only great campus in the LCETB family. In fact we enjoy great interconnectivity and a common bond with several other sister campuses and so with that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to bring a few of these campuses together to highlight just that. To that end I contacted CFET OCAC, KRC and RHNC and together with LCFE MGSC, seven teams took part in a very lively and exciting football tournament which was tied in with Mental Health Ireland’s ‘Hello. How are you?’ information campaign.

Two pitches were booked in the UL Pavilion and the teams were divided into two groups. Each team played the other teams in their group and matches were 12 minutes long. There was great commitment, teamwork and no little skill on display, with some very competitive games played. To encourage inclusivity the teams were mixed and it was great to see the girls mixing it with boys. Special mention goes to Jamie Sheehan (MGSC) who scored a goal from the half way line, albeit very much wind assisted, but a cracker nonetheless.

At the end of the group stage, the final placings were decided and the respective 1sts, 2nds and 3rds played each other to decide the final rankings and who would be crowned winners. The two MGSC teams played each other in a good spirited contest to decide on bragging rights in the 5th / 6th play off. RHNC’s B Team defeated the KRC Sports & Rec team to claim 3rd place in a hard-fought encounter.

The final was between RHNC’s Electrical Apprentices and KRC’s FAI & ESOL. The two teams were deadlocked at 0-0 at half time, despite RHNC having a very strong wind at their backs. KRC attacked well in the 2nd half but were repelled by some stout defending. With only a few minutes remaining it looked as if we were headed for a penalty shoot-out. However, good passing down

the left wing gave the RHNC centre forward a scoring chance which he tucked away sublimely. With only a minute left the result was sealed when a shot from 25 metres out lobbed the keeper to nestle in the net giving RHNC an unassailable 2-0 lead. Cue scenes of jubilation. It was agreed that the best team won on the day giving Ned O’Meara the honour of housing the cup in the Learning Hub in RHNC.

Special thanks must go to the staff in all campuses who arranged for teams to take part, the referees supplied by the FAI, the first aid team from MSSC, photographers Cian O’Tiarnaigh, students from MGSC and Martin Kiely from RHNC, Niall Downes for manning the fixtures/ scores, my colleagues in the AISS for supporting me in organising the tournament and of course to all the players for taking part.

The occasional rain showers couldn’t dampen the spirits of all who were there and we look forward to continuing this tournament into the future. Bigger and better.

Players take a well deserved rest during the LCETB inter-campus football tournament

ERASMUS 2023

It’s been a great year, the pictures speak for themselves

Untitled Print

By Trudy Reardon, AD4

I am retired from a number of jobs but teaching of late. Just finishing the Advanced Art Course (Level 6) at LCFE which has been terrific with great tutors. Art is completely liberating and I enjoy the company and talents of my fellow students. Printmaking was new to me but we were asked to choose an object to work with. The print shows an old coffee pot, covered by orange netting and printed in three colours.

Wrap Rap

Writers: Megan Casey, Emma Buston, Ruth Hannon, Toni Sharp.

Producers:

Chewie, Pepper, Patches, Poppy, Sketch & Titus.

All writers are in applied psychology (APXX2), the producers are dogs and unfortunately do not attend this college. All those included are very passionate about (w)raps. There’s no sound file but we would like to make one, provide 25 chicken tikka wraps and we can make it happen

Verse 1:

I am in M thirty five, I need a wrap to stay alive, My stomach is grumbling, rumbling, My hands begin fumbling, I’m crumbling.

Chorus:

They always have sausages and bacon, But it don’t stop my heart from breaking, The canteen closes at four, And my hearts all over the floor.

Chorus:

They always have sausages and bacon, But it don’t stop my heart from breaking, The canteen closes at four, And my hearts all over the floor.

Verse 3: No wraps in the canteen, what’s the deal?

Chips on the menu, what’s the appeal?

Hulk’s waking up from his slumber, No wraps in the canteen, it’s a fucking blunder.

Verse 2: Every Friday, my heart aches, I walk to the canteen and there must be a mistake, No wraps like before, Abouta walk out this door.

WRAP-RAP

Still Getting Naked

By Suzanne Roys – Nursing Studies 1A

Gravity

By Suzanne Roys – Nursing Studies 1A

I am not yet naked before you. I am still undressing, Stripping the layers of my arrogance, My pretences, Taking off little adornments and shields. I have so many on, you see; I like to accessorise.

There is so much skin I do not like to show.

There are tattoos you have not seen, Marks where inoculations went in And hair, in secret patches where it should not grow. You have not seen everything hideous yet. Come back, Come back, I’ll show you it all.

Suzanne Roys

I waited in the quiet vacuum For a planet like you—

A floating satellite—

I never stood a chance.

Along you came: you bright sphere, Lending your gravity, Sweeping me into orbit, making me spin

Till you were only dizzy flashes

Between the dark.

You wide, solid thing

With your soft planes, Irregular surfaces, Your edges, valleys, and blue-black dips

That wince like bruises.

There you are, existing, Pulling the mass that makes me up, Shrinking time, and

Bending the space we share

Like silly putty—

Here I am, still spinning, Your own bright moon, Forever changing my face

In your constant light.

We are a system of our own now.

Suzanne Roys

Our Difference made us Delicate

For ADHD Awareness Month 2022

We do not always bloom. Our kind, like orchids, need the earth To hold us right:

Just enough water, Just enough light. For such a brief life, We spent so much of it wilting Or in unnatural hibernation, Waiting for a spring that does not always come.

We held up hopeful buds on babies’ necks And did not always bloom On the windowsills.

The gardener does not always come. We stretched toward the warm day Like a mother.

We cried to the light, crowning, Where have you been, all my long life?

We will stretch to our full heights, Showing our colours;

We’ll drink the day down like a draught. When we bloom, I know

The sun will watch us rise.

Suzanne Roys – Nursing Studies 1A

Smart Travel Poster

By Madeline Cleary ADX2

Sculpture & Batik and Clay

by Stella Masterson.

Heya, my name is Stella Masterson. I am in the arts and crafts class and I’m submitting these pieces just to show a bit of my art and the work I have been doing so far! I wouldn’t really know what you call my style but I really like cute things and the macabre. I love all mediums but probably sculpting and painting are my favourite. Below is a sculpture piece I’ve done for theme of connection (mine is family, the first bears you get) and the other is a Batik horoscope, my sign being Pisces. Two fish swimming in a skull in a deep blue background… That’s about it! Hope you like these pieces !

Mermadness

By Anastasiia Bozhenko, ACDX

The images here are stills from my stop motion animation, Mermadness. This was an assignment for a stop motion animation brief.

If you would like to watch this film, click here or copy the link below:

https://limerickandclareetb-my.sharepoint.com/personal/22_anastasiia_bozhenko_learner_lcetb_ ie/_layouts/15/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2F22%5Fanastasiia%5Fbozhenko%5Flearner%5Flcetb%5Fie%2FDocuments%2FDesign%20Skills%2FStop%20Motion%20Project%2Fmermadness%2Emp4&ga=1

a nima tion

One Day with the Birdwatcher

By Yuliia Samoilenko ACDX

Hello! My name is Yuliia Samoilenko. I was born in Ukraine and lived there until the war started in 2022. The conflict forced me to escape and seek refuge in Ireland. This experience has been given the opportunity to continue my education and to grow as an artist. Now I am a first year student of Art, Craft and Design course at Limerick College of Further Education. Creating a photo book “One Day with the Birdwatcher” during my modules Photography and Design skills was a fun, rewarding, and creative experience that allowed me to showcase my passion for photography and for a birdwatching. This book tells a compelling story that takes readers on an emotional journey, following a birdwatcher’s experiences throughout a single day.

I am happy to share my Pdf. Here is the link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vAVTCmH5gVftsol7TTri_XdOgkQbPFEn?usp=sharing

A Person I Admire, Gliceria Lytvyn

By Iryna Simon

My name is Iryna Simon. I’m from Ukraine. I have been in Ireland for over one year. I live in Limerick, and I am studying English in KRC. In my free time I play different sports. I am a member of the tennis club and I also teach a fitness class on a voluntary basis.

I would like to talk about my great-grandmother as person I admire. Her name was Gliceria Lytvyn. She was born and grew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine. That was the time when Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor still ruled.

When she was twelve years old, the October revolution took place in the empire. My great-grandmother also lived in the terrible times of the Terror Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, and survived World War II. She told me many interesting stories about her life. When I was a child, my great-grandmother took care of me and my twin brothers.

I often remember and admire her because she lived a hard life, but she was kind and positive. Until the end of her days she remained with a clear mind. I was very lucky to know my great-grandmother. I learned from her an optimistic attitude to life, and she taught me to never give up.

Taras Shevchenko

By Lina Pershyna

Taras Shevchenko is a Ukrainian poet, novelist, thinker, painter, ethnographer and public figure. He is a National hero and symbol of Ukraine. He was born on March 9, 1814 and died March 10, 1861.

He was born in a beautiful village in Ukraine. Taras Shevchenko was short – a little more than 164 cm. Taras’ favourite drink was tea with rum. 1,384 monuments have been erected to Taras Shevchenko in the world.The poet always dressed quite fashionably, as he earned well.

This person is my favourite, because in difficult times, he was kind, honest, friendly and most importantly, he was not afraid to overcome life’s difficult situations. By his example, Taras showed what a real man and citizen of his country should be.

Bathroom yearbook design

By James Curran, ADX2

This was a piece done on Adobe illustrate for a brief where we had to make a magazine cover with a self portrait as the front cover. I had images taken for a previous project that I wanted to use and this seemed like the perfect brief to implement them into.

Photography By Céline Mermier

My name is Céline Mermier. I come from the french Alps. I’m a photography student at LCFE with a passion for communication, board games and photography. Before moving to Ireland, I worked in marketing for 10 years. I am a volunteer in a cultural association that writes a life-size game every year to help people discover the city of Lyon through riddles. I love to travel around Europe in a 2CV which allows me to easily make contact and exchange with people.

During 1 year, we followed a multitude of courses which complete each other: technical understanding of what is photography, how to use the lights in a studio, the darkroom, as well as processing software. Throughout the year we had to make different kinds of photography: street photography, portraits, landscapes, conceptual and fashion. See some of my results below.

Right:

This photograph was taken in Budapest in the Selfie Museum during our school trip. This is the idea of representing overconsumption.

Right:

This photograph was done in the college studio. It is a flat-popcorn explosion. I added the smoke on Photoshop to create movement.

Far right:

I am the model in this picture. I was in Lough Derg in January. It represents the farewell to childhood.