The College View Issue 7

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

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Sinn Féin promise free education for all and increased SUSI grant Aoife O’Brien | News Editor @obrienaoife1

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inn Féin will make free education a reality if elected on February 8th according to their general election manifesto.

They will abolish third level fees at the cost of €243 million and have said that they will increase the maintenance grant by 10 per cent.

They said that the SUSI maintenance grant was cut during the economic downturn and no sufficient attempts have been made to restore it.

“Our third-level education system...

is becoming less accessible to many on the basis of financial means,” they said.

Despite this statement, they haven’t made any pledge to increase the threshold for accessing the SUSI grant leaving many students with no financial aid during their studies.

However, Sinn Féin has committed to expanding the DEIS scheme by 20 per cent to tackle educational disadvanCredit: Sinn Fein tage. The increase

Fine Gael promise €500m investment in third-level education Tadgh McNally | News Editor @TadghMN

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ine Gael have promised to invest €500m in colleges and universities across the country, as part of an effort to upgrade facilities on

campuses.

The investment, which will be distributed across institutions based on need, will be taken from the National Training Fund. According to their manifesto, more money will be allocated “if prudent to do so”.

They have also promised to put a freeze on student contribution fees, leaving them at €3000 a year.

“The freeze, in my view, is a good thing because we can level things out for the next three years and after that we can revisit it,’’ said Gary O’Donovan, the treasurer for DCU’s branch of Young Fine Gael.

The SUSI grant is also being looked at, with Fine Gael promising a 5 per cent increase on the income threshold required to receive the grant. They have also promised to keep the grant levels under regular review.

As part of their manifesto, Fine Gael have promised to work on creating new technological universities (TU’s) as well as developing existing ones,

Highlights

such as Technological University Dublin (TUD).

Four new TU’s are currently in the planning stages, which are: Munster TU, TU of the South East, Connacht Ulster Alliance and ALTU. They have placed 90M in funding to help set up these new TU’s, with a particular focus on getting the TU of the South East up and running as soon as possible. This TU will consist of both IT Carlow and Waterford IT. Student accommodation is also on the agenda, with Fine Gael promising to create 800 additional student beds each year. According to O’Donovan, Fine Gael will be putting pressure on universities to build additional on campus accommodation.

Fine Gael have also promised to expand the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education.

The plan, which is put forward to increase diversity in higher education institutions, will focus on improving access for members of the Travelling Community as well as people with intellectual disabilities.

Discussin Eramus+ the party said it will work with institutions within the EU to form partnerships with Irish colleges.

in funding would allow approximately 200 additional schools to avail of supports including additional funding under the School Books Grant Scheme, access to the School Meals Programme and a range of professional developmental supports.

Funding for the School Completion Programme would also be increased by €8 million under a Sinn Féin Government to assist

children through school and after school supports.

Subsidies to private schools would also be phased with the money instead being used to fund the reduction of class sizes in primary schools.

Sinn Féin has said that they will expand the apprenticeship system in Ireland which they say is vital to providing young people with greater alternatives in the tertiary education sector.

Currently, the rate of youth unemployment in Ireland is at 12 per cent and the National Youth Council of Ireland has said that access to apprenticeships could halve this number.

Sinn Féin also noted in their man-

ifesto that in 2018 only two per cent of apprenticeships were undertaken by women. They have stated that this needs to be addressed but have not mentioned how they will do so.

However, with Sinn Féin only standing 42 candidates for election they would need all but one of their candidates to be elected in order to even be a dominant party in a coalition.

Fianna Fáil’s housing spokesperson Darragh O’Brien has said that this renders their policies moot at they have the “luxury” to say what they “really want without having the responsibility to deliver.”

Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque | Editor-in-chief @BrendanFKP

pending the result of the [European] Commission’s ongoing review,” they said. Along with this, they plan on establishing a new department of higher education and research.

For postgraduate students, they plan on restoring postgraduate grants - costing €44.1 million - which will “completely reverse the Fine Gael cutbacks.”

Additionally, they’ve also said they will increase the Student Assistance Fund by €4.9 million and the undergraduate maintenance fee (part of SUSI) by 20 per cent - costing €34 million according to their manifesto.

As part of their plan on increasing links with Northern Ireland, they stated they wish to enhance shared public services. This includes building “education links” with Dundalk and Letterkenny IT and opening up universities to more students across the border.

Internationally, Fianna Fáil wishes to expand the EU interrail initiative, and that “additional steps should be taken to allow students with a disability to fully access the scheme.” No specifics are given as to how help would be provided to disabled students though.

DCU Fianna Fáil society was asked for a comment, and chairperson

Katie Ralph said: “We’re satisfied that the proposals in the manifesto, pending the findings of the European Commission, are a good stepping stone to building an open and accessible third level education sector.”

They did not address whether Fianna Fáil should go further than simply freezing student fees, but actually lowering them.

Fianna Fail pledge €100m for higher level funding

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ianna Fáil promise to freeze student fees according to their 2020 election manifesto.

Irish students currently have the second highest third-level fees in Europe, with undergraduate students having to pay €3,000 per year. Fianna Fáil is not the only party to say they don’t intend on increasing student fees, as Minister for Education Joe McHugh told the Sunday Independent back in August it would stay the same.

McHugh’s comments came shortly after the Irish Universities Association said they needed an extra €117 million for basic operations. It appears Fianna Fáil are attempting to meet these demands, as their manifesto also includes a proposal of providing an additional €100 million per year for higher education funding.

“We will: Commit to an additional €100 million of exchequer funding per annum Credit: Fianna Gael

Credit: Fianna Fail

Comment

Gaeilge

Features

Sports

Money and politics

Wuthering Heights

Kobe Bryant

From voter turnout to TD landlords pg. 12

Plé faoin leabhar iontach “Wuthering Heights”

The influential and the Irish

pg. 15

Women in the European Parliament pg. 20

A legacy on and off the court pg. 22

Editorial

2 News Kids can’t run pg 8

Contents

Vote. No excuses

Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque, Editor-in-Chief

Comment Why do the Irish support Conor McGregor? pg 11 Features Mapping the coronavirus pg 18

Sports DCU secure Sigerson Cup pg 24

Inside The Hype Arts 92nd Academy Awards pg 5

Lifestyle Wicca, modern witchcraft pg 9 Editor-In-Chief | Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque Deputy Editor-In-Chief | Áine O’Boyle News Editors | Tadgh McNally & Aoife O’Brien Deputy News Editors | Shauna Burdis & Megan Jones & Sally Madden Production Editor | Sally Dobie Production Editor | Jonathon Lynam Features Editor | Róisín Phelan Deputy Features Editor | Béibhinn Thorsch Arts Editor | Áine O’Boyle Deputy Arts Editors | Aoibhín Meghen & Peter O’Neill Lifestyle Editor | Róisín Maguire Deputy Lifestyle Editors | Kevin O’Meara & Niamh Quinlan Irish Editors | Naoise Darby & Beth Molloy Sports Editor | Conor Breslin, Deputy Sports Editors | Shane Brennan & Courtney Fitzmaurice Opinion Editor | Clara Kelly Deputy Opinion Editor | Calum Atkinson Social Media Editors | Tara McGahan & Anja Zauers Video Editor | Dara Browne Deputy Video Editor | Joy Nderitu

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t’s election season, and it’s proving to be an exciting one at that. Don’t worry though, The College View is not going to be endorsing any party. Surprisingly, I’m not that self-important.

Rather, I think it’s more important to emphasise the rather basic idea that you should go out and vote. I’m not going to follow up with the typical “regardless of who you vote for,” because that would be a disingenuous statement.

If you’re going to vote for a party that’s actively harmful, then please don’t vote actually. If anything, this editorial is an anti-endorsement of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

Fine Gael have presided over a disastrous housing crisis which has left 10,000 people homeless. And Fianna Fáil have kept them in power the entire time. They are, at the very least, complicit.

I understand why both parties appeal to people. I’m always surprised when I meet people who support them and fall into my age bracket. How

any student could ignore the housing crisis is truly beyond me.

Change is possible, and perhaps this election will prove that. But I’m skeptical. Maybe I’m too cynical, but somehow I don’t see Sinn Féin converting Ireland into a 32 county anarcho-syndicalist republic.

What’s more likely is that Sinn Féin will prop up Fianna Fáil.

But I’ve never wanted to be so wrong.

Of course Sinn Féin is not the only alternative - though you may get that impression talking to some people. There are plenty of other parties and candidates running a platform that is as progressive - if not more progressive - than Sinn Féin’s.

Despite this, many people are advocating voting for Sinn Féin as they are the only party with a “real chance” of doing well. Perhaps these people have been focused too much on British politics.

The beauty of proportional representation is that you can actually vote for who you want to win without it being a wasted vote. If you’re going to

vote for Sinn Féin, please do so because you actually believe they’re the best candidate, not because you think they’re the most likely to win.

For many of us, Sinn Féin may very well be the only leftist alternative though. And I think it’s important for Dubs to remember that we don’t all have the same options.

Personally, I’ll be voting in the Carlow-Kilkenny constituency - a constituency that could very well end up with three Fianna Fáil TDs. I can already hear the predictable outrage if that becomes reality.

But those kinds of reactions undermine and ignore the work of hard-working candidates and individuals who shift the country further to the left everyday.

This election will most likely change Ireland significantly - hopefully for the better.

But you play an active part in making that possible. Please go home and vote - and that goes double for those of you voting outside of Dublin. If young people truly have a voice, then now is the time to use it.

This issue’s sub-editors: Lauren Allen, Alex Barrett, Shauna Burdis, Ryan Carrick, Emma Costigan, Róisín Cullen, Ruth Delaney, Kirsty Dowdall, Cian Dunne, Courtney Fitzmaurice, Tara McGahan, Aoibhín Meghen, Emma Nevin, Kinga Piotrowska, Rachel Power

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News

S-PBP promises free transport, rent freeze and 100,000 public houses Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @sonjadejourno

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olidarity - People Before Profit’s (S-PBP) manifesto offers a wide array of promises from free public transport to a rent freeze and is one of the few that covers issues related to third-level education.

S-PBP says the current registration fee has been increasing so much that it has become an entirely new fee.

Believing in free education, they plan to abolish it altogether.

Additionally, they want to guarantee access to the maintenance grants to students from low-income backgrounds and to restore funding for third-level education.

They said, “Third-level institutions are in crisis and increasingly rely on private philanthropy... Students and staff are paying the price in an underfunded sector, capitation should be restored.” And if elected, the party say they will provide state-funded and affordable student accommodation.

The party will also declare a housing emergency, build 100,000 council houses over five years, introduce new rent controls, remove loopholes where landlords evict tenants for profit and control the price of building land so that a three-bedroom house will cost less than €200,000 to build.

For students working alongside their studies, S-PBP wants to ban zero-hour contracts and raise the minimum wage to the living wage of 12.30 an hour.

They also want to ensure internships are paid and said, “They [internships] are often used to exploit and dash the hopes of the young.”

The party hopes to fund access to arts participation for people with disabilities in disadvantaged areas, reverse all cuts the people with disabilities faced under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, and ensure all homes, public building and public transport are accessible.

Mentioning Ireland’s poor track record in meeting climate change targets, the party says Ireland must move away from importing fossil fuels and plan to have a carbon-neutral economy by 2030. Additionally, they want to move towards free public transport, make Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) illegal, and increase the planting of trees in barren areas.

The funding for these promises will come from the party’s new taxation policy, “Fair taxation: share the wealth”. They explain that while USC on incomes under €90,000 will be removed, new tax bands will be brought in for single tax cases earning over €100,000.

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Green Party proposes free public transport for all students Megan Jones | Deputy News Editor @meganjonesj

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he Green Party has heavily focused on young voters in their manifesto for the upcoming general election, proposing free transport and extending the funding for the SUSI grant.

The party wants to “make public transport free for all students”, a proposal which would be well received by students across the country.

According to Zurich Life’s Cost of Education Survey in 2019, students spend on

average €315 per year on transport to and from college.

The party wants to “transform” the country’s transport system and proposes piloting a €365 public transport annual pass modelled on the fare structure first introduced in Vienna in 2013.

Also included in the party’s manifesto is a promise to increase funding for third-level education, something which is badly needed according to the Irish Universities Association.

Focusing on student housing is also a priority for the party.

Image Credit: Sonja Tutty

Supports for homeless students, students in direct provision and students from disadvantaged areas are promised in the manifesto in order to help them “stay and progress in education”.

Speaking to RTÉ, Green Party candidate Neasa Hourigan said that “this manifesto is a call to action, we have lost a decade but we’re asking the electorate today to vote for a new decade of change.”

On the topic of climate change, the party states that “by 2040, Ireland’s power, heat and transport systems should no longer rely on fossil fuels” and that our “agricultural system should achieve carbon neutrality”.

To achieve this, they have proposed a ban on single-use plastic and a

“bottle deposit and return scheme”.

The party also promised that within the first 100 days in Government, they would implement the Climate Action Bill which would strengthen the powers of the Climate Change Advisory Council and introduce new five-year climate budgets.

With regard to illegal drug use, the Green Party want to follow in Portugal’s footsteps by treating it as a health issue as opposed to a criminal one.

“In government, we would shift drugs policy from a criminal justice approach to a public health approach.”

They have also stated they would “decriminalise the possession of small quantities of cannabis products and plants”.

Labour want to increase education funding by €140m Tadgh McNally | News Editor @TadghMN

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strategy to increase higher education funding has been proposed by the Labour Party, as well as plans to reduce the cost of both secondary and third-level education.

The proposed funding, which will be used to support both teaching and research within higher education institutions, is built on the recommendations of the Cassells report from 2016.

To fund this, Labour are considering using money from within the National

Training Fund as well as other unnamed sources. The manifesto doesn’t specify how much funding Labour would provide, however.

For the total budget on education, Labour intends to increase spending by 140 million, with a particular focus on making primary education completely free and ending the two-tier pay system for teachers and school secretaries.

Third level fees are also on the agenda for Brendan Howlin’s party, with Labour proposing a reduction of 500 euro, reducing fees to 2500 euro per student in 2021. According to their manifesto, this would cost 13 million

in the first year.

Another key proposal by Labour are their plans to support the development of new and existing technological universities (TU). The plan, which focuses on creating a new TU in the south-east of Ireland, as well as helping Dundalk Institute of Technology reach TU status.

Hazel Gavigan, the chairperson of Labour Youth branch in DCU said: “I think they’re [TU’s] vital”.

The SUSI grant is also planned to be looked at, with a plan to increase the payments to reflect the increased cost of living across Ireland. The increase, which is 10 per cent, would cost 6m in

the first year but 18m in a full year.

Labour have also proposed reducing the non-adjacent rates of the SUSI grant, moving it from 45km to 24km.

The adjacency rate is based on the distance from a student’s normal residence to their college or university.

According to the manifesto, this would cost 9m in the first year, but 26m in a full year.

The party has also promised to introduce a rent freeze if they enter into government, as well as capping rents until the housing crisis has ended.

The manifesto also ensures action on climate change, aiming to hit carbon neutrality by 2030.

Soc Dems want to improve access to education and increase funding Shauna Burdis | Deputy News Editor @ShaunaBurdis

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he Social Democrats aim to provide equal access opportunity into third-level education for all socioeconomic backgrounds.

The party’s manifesto expresses their commitment to “ensure broad sociodemographic representation across the third level system.”

The Social Democrats third-level policies emphasise plans to restore maintenance grants for postgraduate students and progressively increase third-level funding to achieve EU average funding

levels.

The party’s manifesto also includes the promise to invest in access programmes and build on existing success, to ensure representation of different socio-economic levels across the third-level system.

The Social Democrats promise to commit to creating new apprenticeships and advanced qualifications, while also reforming the maintenance grants scheme to provide better tapering supports for students.

Image Credit: Sonja Tutty

The party’s manifesto is also heavily focused on housing policies and states that their priorities lie in eradicating homelessness.

The political party are calling for a nationwide rent freeze in the times of a housing crisis.

They want to radically upscale the number of houses being built by the state on public lands and build more than 100,000 homes over the next five years.

Healthcare is another issue that the party are campaigning for. They were involved in the launch of Sláintecare.

It is a health care system that was launched in May 2017 and was based on proposals from the Social Democrats for the development of a national healthcare

system available to everyone.

According to their manifesto, “the implantation of Sláintecare will mean that patients will be seen quicker, that everyone will be treated according to their need and not their ability to pay.”

In their 2020 General Election bid, the Social Democrats are running 20 candidates and hope to win between five and eight seats.

Party co-leaders Roisin Shorthall and Catherine Murphy have said that they would not rule out working with any party, once they are able to influence the government’s direction.

At the launch of their general election campaign, Shorthall stated “we have very strong policies that we want to see implemented. However, we have made it very clear – this is not about participating in government for the sake of it.”

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News

Students pepper sprayed Irish breast cancer diagnoses soar on DCU Snowsports trip Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjadeJourno

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Credit: MacDillAirforce

CU students were pepper sprayed at a private event during DCU Snow Sports Society trip to France.

Students on the trip were pepper sprayed after an alleged altercation with a group of men at a Mark Blair performance in Les Arcs, France.

A source who wishes to remain anonymous, was at the event and explained that a fight broke out between roughly 10 people on the upper level

of the club looking over the dance floor. The music was stopped as the fight was broken up, but individuals kept attempting to restart the fight.

A man, who sources say is not a DCU student, is seen in an Instagram story video throwing what looks to be a glass bottle at a female student who was standing on the rail separating the upper level from the dance floor.

Responding to being hit, the student threw her drink in the man’s face.

The man then hit her in the head and pushed her off the rail.

As another person climbed over the railing to jump on the man, a second

man then came to the rail with pepper spray and directed it towards the dance floor -which was predominantly filled

by DCU students.

A source said, “Some people were on the floor in pain or others were running over to the bar.”

The source – who was near the bar - said students that rushed to the bar were given drink mixers by staff to pour on themselves and to try relieve the stinging. “So, there were people pouring bottles of cokes into their eyes.”

It is unclear what happened afterwards - whether the men responsible were removed or if the incident was reported to police.

DCU’s Snow Sports society took over a hundred students to Les Arcs ski resort for their annual trip, and many students who did not get a spot even organized their own travel and accommodation to the resort.

Alongside skiing and snowboarding, the trip is known for its parties and nightlife. DCU’s press office was asked if incidents of fighting or injury are common on these trips but said the university would not comment on the matter.

DCU Snows Sports Society was also contacted for a comment but did not respond before publication.

Áine O’Boyle | Deputy Editor and Arts Editor @aineoboyle99

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he National Breast Screening Programme is urging women to get their breasts checked as the number of people being diagnosed with breast cancer in Ireland soars.

According to the latest Breast Check report, a record high number of 165,581 attended a screening in 2017-2018.

The report which was released in November 2019 also found that 1,067 women were diagnosed with breast cancer within this period, making it the highest number of cancers detected in a year.

The primary aim of the Breast Check services is to detect cancers at the earliest possible stage, ensuring that the cancer is easier to treat and has a number of options available. reast Check currently offers free mammograms to women aged 50 to 66 every two years, although many women are calling for the age to be reduced even further to include younger women in the services.

According to the annual report, this age bracket will be further increased by 2021 to allow for women aged 5069 to receive a free mammogram.

Dublin based social media influencer, Carly Mahady, called on the

government to reduce the age that free breast check screenings are administered at after being diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer at 24-yearsold.

Mahady was diagnosed with a rare cancer named secretory breast carcinoma, a slow-growing breast cancer that is more prevalent among young women.

The cancer came as a huge shock to Mahady originally, telling The Sun: “In the past year, I found that the right side of my chest was getting quite lumpy and sore.”

“If anyone gave me a hug or a big squeeze I would get shooting pains in my right breast, but I ignored the problem for quite a while.”

Mahady was brought into the Mater Hospital’s breast clinic last August and found out that she had developed secretory carcinoma.

Since then Mahady has been advocating for a reduction in the screening age.

“I really want to make young men and women aware that they’re not in the clear just because of their age. That was the reason why I ignored the signs for so long,” said Mahady.

The primary goal of BreastCheck is to reduce the number of mortalities from breast cancer, but according to the report this can only be achieved if a quota of 70 per cent of eligible women attend the screening services.

Brexit puts Erasmus programme at risk

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rexit has put the UK’s continued participation in the Erasmus+ scheme in serious doubt.

In early January an amendment failed in Westminster that would have compelled the UK government to seek full involvement in the Erasmus+ programme when they were negotiating their future relationship with the EU. Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe and from 2014 to 2020, more than 4 million people have taken part. Between 2021 and 2027, the European Commission proposals aim to give 12 million people the chance to enjoy a learning experience abroad through Erasmus.

The programme offers opportunities not only for students, but also for a wide variety of individuals and organisations to share knowledge as well as experience institutions and organisations in different countries.

The UK has been one of the key participant states in this scheme since its inception in 1987. For example, 16,561 UK students participated in

Erasmus, while 31,727 EU nationals went to the UK in 2017.

Labour MEP for the North East England region Jude Kirton-Darling

thinks that “we have to take all the recent votes that happen in Westminster with a pinch of salt.” Due to the optics “, the government doesn’t

want any opposition amendments to change the withdrawal agreement,” she explained.

“I think there’s a clear recognition

Credit: Béibhinn Thorsch

Calum Atkinson| Deputy Comment Editor @CalumAtkinson

in Whitehall that it benefits our universities to have students from elsewhere in the EU and equally it’s of benefit to our students to go and study elsewhere in Europe,” the Labour MEP continued.

Kirton-Darling also explained that she wouldn’t be surprised if in the negotiations for the future relationship with the EU that the UK asked to be an “associate member” of Erasmus+.

This would involve the UK paying to continue being part of the programme.

From an Irish perspective, Figures from the Higher Education Authority show that the number of Irish students participating in the EU's Erasmus+ programme has doubled over the past decade.

In 2009, just under 2,000 Irish students availed of the programme but the latest annual figures show that more than 4,000 students are travelling abroad on Erasmus.

The National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland is an organisation that represents the interests of students on the whole island of Ireland. Many in the north face uncertainty. The organisation’s President Robert Murtagh said: “We will continue lobbying the UK government to urge them to commit to maintaining UK involvement in all parts of the Erasmus+ programme.”

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School Streets Initiative reduces traffic pollution Megan Jones | Deputy News Editor @Meganjonesj

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raffic pollution levels surrounding two Malahide primary schools have dropped by 20 per cent thanks to the new “School Streets Initiative” led by Fingal County Council.

The council found a reduction in both PM2.5 and NO2 at a monitoring station near the traffic-free “school street” zone on Grove Road

in Malahide since the beginning of the initiative on 18th November.

The pilot-based initiative sees a section of Grove Road outside St Oliver Plunkett’s Primary School closed to car traffic between the times 8:30-9:15 am and 1:00-2:45 pm, Monday to Friday during term time only. This is to ensure a reduction in car traffic and illegal parking in the vicinity of both St Oliver Plunkett’s and St. Andrew’s National School in Malahide.

Surveys at St Oliver Plunkett’s have indicated a 50 per cent increase in pupils using “active travel”, such as

walking, cycling or scooting, since the pilot scheme began.

As part of the scheme, the council gave over 2000 free parking permits to parents from both schools for car parks located a 10-15 minute walk from both schools. The permits allow parents to park in any of the designated “Park and Stride” locations between the hours of 8:30 am - 10:00 am and 1 pm - 3 pm.

According to the council, the aim of the initiative is “to create a safer, cleaner, more environmentally friendly space outside the schools for every-

one”. The area previously struggled with ongoing issues of unsafe parking, blocking footpaths and road safety risks in the area.

The initiative comes with the added benefit of reducing the amount of excess air pollution children in the area are being exposed to and also to encourage children who were previously car-dependent to be more active.

In a letter to parents of St. Andrew’s National School, the council claimed that by the third week of the initiative, illegal parking in the vicinity of the school has reduced significantly with

33 parking fines issued in week one down to 11 parking fines issued in week three.

Speaking at a Howth Malahide Area Committee meeting, a council official said the “Park and stride” at Grove Road was working out “very well”, as were “walking buses” in the vicinity of St Oliver Plunkett's School.

The official reported he had also received “very positive” feedback from local residents in Malahide, who said they had “not seen the area so calm in all the time they had lived there.”

UCC student deportation order to be reviewed Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjadeJourno

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niversity College Cork (UCC) student Hamza Khan and his family were granted a reprieve after the Student Union (SU) opposed the initial deportation order.

Originally from Pakistan the Khan family moved to Ireland over two year ago, but the family of seven were issued a deportation order on January 10. However, the SU launched a petition urging the Minister for Justice

Charlie Flanagan to revoke the order.

Hamza’s parents fled Pakistan in 1984 due to persecution and moved to Saudi Arabia. They were then forced to leave Saudi Arabia to Ireland in 2017 where they have since lived in direct provision Through the University of Sanctuary scheme in UCC, Hamza is able to study computer science where he is in his first-year.

In a letter to Charlie Flanagan, Union of Students in Ireland president, Lorna Fitzpatrick said, “It is with deep regret that once again, I write to you to ask for you to stop the intended

removal from the state of another Sanctuary Scholar.”

And added that, “Time and time again we have made the case that it is an injustice to try to expel someone from a country when they have been offered a scholarship to study here, under an initiative that is supposed to protect and offer refuge and opportunity.”

As a result of the petition meeting over 8,500 signatures and strong opposition from the SU and student body Flanagan intervened and had the deportation order revoked.

Similarly, DCU University of

Sanctuary student Mehwish Saqib, her husband and three young children received a deportation order with five days to voluntarily leave the country in October 2019. Originally from Pakistan, the Early Childhood Education student received support from DCUSU and appealed the deportation order.

After a similar petition which reached 8,600 signatures and a protest outside the Department of Justice and Equality in November, Saqib’s deportation order was suspended until March 2020 but not revoked.

In the Oireachtas Report on Direct Provision and the International Pro-

tection Application Process 2019, they confirmed that students who live in direct provision are studying under the University of Sanctuary scheme have been issued deportation orders.

Mentioning, DCUSU’s campaign “SOS: Save our Shepherd” against the deportation of a student, Shepherd Machaya in 2018, the USI recommended in the report that, “special consideration be given to asylum seekers who are currently studying in third level education before issuing deportation orders.”

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News

DCU President appointed chair of new broadcasting commission

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he President of Dublin City University, Professor Brian MacCraith, has been appointed as Chair of the new Commission on the Future of Irish Public Service Broadcasting.

The Commission is being established by the Department of the Taoiseach to consider the extent to which the current model of delivery is appropriate for the next 10 years.

They will also compare the current model with other European Economic Areas to ensure the Irish public has access to high quality, impartial and independent journalism, to inform and entertain and to ensure that creative Irish talent gets the opportunity to have their work reach audiences in Ireland.

The Commission will be expected to complete a report later this year which

will include proposals on how public service aims should be delivered in Ireland over the next ten years. This work can be funded in a way that is sustainable, gives security of funding and delivers value for money to the public and making recommendations on RTÉ’s role, financing and structure.

Welcoming Prof. MacCraith’s appointment, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton said, “Massive transformation is challenging the existing model...Brian, with his wealth of experience, will bring vision, independence and expertise to the role and is perfectly placed to lead this work,” and decide how best to deliver and fund public service broadcasting into the future.”

Prof MacCraith said “I am honored and excited to have been invited to take on this challenging task...It is essential that we find a sustainable and effective model for Irish public

service broadcasting in the modern media landscape and devise a financial pathway that is capable of sustaining quality content. I look forward to leading a process that involves a broad range of consultation and learns from best international practice.”

However, the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI) has cautioned that RTÉ is not the only broadcaster that produces public service content and that Commission must consider the future of the media landscape at large.

Chairman of the IBI, John Purcell said, “the remit of the Commission needs to look beyond RTÉ and focus on the future of all broadcasters with a statutory public service remit. Independent radio stations carry onerous public service obligations as part of their broadcasting contracts. These include news, current affairs, Irish language programming, farming and business programming and coverage

on-the-job work where and apprentice will shadow a professional, and off-the-job lectures in an educational institution.

Many Institutes of Technology collaborate with these apprenticeships.

The duration of these are 2-4 years and can grant awards of between levels five to 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications.

An apprentice will “earn while they learn and build valuable work-ready skills in a chosen occupation,” according to Apprenticeship.ie.

“At the start, it’s not great money,” said Séamus Ashton, who is currently completing an Electrical Apprenticeship. “And the work is dog, if you get me. [But it] definitely is a benefit anyways.”

The rate of pay is usually “agreed between the employer and the apprentice,” according to the description of most apprenticeships on the Apprenticeship.ie website.

While 5,000 of the new registrations this year were with more “traditional” crafts, 1,000 were with the “newer” or

“white collar” crafts such as accounting and real estate. With these newer apprenticeships, learners can earn between €17,000 to €30,000 per year.

There are now also more than 6,000 apprentice employers compared to the 3,500 in 2015.

This new expansion of employers and participants is expected to be supported by €27 million to develop the sector, provided by the government.

In June of 2019, the government had also already announced €7.5 million in capital funding to support apprenticeship programmes.

Solas, the state organisation responsible for funding, planning and co-ordinating Further Education and Training, are also planning to launch a further 23 apprenticeship programmes this year.

As well as numbers rising in apprenticeship participants, the number of students in third level has also increased. Between 2016 and 2019, 122,257 additional students enrolled in third level.

of sporting events at a local, regional and national level.”

He noted that with 70 percent of the Irish audience tuning into independent

radio stations every day, the new Commission cannot ignore the importance, impact and public service contribution of these radio stations.

Niamh Quinlan | Deputy Lifestyle Editor @niamhquinlan99

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he number of school-leavers choosing apprenticeships doubles, as interest in “earn and learn” practices increase.

17,500 people are now participating in apprenticeship programmes, compared to the 8,300 that took part in these programmes in 2015. Since June, the number of people enrolled has increased by 1,500.

A suspected reason for this is this idea of “earn and learn.”

“I did it because you get paid to go to college,” said Colm McGath, who is partaking in the ESB apprenticeship.

The ESB take on about 70 apprentices, of 16 years-old and over, every year.

“You get on the job experience and college experience, and it’s based on practical work, which is what I was looking for.”

An apprenticeship consists of

Credit: Beibhinn Thorsch

Number of school leavers IUA, THEA and choosing apprenticeships doubles

Credit: DCU

Aoife O’Brien | News Editor @obrienaoife1

USI unite over under-funding Sally Madden | Deputy News Editor @SallyMadden17

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or the first time, the representative bodies for the public higher education system have united over a single issue.

The Irish Universities Association (IUA), The Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), which represent universities, institutes of technology and students, have come together to make the case for investment in higher education by the next Government.

While there has been a €350 million increase in third-level education funding since 2016, state funding remains 43 per cent below what it was a decade ago.

Meanwhile, the number of students attending Irish universities is expected to continue to rise over the coming decade, with an estimated 40,000 extra students to be catered for by 2030, when compared with 2015.

The representative bodies are proposing a two-part solution for the next three years until a longer-term funding model is agreed by the political system.

Part one involves a commitment from the next government to increase core funding to third-level by at least €100 million per year over each of the next three years. Part two recommends using at least an additional €200m per year from the National Training Fund (NTF).

The Cassell Report, a proposed

funding strategy for the higher-education sector conducted in 2014, is currently at the European Commission receiving economic analysis. The report laid out three funding options: One involves student loans, which would mean scrapping fees, with higher education free at the point of entry for all students, and with loan repayments related to the income in employment of a graduate.

A second option would make higher education free at the point of access, but would also mean the State’s funding of the sector rising to 80 per cent.

The third option is “free” education which is entirely funded by the State.

Meanwhile, the USI has also launched a general election manifesto which calls for the removal of student contribution fees.

Fianna Fáil has pledged an extra €100 million a year in core funding for higher education, but refused to commit to any of the three options outlined in the 2016 Cassells report.

Micheál Martin has said he “does not believe in abolishing fees” and admitted he would consider a “voluntary” loan scheme if his party was in government.

Ireland’s college fees are the second most expensive in the EU, after the UK, and will become the highest after Brexit.

Craig McHugh, Vice President of the USI’s Dublin Region says “There were 3 options laid out, we’ve picked the one option that students support and that will help students most/ improve access, and that is valuing education as a public good free at the point of access.”

News

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Weekend election could hinder student voters

Credit: USI

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SI President has said the Saturday general election may not be as accessible to students as planned.

Union of Students in Ireland President, Lorna Fitzpatrick has said that it is “very difficult to put a number on turnout” of students to vote, as it is the first election held on a Saturday in over 100 years.

Fitzpatrick spoke to The College View saying that although the date initially seems to facilitate student voters, it could hinder turnout.

“While the election taking place

Brexit threatens to cause violence over fisheries

Ro on ey loe Ch it: ed

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reen Party MEP says frank discussion is needed to prevent violence overfishing controversies caused by Brexit.

Grace O’Sullivan, who is on the European Union Committee on Fisheries (PECH) says that the first step to preventing violence is by being honest about the situation.

“The first way to counteract the potential for violence is to give information. So, supplying people with a sense of security,” she said.

“There needs to be a huge amount of very frank discussion around the table,” she added.

Brexit is presenting both UK and EU fishery sectors with a unique set of potential challenges.

For Ireland, the main concerns are prohibitions on access to fish in the UK zone, large loss of quota share in all of our commercial fisheries, potentially up to 50 per cent in some cases, and an increase in activity by other EU vessels in the waters around Ireland, leading to stock depletion in the waters we depend upon.

The main countries affected, in terms of fishing, by Britain’s choice to leave the European Union will be Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.

Ireland’s fishery sector is particularly dependant on British waters, with an average of 34 per cent of Irish landings (by volume) coming from UK waters, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.

According to the Department, “a worst-case scenario is that, in addition to restrictions on access, the UK would seek to increase its current quotas to match the amount of fish

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Sally Madden | Deputy News Editor @Sallymadden17

currently taken by non-UK vessels in the UK zone.”

And while fisheries account only for a small proportion of UK and EU economies, Brexit has resulted in an intense fear and loathing among fishing communities on both sides.

Fisheries, and it’s interesting, is one of the areas where you get a lot of heated debate. You have to manage

the potential for conflict,” O’Sullivan said.

“There’s a lot of discussions to be had. And walking away from the table, being angry and not having the information, that has to be avoided,” she added.

British fishing communities voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU. The UKIP-linked “Fishing for Leave” campaign promised that post-Brexit "there will be nothing to negotiate - all the resources defined in UK waters currently held by other EU member states and allocated under an EU system will be automatically returned to the UK".

However, it will be hard for these promises to be delivered, as it is becoming more apparent that UK and EU fishing communities will remain mutually dependent for years to come.

In Brexit negotiations, fishing has a weak point for the EU. As an independent coastal state, the UK will technically be entitled to fish as much of the stock in its waters as it chooses.

As a result of this weakness, the EU has decided that if the UK wants a free trade deal, it will be linked to what access EU vessels get to both UK waters and the fish that live in them.

At present, the European Commission has put forward a proposal to extend the legal framework that allowed UK and EU vessels to continue to fish in each other’s waters until December 2019, to 31 December 2020, if a Withdrawal Agreement is not in place.

This is not a commitment to permanent reciprocal access, it simply provides the legal framework for the possibility of it.

on a Saturday is accessible in some ways, there are also an awful number of students who are working over the weekends,” who will not all be able to get the day off to vote.

Fitzpatrick said that it is necessary for these students to work weekends, “for very long days and put an awful lot of hours in to try and put themselves through college and cover the rising cost of living.”

While trying to find time around or get time off work could be an issue for many students, location could also impact student’s ability to attend ballot stations.

Fitzpatrick noted that, “many of them [students] will be working in their university or institution town,

which they may not be registered to vote in.”

According to research published by the ISSDA Growing up in Ireland Cohort in November 2019. Over twothirds of Irish 20-year olds reported they had registered to vote and over one third had engaged in political activism in the last year.

Fitzpatrick said that the student vote could play an important part in the election saying, “It would be very foolish move of any candidate not to take the student vote very seriously.”

Fitzpatrick said although she can’t predict numbers, she expects that “students will turn out in force and have their voices heard.”

Dublin cyclists protest over safety concerns

Credit: Ruairi Carberry

Rósín Phelan | Features Editor @_roisinphelan

Rósín Phelan | Features Editor @_roisinphelan

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undreds of cyclists took to their bikes in protest on January 26th to call for the immediate implementation of a cycle route along the Liffey Quays.

The protest was organised by Dublin Cycling Campaign because of delayed action in the building of a dedicated cycle route linking Heuston Station to the Point Village.

The route was first proposed in 2011 but is projected to be completed by 2024 at the earliest.

Dublin Cycling Campaign have asked for temporary measures to be put into place to trial the route and see how it will work in practice in hopes of showing the demand and need for the route.

Chairperson of Dublin Cycling Campaign, Kevin Baker says, “Trialling sections of a segregated cycle route along the River Liffey will deliver something quicker than 2024 and show the huge demand for a safe cycle route along our city’s river.”

Baker said that similar trial methods have been conducted on a smaller scale before nad “a scaled-up version of the same mechanism could be used to create a trial Liffey Cycle Route.”

An online petition supporting the trial has gained over 4,000 signatures.

Creator of the petition Cian Ginty

wrote, “We are asking that city and national authorities go back to the previous plan of continuous two-way cycle path on the quays to at least trial it for 8-12 months and then ask if people want to go back to the way things are now.”

The delays of the route so far has been a result of planning and design issues as well as opposition from some city centre businesses.

Some city centre car park owners have objected to the plans saying access to the car parks could be “restricted” and they should be compensated for any loss of earning as a result of the route.

Similar objections were made by the Irish Parking Association, Park Rite and Fleet Street car park.

In the lead up to the general election the green party has said that if elected to power they would, “Allocate per cent of the capital budget in transport to cycling infrastructure.”

Sinn Fein also said they would invest in cycling infrastructure as it would “whilst also tackling traffic gridlock, improving physical and mental health and reducing emissions from motor vehicles.”

The cycle route is due to be discussed at the next Dublin City Council meeting where Dublin Cycling Campaign hope councillors will discuss and consider the immediate implementation of a temporary Liffey cycle route.

News

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round 25 per cent of primary school aged child haven’t mastered running according to a new DCU study.

The study examined the fundamental movement skills of 2,098 children between the ages of five and 12 across the entire island. Forty-seven per cent of participants were girls and 44 schools were surveyed, with 56 per cent of them being in rural areas.

Along with a quarter of kids being unable to run properly, half have yet to master kicking or skipping while only 16 per cent have mastered or have nearly mastered an overhand throw.

DCU’s Head of School of Health and Human Performance Dr Sarahjane Belton - one of the authors of the study - described fundamental movement skills as the “building blocks” of movement.

“Without the breath of these basic skills it excludes the child from an awful lot of opportunities to be active - and the same is true for adults,” she said. “If the child can’t kick, well they’re not going to go near soccer, they’re not going to go near GAA.” Dr Stephen Behan, another author of the study, also highlighted the importance of “physical literacy”.

“Your actual competence - so your

ability to perform a skill - will drive your confidence, and that will drive your motivation and which will in turn drive your ability,” he said.

The study also found some slight differences in the movement skills between boys and girls. Between the ages of five to ten, girls have slightly higher locomotor skills - which is movement of the body and would include activities such as running and jumping. By age 11 though, there is no significant difference between the genders when it comes to locomotor skills.

Boys tended to have slightly higher object control, which would involve the manipulation of an object as opposed to just use of the body.

“Boys - across the board - have slightly better object control skills than girls and that doesn’t even out.

If anything it gets slightly worse as they get older,” Dr Belton said. “And it’s not down to any lack of physical capacity of females at all, it’s just down to environment and exposure and opportunities.”

As for a solution to improving the movement skills of kids in general, Behan said the Moving Well - Being Well project plans on examining a huge sample size, taking urban, rural and DEIS schools into account. The project is partnered with GAA and Dublin GAA, as well as the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics.

Credit: Caleb Oquendo

Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque | Editor in Chief @BrendanFKP

Dara Browne | Video Editor @dara_b_

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reland’s first electric race car is being developed by students in Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT).

Students in their third and final year of the Mechanical Engineering degree are working on the project, which will be brought to Mondello Park for testing, once completed.

Breda Lynch, head of the Department of Polymer, Mechanical and Design, told Irish Tech News that the institute are working on several other projects surrounding the areas of sensor technology and autonomous vehicles.

“We are currently conducting extensive research in areas such as the

light weighting of polymeric materials, sensor technology, autonomous vehicles, AR/VR and have established strong links with companies interested in space,” she said.

The race car uses an electric motor instead of a combustion engine, which could reduce emissions and rid fossil fuels from motor racing.

The car is more environmentally friendly, however Steven Gribbin, Production Engineer for ASML Holding, strongly disagrees.

“Motorsport isn’t simply about how fast you can go; it’s a spectacle, and glamorous in a way. I’ve raced go karts most of my life and the best part about a two stroke combustion engine isn’t the fierce speed, it’s the smell and the noise,” Gribbin said.

“It makes a difference, you’re way

more in touch with it. When I drive electric cars or karts and the sensation is numb, there’s no communication between the machine.”

Gribbin hopes that the electric race car does not become the norm, due to the lack of excitement and the fact that the electric car is just as bad for the environment as the regular race car.

“The batteries are made of lithium ion which causes so much damage to the planet it’s almost on a par with the oil refinery process,” Gribbin said.

AIT have been very successful over the past few years, including being awarded The Sunday Times ‘Institute of Technology of the Year 2020, 2018 and Runner-Up in 2017.

The institute is also ranked as Ireland’s number one for student satisfaction for six consecutive years and has been listed on U-Multirank’s ‘Top 25 Performing Universities in the World for Interdisciplinary Research’ in the last two years.

During the development of the project, the students had to manage costs of parts, complete literature reviews as well as prepare presentations and part of their assessment.

The car will be aimed at Future Classics Race Series and featured in Retro Classics Magazine and companies such as Westward, Scania, and Smyth Gates have expressed a keen interest in the car.

Tech entrepreneur to fund grants for student journalists Jamie MacCarron | Contributor

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ntrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave will donate at least €100,000 to student journalists in the form of grants over the next decade, he announced two weeks ago.

The Web Summit founder tweeted that he would contribute the money in “bursaries for student muckrakers over the next 10 years,” on the 20th January, and has since announced that he “might try make it €200,000.”

“All cash. Personally I think very wide distribution, so small amounts of money into many student hands for singular stories/investigations within a framework of areas of public interest,” Cosgrave tweeted, later adding that he would work with student journalists to determine the bursary’s details by March.

The announcement came as a surprise to many of the Irish journalists Cosgrave regularly debates on Twitter, due to the fact that Cosgrave has been publicly critical of the profession in the past.

Shortly before his bursary tweet Cosgrave called Irish Daily Star journalist Michael O’Toole a “hack” and broadly labelled journalists as “groupies”, “toadies” and “charming lickspittles”.

“Much of the Irish media operates

Credit: WikiMedia

A quarter of children can’t run

AIT making car racing green

Credit: PxFuel

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as a sort of propaganda arm for elite interests” Cosgrave tweeted, also likening RTÉ, The Irish Times and the Irish Independent to Pravda, the Soviet Union’s propaganda newspaper.

Many journalists hit back at Cosgrave’s association of journalism with “elites” by sharing personal experiences of the financial and social difficulties they faced during college and finding a stable job in journalism.

Tweets like “Single parent family from a Waterford council estate. SUSI grant... Lucky breaks and a hard working mam got me through,” from Sean Defoe likely influenced Cosgrave’s decision to donate.

Dawn Wheatley, Assistant Professor in the DCU School of Communi-

cations, welcomed the bursary but acknowledged the lack of details that are known publicly as of yet.

“Although a gesture of 100,000 looks like quite a lot, when you break that down over a decade that’s 10,000 a year. How many students will actually benefit from this and what way will it be doled out? It’s a little early to cast judgement but I welcome the extra funding.”

Until the funding rolls out in March, student “lickspittles” will have to bide their time to see if Cosgrave has truly turned over a new leaf, or if his contempt for the profession will continue and his Twitter account will take one stance on journalists and his bank account the opposite.

News

Primary principals call for suspension of Irish language requirement Shauna Burdis| Deputy news Editor @ShaunaBurdis

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language.

According to a statement from the IPPN, “recruiting surplus teacher from Northern Ireland is an attractive option, particularly for our border counties, as is recruiting teachers trained in other countries whose first language is English”.

Major concerns relating to “fronting” special needs assistants (SNA) positions was also addressed at the conference, which may lead some schools with an insufficient amount of SNA’s.

The IPPN are calling for a pilot project to be fully completed before changes are made to SNA allocations in primary schools.

The conference heard “we are dismayed to notified, during a recent briefing on the new guidelines, of the intention to implement the new model in all schools this September, despite the fact that the feedback from the pilot has not yet been assessed”.

Credit: Marino Institute of Education

rimary school principals around the country have called for the Irish language qualification requirement to be suspended to ease the pressure on the teacher supply ‘crisis’.

Under the existing rules and requirements, primary teachers must have a minimum of a H4 grand, which is 60 to 69 per cent at higher level or the equivalent in an Irish diploma.

In 2017 Richard Brunton announced a change to the minimum entry requirements for the primary teacher training programme. The minimum requirement from a H5 (50 to 60 per cent) increased to a H4 in the leaving certificate.

“As all primary school teachers are generalists, they are required to teach Irish and all other subjects as part of

their daily work with the children in their classes.

“Learning Irish in school is the main focus of government efforts to pass Irish to the next generation to keep the language alive. For this reason, it is important that teachers have enough competence and confidence in Irish in order to teach it”, said Professor Padraig O Duibhir, Deputy Dean of DCU Institute of Education.

Substitute scarcity is the main problem faced by primary schools around the country. While this scarcity continues these substitutes will be allowed to teach in short term mainstream positions on a temporary basis, once they have conditional Teaching Council recognition.

The Teaching Council will grant conditional recognition to teachers educated outside of Ireland for up to three years, after the applicant completes an Aptitude Test that determines their competence to teach the Irish

Strike for second-level teachers over pay gap Anja Zauers | Social Media Editor @anja_zs

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econd-level teachers who are members of the ASTI are to ballot for strike action over the two-tier pay system in schools.

Hundreds of schools are set to close on February 4th as the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) members plan to strike on the pay dispute.

The ASTI (Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland) will ballot more than 17,000 secondary school teachers over the two-tiered pay structure affecting people who entered the profession since 2010.

Details of the ballot are expected to be announced some point next week.

The ASTI took industrial action, including strike action, over unequal pay, back in 2016. However, since then there has been little improvement in the pay of new entrants to teaching, despite ongoing campaigning by the ASTI and other teacher unions.

ASTI President Deirdre MacDonald said: “It is unthinkable that in 2020 some teachers have inferior pay arrangements even though they are doing the same work as their colleagues in the next classroom.’

"In taking industrial action in 2016, ASTI members lost pay and were further penalised under FEMPI legislation, and are still suffering the consequences," she continued.

TUI stated that while there has been some progress, teachers employed after 1st January 2011 will still earn

9

€110,000 less than longer-serving colleagues over the course of a career.

While earning over €50,000 less in the first ten years of their career.

Mark Gleeson, a 27-year-old teacher from Coláiste Choilm shared his thoughts on the issue, saying, "I think the pay gap is absolutely appalling.

Those who qualified in 2011 are making a substantial amount more than someone in 2012, even though there’s only one year in the difference."

"As well as that, teachers who have been in the business longer than fifteen years are able to opt-out of supervision and substitution whereas their younger counterparts do not have that option."

TUI President Seamus Lahart said, "the commitment made by Minister McHugh last April that the issue of pay inequality would finally be addressed has not been honoured. The approach of the Minister and his Government since then has been to completely ignore the issue in the hope that it would somehow disappear."

"Discrimination has no place in our schools. Paying colleagues different rates for carrying out the same work is morally wrong and has proved hugely detrimental to the morale of teachers and lecturers," he continued.

TUI explained how elimination of the remaining differences in the early points of scale for ‘new entrant’ grades (Teacher, Assistant Lecturer, Youthreach Resource Person etc) are required to end pay discrimination as well as recognition of the six-year (primary degree and PME) unpaid training period.

DCU and Enterprise Ireland promote leadership for women

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Katie Lowry | Contributor nterprise Ireland and Dublin City University have collaborated to launch a “Leadership for Women Programme,” announced on 21st January 2020.

The aim of this leadership programme which is in collaboration with DCU’s Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion is to support women in Ireland in their quest to secure leadership and senior manage-

ment roles in businesses.

The programme established by Dr. Melrona Kirrane, Associate Professor of Organisational Psychology at DCU Business School responds to the current and future needs of ambitious women leaders in Ireland.

There will be two additional programmes put in place for 2020 after a successful pilot in 2019, where fifteen semi-state body participated.

On January 16th, an award ceremony took place at the Shelbourne hotel to commend all participating women

who were awarded with certificates.

A plan of action for Women in Business in 2020 was launched by Enterprise Ireland which strongly supports the leadership programme.

"We firmly believe that increasing diversity and narrowing the gap between women and men in entrepreneurship, leadership and senior management roles, will lead to increased economic growth in Ireland,” said CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Julia Sinnamon.

This inspiring programme delivers

a clear and exciting approach to leadership development for women and aims to encourage women into senior management roles and leadership in the world of business.

Sandra Healy, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion said “the DCU Centre of Excellence was established to help organisations by providing access to the very latest developments in academic research, insights and tools to drive change across organisations. “

Sandra went on to say the collaboration with Enterprise Ireland on this programme exemplifies one of the many ways we can “shift the dial on gender balance by working together.”

Applications across the public sector are currently open for the next programme which will begin on the 21st April. If you would like any further information about the programme contact Sarita Johnston at the DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion at coe.diversityinclusion@ dcu.ie

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Should politicians be entitled to keep their private life private?

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Tadgh McNally discusses Leo Varadkar’s drug admission and if it really matters

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he news coverage surrounding the Virgin Media Leaders Debate has focused quite heavily on comments made by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar around his past use of drugs as a college student.

The answer he gave, referencing a Hot Press interview from over a decade ago, was pressed by both Micheál Martin and Pat Kenny. Varadkar eventually gave in, but not before the pregnant pause which gained huge traction on social media in the aftermath of the debate.

The interview in question asks Varadkar about his use of illegal drugs as a teenager, and Varadkar openly admits to smoking cannabis while studying in Trinity, but hasn’t since.

“Not since I’ve held elected office, anyway. I’ve been extremely law-abiding since I’ve been elected to politics,” said Varadkar.

But does it really matter in the grand scheme of the election? Should politicians, and senior ones at that, be held accountable for their use of drugs as students?

Speaking as a student, I think it’s

Not everyone can be like Micheál Martin and completely abstain from both drug use and noconfidence votes in the Dáil

foolish to believe that the leaders of our country are saints who’ve never touched recreational drugs in the past.

Drugs are absolutely present across every college campus in Ireland and are a common part of Irish nightlife.

Not everyone can be like Micheál Martin and completely abstain from both drug use and no-confidence votes in the Dáil.

Politicians and their respective histories with drugs are always going

To my surprise, the reaction was still one of excitement and passion.

It seemed as though nothing had changed: the Irish were still there in their thousands, he was still the poster boy for the UFC, and all eyes were on him.

For the fans watching, it brought back the memories of the previous years, when he was regarded as the pride of Ireland. There was little

mention of the incidents in the years gone, and very few comments from McGregor himself.

What McGregor has done has completely changed the public perception of the once adored fighter, and during his brief absence from the UFC, all the negativity and incidents that surrounded McGregor made me think that his reputation was destroyed.

Despite what has been said and

Credit: Jonathon Lynam

Tadgh McNally| News Editor @TadghMN

to be sexy stories for the tabloids, but Varadkar’s initial unwillingness to answer was what garnered the attention across the rest of the media. If he had just answered immediately, I don’t think there would’ve been a big deal made out of it.

Perhaps more scrutiny should be placed on Varadkar for his lack of action on the feud in Drogheda, and how drugs are affecting young people in the area, rather than looking at how

he smoked weed a decade ago.

While it’s fine to leave the past to the past, it’s not alright for politicians who have experience using recreational drugs in the past to moralise about them in the present. The situation would be much worse for Varadkar if he had staunch anti-drugs policies.

While the policy isn’t groundbreaking, sending first-time offenders to the HSE rather than the courts is certainly a step in the right direction. This, alongside receiving planning permission for a safe injection centre in Dublin city, are definitely positives.

Varadkar also isn’t the first Taoiseach to admit to using recreational drugs in the past. Fianna Fáil’s Brian Cowen, who led a Fianna Fáil-Green coalition from 2008 to 2011, also revealed his past drug use in a Hot Press interview. He admitted to smoking cannabis while studying at UCD, saying: “Anyone who went to the UCD bar in the ‘70s that didn’t get a whiff of marijuana would be telling you a lie”.

For young aspiring politicians to have experimented with drugs is fine, and I think both the media and the public should focus more on the policies of a politician rather than their past use of recreational drugs.

Cian Dunne | Contributor

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onor McGregor’s rise to the pinnacle of the UFC and combat sports has been meteoric. His rags to riches journey, and embodying the fighting Irish spirit engulfed the nation, as he became a hero to many Irish people.

Staying up until 5 am to watch every one of McGregor’s UFC fights, I felt as if I was on this journey with him. There was an overwhelming sense of unity, as if it was the Irish against the world, a feeling that is now not shared by all.

Over the last couple of years, the stories we have heard and seen about McGregor have turned that sense of euphoria and passion, into anger, hatred and embarrassment.

For his most recent fight with Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, I wondered what the crowd response would be to McGregor. Whether or not the Irish fans would travel in their thousands as they did for so many of his fights in the past. Would his recent behaviour and incidents ruin everything he built in the previous few years?

Credit: Andrius Petrucenia

Why do Irish people continue to support Conor McGregor?

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It seemed as though nothing had changed, the Irish were still there in their thousands, he was still the poster boy for the UFC, and all eyes were on him

done, it appears that McGregor still has a huge following, and it seems to be here to stay.

We have seen situations like this multiple times in the past, with fighters such as Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather and Tyson Fury. It appears that despite what happens or is reported about certain athletes, that their popularity and following still remains so strong.

In the case of McGregor, I believe for the majority of his fans, it is the case that the memories and moments that he has brought to many people over years, and the spectacle of watching these huge fighting events, has blinded people to the negativity.

It appeared to me that during the build-up to the fight, and the event itself, a huge amount of people forgot about what has transpired over the previous years, and we have been brought back to when there was only positivity surrounding McGregor.

There is still a lot to answer for, and the coming year will play a huge role.

I fear that if his renewed success in the UFC is to continue, less and less will be spoken about what he has done and said over the last couple of years.

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Comment

Are political parties offering bold and credible solutions to the climate emergency?

Ross Boyd wonders if the major parties in the upcoming election are serious about tackling climate change

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ith the election being called for the 8th of February, political parties have been out canvassing for people’s votes to represent them in the Dáil for the next five years.

Issues such as housing, healthcare and crime have dominated the discourse so far, but climate change has been an increasingly important issue.

The rise in this discussion has been due to the likes of movements such as Fridays for Future, initiated by Greta Thunberg, that has spread to hundreds of countries, calling for governments to act in relation to the climate catastrophe. Bushfires in Australia, floods in Indonesia and other climate disasters have gained worldwide attention in only a short time, which climate groups highlight as climate change is a current and pressing issue.

Despite the declaration of a climate emergency by the Dáil last year and the publishing of the Climate Action Plan, many see the government's actions as insufficient, particularly

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Many see the government's actions as insufficient, particularly as Ireland has been ranked the worst country in the EU in terms of climate action

Credit: WikiMedia

Ross Boyd | Contributor

as Ireland has been ranked the worst country in the EU in terms of climate action.

This has risen to protests climate action through Extinction Rebellion and the launch of the One Future coalition, which calls for faster and fairer climate action and supported by organisations such as the Union of Students in Ireland, the National Women’s Council of Ireland and the Stop Climate Chaos coalition.

Their aims include a reduction in Ireland’s greenhouse gases by 8 per cent, the restoration and protection of biodiversity and banning new fossil fuel projects, as well as ending peat and coal burning for electricity.

It is this unity of major organisations, as well as increasing protests and calls for action by the general public, that has seen manifesto promises pop up to address the issue of climate change. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have both committed to producing 70 per cent of electricity as renewable by 2030, while the Green Party, riding its popularity wave from the local elections, has pledged to retrofit 75,000 homes a year for twenty years.

However, many climate groups would likely see this as not enough ambition and little legal basis to achieve these aspirations. With the awareness of the deadline to achieve only a 1.5 degrees of temperatures globally by 2030 which would still have effects in itself, only a complete change may be seen as the goal to get, which would tag along with the 8 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions each year.

If any action is needed, it needs to be radical. When you observe the two main political parties in this country, both advocating for the market to fix itself, the action that would be needed would likely be insufficient and only in the interests of the market itself. Hence, even with the manifesto promises providing guidelines for action, the protests will still continue, the calls will grow louder, as an issue that is above politics threatens to create more damage in the future than it already does. They may talk the talk, but will only get approval if they walk the walk.

How money influences politics: from voter turnout to TD landlords

Clara Kelly | Comment Editor @clarabkelly

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oney has impacted Irish politics from as far back as you can remember, lower income areas historically have lower voter turnout, meanwhile 1 in 5 local TD’s are landlords.

According to a report from RTÉ, higher voter turnout is associated with areas of older populations, married people, residential stability, rural and affluent areas, as well as areas with higher levels of education.

Meanwhile, lower voter turnout occurs in younger areas with high separated populations, social deprivation and lower education standards.

Meaning people from low income areas are already at a disadvantage in the voting system, for a multitude of reasons.

The largest issue with this system is that because of it, political parties like Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, who have popularity in affluent areas among wealthier people, continue to get more votes due to this disadvantage.

Once elected these parties keep wealthy areas wealthy, meanwhile, low income areas continue to suffer.

Meaning a sort of political loop is

created which only benefits the areas of Irish society which have been properly empowered to vote, are able to do so.

The solution of course, is increased voter turnout in low income areas, but it proves a difficult task when people are more focused on the larger problems faced living in these areas.

Sandra Fay a Tallaght TD candidate for the Solidarity party who has been outspoken on this particular problem said, “As a person who has grown up in Jobstown my whole life, I know first hand what it is like to be treated as a second class citizen by the establishment.

“The rate of suicide, homelessness, mental health issues, cuts to critical health services, the climate crisis. Everything that is wrong in this country is felt 100x more by normal working class people. It is not felt by those in charge.”

The issue is when dealing with all of these problems it can be hard for people to take the time to go vote, much harder than their comfortable counterparts in other parts of the country.

A minimum of 30 of the Dáil’s 158 TDs(one in five) are receiving private rental income from properties they own, including a quarter of the current

Cabinet.

Meaning voters must ask the question of who's best interest local politicians will be acting in, the interest of the voters, or the interest of their very own financial gain.

According to the 2017 Dáil declarations of interest report, published every year by the Oireachtas and includes a full breakdown of TDs’ assets, politicians across almost all parties have properties they are renting to the public.

Meaning in an economy where so many politicians are profiting from the current, flawed system, why would they feel empowered to change it at their own expense?

Money always has and most likely sadly always will impact Irish politics.

It’s in most politicians best interest that their salaries stay high, even if it means people sleeping rough on Irish streets in the process.

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Once elected these parties keep wealthy areas wealthy, meanwhile, low income areas continue to suffer

Credit: WikiMedia

Clara Kelly discusses how financial gain impacts the agendas of many Irish politicians

Comment

We need to find a solution to the anti-abortion protests at Irish hospitals

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How can Ireland combat the issue and how have other countries tackled the problem asks Abortion Services Act in 1995 which Rachel Power | Advertising and Rachel Power created zones around health facilities

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arlier this month, public outrage ensued following an anti-abortion protest outside of a major national maternity hospital on New Years Day.Roughly one hundred protesters stood outside of the prenatal unit at Holles Street Maternity hospital on New Year’s Day holding crosses and banners, according to a report by the Irish Examiner.

Minister for Health Simon Harris condemned the protest, stating that the actions of those who participated were “intimidating, sickening, and anti-democratic.”

“How dare you turn up to the National Maternity Hospital and try to intimidate women,” he stated.

Unfortunately, this form of protest has become somewhat of a norm in the country, and they have begged the question surrounding what can be done to prevent them from occurring outside maternity hospitals.

While it is true that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and expression, there are limitations on where these different opinions should

be expressed, particularly when it is on matters that hold a high level of sensitivity.

Anti-abortion protests have happened for years, with small groups consistently gathering outside of hospitals around the country. An earlier example of this would be the protest outside of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in early 2019, which sparked further persistence from the health minister to make exclusion zones for these types of protests around the country.

Other countries worldwide that have abortion legislation have experienced similar problems and have since man-

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Other countries worldwide that have abortion legislation have experienced similar problems and have since managed solutions

Image Credit: William Murphy

Marketing Executive @Rachel_M_Power

aged solutions, such as in the United Kingdom.

According to an article published on The Journal, local authorities in the United Kingdom are responsible for creating specific public space protection orders for buildings that are affected under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Similarly in the Isle of Man, the request of an exclusion zone by the healthcare provider will result in the creation of such zones, but by default, they are not attached to buildings.

The shooting of a doctor who carried out terminations in British Columbia, Canada, resulted in the Access to

and homes of the service providers.

Within these zones, protests, physical interference, intimidation and continually causing trouble for those within the zone are offences.

Other areas of Canada have adopted this form of provision, as have five various jurisdictions in Australia.

While it is difficult to know what the correct solution for Ireland is, measures are being considered to reduce the damage the protests are having on both sides of the opinion.

Simon Harris is continuing to plan legislation that will create exclusion zones to prohibit anti-abortion protests within certain distances of healthcare facilities, such as family planning clinics and maternity hospitals.

Legislation such as this is difficult to form as it holds competing rights, such as freedom of expression on one side, and the freedom to access healthcare services without fear of intimidation on the other side.

While this legislation has been promised, there has been little progress made on its completion, but hopefully within the coming months more will be done to bring this law into place.

The problem with RTÉ leaving Sinn Fein out of the first debate Roisin Maguire discusses the problem with not inviting Sinn Fein leaders to the first general election debate

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TÉ announced that they will not feature Sinn Fein in their leaders debate without comment on the matter.

RTÉ will hold the leaders debate without Sinn Fein’s party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, which is the second of two debates, the first featuring seven representatives of main parties on Claire Byrne Live. The purpose of these leaders debates is for election coverage so they have no right to exclude one party as this creates a clear bias.

The main principles of journalism is fair, unbiased and objective sharing of information and since Sinn Fein are just behind Fianna Fail and Fine Gael from polls taken by The Journal, it is only fair to include them.

As a result, Sinn Fein has sent a legal letter to RTÉ calling on them to reverse their decision to exclude the party. Mary Lou McDonald has criticised RTÉ over their decision when she spoke On RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke saying, “the days of dominance of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are gone – although RTÉ has yet to catch up with that reality.”

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RTÉ is the national broadcaster which taxpayers are paying for and they deserve balanced debates especially when it comes to elections

Image Credit: Virgin Media Television

Roisin Maguire | Lifestyle Editor @roisin_maguire1

RTÉ is the national broadcaster which taxpayers are paying for and they deserve balanced debates especially when it comes to elections which will affect how people live.

However, this is not the only problem that Sinn Fein has faced. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that Fine Gael will not go into coalition with Sinn Fein and commented that they are “not a normal political party” when speaking to reporters in Cork.

This is a form of censorship and this has happened before in Ireland’s history where anything that contradicted the view of the Catholic Church was not allowed to be published or broadcast across the country. This is

obviously not of the same extent however it is still preventing people from hearing a debate between the three leading parties and how Sinn Fein plan to tackle issues in Ireland.

Siin Fein, like every other party, are not flawless and this is especially seen during the Troubles in Ireland with regards violence however those days are gone and the party has been remade and have since cut ties with any kind of violence.

Even if it wasn’t Sinn Fein that was being excluded, for example if RTÉ chose to exclude Fianna Fáil, it is still not fair to the public as it their duty to produce fair and unbiased journalism.

Fine Gael are supported by Fianna Fáil

as coalition parties prevents an actual debate. It is simply a conversation between one party that is supported by the other which means that some of the difficult questions cannot be asked by the opposition party resulting in no one being held to account for failures within government.

There are many issues that need to be addressed such as unaffordable housing, the trolley crisis across hospitals all over the country, and the current issue regarding the pension age. The RTÉ debate is scheduled for Tuesday, February 4th between Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin, however we may not see the type of debate that we want to see.

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Comment

Will there ever be a left-wing alliance in Ireland?

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Calum Atkinson discusses the state of the left in Ireland

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The left is still very fragmented, divided and disorganised, so it is not in a position to fully take advantage of the vulnerability of the major parties

from 37 to just seven TDs after the 2016 general election. They are showing no sign of recovery, with recent polls placing them on just five percent.

“The old leadership of the IRA still exists in some shape or form and I think they have influence over Sinn Féin,” Labour leader Brendan Howlin told Pat Kenny. Not really building an alliance is he?

Sinn Féin on the other hand are riding high in the polls. They seem to be desperate to get into government but this would be in a coalition with one of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, thus repeating the mistake Labour has made on a number of occasions. This is also despite both the major parties ruling out a coalition with Sinn Féin.

I have also seen little to no attempt

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he 2016 general election was the first time in history that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael failed to combine for over 50 percent of the vote.

If opinion polls are to be believed, these two parties that have dominated government since the foundation of the state will again struggle to combine for a majority of the vote in the election in February.

So taking this into account, this election could be a major opportunity for the parties on the left to make a breakthrough.

But the problem is that much of the

left is still very fragmented, divided and disorganised, so it is not in a position to fully take advantage of the vulnerability of the major parties.

While there are some significant differences among the parties on the left, they owe it to the electorate to form at least a tentative alliance and offer a true alternative to the status quo.

The message “vote left” has featured on social media in this election campaign, basically meaning to use all your preferences on left-wing candidates. But other than that there has not been many signs of an alliance on the left as parties seem to just be doing their own thing.

The Labour Party are still in the doldrums after entering into a coalition with Fine Gael. They were reduced

Why it’s toxic to compare your life to reality television Reality shows can distort our body image and happiness says Róisín Phelan

Róisín Phelan | Features Editor @_roisinphelan

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omparison is part of human nature, it is the root of jealousy and the drive behind success, however with the age of reality television shows comparison has developed into a toxic, angry form that comfortably brews on social media.

Reality television is successful because of one reason, comparison.

It takes something that looks like real life, talks like real life, and contains real people and manipulates it into entertainment.

Any genuine real life could never provide the entertainment and ratings as shows such as Love Island, Big Brother etc. Yet every year viewers buy into new seasons.

When we begin to watch these shows and obsess over the participants lives we often forget how unrealistic they are.

A prime example of this is the dating show Love Island which features young, attractive women and men in their swimsuits all day long.

After each episode of Love Island airs twitter is bombarded by comparisons to the contestants.

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When we begin to watch these shows and obsess over the participants lives we often forget how unrealistic they are

Many viewers feel inadequate and unattractive and themselves to the often unattainable body standards of the contestants. We see how attractive they are, how confident and wellgroomed they are and we feel bad about ourselves for not looking the same.

However, reality television is far from perfect. It often promotes unhealthy relationships and thrives on arguments and abuse. It regularly showcases “idealistic”, “perfect” body

types and excludes those of different sizes and shapes creating a narrative that anyone outside of the “norm” cannot be attractive.

This can have a devastating impact on the self-confidence and worth of viewers, particularly that of young impressionable teens.

According to “The Effects of Appearance-Based Reality Shows on Body Image” by Amanda F. Suplee, “viewership of appearance-based reality television shows effect body dissatisfaction, eating disorders features and exercise.”

Suplee also found that “Individuals who watch reality shows can potentially become so engrossed in the everyday lives of the characters that if affects the way they view various aspects of their own life.”

Even though reality television makes us feel worthless, it is still watched by huge audiences every year.

Why is it so popular if it has such a negative effect?

from the major players in Sinn Féin to build a broad coalition with the numerous other left wing political parties.

The Green Party are predicted to be the beneficiary of the Green Wave in the coming election. But they are also quite divided in that their leader, Eamon Ryan, is a former minister in a coalition with Fianna Fáil but they have many young candidates and activists who couldn’t stomach propping up the bigger parties in government.

Then we have a plethora of other small left wing parties contesting the election including the Social Democrats and further to the left we have Solidarity – People before Profit, RISE and the Workers’ Party.

Of course our electoral system allows for the existence of many smaller parties and this can be a good thing.

But if left-wing parties had a unifying message and were not constantly sniping at each other, maybe the electorate could see a true alternative to the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael duopoly.

But due to this fragmentation and division, the left has never been seen by the electorate as a serious alternative for government to the two major parties. Only time will tell if this will ever change.

It is easy to watch as it does not require much engagement, but more importantly it offers an opportunity to escape from daily life. After a day of work, sitting down to watch an episode of reality television allows you an hour of freedom, to enter someone else’s world and escape to their life.

As most shows are based on celebrities, attractive casts and are already glamorous or are staged to look so, they can often seem like a better life than the one that you are living. Hence an hour of watching someone else’s “better life” can offer an escape from your own mediocre feeling one.

Reality television is not toxic on its own. It creates a toxic conversation of self-doubt and self- hatred. Although it can be enjoyed, it should be kept at a distance and viewers should remind themselves that what they see on screen is manufactured, perfected, and and in no way a reflection of real life.

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Calum Atkinson | Deputy Comment Editor @CalumAtkinson

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Cumhacht an leabhar Wuthering Heights

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Naoise Darby| Irish Editor

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an amhras ar bith tá an leabhar seo thar cionn, scríobh Emily Brontë é idir 1845 agus 1846 ach nuair a bhí an úrscéal foilsithe i 1847 ní raibh an smaoineamh ceanna ag na cáinteoirí.

Tugadh droch-léirmheasanna don leabhar ach cén fáth? Is sárleabhar é.

Bhí siad buartha faoi na carachtair, níl Catherine duine ciúin agus pléisiúrtha, úsáideann sí foréigean agus tá sí cineál ceanndána. Cheap na cáinteoirí go raibh sé seo mícheart, ní raibh sé seo ionraic, bhí mná beasach agus umhal.

Tá an smaoineamh seo an-seanfhaiseanta go deo, tá an t-úrscéal seo géar, fírinneach. Dúirt siad go raibh easpa moráltachta sa leabhar, ach bhí slua carachtar sa phíosa le tuairim láidir difriúil ag gach uile duine.

Ach mair an leabhar seo agus tá cáil dhomhanda ar an scéal seo, scéal grá atá foirfe agus uathúil. Níl éinne in ann draíocht an scéal seo a chruthú. Rinneadh aithris air ach níor rugadh barr bua riamh air. Ní féidir an suíomh sa leabhar a shárú. Is meascán é d’áthas agus eagla, solas agus dorchadas.

Tá an-éagsúlacht idir na carachtair, tá Heathcliff casta agus tá go leor

Baineann Emily Brontë úsáid as rud éigin darb ainm ‘fallás mothaitheach

Image Credit: Flickr

Plé faoin leabhar iontach Wuthering Heights

mistéire ag baint leis mar dhuine. Tá Edgar Linton bogbhriathrach agus ar nós coileán, tá Heathcliff cosúil le mac tíre. Tá snáithe casta ag ceangal Heathcliff agus Catherine nó Cathy le chéile. Is cairde cléibh iad ach bhí an tubaiste i ndán dóibh.

Is daoine leithleach iad, tá Catherine thar a bheith santach, tá sí chomh gafa léi féin nach dtuigeann sí an dochar atá á dhéanamh aici. Tá stádas sóisialta agus saibhreas an-tábhachtach don mbean seo, ag an am ceanna níl an crógacht aici chun éisteacht le mian a croí.

Nascann teanga daoine le chéile agus bhí Emily an-cumasach sa réimse seo, tá an dialóg idir Heathcliff agus Catherine comh láidir, brisfeadh sé do chroí. Tá an pian soiléir idir an péire, tá mean an domhain acu ar a chéile ach cruthaíonn an grá seo pian doshamhlaithe do gach uile dhuine sa scéal.

Baineann Emily Brontë úsáid as rud éigin darb ainm ‘fallás mothaitheach’.

I radharc amháin tá an stoirm thoirní lasmuigh sa móinteáin cosúil le íomhá scáthánach don mearbhall agus ruaille buaille atá le feiceáil in intinn Catherine. Is iarmhairt í don tréimhse ama sin, bhí pósadh buntáisteach níos tábhachtaí ná aon rud eile.

Spreag mórthimpeall Emily an scéal iontach seo, tá anró an tsaoil scaipthe i ngach caibidil agus baineann sí úsáid as cásanna réalaíocha. Bhí an clan Brontë mí-ámharach i gcás tinneas.

Scríobh sí úrscéal amháin, tá an t-úrscéal seo coscrach ach tá sasamh iontach le baint as. Rug leabhar Emily barr bua ar gach leabhar eile, tá an tóir atá ar an úrscéal seo ag dul i méid i gcónaí.

Tá streachailt aicmeach téama lárnach sa scéal, tá pearsantacht ag baint le Heathcliff, ach ag an am ceanna thug sé a shaol ar son comhréireacht, ach ba ea an ainriantacht a bhí aige an tréith is geanúil ina stór.

Tá áilleacht an leabhar seo bunaithe i fíor-réalachas na carachtair, is splanc éirime é.

An taithí atá agam ar idirghabháil

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Beth Molloy| Irish Editor á sé beagnach mí Feabhra agus ciallaíonn sé sin go bhfuil sé beagnach an samhradh. Is é an t-am é chun do mhachnamh a dhéanamh agus smaoinigh ar do saoire an tsamhraidh. Ar mhaith leat idirghabháil a dheanamh tríd an Eoraip?

Chuaigh mé ag idirghabháil agus turas fhíorthaitneamhach a bhí ann.

Nuair a chríochnaigh mé mo chéad bhliain den choláiste, chuaigh mé ar idirghabháil le mo grúpa cairde.

Thugamar cuairt air Amstardam, Prág, Berlín, Vín, Loch Bled agus Búdaipeist. Thug an turas léargas dúinn ar an Eoraip agus mholfainn gan cheist é. Thosaíomar ag pleanáil an turas i mí Eanair. Úsáideamar an suíomh gréasáín Hostelworld chun le brúnna a chur in áirithe. Rinne sé i bhfad níos fusa é. Chomh maith leis sin, shocraíomar go mbeidh linn dul ar cheolchoirm Szigit i mBúdaipeist.

Cheannaíomar na ticéid go luath, nuair a bhí siad fós saor. Rinneamar alán pleanála chun gach rud a fháil chomh saor agus is féidir. Breathnaigh air an gcaoi seo, shábhálamar airgead ar an lóistín agus na ticéid agus mar sin bhí níos mó airgid a chaitheamh aguinn nuair a bhíomar ag taisteal.

Creidim gurb iad na traenach an chuid ab fhearr liom. Bíonn na traenacha in am agus bhain mé taitneamh as an tírdhreach réchonach a fheiceal amach na fuinneoga.Thug siad deis dúinn codladh freisin! Thug codladh maith misneach arís dúinn! Den chuid is mó ní gá duit ach traein amháin go dtí an chéad stad eile. Mar sin féin, bhí orainn trí thraein a fháil nuair a bhíomar ag dul go Loch Bled. Turas fada atá ann ó Vín agus tá dhá athrú traenach le déanamh ar an tslí. In ainneoin sin, ba é an turas ab fhearr liom.

Bhainn mé taitneamh as an dathanna athraitheacha a fheiceal nuair a bhí mé ar an traein. If siú go mór é, an t-am a chaitear ar an traein.

Ní bhíonn aon drogall orm triail a bhaint as bia nua agus nuair a bhí me ag idirghabháil rinné mé iarracht chun bia nua a bhaint triail as. D’ith mé shnitzel nuair a bhí me i Vín agus goulash nuair a bhí mé i mBúdaipeist.

Ach ba é an rud ab fhearr liom na an burrito a ithe mé i bPrág. Bhí sé an-bhlasta. Bhí sé lan le sicín agus salsa anann. Burrito dhraíochtúil a bhí inti! Ná bíodh eagla ort rud éigin nua a thriail.

Is maith an smaoineamh é liosta de na rudaí is mian leat a dhéanamh.

Nuair a bhí mé ag taisteal bhí mé ag iarradh raftú bánuisce a dheanamh

Image Credit: WikiMedia

Eitleáin, traenacha agus carranna!

agus spéirthumadóireacht a dhéanamh freisin. Ní raibh mé abalta spéirthumadóireacht a dheanamh mar bhí sé ró-costasach agus rinné mé agus mo chairde raftú bánuisce agus bhí sé go-hiontach ar fad! Chomh maith leis sin, bhí mé ag iarradh chuirt a thabhairt ar an Teach Anne Frank in

Amstardam. Caithfidh tú áirthint a dhéanamh roimh ré. Déan liosta agus déan iarracht chun gach éileamh a shásamh.

Choinnigh mé iris agus líon mé é le ticéid agus cártaí poist. Thugamar cuimhní iontacha linn as.

Thug codladh maith misneach arís dúinn!

Gaeilge

16

Úrscéalta rómánsaíochta Courtney Fitzmaurice agus “úrscéalta rómansaochta”

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í féidir leabhar maith a bhuladh. Tá bá as cuimse agam le húrscéalta rómánsaíochta. Beidh Lá Fhéile Valintín ag teacht, agus feicfidh tú scannain grá agus úrscéalta grá i ngach áit.

Love and Gelato le Jenna Evans Welch Sa scéal seo, téann an príomhcharactair Lina go dtí an Iodáil nuair a fuair a mam bás. San Iodáil, conaíonn sí i Florence agus faigheann sí amach faoi áilleacht an tír, mar shampla gelato agus taosran. Tá cumann gleoite idir Lina agus buachaill darb ainm Ren. Foghlamaíonn sí a lán faisneis faoi a mam.

My Life Next Door le Huntley Fitzpatrick Conaíonn Samantha in aice le teaghlach mór, na Garretts. Bíonn uaigneas uirthí mar níl a lán cairde

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Beidh Lá Fhéile Vailintín ag teacht, agus feicfidh tu scannain grá agus úrscéalta grá i ngach ait

Second Chance Summer le Morgan Matson Is scríobhneoir iontach í Morgan Matson. Nuair a bhíonn a hathair Taylor tinn, teann sí agus a clann ar na laethanta saoire in aice leis an loch. Tá a lán cuimhní na hóige ar Taylor ag an loch. Buaileann Taylor lena iar-bhuachaill agus a seanchara. Is scéal mothúchán é, Scríobh Matson leabhair eile mar shampla Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour agus Since You’ve Been Gone.

Credit: Pixabay

Courtney Fitzmaurice| Deputy Sports Editor @courtneyfitz100

Lara Jean agus buachaill móréilimh, Peter Kavinsky, caidreamh bréige. Is scéal aoibhinn é. Mholfainn The Summer I Turned Pretty freisin.

aici agus bíonn a mam ró-dhian uirthi freisin. Buaileann Samantha le Jase Garrett, agus athríonn gach rud. Bíonn clann mhór aige agus fáiltíonn siad Samantha. Tá caidreamh an-dlúth eadrainn. Mholfainn What I Thought Was True freisin.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before le Jenny Hann Tá leagan scannáin d’úrscéal ar an scéal seo ar Netflix. Scríobh Lara Jean litir chuid cúpla buachaili nuair a bhí noisnean aici orthu. Lá amháin, cuireann a deirfiur na litir sa phost. Tosaíonn

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Love, Simon) le Becky Albertalli Tá cara pinn ag Simon darb ainm Blue. Is fear aerach é Simon, ach níl a fhios ag aon duine. Nuair a leann buachaill suarach eile na ríomhphoist, tá Simon i dtrioblóid. Tá leagan scannáin d’úrscéal ar an scéal seo, Love Simon, leis an aisteoir Nick Robinson.

Tuigeann Albertalli na déagóirí. Mholfainn The Upside of Unrequited agus Leah on the Offbeat freisin.

Caithfimidne leagan ar an obair aris Ar ais ar an saol, ar ais go réaltacht

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áimid ar ais! Tá seimeastar an earraigh ag tosú agus ba cheart dúinn tús maith a dhéanamh. Anois an t-am ord agus eagar a chur ort

féín.

Táimid ag tosú as an nua ar fad, mar sin is maith an smaoineamh é dialann a cheannach. Nuair a fhaigheann tú dátaí aighneachta do thascanna scríobh síos iad. Is furastra bheith trí chéile ag dátaí agus cabhróidh sé seo go mór. Caitheamh leat féin don stáiseanóireacht nua! Tagann cóipleabhair i iliomad dathanna éagsúla, idir bheag agus mhór. Tá go leor cóipleabhair ar fail i siopaí cosuil le Easons agus Bookstation. Soláthar aibhsitheoir, pinn agus pinn luaidhe a cheannach.

Déan cinnte go bhfuil do notaí soiléir agus eagraithe.

Téigh go dtí do ranganna! Agus ba cheart duit aire a thabhairt do do ranganna! Nuair a atá tú sa rang ní mór d’aire a choimeád ar an gcúram. Mura raibh tú ann, tá go leor á chailleadh agat agus beidh sé níos deacra san fhadtréimhse. Chomh maith leis sin, déan iarracht coinneáil suas chun

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Téigh go dtí do ranganna!

Agus ba cheart duit aire a thabhairt do do ranganna!

dáta le do chuid léamha. Cinntigh go n-aúsáidfidh tú do chuid ama go héifeachtach. Ná fág an obair go dtí an nóiméad deireanach. Is smaoineamh maith am a chur ar leataobh gach seachtain le haghaidh oibre. Bí cinnte go ndéanann tú staidéar éifeachtach.

Déan iarracht chun am a chur ar leataobh do chairde. Tá cothromaíocht oibre is saoil mhaith ag teastáil. Ná bíodh eagla ort rud éigin nua a thriail. Níl sé ródhéanach ballraíocht a ghlacadh i gclub nó sochaí. Is féidir leat cairde nua a dhéanamh agus rudaí nua a thriail.

Tabhair leat lón pacáilte! Cabhróidh sé seo leat airgead a shábháil ag tús na bliana. Smaoinigh ar an t-airgead go léir a chaitheann tú ar rollaí agus brioscáin phrátaí. Ina ionad sin, d’airgead póca a chur i dtaisce do laethanta saoire samhraidh!

Leis na leideanna seo, táim ag súil go mbeadh seimeastar den scoth agut.

Ba choir duit gach lá a thógáil mar atá sé. Is gearr uainn an samhraidh, ar chraiceann so chluaise ná déan dearmad air! Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat sa seimeastar nua!

“

Tabhair leat lón pacáilte!

Cabhróidh sé seo leat airgead a shábháil ag tús na bliana

Credit Ruairi Carberry

Beth Molloy| Irish Editor

17

Performing the role of a lifetime

Dylan O’Neill | Contributor

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tudents with a background in performing arts develop transferable skills that can lead to employment opportunities in a multitude of job sectors, according to Ireland’s largest career recruitment company.

GradIreland highlights that pursuing interests in the performing arts, such as drama, music, dance, musical and film, offers experience which will benefit candidates for employment opportunities in “arts organisations, local government, voluntary organisations, the HSE, educational institutes and leisure companies.”

“Graduates from these disciplines tend to secure their preferred option at a later stage compared to their peers in other disciplines…in particular, many art and design graduates work part time while developing their creative work or will combine employment with further study.”

For graduates deciding to pursue a career outside the performing arts sector, performing arts groups give an applicant skills in “teamwork, presentation, time management, self-discipline, communication, research and analysis and the ability to handle criticism.”

These skills are not solely highlighted in the Irish job market, English educators also comment on the value of graduates who have learned and cultivated skills from the areas with the performing arts.

Managing Director of the Yorkshire Academy of Film & Television Acting (YAFTA) Charlotte Armitage finds that, for students interested in pursuing a career in the performance industry, previous involvement in drama groups aid in “public speaking skills; building confidence and self-esteem; listening skills; articulation; learning to manage emotions in a safe environment, team working skills and professionalism skills to name a few.”

Performing arts were also found to benefit job applicants for interview preparation, offering employers the

knowledge that candidates have a “healthy work life balance and interests outside of work.”

Research conducted at YAFTA on the impact acting had on the psychological wellbeing of graduates.

“91 per cent said that acting had helped to build their confidence, 94 per cent said it had helped their mental wellbeing and 81 per cent said that acting classes had a positive impact on other areas of their lives,” according to Armitage.

“I regularly see the positive impact that participating in acting has for students from a range of backgrounds with a range of abilities. The emotional outlet that comes with acting is cathartic but the other transferable skills as well as feeling part of a group and making friends is another reason why so many people find benefit from participating in the arts,” commented Armitage.

The examples that recruitment companies and educators describe are similar to the experience of David Kennedy, a physiotherapist from Co Waterford.

Kennedy first became involved in the performing arts in secondary school, becoming a member of the “South Eastern Theatre Group“ in 5th and 6th year. He joined and remained an active member of the UCD Musical Society for the entire duration of his undergraduate degree. As part of the society, Kennedy has been a cast member, worked backstage on productions, been executive producer for named productions and fulfilled the role of treasurer for the society.

“I first became aware of the transferable skills I gained from theater when working in one of several parttime jobs I held while studying - I was given a job as a waiter because it involved singing traditional Irish songs to American tourists, to provide one very specific example,” said Kennedy.

Through the roles he held while on the society’s committee, he gained managerial experience, regularly emailing newsletters to members,

Image Credit : Sathishaa Mohan

Having experience in performing arts can benefit you when it comes to applying for jobs

“

Previous involvement in drama groups aid in “public speaking skills; building confidence and self-esteem

which served him directly in his career path.

“The mail platform we used for this was then the same platform I used to create an online support programme for chronic patients for the project I completed for my MSc study...

Completing this masters allowed me to apply for a job in my current hospital and I have since progressed to a senior role, where I regularly lead groups, give presentations and engage in public speaking, where my skills are enhanced by my comfort and experience on stage.”

Despite his interests and experience not being directly questioned in job interviews, Kennedy rejects the idea that seeking an early specialty in a field is the key to success, as that logic suggests that performing arts groups “should be reserved for those pursuing a career in the sector.”

“There are very few non-transferable skills if you take a broad view of tasks and projects, and college musicals opened my eyes to this. From

organizing shows to seeking sponsorship and organizing accounts to brainstorming new ventures, I gained a massive amount of new skills from working in the diverse melting pot of ideas and personalities that is musical theater,” said Kennedy.

For Nicole Russin-McFarland, being involved in the performing arts inspired her to pursue a career in film directing and score composing.

Beginning music classes during school, Russin-McFarland spent her time learning to write sheet music, getting involved in talent shows and comedy acts; drawing inspiration from the likes of Hans Zimmer, James Horner and people around her age on MTV as a driving force behind her passion to make her hobby into a career.

“I was really inspired by people who were working film score composers at large levels...Only Hans Zimmer was branding himself in a brilliant businessman method and you see that today with how established he is to those who don’t follow film music.”

Russin-McFarland credits her networking and journalism skills as essential to her career today, “I always network with people within the fields of film and film music for the sake of it because I want to get to know everyone, and also through my journalism, I am able to interview them for my own projects, so I want the world to love these people like I do.”

“Developing skills is harder as an adult if you’ve never studied anything.

Your brain catches on to new concepts within music very fast if you already know music.”

It is these skills, which Russin-McFarland describes, that are required in any industry where you’re “always going to be competing with people who get unfair advantages over you for work because they are more famous or have nepotism involved...All you can do is try to build your brand so well that you out-famous the people sliding in there and pull one under the rug on the nepotism and fame system.”

Mapping the coronavirus outbreak

Credit: NIAID

Features

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By the end of January, the coronavirus has already reportedly infected over 17,000 people and caused the death of more than 350 Sally Dobie | Production & Podcast Editor @Sarah_or_Sally

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s the world celebrated the new year, the first cases of a newly identified coronavirus were reported in China.

Now, at the time of publication one month on, there are over 17,000 reported infections, and 362 people dead.

The Novel Coronavirus (2019nCoV) is said to cause pneumonia-like symptoms and is part of a family of viruses that affects the respiratory system. Other members of the coronavirus family include the common cold and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) believes symptoms could appear between two and 14 days after exposure, and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.

Many coronaviruses circulate among animals like camels, bats and cats, but very occasionally can mutate and cause infection amongst people as well.

The origin of the virus can reportedly be traced back to a large seafood and animal market in Wuhan, Hubei Province, according to the CDC. The market was closed on January 1st, but not before the scope of people believed to be infected was over 40.

Wuhan, with a population of 11.08m people, was the first city to be shut down, with all public transport and outward travel halted on January 23rd.

Now, nine other cities with a combined population of around 20 million have imposed transport restrictions both within and from of the city, in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

“

The CDC believes symptoms could appear between two and 14 days after exposure, and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath

In the last 20 years there have been two similar, severe coronaviruses, both of which caused over 750 deaths.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and caused severe respiratory illness. According to the CDC, around four in every ten people who contracted MERS died.

According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), a total of 858 deaths have been linked to MERS since 2012, with 27 countries reporting cases.

SARS was identified in China in 2002, and in 2012 was declared a select agent: a “bacterium, virus or toxin that has the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety.”

Between November 2002 and July 2003, over 8,000 people contracted SARS, which is said to be transmitted through “respiratory droplets” (coughing or sneezing). Of those 8,000, 774 died.

On January 5th 2020, the possibility of the virus being a resurgence of SARS was ruled out, and then on January 7th it was announced they had identified a new virus.

The rate of transmission seemed to speed up after that, the first death and the first confirmed case of 2019-nCoV outside of China occurred within two days of each other, but it took a further ten days for Wuhan to be placed under quarantine.

Now cases of 2019-nCoV have been confirmed in other countries around the world, including Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the United States, France and Australia.

The timing of the outbreak caused concern, coinciding with the beginning of Chinese New Year. This meant more people would be travelling to visit family, and large crowds would

gather for celebrations.

Beijing cancelled events for the Lunar New Year beginning on January 25 as more cases of 2019-nCoV were reported.

WHO declared the 2019-nCoV an emergency for China last week, and recently said there was a high global risk.

At the time of the publication of this article there have been no confirmed cases in Ireland, however an international student at Waterford Institute of Technology(WIT) who left Wuhan before the quarantine has been placed in “lockdown”, and according to the Irish Examiner, WIT staff are being directed by the HSE on dealing with the situation.

A new hospital is currently under construction in Wuhan, in an attempt to treat those with 2019-nCoV. It is estimated to take only ten days. With over 60 diggers, and the use of prefabricated elements, the 1,000-bed hospital is due to start receiving patients on February 3rd.

Coverage of the issue by Chinese and international press has been an issue since 2019-nCoV was identified at the beginning of February.

The response of Chinese citizens on social media has been explosive.

In a country known for its policing of online comments and restrictions, the outcry of residents has been difficult to ignore.

Many online critics focused on Wuhan’s officials, who were spotted at a public event wearing their required medical masks incorrectly. One article in The New York Times said when Wuhan’s Mayor spoke to the public, a citizen said, “If the virus is fair, then please don’t spare this useless person.”

During the SARS outbreak over 15 years ago, social media was in its

infancy, and it was easy for the government to control what was published about the spread of the virus. However, in 2020 social media is a powerful tool that is difficult to police in its entirety.

With the prolific use of smartphones, it is impossible to completely control the narrative, but posts and comments relating to 2019-nCoV are still being deleted.

One Chinese internet expert and creator of China Digital Time, Xiao Qiang, said that even the Chinese media outlets that have openly criticised the situation should not be seen as independent, as many of them receive permission from the government to cover topics that official sources cannot. Xiao called it “planned and controlled publicity”.

However even then, both Chinese and international citizens cannot be sure if the figures that the Chinese government have provided are completely true, or if there is higher mortality, and a higher illness rate being concealed.

Another massive issue closely related to this is the spread of misinformation from both government and non-governmental sources online.

Some twitter accounts are claiming the real figure of confirmed infections are in the tens of thousands, and independent American news outlet “naturalnews.com” claimed Wuhan was adding an additional 100,000 beds to the new hospital.

Even official sources from China have been mixed, the media giant Buzzfeed said that Chinese official Lijian Zhao, posted a picture of the alleged first finished building of the Huoshenshan hospital in Wuhan. The photograph was later found to be of an apartment complex in Qingdao.

Features

19

Breaking down the Green deal for Ireland In keeping with the 2015 Paris Agreement, the EU has committed itself to carbon neutrality by 2050 in an effort to halt global warming at 1.5 degrees celsius. The Green Deal expands on this agreement by providing the legislative foundations for progress on climate change to all EU member states.

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ith the European Union set to become carbon neutral by 2050, Ireland must step up to meet the ambitious targets set out by the Green Deal.

Green Party member and Irish MEP, Ciaran Cuffe said that in keeping with current progress on climate change it would be unrealistic for Ireland to become carbon neutral by 2050, but that it is not an impossible task.

“We’ve often pointed out that Ireland has been a laggard and not a leader on climate change and I think it really exposes Fine Gael’s greenwashing rather than substance to green issues,” he said.

According to Cuffe, the current Fine Gael-lead government “just get captured by the industries they represent,” hindering their progress on issues of climate change, of which are often considered to be conflicting to the interests of industry.

The Green Deal is largely centred around the four key sectors of energy, transport, agriculture and construction, allowing for a Just Transition that ensures no one gets left behind in the move towards carbon neutrality.

The deal itself was finalised in December 2019 and voted on by European Parliament in the plenary session in Strasbourg this January, with 482 in favour, 136 against and 95 abstentions.

In a statement released shortly after the vote, it was set out that the EU parliament wants to create more ambitious short term targets for the EU’s 2030 goal of emissions reductions. They also hope to set out higher targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy, including binding targets for individual member states.

As discussions of the Green Deal remain topical, Ireland’s peatlands have come to the forefront of conversation regarding the transition towards carbon neutrality, bringing into question the future of the industry and those who work within it.

“We have to phase out the extraction of peat, and not just because burning it creates carbon emissions, peat sequesters carbon in the ground, it also is an extraordinary source of biodiversity and there’s a biodiversity crisis as well as a climate crisis,” said Cuffe.

“In practical terms for the midlands and Ireland we need a just transition, where somebody who is the same age as myself, in their late fifties, and they’ve been working in the peat industry for thirty years, we need to

give them the training, the skills and the opportunities to move into other sectors.”

The idea of a Just Transition ensures that those who have been working in a particular sector for the majority of their lives will not be left without a livelihood or opportunities when the industry closes down or adapts to pursue more carbon-neutral practices.

In terms of transport, Cuffe believes that it is easier for compact cities to reduce their carbon footprint than large

‘‘

sprawling cities.

“A lot comes down to the planning policies we pursue. If we have a laissez-faire approach of allowing people to build anything anywhere we just end up with more traffic, but if we have compact cities, towns and villages where people can live and work close-by they can get around on a bike or walking,” he said.

As a classified low-rise city, Dublin may struggle more than other European cities in its efforts to become

carbon neutral.

Minister for Housing and Development, Eoghan Murphy released new guidelines last year in an effort to grow Dublin upwards rather than outwards.

He said: “Our cities and our towns must grow upwards, not just outwards, if we are to meet the many challenges ahead. Constant expansion of low-density suburban development around our cities and towns cannot continue.”

Aside from building Dublin up-

The EU parliament wants to create more ambitious short term targets for the EU’s 2030 goal of emissions reductions

Image Credit: Chloe Rooney

Aine O’Boyle| Deputy Editor and Arts Editor @aineoboyle99

wards in an effort to become carbon neutral, capacity must be increased across the public transport sector in both urban and rural Ireland.

“At the moment we put about three-quarters of our transport money into roads so we just need to flip that around and put most of the money into public transport,” said Cuffe.

With the annual Dublin Bus fare for a regular user being around €1,400, it is essential that fares are reduced to encourage people to avail of public transport. According to Cuffe, cities such as Vienna have an annual €365 fare for all public transport, making it accessible and affordable for all.

Cuffe also believes that rather than taking an aggressive approach with carbon taxes, it is essential for the Irish government to endorse and encourage positive changes such as a reduction in bus fares or the introduction of safe, segregated cycle lanes.

“You go to a city like Utrecht in the Netherlands or even in Brussels there’s a transport revolution going on of safe, segregated cycle lanes, and that can get rid of a huge amount of car journeys,” he said.

“It’s not rocket science, it’s happening in Copenhagen, in Amsterdam, even in Brussels… so if we can do it in those cities we can certainly do it in Dublin.”

But for Ireland, one of the biggest challenges in becoming carbon neutral by 2050 will be in the agriculture sector.

The Green Deal has outlined a “Farm to Fork” strategy as part of their efforts to reduce the carbon footprint produced through agriculture. The strategy aims to reduce the use of pesticides, fertilisers, and antibiotics whilst promoting sustainable food consumption and the reduction of food waste.

The deal also states that 40 per cent of the Common Agricultural Policy budget should go towards climate action.

In a recent statement, President of the Irish Farmers Association, Joe Healy said that the measures proposed by the Green Deal will require an increased CAP budget if the EU wishes to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Despite the adversities, Ciaran Cuffe along with his Green Party colleagues in the European Parliament believes that carbon neutrality is a matter of priority.

“I think we can be carbon zero, I think we have to be to stop the worst of climate change and it’s a real challenge in every sector,” he said.

Features

20

The influential and the Irish: Women in the European Parliament

Profiles of the Irish women currently in the European Parliament, a look at their personal lives and what brought them so much success

Béibhinn Thorsch| Deputy Features Editor @BeibhinnJourno

own right, and the key driving force behind Ear to the Ground, a successful television series on farming. She was also the editor of the Farming Independent for seven years.

Francis Fitzgerald has been an MEP since 2019, and is a member of Fine Gael and the European People’s Party. She has served in Irish politics since 1992, ranging from working in the Seanad for the Labour Panel, to serving as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, for Justice and Equality, among other roles. Most recently she served as Tánaiste from 2016 to 2017, where she was shrouded in scandal.

While serving as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, she spoke out forcefully against the Catholic Church’s role in covering up child abuse.

Fitzgerald was the second Fine Gael politician to ever hold the office of Tánaiste. In the European Parliament, she is a member of the Committees on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, the Delegation for relations with the People’s Republic of China.

Fitzgerald is a mother of three sons and is from Limerick. She studied in UCD and the London School of Economics.

Clare Daly is from Kildare, and has been an MEP since 2019. She is a member of Independents 4 Change and is part of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left. She served as TD from 2011 to 2019.

Daly was elected as a Socialist Party

TD in 2011, previously a Socialist Part Councillor. In 2013 she founded a new political party called United Left, where she redesignated herself as a United Left TD. In the European Parliament, she is Vice-Chair of the Delegation for relations with Afghanistan.

Daly is a long-standing atheist, though her brother and uncle are in the Catholic priesthood. In February 2012, it was reported that she would introduce a bill to provide for limited access to abortion where there is “real and substantial risk to the life” of the pregnant woman, in line with the X Case. The bill was defeated before its second reading on 19 April 2012.

She also announced that she would not register to pay a new household charge brought in that year, calling it “reprehensible”, and telling the minister responsible “You can’t bring everyone to court”.

Grace O’Sullivan is a member of the Green Party from Waterford, and part of the European Green Party in the European Parliament. She previously served in the Seanad as senator for the Agricultural Panel, from 2016 to 2019. O’Sullivan is also known for her activism during a 20year career with Greenpeace.

O’Sullivan is an ecologist and environmental education specialist, as well as a mother of three. She was also an Irish surf champion, as she is from a seaside town. By the age of 16 she had joined Tramore Sea and Cliff Rescue and was helmsman with the

Tramore RNLI by the age of 18. She spent some time as a lifeguard during the summer months also.

Maria Walsh is a member of Fine Gael and is one of the youngest members of the European Parliament. She is a member of the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, and the Delegation for relations with the United States.

Walsh was born in Boston in the United States, to two Irish parents.

They moved back to Ireland in Walsh’s childhood, however after her college education she emigrated back to the U.S. She first rose to national attention when she was crowned the International Rose of Tralee in 2014 and came out as a lesbian five days after her win.

In 2019, Walsh was a serving member of the Army Reserve, as a trooper in the Defence Forces Training Centre in Curragh Camp.

Ireland has had, as have many countries, a mixed history of women’s rights and success. With the first female president in 1990, Mary Robinson, followed by Mary McAleese in 1997. We still haven’t had a female Taoiseach. We continue to unearth scandals against women’s rights, as recently as the cervical check scandal and even the abortion referendum. While we celebrate our successes women will, and should, continue to strive for more of what they deserve.

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Credit: European Parliament

D

uring her 2008 presidential campaign trail Hilary Clinton said,“The remnants of sexism are alive and well… I am running to break through the highest and hardest glass ceiling.”While there are not any American representatives in the European Parliament, this quote illustrates the global experience of women seeking to succeed in politics.

For a country the size of Ireland, the chance to make a real impact on the world is much closer for the elected members of European Parliament (MEPs). For Irish women who break into the sphere of European Politics, it is a monumental opportunity.

Ursula Von Der Leyen has further paved the way for women in politics, by becoming the first woman to become President of the European Commission. Von Der Leyen is a German politician and became President of the European Commission in 2019.

Previous to her time in the European Parliament, Von Der Leyen was the longest-serving member of Angela Merkel’s cabinet in Germany, from 2005 to 2019. She was also the first woman to serve as German defence minister.

Looking at her personal life, Von Der Leyen was born and raised in Brussels. Her father was one of the first European civil servants. Von der Leyen was brought up bilingually in German and French.

Von Der Leyen studied economics at university, and at the height of the fear of communist terrorism in West Germany she fled to London.

Her family had been told that there were plans for Von Der Leyen to be kidnapped as she was the daughter of a prominent politician. She spent over a year in London under the name Rose Ladson, and with the protection of Scotland Yard. She enrolled at the London School of Economics.

Mairead McGuinness is from Ardee Co. Louth and made a name for Irish women in politics by becoming the First Vice-President of the European Parliament since 2007. She first became an MEP in July 2004, and is a member of Fine Gael and the European People’s Party.

Before politics, McGuinness studied Agricultural Economics in UCD, becoming the first female graduate of that course. She began her career as a journalist in RTÉ immediately after college, working initially as a radio producer before becoming a researcher for the Late Late Show. McGuinness became a well-known presenter in her

For Irish women who break into the sphere of European Politics, it is a monumental opportunity

Sport

DCU power past WIT to book Fitzgibbon semi-final spot

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DCU will now face UCC in the Fitzgibbon cup semi-final Conor Breslin| Sports Editor @ConorBreslin10

Credit: Sportsfile

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CU hurlers are once again back in a Fitzgibbon cup semi-final after their impressive 6-point triumph over Waterford IT at the DCU Sportsgrounds, winning 1:23 to 2:14.

Their semi-final match will be a repeat of last year’s semi-final, and this season’s All-Ireland league final as they will face reigning Fitzgibbon champions UCC in two weeks’ time.

The attacking power from Kilkenny natives John Donnelly, Jim Ryan and James Bergin proved the difference with these three DCU giants amassing a combined tally of 1-12 over WIT, which proved the Metropolitans worthy victors in what was an easy performance for the North Dublin university.

The opening half was free flowing with both teams exchanging points at either end of the pitch. James Burke and man of the match Donnelly opened the scoring for the home side in the first two minutes of the match,

but WIT came back with two scores of their own from Tom Barron and Cork’s Stephen Condon, who led the way with 11 points for the Déise outfit.

DCU nearly snatched an early goal when a quick free from Rory O’Connor placed Ryan in a perfect position but he was unfortunately denied by WIT goalie Billy Nolan.

Glanworth marksman Condon was doing his utmost to keep WIT in touch, scoring three points in the opening 12 minutes while DCU remained in the ascendancy.

However, the Dublin college were pegged back on the 19th minute after corner forward Eddie Meaney was fouled inside the square. Goalkeeper Nolan blasted the resulting penalty into the opposition net. However, six points in quick succession subsequently propelled DCU into a 0-14 to 1-5 interval lead with Rory O’Connor, Ryan, Burke, Brian Ryan, Rian McBride and Bergin all landing on the score sheet in the final 10 minutes of the half.

WIT offered an initial resistance on the resumption with Condon’s dead-

ball accuracy cutting the gap to two on 40 minutes. Nevertheless, Donnelly, Ryan and James Burke all popped up with points to reassert DCU’s authority.

A major talking point from the crowd came on the 45th minute when Burke struck the ball across the field to find Jim Ryan who simply tapped the púc into the net. After a long discussion between the umpires and referee the goal was later disallowed due to a square ball ruling. This however made little difference as a WIT comeback seemed unlikely at this point.

DCU had a second goal chance in the final 10 minutes when Burke sent Donnelly through with a beautiful cross-field ball, but the Thomastown man struck it just a little to hard with him having to settle for a point.

The Metropolitans eventually found the net five minutes from the end. A fine link up play between O’Connor and Bergin resulted in a perfect ball placed inside to Ryan who under pressure from the WIT defence booted the ball into the opposition’s net.

Substitute Austin Gleeson capped his belated cameo with a superb top right goal off a close-range free, but it

was a mere consolation for the Munster men as DCU ended on the winning side and now turn their attention to UCC, who eliminated them from the Fitzgibbon cup last season.

DCU: O Foley; L Gannon, P Smyth, C Firman; B Ryan (0-01), C Burke, E Shefflin; D Reck (0-01), D Gray; J Donnelly (0-06), R McBride (0-02), J Burke (0-03); J Bergin (0-03), J Ryan (1-03), R O’Connor (0-04).

Subs: F Whitely for Gray (42), D Burke for McBride, E Delaney for J Ryan (both 55), K Burke for Gannon (59).

WIT: B Nolan (1-01); T Hayes, K Hassett, S Smyth; C Lyons, M De Paor, T Walsh; R Smithers, J Prendergast; R Flynn, C Flood, T Barron (002); E Meaney, C Kirwan, S Condon (0-11).

Subs: M Daykin for Smyth (h-t), M Mahoney for Flood (49), A Gleeson (1-00) for Meaney (57).

Brendan Hyland sets another National Record Hyland is preparing for an Olympic Qualifier in April

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CU graduate and Olympic hopeful Brendan Hyland set another record in the 100 metre butterfly at the Irish National Short Course Championships in December.

Hyland recorded a time of 51.33 and now owns the record for both the 100m and 200m butterfly in short course (25m) and long course (50m) swimming pools.

Speaking to The College View he said, “It gives me confidence, because sometimes my speed isn’t my biggest strength. So the fact that I’m improving in the shorter races just gives me a good bit of confidence that the speed is there when I want to be. This in turn, will hopefully transfer over to the 200m butterfly in the long course season”.

Having broken another record, Hyland’s immediate focus now switches to the Swim Ireland Olympic Trials in Blanchardstown in April, where he will have another opportunity to seal Olympic qualification for Tokyo 2020.

“Setting a record does give me confi-

dence but it’s all about putting work in the bank leading to the big show in April”, he said.

Hyland narrowly missed out on Olympic qualification at the World Championships in South Korea last July, where he was just seven one-hundredths of a second away from achieving his Olympic dream.

“Swimming that time – 1.56.55 – it was the best swim of my life. I came eleventh in the World Championships.

It was massively bitter-sweet because seven one-hundredths of a second and it would have been wrapped up, and that’s me an Olympian. All these things happen for a reason and it’s kept me spurred on for the whole year to do the business my next chance”, he said.

All of Hyland’s endeavours will culminate in his showing at the upcoming trials. “April is the big one. I’m just trying to keep the trend going. I’ve improved every time I’ve raced under my new coach Ben Higson over the past two years so training has just been about repetition and gaining confidence”, he said.

Hyland has come a long way since he began competing at the age of 10,

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It’s all about putting work in the bank leading to the big show in April

Credit: Sportsfile

Daniel Phelan | Contributor

winning his first ever competition in the 200m butterfly. “I feel like from then on, the 200m butterfly was kind of my thing”, he said.

Moving out from the Tallaght Sports Complex to the National Performance Centre in Blanchardstown at the age of 16 was fundamental in Hyland’s development.

“I dropped off from being an average teenage swimmer to setting an Irish junior and senior record at the age of 17, as well as reaching European finals and becoming the Irish champion” he said.

All of which happened in a whirlwind

18 months for the Tallaght native.

While Hyland graduated in November, he is still actively involved within the university coaching the DCU Swim Club. “I enjoy it. I can give them a lot of technical tips and pass on advice from what I’ve experienced over the years”, he said.

Sport

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Kobe and Gianna Bryant: A legacy on and off the court Their passing is more than just a loss for basketball, but a loss for the next generation

Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjadeJourno

Credit: Allen Berezovsky

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egendary basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant were amongst nine killed as their helicopter tried to clear a layer of clouds before crashing, said investigators.

Former NBA Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died alongside seven other people aboard that included Gianna’s basketball teammate and her parents. The helicopter lost contact with air control as it began descending and crashed into the ground.

Experts say the helicopter did not have the recommended warning system to warn the pilot he was too close to the ground, but it is not clear if it would have prevented the crash.

Close friend and current Lakers player Lebron James said in an Instagram post, “I am heartbroken and devastated my brother! Man, I love you big bro. My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids.”

Vanessa and Kobe married in 2001 when she was only 18 and he was 22.

Together they had four kids: 13-yearold Gianna, who was killed alongside her father, 17 -year-old Natalia, threeyear-old Bianka, and seven-month-old Capri.

In a stellar basketball career Kobe was a five-time NBA Champion, two-time finals MVP and 18-time All-Star player. He was the fourth alltime leading scorer in the NBA with a total of 33643 points, only recently overtaken by James.

After retiring in 2016, Bryant focused on training other players in

the NBA and WNBA and coaching aspiring professional athletes in school or college.

In a statement released by WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert she said, “Kobe’s support for the WNBA and women’s basketball along with his passion for helping young girls and boys follow their dreams made him a true legend for our sport.”

WNBA Seattle Storm player Breanna Stewart said in an Instagram post, “You (Kobe) were the first person to reach out to me after my

Achilles injury and supported me through the process…May you an GiGi (Gianna) rest in peace.”

Alongside building up other athletes, Bryant focused on helping his daughters develop in their sports – whether that was basketball for Gianna or volleyball for Natalia. Stewart even said that Gianna – who planned to play for the University of Connecticut Huskies and eventually in the WNBA -was carrying Kobe’s legacy in basketball.

Off the court, he was an ambassador

for After-School All-Stars, a non-profit that provides after-school programmes to children in the US. Alongside this he and Vanessa founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation (KVBFF), and its goal was to help young people in need through sports and assisting the homeless.

Kobe also wrote a book in 2018, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, but most well-known was his film Dear Basketball which made him the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Animated

Short.

So, alongside his legacy on the court Kobe wanted to be remembered for all he has done off the court. In an interview on CNBC he said, “Now, championships come and go. Right?

There’s going to be another team that wins an NBA Championship, another player that wins another MVP award. But if you really want to create something that lasts generations, you have to help inspire the next generation.”

Jenny Egan included in the 20 best moments of 2018 in women’s sports around the world

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Egan is set on making it to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, with only two chances to qualify

Courtney Fitmaurice | Deputy Sports Editor @courtneyfitz100

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CU alumnus Jenny Egan was recognised in the Irish Times’ “20 best moments of the year in women’s sport” list as last year she won two World Cup medals on back to back weekends.

The first was a silver World Cup medal at the Senior Canoe Sprint World Cup 1 in Posnan, Poland, while the following weekend she earned a bronze medal at the Senior Canoe Sprint World Cup 2 in Duisberg, Germany.

“They were two extremely hard competitions and to be able to produce medals two weekends back to back was amazing,” Egan told The College View.

Egan was delighted that she was included in the Irish Times’ list among such famous international athletes.

“When I first read it, I thought it was amazing anyway that I was one of the top 20 best moments, I thought it was in Irish women in sport,” she said.

“Then I saw all these women from around the world and I was like “Oh my god,” like I couldn’t believe that I was picked as one of them.”

Egan has two chances left to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, so she is hard at work training. To qualify she has to place in the top two at the European Qualifier in May in Racice, Czech Republic, or get one quota place at the World Cup 2 in Duisberg.

Last year Egan produced the new Irish national record in the 200m sprint at 40.6 seconds, which was almost a second off her previous record time.

“The margins between the girls are

To go and have training camps with the women that I’ll compete against is amazing

so little over 200 metres and with so few quota places available, you know it is a very hard task. But I’m going for it.”

For the K1 200m and 500m sprints at the Olympics, only eight boats in total can compete. “I think it has to be the hardest sport in the world to qualify for,” she said.

Last Saturday, Egan traveled to Florida where she will spend almost six weeks at a training camp with the Danish women’s kayak team. She’ll then come back home to Ireland for a week before heading off again to Portugal for a three week training camp with the team.

“To go and have training camps with the women that I’ll compete against is amazing because then it gives me an idea of what I need to do to be the best in the world,” she said.

Egan’s training routine is intense as she trains 14 to 16 sessions per week

with just one day off. She’s out on the water early every morning in the cold, but Egan is an incredibly determined person. “I want to be the best I can be and hopefully get on that podium again in the summer months,” the former DCU student said.

Egan is the only athlete representative on the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Steering Committee.

Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport policy aims to improve women’s sport by focusing on four target areas, which are coaching and officiating, active participation, leadership and governance, and visibility.

“I’m an ambassador for my sport, so it’s my responsibility to try and promote our sport,” she said.

“Visibility for us is key, so that’s one area that I can really work on as an athlete.”

Sport

Fagan grabs Gold for Ireland at Paddy Christie: British Isles tournament DCU has always Fagan was victorious in the 8000m race

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CU’s Claire Fagan clinched first place for Ireland in the Women’s U23 race at the Celtic International XC at the Stirling in Scotland. Fagan was victorious in the 8000m race which included athletes from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.

The event consisted of a mix of U23 and seniors, Fagan explained how the format made it “hard to know where you were coming". She knew she was the first Irish native home, but it wasn’t until well after she had finished the race that she realised she had won.

“I didn’t know I won the U23’s until ten minutes after the race, I didn’t expect to win it,” Fagan said.

The Mullingar native also had recent success in the U23 All-Ireland indoor championships last weekend in Athlone, where she placed first in the 800m. Claire also took part in the 1500m race the same day, where she finished 3rd.

Fagan’s main competitor in the 800m was Rose Finnegan from UCD, she knew it would be a tight race between the two. Fagan took the lead for the first 700m, but Finnegan overtook for the last 100m. Fortunately for the DCU student, she caught her on the line to edge out first place.

“I knew Rose was going to sit on me for the race so I just went out hard from the start and she sat in behind me for 700m and then she made her move and passed me on the last bend but I caught her on the line."

Fagan began competing in Athletics events shortly after she joined her local Athletics club, Mullingar Harriers AC, when she was ten years old.

Claire found a love for long distance running and has been competing in long distance races ever since.

“Although I won the 800m last weekend I would say my (main) event is longer than this, I would probably be best between 5-10k,” Fagan told The College View.

Last summer she got selected to run

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This has to be my greatest achievement to date

for Ireland in the European U23’s in Sweden, after she completed an outdoor 10K in 36.01 minutes. “This was the first European event I competed in,” she said.

Fagan’s greatest achievement so far in her sporting career happened last December when she competed in the U23’s European Cross Country, where her team placed second in the 6000m event.

“This has to be my greatest achievement to date,” she said.

Currently, it is indoor season for Athletics, so Fagan is hoping to gain a new personal best in the 3K event and when outdoor season starts again, she hopes to get a new 10K personal best this summer.

“I will start to pick up my distances and hopefully get a new 10K personal best this summer,” she said.

DCU athletics has many athletes achieving great things and has been incredibly successful to date. However, when asked about DCU athletics, Claire mentioned how the loss of last years' Athletics Director Enda Fitzpatrick put a huge dent in the programme at the University.

“Things didn’t go as smoothly when we came back to college this year due to Enda’s absence but we now have Paul Byrne as head of Athletics and he is taking control of the situation and getting things back in order,” she said.

had a special place in my life

DCU manager Paddy Christie has cited the Sigerson final victory against IT Carlow one of joy and relief

Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @ConorBreslin10

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CU claimed their fifth Sigerson championship with a seven-point win at the DCU Sportsgrounds.

Speaking after the match, Christie told The College View that it was a special time for him as he has learned so much about the character of his team and speciality that the Sigerson cup brings and how hard it is to win it.

“I was never fully sure that we had the match won until I heard the final whistle, I couldn’t take the opposition for granted for one second even when we had such a lead. We also had pressure on us to deliver as we were playing on home soil and everyone was tipping us as hot favourites which as a manager, I feel can add to the tension more than a player,” said Christie.

Playing as tournament hosts, the Glasnevin side had seven points to spare on first-time finalists’ IT Carlow, having previously dispatched UCD by 15 points, Queens by 26 and the Garda College by 3 points with Christie calling every game as a learning curve.

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Credit: Athletics Ireland

Aoife Breslin | Contributor

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Everyone was tipping us as hot favourites which as a manager, I feel can add to the tension more than a player

“If you take the Garda game, yes, we learned how to deal with and breakdown a strong blanket defence, but you also have to look at the character we showed when it seemed like we were done for. Nobody was giving us a hope after the Garda game, yet you see the performances we delivered against Queens and UCD. I do agree that there may have been some luck in it all, but from what I learned, you need a little luck in this game,” Christie said.

Speaking about the final Christie has admitted it was difficult to stay calm going in at half time, especially with his team missing three goal opportunities and team captain Brendan McCole receiving a black card.

“We should’ve been more up going in at the break. Normally we would put them goals away, but you never know what key moments finals produce. Luckily, they didn’t come back to haunt us. I feel overall, we stuck brilliantly to our plan, moving the ball fast out of defence, no silly passing and being patient against the strong wind.”

Christie graduated from DCU in 1998, at a time when DCU were not one of the dominant figures of University football, however, when he returned to do his masters degree in 2005, he saw an unbelievably positive transition in sport led by four time Sigerson winning manager Niall Moyna.

“I was unfortunate never to play under Niall. This Sigerson success was largely created by him and the work he’s done in GAA for the guts of 20 years and when I took over as manager I tried to install the same philosophy of having good DCU football men around me with a focus on player development and knowing that subs were not here to make up numbers but to make an impact and change the game.

I was delighted to see Niall at the final as a lot of the players who carried this team were developed by him.”

With the season finished now Christie will now turn his attention to his role coaching the Tipperary footballers but hopes to return as DCU manager next season.

“I feel I have developed a special bond with everyone that was involved with the team and hope to keep as many as I can next season provided I get the job. DCU has always had a special place in my life. Its been good to me and I hope this Sigerson victory allows me to give something back to the University,” said Christie.

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INSIDE

Fagan grabs Gold for Ireland pg 23

DCU secure historic fifth Sigerson Cup Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @conorbreslin10

DCU 0-14 IT Carlow 0-07

Credit: Conor Breslin

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t may not have been the most intriguing final of all time, but it will still go down in history as the day DCU secured their fifth and perhaps their easiest Sigerson success in a 7-point victory over first-time finalists IT Carlow at the DCU sportsgrounds.

With a panel representing 16 different counties across the country, alongside a playing combination of confidence, style and talent all over the pitch, the North Dublin University managed by blues legend Paddy Christie never looked to be in a difficult situation as DCU secured their first title since 2015.

Playing all of their games on home soil at the DCU sportsgrounds as tournament hosts, the Glasnevin side had seven points to spare on first-time finalists IT Carlow, having previously dispatched UCD by 15 points, Queens by 26 and the Garda College by 3 points, which the latter turned out to be by far their toughest assignment of a dominant campaign.

Former Dublin minor manager Paddy Christie, who is now part of the Tipperary management team, got his tactics spot on once again as DCU played a patient game and bided their time against IT Carlow’s counter attacking formation, with sheer discipline turning them over and breaking out of their defence in numbers at speed.

DCU opened the scoring in the first play of the match with Ballymun goalkeeper Evan Comerford, who was one of the shinning stars on the day knocked over what would be his first of 3 points throughout the match.

DCU had 3 goal opportunities in the first, all which went astray. The first came on the 13th minute when half forward Shane Carthy fired in a low ball to Michael Bannigan, but due to the slippery conditions it resulted in Bannigan and two IT Carlow defenders to fall, which left open space and a two on one scenario with Man of the Match David Garland and corner forward Thomas E Donohoe, the end product however was miskicked and forced wide.

IT Carlow were only able to receive two points in the first half, both coming from small gaps through the DCU defence which IT Carlow exploited and fired over by Laois man Evan Lowry and Cian Farrell, who was top scorer on the day with 6 frees.

DCU had two more goal chances in the first half, the second was another dropping ball hit into Monaghan native

David Garland but was just struck wide and the third was a beautiful quick hand passing piece of play, with Kevin Flynn busting through the IT Carlow defence to pass it off to Donohue who quickly gave it to Garland straight in front of the goal only this time he was denied by a superb save from goalkeeper Killian Roche.

In high winds, DCU had to be particularly patient on the attack but with two points from Garland and a point apiece from Shane Carthy and Michael Bannigan, DCU led by just 0-5 to 0-2 at half-time but knew they could have been further ahead. Even a 10-minute sinbin on the 20th minute for captain Brendan McCole didn’t seem to bother the Glasnevin side as they approached the changing rooms for half-time.

DCU looked the fitter and more determined side in the second half, holding IT Carlow scoreless from play

with Offaly’s Cian Farrell registering all of their points from frees. Just like the first half, the second half started with Comerford stepping up in the opening 40 seconds to pop over his second free.

IT Carlow needed a goal that never arrived and DCU, in turn, were more than happy to pick off the points in a controlled and commanding second-half performance that oozed experience and quality.

Dublin star Paddy Small kicked two eye-catching points for DCU while Dublin goalkeeper Evan Comerford took his tally to 0-3 for the evening midway through the second half with his third converted long-range free.

Small was on target again late on and another Dublin star, Sean Bugler, who lined out at midfield for DCU this season, rounded off the scoring with a fisted effort deep into injury time to put what certainly was the icing on the cake.

Black cards for Carlow duo Richard Hitchcock and Niall Hughes left them with depleted numbers late on under the new sin-bin rule but at that point it rarely made a difference to what was a dominate DCU performance.

Man of the Match David Garland had another strong game up front, scoring 0-4 and taking his tournament tally to an impressive 1-14, while fellow Monaghan forward Michael Bannigan finished the evening with 0-3 and the campaign with 3-15.

The final scenes resulted in Brendan McCole lifting the Sigerson trophy aloft, becoming only the third Donegal captain in history to captain a winning Sigerson side, the others being Donegal legends Christy Toye and Jim McGuiness.

DCU: Evan Comerford (0-03, 0-03f); Daniel Corcoran, Brendan McCole, Conor Morrison; Kevin Flynn,

Jordan Morrissey, Declan Monaghan; Sean McMahon, Shane Carthy (0-01); Brian Stack, Micheal Bannigan (0-03, 0-02f), Sean Bugler (0-01); Thomas E Donohoe, Paddy Small (0-02), David Garland (0-04, 0-01f).

Subs: Tom Fox for Donohoe (38), Stephen Smith for Stack (52), Mark Curran for Morrison (54), Kieran Dwyer for Corcoran (60), Nathan Gavigan for McMahon (60).

IT Carlow: Killian Roche; Richard Hitchcock, Ronan Ryan, Josh Moore; Cathal Walsh, Trevor Collins, Conor Doyle; Niall Hughes, Sean Ryan; Adam Steed, Chris Byrne, Padraigh O’Toole; Cian Farrell (0-06, 0-06f), Jack Walsh, Evan Lowry (0-01).

Subs: Gearoid Murphy for J Walsh (38), Sean Crowley for C Walsh (48), Tommy Griffin for Steed (50).

Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary).