UCC Express Issue 11 by University Express

Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 18 | Issue 11

Eight-page UCC Votes Election Special Pages 9-16

GLAD R&Gs: Barry Nevin and Joe Kennedy are among the returning candidates for next week’s SU Elections. See P9-16.

Image by: Emmet Curtin

Students’ Union satisﬁed as early Hub plans revealed

Stephen Barry Editor-in-Chief Early plans for the Student Hub project, hoped to be a “magnet for students,” have revealed that the building will cater for five zones, broadly related to areas of the student experience. The building, which will involve a refurbishment and extension of the Windle Building, is due to begin construction in May 2016, leading to a grand opening in October 2017.

Previous branding as “an administrative centre” appears to be in the distant past, with Head of the Student Experience Dr. Ian Pickup insisting that any administration will deal with frontline student services, adding that, “The last thing we want to create is an administrative office block.” The building will also be non-commercial, as opposed to the Student Centre. The first zone intended to greet students is the ‘Welcome Zone’, where students will be able to ask a question about anything, receiving an answer on the spot or being directed towards the right source. Other zones will include learning and teaching spaces, which will be IT rich and digital focused, a ‘Success Centre’ for access services and student supports,

an ‘Employability Zone’ for Careers Services and Work Placement Offices, with more employer interaction. Finally a ‘Student Life Zone’ will provide offices for the Students’ Union, Societies’ Guild and Clubs’ Executive, with a workshop space with 40 or 50 workstations planned. How the zones will interact is still in discussion, though teaching rooms by day will become wet rooms or rehearsal spaces for student activities by night. A feasibility study is currently ongoing, although Pickup, who called for students to offer their views to him, hopes it can be “more than a building.” “Underpinning the building is a principle of flexibility, of sharing,

Confronting Ireland’s alchohol addiction Page 7

of new synergies and it’s not just recreating what happens in 22 different locations on campus now in a central space. The priority is very much on things being student serving, directly.” The plan is for a 3,500 square-metre space, to be funded by a budget of €13 million. €3 million is accrued already and the remainder will come from a bank loan. Servicing that loan will be done through university sources, with a portion of exam repeat fees dedicated to the project. “We’ve been pushing for studentowned space, which is lacking on campus,” said SU President Mark Stanton. “It’s pretty much only studentfacing staff that will be going in there, with absolutely no back-office staff.”

Bressie opens up about his depressive past Verge

Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

SoundBites

EYCS Students call for Professional Recognition

“My family are so happy to hear to hear that I haven’t made it through but I will go for it again because I don’t want to give up so easily.” PhD Researcher in UCC, Dr. Lekha Menon Margassery, speaking in reaction to being left out of the final 100 for the Mars One mission.

“What happens is RAG Week in Athlone is this week and RAG Week in Limerick was last week and February is kind of the designated month for drinking.” John, a Galway-based student, speaking to Joe Duffy on Liveline as part of a defence of Galway’s unofficial RAG Week.

Inside Today: R&G Week Reaction Page 5 Airport Anxiety Page 8 Presidential Preview Page 11 Nun’s Lenten Vow Page 18 Skeleton Student Page 20 UCC’s Miss Universe Verge

The Number Cruncher

BACK-UP: EYCS students ‘turning their backs on government policy’ as part of a UCC-based protest. Dermot O’Neill News Writer Coinciding with the Association of Childhood Professionals’ rally in Dublin, students from UCC’s Early Years and Childhood Students (EYCS) course staged an on campus demonstration on February 17th to highlight the lack of proper government funding and support for the sector. Among the key issues which the national protest sought to draw attention to was the fact that childcare workers often receive little more than minimum wage and when voluntary hours are factored in, these workers are earning significantly below the accepted standard. However for UCC students, recognition of their qualifications by the government was a primary issue, as even those with a Bachelors degree are classed as unskilled worker.

Organiser of the UCC protest and final year EYCS student, Claire O’Brien stated, “The issues myself and my peer group in UCC have in coincidence with the national rally are that our future sector of employment is being continually passed over in terms of funding, recognition of status and, most importantly in my view, the level of awareness the Government have in relation to what is the real situation in regards to finance. “While the issue of fees for the private sector of early years education is consistently reported in the media, there has been a failure to acknowledge the situation financially of those working with young children. Many in the sector feel they are subsidising it through pay which are often little more than minimum wage.” Following the Dublin rally the current

government has vowed to review the issues within the sector, a move O’Brien welcomes: “In acknowledging there is an issue here, the Government have taken the first step in commissioning a task force to investigate further.” However, the issue is far from solved as there is no guarantee that the findings of the government’s review group will be listened to. “I personally would like to see the results of this published,” added O’Brien, “and an active stance taken, with collaboration sought from those in the field. At this point, recognition of the challenges faced is the main goal.” An national petition calling on the government to “Respect, value and resource all areas of early childhood education and care” had received 9,475 supporters online at the time of going to print.

Editorial team

Editor-in-Chief: Stephen Barry

Deputy Features Editor: Laura Flaherty

Deputy & News Editor: Barry Aldworth Sport Editor: Stephen Walsh Deputy News Editor: Brian Conmy

Photo Editor: Emmet Curtin

Fiction Editor: Ruth Lawlor

Photo Editor: Marc Moylan

Humour Editor: Roger O’Sullivan

Designer: Kevin Hosford

Features Editor: Conor Shearman

2:37 500

Cian Lenihan held his hands in the air for two hours and thirty-seven minutes as he won the ‘Hands Up for a PS4’ event, held during R&G Week.

The estimated queue of students waiting to get into the 200-capacity Hole in the Wall pub at 11am during the unofficial Galway RAG Week. The queue began before 9am for the Donegal Tuesday event.

191,519 €6,700,000 The total distance (in kilometres) travelled away from Ireland by the 75 teams that took part in Jailbreak14, an average of over 2,500km per team. This year’s edition will see teams battle to find mystery Location X.

The estimated cost of merging Cork IT and IT Tralee in order for the combined institution to apply for Technical University status.

UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

Tyndall dispute could add €1m to UCC Salary Bill Barry Aldworth News Editor

● 63% of staff should receive extra €9,000 on average. The amount spent on salaries by UCC could increase by over €1 million if a report calling for the equalisation of pay at the Tyndall National Institute is implemented. Following a long-running dispute over pay for Tyndall staff, which culminated in a 24-hour strike, a group of independent consultants were commissioned by the university to investigate what changes were needed. The report recommended that approximately two-thirds of staff should receive pay increases, at an average of €9,000 per annum. It was also noted that a direct comparison with other UCC staff members showed that of the 182 Tyndall staff, 115 were paid less than their peers. The raises recommended

NUIG

for staff to receive range from as low as €100 a year to €29,000 depending on current contracts, with the total cost to the university exceeding €1 million.

If implemented, the report’s recommendations would see 176 Tyndall staff placed on administrative staff grades, receiving the associated pay levels, four of which would receive the grade of senior technical officers and two being classed as professors.

Following a Facebook status alerting members of Cork’s LGBT* community to possible organised attacks being carried out, Gardaí are urging any victims of homophobic attacks to come forward. The original status posted on February 13th by Louise O’Donnell warned of a personal friend being the victim of an attempted attack, which he managed to escape, after arranging to meet someone online. WAGE DISPUTE: UCC would have to pay out an extra €1m per annum if the report is implemented.

Discrimination Case not an Isolated Incident

Barry Aldworth News Editor Dr. Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, the botanist who recently won a court case against NUI Galway after her gender led the university not to consider her for a promotion, recently highlighted at a guest lecture in UCC that her story is far from being an isolated incident. In testament to this fact, Sheehy Skeffington is using the €70,000 she was awarded following her legal victory to help cover the legal fees of five other female lecturers in NUIG who were also denied promotions. These women applied for promotions in 2009, at the same time as Sheehy Skeffington, but were also denied on the basis of their gender.

“I have heard countless cases of problems, even within the university, amongst administration, technical and grounds staff.” Following her successful court case the botanist was invited by NUIG to sit on a task force which would review the university’s gender equality practices. However Sheehy Skeffington has declined to do so unless three conditions are met: that the university promotes the five women who were refused in 2009; that NUI Galway admits that

Gardaí call on homophobic attack victims to come forward Brian Conmy Deputy News Editor

However the report also found that 67 Tyndall researchers and staff were earning an average of €10,000 more than employees at the main UCC campus to whom they were compared. The differences in these salaries ranged from as little as €150 per year to €40,000. In recent years the Tyndall National Institute has emerged as one of UCC’s major sources of research income, largely due to success in areas such as medical devices and the development of high-speed broadband networks.

The status warned specifically to be cautious on Tinder, Plenty of Fish and Grindr, an app specifically for queer males. The status does not name the attempted attack target by name and in fact no other possible victims, attempted or otherwise, have come forward to attest to these attacks. Given the fact many closeted individuals may be using these apps, this lack of public victims is understandable. However following the status detailing her friend being set upon by four men who were waiting in a van for the intended target, O’Donnell says that numerous others have come forward to her to detail similar attacks. Gardaí are urging victims of assault to report the matters to their local Garda Station.

OPINION FORM: Recently a ‘misogynistic’ health questionnaire has added to NUIG's woes. the subsequent round of promotions in 2014, for which there have been at least 20 appeals, was also flawed; and that the university commits to working towards having an equal number of women as men in senior posts. On these conditions, Sheehy Skeffington stated, “I set out my three conditions because the university tried to say I was on the task force, when I had not agreed to anything! In my view, the task force is a way of batting the problem into the future. Before any ‘review’ is done, the serious injustices to women, especially in the 2008/09 round of promotions to Senior Lecture, when only 6% of female candidates were promoted – i.e. one – and 50% of male candidates (16) were promoted, need redressing.” However, since these requests were issued, there has been no contact between NUIG and Sheehy Skeffingon. “I have had no further interaction with the university, but the President repeatedly states at meetings and to

the press that his legal advice is that he cannot promote the five women who, like me, were deemed eligible for promotion in 2008/09 but were not promoted.” The academic further highlighted to The Express that the event is far from limited to the academic sector: “I have heard countless cases of problems, even within the university, amongst administration, technical and grounds staff. It is not me sphere of knowledge but women in those sectors are more vulnerable and less represented at senior positions than amongst us academics. We must not forget that the issue is widespread. “I have also had a huge amount of messages from outside academia, some with serious cases of their own. I cannot pass judgement on these but it is very clear from responses I am getting regularly on the street, that this is a widespread issue that my case has tapped into.”

On the response to her campaign, Sheehy Skeffington noted that while it would be easy for men within academia to ignore her efforts this has not been the case. “I have had a huge response from peers and academics in other institutions – all positive. Very many are from women who find themselves in similar positions but a lot of men also agree that the climate and mindset that discriminates against women, also affects men, everyone’s worklife balance and working relations throughout academia.” Since the interview, over the past weekend, a ‘misogynistic’ health questionnaire has left staff up in arms, with NUIG initially defending their assessment form which includes questions about a female’s menstrual cycle to establish if they are fit for the job. The questionnaire has since been suspended.

Shortly after these warnings, an attack on a female couple in Limerick also gained media attention. One of the girls was left unconscious following the unprovoked attack on Limerick’s Cruises Street. On the issue, UCCSU LGBT* Rights Officer Rob Cas commented, “First and foremost anybody who uses online dating apps should always exercise caution when they intend on meeting someone regardless of their orientation. Tell someone where you’re going, meet in a public place and, if you feel uncomfortable, do not feel obliged to allow the meeting to go on.” He added, “I’ve been in contact with the Cork City Gardaí who are going to continue to be a great support to the LGBT* community of UCC and Cork City. If anyone has any information on who it is that’s trying to perpetrate attacks, I’d encourage them to report it.”

Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

Radiothon raises €2,000 for Penny Dinners

UCC

Robbie Byrne Music Editor

Over 150 people have signed a petition criticising the decision of the Pierre Mendès Library at France’s Sorbonne University to refusal to include a book by UCC historian Professor Geoffrey Roberts in its collection.

Participants in UCC 98.3FM’s inaugural ‘Radiothon’ broadcasted their charitable side by raising €2,000 for one of Cork’s oldest caring organisations. From 12pm on February 18th, the Áras based community radio station moved from its usual third floor home down to the unfamiliar environs of Café Oasis, from where the station broadcasted live for 24 hours. Unlike the traditional R&G fundraiser, not one penny of the €2,000 raised came from student pockets. “We came up with the Radiothon concept when we thought to ourselves, ‘How can we make money without shaking buckets?’” said Kieran Hurley, Station Manager of UCC 98.3FM. The station invited local businesses to purchase advertising space at a cost of €50 which would then be donated in full to Cork Penny Dinners. “All the money raised came from the 40 companies that bought advertising slots from us.” In order to maximise the amount of advertisement revenue, the decision was taken to produce all advertisements in-house. “All the slots were produced by the students, as well as Elaine [Lucey], Rebecca [Crowley] and I. We made the ads in forty hours – it was insane!” Apart from one brief technical hitch, the Radiothon was a confirmed success with over 1,000 listeners tuning into the channel’s online stream alone. “As a thank you to those who supported the cause, we’ll keep playing our Radiothon advertisements in rotation for the next two months,” confirmed Hurley. However the real winner from the fundraiser was Penny Dinners, a fact that compels the station manager to do it all again. “It was a great buzz and while I haven’t put too much thought into holding another one, I think we might just do it all over again.”

Lecturer in French Censorship Dispute Barry Aldworth News Editor

The book, Stalin’s Wars: From World War to Cold War 1939-1953, was suggested for inclusion by one of the library’s members following the 2014 release of the French edition. However library directors declined the request, claiming that the book could not be included in its collection due to instances of bias. In a statement the library stated that, “The proposed work, although it was written by a university professor, does not in principle seem to us to display the historical and scientiﬁc neutrality required for it to be included on our shelves. Nor do the other books published by the same publishing house.” An online petition was launched in response to the refusal, with those supporting the books inclusion claiming that the

ROBERTS' WAR: Geoffrey Roberts' history of Stalin was rejected due to bias. Sorbonne University’s section on the history of Soviet Russia and the USSR is populated with antiSoviet propaganda. In addition, the petition’s advocates also claim that several works which deny the Holocaust are currently available in the library, questioning how these books can claim to conform to the historical and scientiﬁc neutrality mentioned by the library. The petition further alleges that several prominent books focusing on Soviet Russia’s role in ending the Second World War are also being omitted in an act of censorship: “Important scholarly works

published in French during the same period have not been acquired, such as those by Arno Mayer, Michael Carley and Alexander Werth, whose famous Russia at War 1941 to 1945, republished in French in 2011, remains absent.” Roberts, a former Head of History at UCC, hit back against the allegations, stating that “Stalin’s Wars is a highly partisan book. It argues strongly that Stalin was a very effective war leader who played a decisive role in the defeat of Hitler. It is also a work of scholarship that is based on all the available evidence and careful

weighing of different arguments. “The book was originally published by Yale University Press in 2006. It has been translated into Chinese, Czech, German, Polish and Russian, as well as French. It has been extensively reviewed but not even its worst critics have questioned its scholarly integrity… All my books may be found in university libraries across the world. There can be no reason for an academic library to prohibit the purchase of Les Guerres de Staline, except political prejudice.”

HSE Recognises UCC as ‘Health Promoting University’ Barry Aldworth News Editor

Having received confirmation from the Southern Branch of the Health Service Executive (HSE) on February 24th, UCC has officially been declared a ‘Health Promoting University.’ HSE South confirmed the award following several years of dedication to improving health awareness in students and staff under the banner of the UCC Health Matters initiative. The group also commended UCC for acting as a national leader in the area of health promotion, stating that, “While many third level institutions are committed to health and wellbeing, UCC can take pride in being the first third-level institution to have followed the HSE South’s Framework for Health Promoting Universities and to gain formal recognition.” Following the launch of the health awareness campaign in 2010, President Michael Murphy formally committed UCC to becoming a health-promoting establishment in 2012 by signing an agreement to work within the guidelines set out by HSE South. As part of the Health Matters initiative UCC has taken a number of high profile

steps, particularly in targeting alcohol and substance abuse in students, including the launch of alcohol-free accommodation and providing funding for PhD level research into alcohol use in Irish society. In addition to the HSE South’s approval, UCC’s efforts to reducing dangerous drinking habits among students were recognised at the Irish Healthcare Awards in 2013. Commenting on UCC’s success joint co-ordinator of the Health Matters campaign, Dr. Michael Byrne thanked all those who had played even a minor role in the initiative. “The success of the UCC Health Matters initiative partly lies in its collaborations, collaborations between students and staff, between professional practitioners and expert academics, collaborations that have improved the effectiveness and reach of all the health promoting activity on campus. Particular thanks must go to the Health Promotion and Improvement, HSE South for its encouragement and support.” HSE South’s Interim Health Promotion Manager, Sandra Coughlan, commended UCC for its dedication to the promotion of healthy living. “UCC has shown real commitment to the

PICTURE OF HEALTH: The Health Matters team celebrate the HSE recognition as a ‘Health Promoting University’. Image by: Tomas Tyner. goal of becoming a Health Promoting University and the planning and resources committed to the process are clear. “Health Matters demonstrated a joined up approach to health which reﬂects the government’s national Healthy Ireland agenda to improve the health and wellbeing for the people of Ireland through a whole of government and whole of society approach. Nationally, Health Promotion and Improvement are progressing the development of

a national Health Promoting Colleges framework and the experiences of UCC as a ﬂagship organisation in this regard will play an important part in its development.” In addition to tackling the issue of alcohol abuse among students, the Health Matters initiative also supported projects designed around areas such as Mental Health, Sexual Health and Nutrition.

UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

R&G funds rise as arrests fall Holly Cooney News Writer

R&G Week 2015 is already proving to be one of the most successful incarnations of the annual event, as not only is this year’s figure set to beat last year’s but the number of arrests associated with the event have fallen. For students, R&G Week is a week to look forward to, but the event has come under repeated criticism from local residents due to the anti-social behaviour associated with the week. However Gardaí in Angelsea Street have been very positive towards R&G Week, saying that general behaviour was very good this year, more so than any other year, a change which they attribute to semesterisation. The number of arrests was down on previous years, with just ten student arrests made during R&G 2015, eight of which were UCC students and the remaining two were CIT students.

Expanded Business School may include new building

These students were arrested for offences ranging from intoxication, drug abuse and criminal damage. Chief Superintendent Barry McPolin stated that “over the top behaviour was in the minority” and that the Gardaí were “very happy with the cooperation of UCC.” While there were a number of students issued with public order offences for consuming alcohol in public and quite a number of residential complaints regarding noise pollution in the form of house parties, McPolin credited that the majority of students complied with student patrols and the Gardaí. R&G Week has always received a number of complaints, a key case occurring in Galway where NUIG students were the target of media scrutiny with the highly contested ‘Donegal Tuesday’. But, within Cork, events were a lot tamer, with no major media uproar and a much lower level of

Stephen Barry Editor-in-Chief

GREEN STUFF: Hermitage Green perform during UCC R&G Week. Image by: Emmet Curtin. complaints from local residents.

major injuries.”

According to UCCSU Entertainments Representative Paidi Brady, the SU is very happy with how R&G 2015 went, in particular with the improved student behaviour during the week.

On the financial side things are also looking good. Whilst there is not yet an official total, the Students’ Union know at this point that “we have surpassed last year’s collection” of €20,000 and raised much needed funds for the official R&G Week charities, Pieta House, Cork Arc Cancer Support House and the UCC Charitable Societies.

“Feedback has been very positive from just about everyone, landlords, tenants and residents” and there were “no

USI targets students’ ‘Mental Drinking’ habits Zoe Cashman News Writer

The USI broke its links with the alcohol industry last year and VicePresident Greg O’Donoghue states the independence has been vital for a

It is a move which could tie in with UCC’s potential acquisition of the Irish Management Institute (IMI), plans for which were leaked last week to The Irish Times. That deal is estimated to be worth €20.5 million and will give UCC a Dublin campus, after a number of years collaborating with the IMI.

The moves would see UCC offer more avenues for business transfers and cover gaps in the portfolio of courses currently offered. IMI, in particular, offers executive training to management officials.

The information initiative aims to explain clearly the link between binge drinking and mental ill- health, and encourages students. In particular, the campaign calls on those who may be older siblings to be good role models for the younger generation.

The ‘Mental Drinking’ Roadshow travelled to colleges throughout Ireland with merchandise and information packs for students, with UCC visited last week.

The touted €120 million expansion of the Business School in UCC may include a new building, with UCC officials actively looking at expanding infrastructure.

Head of the Department of Accounting, Finance and Information Systems Ciaran Murphy is set for a leading role in both projects, as the School seeks to become a centre of financial learning.

In an effort to combat alcohol abuse among students, the Union of Students in Ireland have launched a new phase of its alcohol awareness campaign, mentaldrinking.ie.

“The campaign is directed at us as role models and I feel that it is incredibly unique, compared to funded and manipulative campaigns by the drink industry.”

● UCC are also set to purchase IMI for €20.5m

It would also form a part of UCC’s moves to attract more international students from certain regions to study business related courses in the university, bringing in additional revenue.

MENTAL DRINKING: THE USI campaign highlights the affects of drinking on mental health. genuine and credible alcohol awareness campaign among students. “We make it clear in our campaign that there can be a damaging impact for both the short and long-term mental health of young people when they binge drink and that drinking to excess on a regular basis can ultimately harm the development and potential of a young person, in terms of their education and many other important aspects of their life. It’s simply not worth it.” O’ Donoghue also addressed the issue of mental health in relation to alcohol, “From a mental health perspective, it’s also important that students are aware that of the many suicides which

devastate the student community each year, a huge number of them have a link to alcohol.”

us that ‘enjoying a drink is part of

Students still remain a key target of alcohol marketing however. CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland, Suzanne Costello, said “When it comes to drinking, young people are a product of their environment, and we have created an environment for them that is saturated with alcohol.”

ie and other drinks industry campaigns

USI president Laura Harmon recently highlighted how effective the alcohol industry is in getting students to drink more: “They remind us to tame our unpredictable, animal side with a trip to their website which reminds

important. “The campaign is directed

Irish culture.’” Harmon also told The Journal that DrinkAware, Rolemodels. are “a pretence that the drinks industry cares about anything other than sales and reputation.” Following the campaign’s visit to Cork, Cian Power, UCCSU Welfare Officer, stated the campaign is vitally at us as role models and I feel that it is incredibly unique, compared to funded and manipulative campaigns by the drink industry.”

In relation to the IMI acquisition, €18 million would be used to buy the campus, with €2.5 million needed for refurbishment, it was reported. The purchase would be funded with a bank loan from AIB, with a sale and lease agreement with IMI set to fund repayments.

Correction In our previous issue, dated February 17th, a report on page 5 entitled ‘Jury still out on semesterisation implementation’ noted that 47 students missed an IS2200 exam, in a module which had received complaints during the year. This module was incorrectly stated to be ‘Economics of Managerial Decision Making’, which is EC2200. This module is taught by Dr. Noel Woods and we are happy to clarify that this module has received no complaints, and that no insult was intended towards Dr. Woods’s reputation as an awardwinning lecturer.

How I know that I still need Feminism

Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

Lauren Foley describes how social norms are so ingrained in our psyche that often they slip our consciousness. I am a feminist. I believe that women and men are not being treated equally. People will say things are changing; that we need to stop talking about sexism and the issue will go away. Sometimes, I believe them and then I am kindly reminded by my own sexist actions that this is still a major issue. How can someone who identifies 100% as a feminist be sexist? The answer: social norms are so deeply drilled into us that even when struggling to overcome something, our subconscious mind is constantly pulling us back. It is in these times when I am reminded to keep fighting for what I believe in. How I secretly get offended when a guy doesn’t hold the door open for me. It has been ingrained into us since birth that a gentleman holds the door for a lady but why should he hold the door? Why shouldn’t he go first when he was closer? Why, just because I’m a woman, should he have to stop in his tracks to make way for me? Yes, it is a lovely thing to do for another human but it should be out of free will and not out of a sense of social or moral obligation. How when someone says ‘doctor’ or ‘judge’ I automatically assume it is a man.

I really hate myself for this one as doctor and judge are not even professions that are typically male-oriented. With builders or fire-fighters, one could almost be forgiven for assuming that people in these professions are men, but why, whenever I hear the words doctor or judge, do I automatically assume it is a man? Put simply, these are positions of power and God forbid that a woman might be in a position of power. As a law student I am constantly reading judgments of cases handed down from the courts and the judgment only ever gives the judge’s last name. After reading our assignments, my lecturer, once, actually had to declare to the class that “not all judges are men!” Apparently I was not the only one who kept automatically writing down ‘he’ without checking their sex. How when being interviewed by a man and a woman I speak more to the man. During secondary school I interviewed for a place in a university in England. I walked into the interview to find a man and woman waiting for me. I probably wouldn’t have noticed that I was speaking to him more than her during the entire interview if he hadn’t purposely told me at the start of the

interview that “she’s the one with the power.” The fact that he even felt the need to mention this shows how he knew people would assume he was the one in charge simply because he was a man. Even with the warning I continuously spoke to him more often than her. Why? Again, it’s simple: power. How when I see a powerful and successful woman I look for a wedding ring. Recently, a female judge on the International Court of Justice came to talk to my class and instead of thinking of asking her about where she studied or her most interesting case, all I wanted to ask her was whether or not she was married. I know why I do this one. I secretly want to believe that women can have it all. Sadly, more often than not… the finger is bare. So, there you have it: I am a so-called feminist who still acts completely sexist. That is how I know that sexism is still alive and kicking. That is how I know that women need to keep standing up for themselves, challenging stereotypes and pushing the boundaries of apparent equality.

A voice of the people? Diarmaid Twomey accuses the Irish media of harbouring institutional biases. Recent political events have inspired a debate around the independence of Ireland’s media and the unparalleled power they hold in shaping political and societal discourse. An open and nonpartisan media is an essential component of any well functioning democratic society. In Ireland we have both a publicly funded and privately owned media. In an ideal world our publicly funded media would work proactively and in an unbiased fashion, in the national best interest, while private, independently-run media would report fact-based news, possibly with a certain slant. In Ireland’s case neither private nor public media report from this ideal world. I see two fundamental issues with the construct of contemporary media in Ireland: the blatant subservience of our media to that of the European institutional and Irish governmental agenda as well as that of the corporate world, and the dominance of certain business and political interests in the privately held ‘independent’ media. Since 2008 our state broadcaster has unashamedly colluded with the vast majority of the private media in misrepresenting real events, and badgering and tarring opponents of the status quo. With the exception of a small number of exceptional journalists – many of whom have been castigated and lost their jobs as a result of their unwavering commitment to good journalism – we are left with a public and private clique of journalism that

collectively works as a communications clique for the government and vested interests. In doing so, they actively seek to manipulate public opinion in order to comply with a very specific political outlook; one which does not benefit the same public who are bombarded with its merits.

“Society’s yearning for a voice of authority to guide them still exists.” Contemporary Ireland may no longer have frocked men at altars, imparting their moralistic wisdom and guidelines to an eager flock, but our society’s yearning for a voice of authority to guide them still exists. Enter Fr. Tubridy to use his ‘light entertainment’ show for a one off party-political broadcast. To anyone who watched the recent edition of The Late Late Show, which showcased Ryan’s interview/ interrogation of TD Paul Murphy, you were left in no doubt that Ryan was conducting a witch hunt and Paul was to be burnt at the stake.

billionaire owner has financial ties to the introduction of a water tax – such protests were an “attack on democracy”. Far be it for me to judge what constitutes an attack on democracy but one would think that the ability to protest is actually what defines a democracy?

The vilification of protest has not been limited to exchequer funded broadcasts, however. According to Independent News & Media – whose

All that aside, it is hard to stomach ethical and moral arguments from a newspaper with such blatant an agenda; a paper which only exists

because taxpayer funded banks forgave its parent company, with its billionaire majority shareholder, over €140 million. Thanks to you and I, the tough recessionary times on Talbot street were short-lived it seems. Since 2008 the Irish media has offered no solutions, while working-class protestors, understandably exercised at injustice, are labelled anarchists and vilified. If all it takes to upset these self-appointed ‘purveyors of

the truth’ is some bad language and a few people sitting on a road, it’s just as well the civil rights protests of the last century escaped their eagle eyes and damning scribes. All the same, we only have ourselves to blame: when we accept such blatantly compromised journalism we conspire in concealing the truth. Vested interests will continue to be protected until such a time as the majority demands better; I just hope that time is not too far away.

UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

The demon drink: Ireland’s relationship with alcohol

A bill proposing to introduce a minimum price on alcohol represents an attempt to confront one of Ireland’s most significant health problems, writes Cormac Manning. It’s a Thursday night. You walk into the off-licence and look around for some cans of beer or cider and a bottle of wine, the cheapest you can find. The cheapest can is €2.20, a pack of four offering no discount at €8.80. You move from the beer to the wine, and pick up the cheapest bottle in the shop. It, too, costs €8.80. You head to the counter and ask for a naggin – the person behind the till asks you for €6.60. This is the future envisaged under the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015. The world over, people associate Ireland with drinking, and as St. Patrick’s Day approaches many is the American or continental European who will celebrate Irishness by slugging a pint of Diageo’s finest Guinness. Indeed, while diasporas of other cultures often set up restaurants or takeaways the world over, in every major city in the world you will find an Irish bar.

of children who grow up following these sports very closely. Former President of the GAA Mick Loftus said that “sponsorship of sport creates this culture that you cannot enjoy life without a drink, which is wrong and leads to problems like binge drinking.” But many sporting organisations argued that this sponsorship money was vital for their survival and development, that there was no funding replacement available to fill the hole that the drinks industry currently provides. Without the €20-30 million they get in funding from alcohol sponsorship every year, they contended, many valuable sporting events would be impossible to run. Former world champion runner and current senator Eamonn Coughlan said the proposal left sports “hung out to dry”. Under pressure, the Government now appear likely to drop the proposal to ban alcohol sponsorship of sports, though a ban will be brought in on alcohol sponsorship of events solely focused on children.

But on this island, within the borders of this Republic, three people died due to alcohol today. Every day, three families in Ireland are brought the tragic news that a family member has lost their life due to some effect of drinking alcohol. At a minimum, the Department of Health calculates that almost 90 people die every month due to alcohol and its effects.

“Almost 90 people die every month due to alcohol and its effects.”

We spend over a billion euro on the health system to treat its effects, and lose more than another billion due to alcohol-related crime. Tonight, as others languish on trolleys, there are 2,000 people lying in beds in acute hospitals due to alcohol. We have a problem.

But minimum pricing remains very much on the cards. This would be based on how many grams of pure alcohol are in a drink, and it would be illegal to sell drinks for below this price. The Irish Independent reports that the Department of Health is considering a price of between 90c and €1.10 per unit of alcohol, which would mean a can of beer would cost between €1.80 and €2.20 minimum. To combat people just going across the border to buy drink the Government is working with the Northern Ireland Executive to implement a minimum price across the island.

In autumn 2013 the Fine Gael/ Labour Government announced a range of new measures attempting to tackle the public health problem of excessive drinking. They involve plans to regulate alcohol advertising, pushing all alcohol ads on TV and radio to evening hours, and regulating outdoor poster ads. Supermarkets which sell alcohol and groceries will have to be structurally separated; health warnings will be introduced on drinks, alongside mandatory calorie and alcohol levels on the labels, but the two most controversial proposals remain banning sports sponsorship by drinks companies, and introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol. It seemed odd to many that companies should be allowed to associate a healthy activity, such as sports, with an unhealthy consumption of alcohol, especially given the number

Proponents note that currently with the cheapest drink on the market a student can exceed weekly low-risk drinking limits at a cost of €8.50 or less – less than an hour’s pay on minimum wage. They argue that this will hit the most dangerous drinkers and force them to reduce their drinking, while having little effect on low-risk drinkers. They point out that minimum pricing specifically targets alcohol that is extraordinarily cheap relative to its price; many being sold by large supermarkets at a loss to entice people to shop in the store. The floor price is extremely unlikely to affect the price of drink in pubs or clubs, as the price of a

pint is already well above the floor that will be introduced. Martin Davoren, Health Promotion Project Worker with UCC Health Matters and an Epidemiology and Public Health PhD student, commented: “The recently announced public policy measures to tackle the high levels of alcohol use in Ireland should be commended. This is the first instance where effective approaches at reducing alcohol related harm are being deployed. Policy will now tackle three key areas, reducing the harms of alcohol consumption faced by all of us. That means reducing cases of liver disease, violence and road deaths across the population. “Furthermore, the Government have committed to these proposals on advertising, marketing and sponsorship being reviewed in three years, exposing their commitment to tackling this public health issue into the future.”

Opponents claim the measures hit the poor the hardest – whereas many wellto-do people can afford to pay a little bit extra, those struggling financially will be unable to do so. They also argue that increasing the price rather than taxes on alcohol will just lead to the money going into the profits of the drinks industry. Proponents hit back that an increase an excise duty would affect all drink instead of just the very cheapest: rising profits per unit will be balanced out by the fact that overall consumption will decrease, so there will be no increase in profits for the industry.

“There has been very little engagement with students’ representatives from the Department of Health on recent proposals. It is essential in combating alcohol related issues, especially initiatives aimed at young people, that the students have a voice at the table.

Commenting on the proposals, UCC Students’ Union President Mark Stanton said: “This is a really serious issue. There are definite problems in the relationship between young people and alcohol however there must be a holistic view taken to tackle this problem. It’s one of the top priorities of our Welfare Officer who works tirelessly with UCC Health Matters and other outside organisations to improve this relationship.

“UCCSU have been proactive on alcohol related issues for many years and continue to do so. Initiatives like Health Matters and e-Pub have been massively successful over the last number of years and the newly set up REACT programme is jointly run by UCC, the SU, USI and the HSE. The REACT programme will be rolled out to colleges in semester one of 2015/2016 to help promote healthier college campuses.”

“Yes, large multipliers sell alcohol very cheaply and minimum unit pricing will rectify this, however the reason ‘pre-drinking’ is so popular is because socialising in bars is also very expensive. Is just raising the price going to be enough to promote sensible drinking among young people?

Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

Future uncertain for Cork Airport

Falling passenger numbers and the potential sale of Aer Lingus spell significant trouble for Cork Airport, writes Barry Holland. The release of January’s air traffic statistics by the Irish Aviation Authority has painted a grim picture for the future of Cork Airport. The report, which compared statistics from January 2014 against January 2015 figures, was heralded as “A Strong Start for Irish Air Traffic in 2015”. This may apply to Dublin and Shannon airports, but the start of 2015 was certainly not strong for Cork Airport. Dublin Airport boasted a 7.2% increase in traffic, while Shannon also recorded a similar increase of 6.4%. Traffic at Cork Airport on the other hand dropped 16.3% during the same period. The cause of the drop was put down to poor weather conditions, but realistically, there are a multitude of other issues facing Cork Airport. Possibility of Authority?

Cork

Airport

Ever since the dissolution of Aer Rianta over ten years ago and the creation of the Dublin Airport Authority, there have been calls to grant Cork and Shannon Airports’ autonomy and the creation of their own respective, independent operating bodies. Shannon has managed to achieve that and is now under the control of the Shannon Development Authority. But will Cork be granted the same right? The granting of autonomy for Shannon airport has allowed for the power to determine their own landing charge rates—which they have reduced. The result of this was Ryanair establishing several new routes in Shannon. Kenny Jacobs, Chief Marketing Officer for Ryanair has argued that more flights can come to Cork Airport if they were more profitable, “More flights can come. There needs to be a good deal for all airlines, not just Ryanair at the airport. What needs to happen specifically in Cork’s case is that it needs to reduce its charges.” However, does Cork Airport have the capacity to reduce its charges? Often referred to as “debt-saddled”, the airport has amassed a debt of €100 million through the construction of the new terminal in 2006. The dispute surrounding the payment of the debt has been linked to proposed autonomy for the airport and has been in constant debate ever since the construction of the new terminal. The airport was assured that it would be able to operate “debt-free”. However in an understanding that accepting the debt would lead to eventual independence, the Cork Airport Authority board voted to accept the debt in order to achieve autonomy. The debt still remains, albeit with no autonomy. So realistically, the airport has to continue implementing high landing charges determined by the DAA in order to pay off that huge debt.

Rocky Route to Dublin Aer Lingus Regional (Stobart Air) was recently awarded a Public Service Obligation (PSO) to operate flights between Donegal Airport and Dublin Airport. A similar service exists with Kerry Airport.

“What needs to happen speciﬁcally in Cork’s case is that it needs to reduce its charges”

Since the construction of the airport in 1961, Cork had been connected with Dublin via an air route, operated over the years by Aer Lingus, Aer Lingus Commuter, Avair, Aer Arann and recently Ryanair. However that service was axed by Ryanair in 2011 leaving Cork without a route to the capital for the first time in 50 years. The arguments that such a route was not sustainable may have some credibility granted that we have an excellent motorway connection to Dublin and an hourly train service (both available without the hassle and time spent passing through an airport). On the other hand, how is a PSO justified for the likes of Donegal with a population of 160’000 while Cork, home to 518’000 people and some of the biggest multinational companies and industries, cannot avail of a similar arrangement? The chairman of the DAA, Padraig Ó’Ríordáin, speaking at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport emphasised the need for a PSO route between Cork and Dublin. In a sense, Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport are losing out as many transatlantic passengers now prefer to travel through Heathrow and onward with British Airways, who have a greater route network. It seems more convenient for American business people and tourists to travel to Heathrow and take an hour-long flight to Cork. If they were to fly directly into Dublin, these passengers would be faced with a two and a half hour bus/ car/train journey, before they reached Cork at all. There is also the availability to book a flight from Cork to any of BA’s destinations worldwide thanks to a code-share operation between themselves and Aer Lingus. However, no such arrangement is available under the Aer Lingus website. So the

convenience factor comes into play here, where one boarding pass will take you all the way to the US from Cork (via UK).

“It really would be a nightmare scenario from a Cork perspective should at any point connectivity to London Heathrow be reduced”

Sale of Aer Lingus and Heathrow Landing Slots There has been increased concern through the proposed sale of Aer Lingus to International Airlines Group (IAG) that the frequency of flights from Cork and Shannon airports to

Heathrow may be cut through the sale of valuable landing slots belonging to Aer Lingus at Heathrow – estimated to be worth in the region of €400m. London Heathrow is the busiest route served from Cork Airport, with four flights daily to the UK’s largest airport. The Irish Independent stated last week that 380’000 passengers flew between Heathrow and Cork last year. CEO of IAG, Willie Walsh, has pledged to retain the Heathrow route structure as is for the next five years if the Aer Lingus bid is accepted, however what plans they have after that are relatively unknown. Various Cork based interest groups, business people and politicians from all parties have expressed their concern regarding the situation. CEO of Cork Chamber of Commerce, Conor Healy has voiced his concern stating that, “Heathrow is our most important access and connecting point by a considerable margin; it is our leading connection to our largest trading partner in the UK and is our leading access point to the globe from a business perspective, so it really would be a nightmare scenario from a Cork perspective should at any point connectivity to London Heathrow be reduced... or ultimately withdrawn.” Fianna Fáil TD for Cork South-Central, Michael McGrath has also expressed his concern “The importance of the

Heathrow slots for connectivity for the people of Cork cannot be overstated. The retention of these slots for the benefit of Cork Airport and the people it serves is absolutely vital and every tool at the Government’s disposal should be used to protect the slots.” Overall, the challenges facing Cork Airport in the short and long term are both plentiful and tough. A drop in passenger figures and the concern over routes and landing slots means a discussion regarding the future of the airport has re-entered the public forum. A Facebook group entitled “Save Cork Airport” has been set up of recent and has since amassed 23’000 likes. This is a clear indicator of the support out there for our airport, and the general desire of the people of Cork and its environs to row in behind it – to protect it, and to ensure its growth into the future. Stephen Barrett TD, at the official opening of the airport in October 1961, said, “Apart from today being a great occasion for us in Cork, it is also a great occasion for London, Cardiff and Bristol and other overseas settlements – since it is the first time that they have been brought in immediate contact with the true centre of modern civilisation”. Let’s ensure it stays that way.

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Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

Familiar faces return but still few women on the ballot Barry Aldworth News Editor As UCC prepares to go to the polls on March 9th and 10th, several familiar faces will appear on the ballot as two sitting sabbatical officers, the current Council Chair and a number of College Reps and former candidates all seek election. With a total of 14 candidates across the five sabbatical positions, this year’s elections are set to be tightly contested. However women are again underrepresented among the candidates as, despite the introduction of a Women in Leadership Summit, only three of the 14 are female. Of the three runners, Siobhan Callaghan, Katie Quinlan and Hannah Eames, the latter two will compete against each other for the position of Welfare Officer. Quinlan and Eames, who are also competing against Denis Savage, would become the first female Welfare Officer since Rebecca Murphy, who held the position during the 2009/10 academic year, if elected. Meanwhile O’Callaghan, who will square off with James Upton, who ran for the same position 12 months ago, and Cormac Molloy would become just the second female Deputy President and

Campaigns Officer since the position was reintroduced in 2008, if elected, following on from Annie Hoey who held the position last year. Upton isn’t the only former candidate seeking election as Art Kelleher, who ran for the position of College of Medicine Rep last year, will this year compete in the for the same position. This year, however, Kelleher is unopposed in the race, meaning he is almost guaranteed the role. After the withdrawal of former Comms Officer candidate Joel Carey, who left the race after falling ill, competing for the position of President are Eolann Sheehan, George Gill and current Student Council chairperson Aidan Coffey. If Coffey is elected he would be the first person to successfully move from the position of Council Chair to a sabbatical SU position since former Education Officer Cat O’Driscoll. As part of his campaign Coffey is running a ticket along with current education officer Joe Kennedy, a move seldom seen in UCCSU elections. However Kennedy is not the only current SU officer seeking re-election, as Barry Nevin, the Communications and Commercial Officer, is also

seeking to maintain his position. The path towards achieving this goal is slightly less crowded for Nevin, who faces only one opposing candidate. Cathal Walsh, a current Masters student who has managed the social media accounts for the New Bar this year, is contesting Nevin for the Comms position, arguing that he can offer a fresh perspective on UCCSU negotiations. Kennedy, however, will face two opponents in his re-election bid, Shane O’Sullivan and current

College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences Rep Ian Hutchinson. Of the three candidates for Entertainments Officer only two, Dane Moriarty and Sophie Olsthoorn, would take the position on a full-time basis and in doing so receive a salary of €10,500 for the position. The third candidate, Adam Finn, believes that by taking the position as a part-time role, if elected, he would be more in touch with what students want and what acts they would like to see on campus.

Regardless of the results in the sabbatical elections, there is guaranteed to be one woman sitting at SU Executive meetings next year as Sarah Dunphy and Maria O’Sullivan compete for the position of Business & Law College Rep. Only two of the four College Rep positions will see a contested election this year, the second being the SEFS race where Alan Draddy and Billy McCarthy are competing for the position.

Three UCC graduates set for USI positions

RETURNING CANDIDATES: Four of the current USI Ofﬁcer-Board are running for positions on the national union. Barry Aldworth News Editor Following on from UCC’s decision to maintain its affiliation with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), a total of three UCC graduates are competing for positions on the officer board of the national union. The path to election appears clear for the three, Cian Power Annie Hoey and Dan Waugh, as all are unopposed in their respective races and have received nomination from all of the applicable member institutions. Power, the current UCSU Welfare officer, is running for the position of Southern Area Rep which is currently held by Martin Lynch, himself a candidate for the position of Vice-

President for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance. Power believes that the experience gained from having served as Welfare Officer will be highly beneficial to the USI moving forward. In a statement on his campaign page, he said, “From being heavily involved with my own Union for the full duration of my time in UCC, I feel that the position of the Southern Regional Officer is the vital for the national movement. Being a Welfare Officer and the wealth of experience I have mustered throughout my time in UCC has allowed me to see what the issues are, and I want to make sure these issues are vocalised nationally, especially with the upcoming General Election.”

Hoey, a former UCCSU Deputy President and Campaigns Officer, is seeking re-election to the position of Vice-President for Equality and Citizenship, having held the position for the last year. In an email to the Express, Hoey noted on her plans for the role that, “This year my manifesto is a continuation on from last year, i.e. I will still be working on all the things I outlined last year as some of them are ongoing. This year’s manifesto is highlighting very specific campaigns that I want to hone in on and focus on next year.” Having served as the Public Relations & Media Officer on the Societies Guild Executive while in UCC, Waugh, currently a DIT student, is seeking to be elected to the position of Vice-

President for Campaigns, a position which will be under the spotlight in the coming year with a general election around the corner. In addition to national campaigns, Waugh stresses the importance of local efforts run by USI member institutions within his manifesto, stating that if elected he would “be a seamless support to local campaigns at the request of every SU.” The race for the position of USI President may be significantly closer than what has been seen in previous years. Of the five member organisations which have hosted the candidates and decided how they will vote, three (Cork IT, DIT and IADT) have supported Glenn Fitzpatrick, who is USI Campaigns Officer, with two (IT Sligo and Maynooth University) giving

their backing to Kevin Donoghue, current Deputy President and Officer for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance. Provisional delegation sizes indicate a 35-16 lead for Fitzpatrick from those five colleges, although in the region of 120 votes would be needed for victory. NUIG, DCU and GMIT are among the institutions set to decide who to back this week. A date for hustings in UCC, who last year sent 20 delegates to vote for Student Council’s preferred candidates, has not yet been finalised, though it is likely to take place in a fortnight’s time.

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UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

Expanding entertainments a core focus for potential Presidents Barry Aldworth News Editor For this year’s candidates for the position of SU President, a key aim is to take the atmosphere and charitable nature attached to R&G Week and expand it across the entire college year. While R&G events usually take up the majority of SU officers’ time during the week itself, Aidan Coffey believes that not only is his suggestion of having a R&G event every week an improvement on the current system, it would not take away from other aspects of the SU’s work. The current Surgeon Noonan Society Auditor intends, if elected, to keep R&G Week in February, but argues “there’s no reason something like the colour run shouldn’t take place in September or October,” adding that such a move would lead to the event being more successful in raising money for charity. George Gill, however, suggested that a plan such as this may drive up the costs associated with R&G Week further, acknowledging that while this year’s version of the event was successful, students must ask “how much did it cost?” To keep costs down and maintain the event’s success, Gill’s manifesto suggests having collection buckets at the door of student venues, which was seen this year, as well as introducing a student lottery which “would be cheap to run but could raise massive amounts of money.”

Only half of

part-time positions contested Barry Aldworth News Editor

Of the six part time positions, Equality Officer, Irish Officer and the four College representatives, just three will see contested elections this year. Despite neither candidate announcing their intention to run until late last week, the Equality race, which last year was uncontested, will see Lorraine Donovan and Daniel Pierse seeking election. Both candidates would, if elected, like to see the Equality Working Group interact with societies, such as the LGBT* Society and Mature Student Society, more closely to make UCC a more inclusive campus. Commenting on his decision to run, Pierse stated, “I want to have the chance to work on an executive level with the many different societies here in UCC and continue with the drive for change, because I believe change is one of the greatest things around and that’s what this university needs.”

One event that could occur next year, if students elect Eolann Sheehan, is a UCC Music Festival at the end of each term. Whilst Sheehan also supports building on the current R&G structure, he believes the SU needs to offer more entertainment events outside of the week. A similar event has been rumoured to take place in the near future but Sheehan believes that even if it takes place this year, he can use his term “to build on it” and create a marquee event. In addition to offering students better nights out and bigger events, Sheehan believes the SU needs to play a more prominent role in ensuring students get home safely from such occasions, a reason why he would push for the return of the ‘Night Bus’. “The reason why the previous service did disband was because there was no actual presence on campus during the day so nobody knew about it.” However, while Sheehan believes students using the bus would need to pay €2 to cover the costs of the service, Gill thinks the cost could be reduced or even eliminated if the SU pushed nightclubs to sponsor the initiative. “We have so many connections with nightclubs that it wouldn’t be too much to ask from them, given the contracts they receive for student nights.” Coffey, however, believes that while student safety needs to be a top priority, the Night Bus may not be the right way to go about ensuring this, stating that

PRESIDENTIAL POWERS: Candidates for SU Presidency (L-R), George Gill, Aidan Coffey and Eolann Sheehan. Image by: Emmet Curtin whoever is elected “would need to look at why the service stopped.” Despite the success this year’s SU experienced in fighting for extended Library opening hours, all three candidates believe that next year’s SU will potentially be under a greater level of pressure, particularly to ensure that mistakes made this year in the change to semesterisation are not repeated. The ball, however, is now in the court of the various departments within UCC, as Gill argued that this year’s SU had done everything it could. “The departments should now go to the review group with a knowledge of what clashes happened,” and bring

about the necessary changes. This belief was echoed by Sheehan, who argued that, “They [the SU] did everything they could,” but that many UCC departments chose to ignore the issues in the system instead of fixing them. A key problem he identified with the system was the lack of study time before the Christmas exams this year, arguing that one week was not enough and that next year’s SU would have to lobby for this to be changed. Coffey also praised the performance of this year’s SU before adding that, while teething problems were expected this year with the introduction of a new system, there will be no room for such

mistakes next year. “It’s alright for these things to happen once, you could probably argue, but it’s inexcusable for it to happen again. At the moment there’s a Semesterisation Review Group that’s running until August... If I’m elected President I will, along with the Education Officer, closely monitor that group and put the pressure on to ensure any necessary changes are made.” Regardless of who is elected, finding a balance between an expanded R&G Week and providing students with the best education possible will be one of the key challenges.

Meanwhile, Donovan argued that ensuring everyone on campus was treated fairly was her key motivation: “Equality in area I’m passionate about as I feel everyone has the right to be treated with fairness and respect, regardless of age, gender, orientation, ability or nationality. I believe I am the right person for this role due to personal and professional experience.” The other part-time officer race will be uncontested as only Seán Ó Riabhaigh will compete for the position of Irish Officer. Despite the apparent lack of interest in the position, Ó Riabhaigh believes he can continue to make the Irish language more relevant in UCC. “As first year Irish Rep and a dedicated member of An Chuallacht, I have already proven my ability to promote and support Irish on campus. I would be grateful to anyone willing to vote for me and allow me to carry out my plans for the future of Irish in UCC.” Business & Law Rep will be the only position guaranteed a female victor in this year’s SU elections, as Sarah Dunphy and Maria O’Sullivan face off. Both candidates believe they have the necessary abilities for the position, as Dunphy stated, “I think I have the necessary skills to lead by example and represent student within the college.” Meanwhile O’Sullivan believes that her experience with the SU, having previously served as a Class Rep, makes her suited for the position, stating, “I always knew that I wanted

ARTS REP: Xander Cosgrave is uncontested in the race for College of Arts Representative.

to become more involved in UCC’s Students’ Union and this year I felt that Business & Law Representative was the appropriate position for me.”

After last year’s Arts Rep race came down to the wire, this year sees Xander Cosgrave running unopposed for the position. The Medicine & Health Rep position will also likely see a

predetermined result, as last year’s defeated candidate, Art Kelleher, is rerunning for the position.

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Wage debate sparks divide between Education candidates Prior to the release of the candidates manifestos, the campaign to be elected UCCSU Education Officer took an unexpected twist after one candidate vowed to take a 50% pay cut if elected.

Ian Hutchinson, a final year Arts student, announced on his campaign’s Facebook page that due to his own personal circumstances he was in a position whereby he could accept a reduced payment for the role, with the money saved being donated to the Student Hardship Fund. When asked about the move he stated, “I decided to take the pay-cut (if elected) after much consideration. The reason I did it was because I believe it could

help a huge amount of people... in particular it could have a great benefit on someone’s education if they’re struggling financially.” Whilst the move was lauded as well intentioned by Hutchinson’s opposition for the role, Shane O’Sullivan and current Education Officer Joe Kennedy, the latter questioned if such a move would cause weaken the SU’s position. “I think it’s a really slippery slope if the Students’ Union, and in effect the students, start to pay for things the university should be funding.” Kennedy also argued that if wage cuts became a pattern within election campaigns a situation could

Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS arise where good candidates could be forced out of running for a position on the SU as they may not be able to live on a reduced wage. O’Sullivan echoed Kennedy’s stance on a potential wage cut, as he argued that “if one officer takes a pay cut the spotlight would then be put on the other five officers to do the same, which could take away from their main duties.” Whilst also welcoming Hutchinson’s decision, O’Sullivan added that he felt the issue of sabbatical officer wages had never been a big one for UCC students, before identifying himself as someone who would not be able to run for the position if wage cuts were expected of whoever is elected. Among the three candidates a shared

goal is the desire to have a 24-hour study space on campus, preferably in the library. However, whilst such a move was viewed as obtainable each of the potential officers felt it may not happen by the end of their term. Kennedy, who played a central role in extending library hours this year, argued that the issue is not as simple as it may appear. “It is feasible... but it’s certainly not something that is going to happen overnight, there are a lot of difficult negotiations to have to be done” before such a step can be taken. Hutchinson credited the work already done on the matter by this year’s SU, but argued that a much larger lobbying effort would be needed for such a goal to be achieved. Whilst arguing that a

24-hour library was a long-term goal, he argued that in the short term “24hour study spaces, like what is done in Trinity” could be a solution. One alternative to a 24 -hour library proposed by O’Sullivan would be to have the Boole Basement open at night, with the Arts student willing to supervise the area himself if necessary. He believes that such a measure could potentially benefit more students than 24-hour access to the fishbowl, as “I do know students, particularly this year, who could not afford laptops. Opening the Boole Basement could solve that problem and also solve the problem of a 24-hour space.”

CHALLENGERS: Ian Hutchinson and Shane O'Sullivan are aiming to oust Joe Kennedy for the position of SU Education Ofﬁcer.

Deputy candidates suggest ways to boost Student Voice With a general election on the horizon, a key goal for the three potential Deputy President and Campaigns Officers for the next academic year is to maximise the strength of the student voice and ensure that it is heard by sitting and prospective TDs. As part of the effort to mobilise students, James Upton, a Masters of Politics student, would push for voter registration drives to take place during orientation, ensuring students are immediately made aware of the role in national politics. “My plan would be to have the community Garda or a member of An Garda Síochana on campus so that when students come out of registering with the college, they’d then be registered to vote in conjunction with the Students’ Union.” Siobhán Callaghan, a Final Year BA International student who has also proposed voter registration drives as part of her manifesto, argued, however, that such a step is not enough. Referencing the poor turnout in the recent USI and Marriage Equality referenda in UCC, O’Callaghan argued that making students aware “we have a

voice and we do have a role in changing society” will be crucial. This idea of political education was central to getting students to jump from registering to actually voting for Cormac Molloy, a final year Law Student. Whilst acknowledging that voter registration drives will be crucial, highlighting “what each political party offers to the student” is the best way “to get students engaged and interested” in national politics. In addition to strengthening the student voice through registration drives, all three candidates believe that the SU needs to make a larger effort in the future to bring campaigns to UCC’s satellite campuses, as well as getting students based off of the main campus involved in campaigns. Callaghan believes that past Unions had fallen into the trap of believing that students based in satellite campuses were less willing to engage with protests due to their workloads. “We need to bring up the failure of the Students’ Union to engage students from satellite campuses. We’re told

that students in Brookfield, who want to be doctors and dentists and nurses are too busy. Whereas if you speak to those students individually they tell you ‘we’d love to’.” Molloy argued that this failure had only served to weaken the student voice on a national level, and further disenfranchise students who are not based on the main campus from the SU. In addition to visiting satellite campuses if elected, Molloy would push for the elected reps from the College of Medicine and SEFS to become more involved in campaigning, and telling them “to get their students involved.” Having served as the auditor of the LGBT* Society this year, Upton believes he has proven experience in bringing campaigns directly to these students and getting them involved. “We registered 144 students down in Brookfield and when they come out of lectures and see the stand they light up.” Upton also wishes to establish an ‘Activist Academy’ if elected, which he feels would allow students with an interest in campaigns to come together, and in doing so would remind people that “the SU isn’t just the 5 sabbatical officers it is 19,000 students bordering on 20,000.”

Images by: Emmet Curtin

Comms Race boils down to freshness versus experience This year’s, the Comms Officer race

lost in the crossover period.” Among

will present students with the choice

these

of either adding a new face to the

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finalised over the summer, and Nevin

the sitting officer for 12 more months.

claimed that the information lost in the

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Commercial officer, Barry Nevin, is

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one which Cathal Walsh welcomes.

position is offering students everything

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they need while at college, from food

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several local businesses “to create longer lasting deals for students,” instead of one of offers.

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the summer that could be potentially

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UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

Part-time or Full-time debate central to Entertainments Ofﬁcer battle For each of the 3 candidates for UCCSU Entertainments Office a key aim is to deliver on the long spoken about UCC Ball. However, the candidates are divided on how they would achieve this, as whilst two intend on taking on the role full time, one intends believes working on a part time basis would be better.

Ents candidates are entitled to take the role as a sabbatical position, and with it receive payment of approximately €10500, or carry out the position while continuing with their studies and receiving no payment. Sophie Olsthoorn and Dane Moriarty intend to do the former, with both pointing

out that giving anything less to the role would be unfair to UCC students. However, Adam Finn believes that by being in lectures he would be more likely to have an understanding of what UCC students want.

However, Olsthoorn, who would take the position on a full-time basis, argued that “the role deserved that.” This idea was echoed by Moriarty who argued that being in lectures would be “a distraction” from the position and in order to build on the work of Paidi Brady, who was praised by all three, a full-time commitment was needed.

Finn argued that many students who he’d spoken to believed that since Ents became a full time role the holders of the position “were distant from campus,” and as a result were out of touch with what the wishes of the average student. He added that this would be fixed by taking the role on a part time basis as he would be “going to lectures... and talking and engaging” with students on a more consistent basis.

The idea of a UCC Ball, designed on the similar model to what is currently offered in Trinity, was identified by each candidate as one of their major goals if elected. While such an event seemingly appears in at least one candidate’s manifesto each year, the contenders for the Ents position believe they can finally make good on that promise and have taken preliminary steps in doing so.

After initial discussions Moriarty has received assurances from UCC Security that “they would be willing to facilitate” such an event, but added that whilst the student centre had offered itself as a venue he was hoping to take the event off campus. On venues which could accommodate such an event Olsthoorn added that while the student centre would be great, she wanted to go bigger and has already discussed the event with the Rochestown Park Hotel, which has a capacity of 1600. Finn noted that while he is currently involved in planning a UCC Ball for this academic year, even if the event does take place it won’t be on a big enough scale to accommodate all students. If a large enough venue isn’t available, however, Finn identified a

FARE PLAY: (L-R) Hannah Eames, Denis Savage and Katie Quinlan are the three candidates hoping to become Welfare Ofﬁcer. to ‘Deal of the Week’ which had been

during his term he had honoured “every

seen in the past, arguing that these

single request I received to promote a

offers were of huge benefit to most

society event.” Arguing that this year’s

students. Securing the return of such an

SU had reached out to societies, clubs

offer should, in Walsh’s view, be easy

and independent student groups to get

as “local businesses want to increase

them more involved in events such

their student trade” and if on a once

as Freshers’ Week, Nevin stated that

of basis they “offer a great service at

“we certainly haven’t ignored club or

a discounted price” students would be

society events” in terms of promotion.

willing to return.

Both candidates also identified the

In addition to the loss of this offer,

need for the continued growth of

Walsh was also critical of the SU for

student media as of crucial importance,

prioritising the promotion of events

despite disagreeing over how to bring

taking place in venues outside of UCC

about such development. Whilst Walsh

on their social media pages over events

believes money generated from SU

being offered by societies and clubs.

negotiations with local companies,

“Clubs and societies are the lifeblood

and his proposed online ticketing

of the campus. They’re events should

system, could be used to fund student

receive preference over events in SU-

publications and UCC 98.3FM, Nevin

linked venues in town.”

believes that media within UCC needs

However, Nevin felt that such a claim was misleading, pointing out that

to be further separated from the SU and should receive full control over their own finances.

Protecting Counselling Services Crucial For Welfare Candidates The support and funding given to counselling services by the university do not match the demand was a belief shared by each of the three candidates for the position of UCCSU Welfare Officer. With the introduction of semesterisation more students than ever before are using these services, with approximately 6% of students having attended at least one counselling session this year. However, throughout the last number of years mental health services within and outside UCC have been the victim of repeated cutbacks, something which this year’s candidates agree needs to end. Katie Quinlan, a Masters in Government student, believes that continuous lobbying by UCC students is needed in order to improve the service. “Coming into a general election year we need to be getting onto TDs and securing funding for our counselling services. The service is an absolute joke at the moment, and it’s not due to their incompetence it’s due to the fact that they’re understaffed.”

However, Denis Savage, a final year Arts student, believes students need to take a more proactive stance in helping to support the service financially through a consistent fundraising effort as he believes the counselling group is too reliant on external assistance. “What I’d like to do would be set up a fundraising campaign which the students could donate to, and then try to get the university to match those donations.” In addition to fighting for further funding for the existing services, Hannah Eames, a 3rd year Law student, would push for the introduction of support groups for specific mental health issues to try to relieve some of the strain on the current system. “There’s a big waiting list at the moment for counselling, so if elected... I would hope to bring in support groups. So take for example someone suffering from anxiety, if they can’t get to see a counsellor they’d have their own group of people who also suffer from it and can share their experiences and coping methods.” For all three candidates bridging the gap

day-long festival, in a venue such as The Farm, as an alternative he was looking at. Whilst all three candidates praised this year’s UCCSU Ents Officer, Paidi Brady, they agreed that more events which were not intertwined with alcohol consumption were needed. If elected, each potential Ents Officer wants to ensure these events are available, with all three agreeing that working with the Welfare Officer to remind students that they could have fun without risking their health was of primary importance.

Image by: Emmet Curtin between the SU and students, and as a result getting students more involved in decisions relating to welfare, such as the ongoing debate over the €20 charge for the contraceptive pill, was crucial to strengthening the student voice. Following recent efforts to have the charge scrapped it was confirmed that the only way this could be achieved was to charge students €2.50 for each visit to the doctor. However, Eames pointed out that students had never been asked which option they’d prefer, and all three candidates agreed that a student wide poll on the topic may be needed. Whilst Savage pointed out that students who may require regular visits to the doctor could be put under increased financial pressure if a €2.50 charge is introduced, all three candidates agreed the current system was unfairly affecting a select number of students. As a result, all three mentioned the need for the matter to be properly discussed by students, as only then would the Welfare Officer be in a position to truly represent the wishes of UCC students.

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Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

Female SU candidates still lacking

Méabh Flanagan analyses the continued lack of diversity in the SU elections, in spite of efforts to tackle the issue. This time last year ‘I <3 Dick’ was the slogan that won an election. A year later, it’s evident that the phrase is still true in another sense: when it comes to student politics UCC students seem to be enamoured with the male gender.

● In the ﬁve years before this election, of the 68 candidates for sabbatical positions, only 13 have been female. And of those, only two were elected. As UCC has a female majority (forming 57.6% of the student population), ideally we should see that ratio reflected in our elected representatives. If that isn’t possible, then an equal balance in gender on the SU should at least guarantee fair representation for all. Instead, what we got last year was an SU where all sabbatical positions were held by men, unsurprising really when you consider

that of all the possible candidates for the sabbatical positions, only one was female. Hopes that last year’s bleakness would provide the catalyst for change have been somewhat dashed by looking at the candidates for this year, where 80% of all the candidates running are men. Even if every woman running for a position gets elected, we will still have a male President, Comms and Education Officer, as well as male representatives for the Colleges of SEFS, Medicine and Arts. The other part of the problem is whether women are elected if they do run. In the five years before this election, of the 68 candidates for sabbatical positions, only 13 have been female. And of those, only two were elected. We haven’t had a female president since 2003 and know already that we won’t have one this year either, making it clear that there is something deeply wrong. Attitudes on campus need to change from the ground up, starting with promotion of female class reps from

MISSING CAT: European Students Union committee member Cat O'Driscoll is one of only two women elected to the SU in past ﬁve years. first year; this would get women involved with student politics from the outset of their degree. The recent Women in Leadership Summit was also helpful in this regard as it showed students how successful women can be; but to expect the Summit to overturn pervasive gender roles over the course of an evening was ambitious.

With voting just around the corner, tough questions must be asked of candidates. It would be rare to find a candidate who will say they’re antifeminism or anti-marriage equality but some candidates will be more interested in achieving equality in UCC than others. Those running for Deputy and Campaigns, in particular, should lay

The art of winning an election

UCC Students’ Union Elections 2015 UCCSU Elections take place on Monday and Tuesday next. Polls are open from 9am to 5pm and require a valid UCC student card in order to vote.

Brian Conmy asks what factors can swing an election. Although much of the study into elections tends not to delve into the realms of student politics, in favour of more weighty general elections, it’s probable that at least some of the findings could apply to our upcoming Students’ Union elections. As such, here’s a small taste of what may bring one candidate victory over another on the day.

Sports results, for one, have a startling effect on voters. While this may initially seem like nonsense, think about it: your favourite soccer team killed it in the match last night and you’re in a great mood heading in to vote. How does this change your voting pattern? Well, apparently the dopamine spike a great win can give you makes you up to 5% more likely to vote for incumbent candidates. One study even linked this phenomenon to Obama’s sudden spike in approval rating during the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament… All of which may leave Joe Kennedy and Barry Nevin hoping for positive 6 Nations and Cricket World Cup results to continue! The order in which names are listed on a ballot is a topic that is talked about surprisingly often in some political science circles. Different electoral systems force names to be listed in

Students can vote in one of the four polling stations related to their degree course, which include: Boole Basement (College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Science), the Kane Building (College of Science, Engineering and Food Science), Brookfield (College of Medicine and Health) and the O’Rahilly Building (College of Business and Law).

certain ways and in the upcoming campus election some candidates are altering their names to ensure a higher place on the ballot. How does this help their chances? Favourably, it seems. Since many people may only vote knowledgably on one particular race (perhaps voting for a friend) the odds are they will randomly fill in the other

“Since many people may only vote knowledgably on one particular race (perhaps voting for a friend) the odds are they will randomly ﬁll in the other races.”

races This seemingly random filling in, however, favours the first name on the list by an average of 2%. Not a huge

out exactly how they plan to campaign and raise awareness of this issue during their term. This year’s elections may be male-dominated once again but that does not mean next year’s will have to be too.

Students on placement can register and vote online at the UCCSU website, while Erasmus students are automatically registered to vote online. Hustings for full-time sabbatical positions will take place later today in Boole 2 at 6.30pm. This will involve speeches from candidates along with a question and answer session with the audience. number on this scale but that margin could have swung UCC elections in the past. Finally and perhaps of most importance given the criticisms being thrown around these particular elections is this simple fact: candidate gender does not significantly impact voting patterns. Numerous studies have shown that in a majority of cases a candidate’s

gender does not impact their chances of winning on the day. As positive as this may seem, these studies do often show that there are, and for a long while have been, significant difficulties for female or non-male candidates to actually get on the ballot in the first place. Given the sadly low number of female candidates in the UCCSU elections this year, it seems these studies may hold true in this instance at least.

Hustings for part-time positions, including the Entertainments, Equality and Irish Officers, as well as representatives from each college, took place last night with The Express providing updates on the debate. You can follow The UCC Express on Facebook, Twitter and via our website, uccexpress.ie, to keep up to date with all the debates, announcements and results during the coming week.

UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

Outgoing Ofﬁcer Interviews

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Semesterisation poses Presidential problem for Stanton Conor Shearman Features Editor The spokesman for UCC students and the man on whom responsibility ultimately falls, Mark Stanton’s role as president of the SU is not an easy one. Semesterisation has been one of the most significant challenges of the academic year; one which the 22-yearold accepts has not gone entirely smoothly. He is sceptical on whether it was entirely welcomed by many departments and believes many failings have to lie with the Registrar and the

Campaigns falter on pushing placements

college itself: “I think the college in general should have been able to do more… I don’t know if saying there’s going to be teething issues for the first year is really good enough.” The Union have demonstrated a strong response to the transition; the highly publicised campaign to increase library hours demonstrating a union very much active on the behalf of the student body. According to Stanton, “It was a problem that’s been in UCC for years and, by extending the library hours, I think we’ve started the ball rolling.”

A 24-hour campus is the next step he believes should follow, one which needn’t represent a huge expense, “the library takes an hour and a half to close down and open up in the morning, so we’re paying people for three hours to close the place and it’s only closed for five hours.” A central part of his remit across the past year has been involvement in planning the design of the Student Hub building, a space due to be completed in October 2017, which will replace the existing Windle Building.

A planned grinds service has been established, although remains unpolished, with more lecturers required in order to tally with its high demand with students. Weekly clinics, Stanton concedes, were a manifesto item which, like others, haven’t slotted into the reality of the role. “The calendar was an awful lot more dense than I had thought it was going to be… what we’ve tried to do instead is just urge people at Class Council to bang me an email and I’ll get stuff sorted then.”

Increasing student employability by pushing work placement for more students is one such aim which Murphy admits has fallen by the wayside: “It’s completely got lost with everything else that’s popped up.” While ambitious and unrealistic aims are a mainstay of election manifestos, it is perhaps a little rash to completely abandon such plans during a period in which graduate unemployment remains such a significant issue.

Campaigning for Marriage Equality, another key aspect of Murphy’s term, has also been well marshalled by the SU, albeit one which shares credit with UCC LGBT* society and the USI. Although voter registration numbers have been encouraging, Murphy is quick to point out that his term, like the campaign, is far from over. Although the practical measures he outlines are promising – “we’re literally talking about car pools, buses to polling stations and lecture announcements” – the lateness of the referendum in the student calendar (May 22nd) may make mobilising the student body as a whole considerably more challenging.

Provisional date set for UCC Ball The youngest of the Union’s paid officers, Paidi Brady, took a sabbatical following the second year of his Commerce degree in order to manage the role of Entertainments Officer. Although the role is technically a parttime one, he points out that in practical terms it quickly develops into a fulltime position: “You very quickly you start spending your evenings in here until eight or nine o’clock without even thinking about it. It’s certainly not what you expect when you go into it but you very quickly learn it’s just part of the job.”

Relatively light on concrete promises, Dick Murphy’s manifesto for the role of Deputy and Campaigns focused more on personal experiences than plans for the year ahead. Nonetheless, media interviews and speeches from the election race show several key areas which the Philosophy and History of Art graduate planned on tackling.

Campaigning to remain part of the USI is a point on which he has delivered. Although the USI referendum is held every three years, he outlines the ‘Yes’ vote as holding particular merit this year due to the fact it was held separately to SU elections: “It gave more of a discussion about it because it could have got lost within the elections. So if there ever was a time it was to be brought in fairly and with a clear mandate, it was this time.”

The light-hearted manifesto demand for a better quality toilet paper seems, too, to have fallen down the pecking order – disappointingly, perhaps, for those voters who considered it a deal breaker: “I haven’t raised the question of the toilet paper yet at the Finance Committee. The budget is fairly tight in terms of staffing and things so I don’t think its high on the priority list but we’ll see.”

GOODBYE: Four of the six full-time SU ofﬁcers are leaving their roles in June.

Welfare services adapt to transition One of the most diverse positions the Union has to offer, Cian Power’s role as Welfare Officer, has to care for student wellbeing under a multitude of banners. He expresses that semesterisation has been the key challenge during his term, one not helped by the fact that the Union had two to three weeks shaved off the start of their term due to the pushing forward of orientations in the college calendar. Overall, though, he believes the response to problems has been as strong as could they have been for the first year of such significant changes: “I think we did well. We did the library

and extra support staff for counselling services. We got extra hardship funding as well because of financial issues. We’ve been in the office longer and we’ve adapted well to putting key weeks on at certain times, when people needed it.” He accepts accommodation shortages at the start of the year as far from ideal, although lobbying the college has resulted in the increased purchase of student accommodation available solely for UCC students. Still it remains a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Educating students as to their rights as tenants during such a turbulent renting market has been a strong feature of Power’s tenure, with

orientation packs and a focus on the issue throughout the year ensuring they haven’t been swept aside. Although a planned welfare action group hasn’t materialised, he suggests his engagement with SÁMH and other societies involved in mental health has been a proactive alternative. A satellite campus clinic is something which will happen during the exam months although Power is keen to stress the strength of his service lies in the definitive location of his SU Office: “People know I’m here, and if I’m not here, then there’s students missing out on me then.”

His central goal over the course of the year has been to implement a UCC Ball. Based on the Trinity Ball, it would feature a night of national and international acts performing on campus. He admits that attempting to persuade agents and promoters to get involved in the planned ball has been the most significant challenge during his term, yet he remains optimistic regarding the scheduling of the event for the first of April; “We hopefully will have some decent names tied down in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully it’ll be a big one to look forward to.” A Christmas Winter Wonderland, complete with Christmas characters and an ice rink, was a manifesto item which did not go ahead as anticipated, something which Brady puts down to changes caused by semesterisation: “I had left it just until after exams and then, slowly, I kind of realised that students were going home straight after exams and there wasn’t going to be many around.” R&G Week, the flagship entertainment event of the year, Brady points to as a success in terms of both events offered to students, including the likes of Pat Fitz, and also the large number of nonalcohol related events which took place during the day.

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Election Excitement With Students’ Union elections almost upon us, Laura Flaherty took to campus, asking students what big questions SU Elections raise for them and finding out what they think of the Union, elections and what they would vote for. Patrick Dineen, Law Why do the majority of students not vote? After witnessing three SU elections and all the shenanigans that go handin-hand with them, it is evident that three camps of students quickly emerge: those who campaign, those who complain and those who just don’t care. So why are the majority of students not interested in voting? One suggestion is that the vast majority of students are utterly ignorant as to what the Students’ Union actually does – except from informing us of the campus gossip in a weekly e-mail and organising elements of R&G Week. This is not to say that particular officers in the past have not done their job but from the three years I’ve spent here, it seems that candidates exaggerate their potential impact more often than not in order to stand out .

Danielle Guerin, Arts Do elections make students feel a close link to the SU? I personally think the student elections are great. They create a link between students and senior members of the university and they create a great buzz around the campus in the run up to the elections. Because the candidates are also members of the student body, they represent issues that affect us in our daily lives and are acutely aware of these issues. It showcases just how enthusiastic people are to represent our views, solve our problems and improve our experience at university; but most importantly of all, it means free lollipops around campus.

Daniel O’Driscoll, Arts Do the SU represent you? Students’ Unions are a mixture of egos, testosterone, laddishness and a number of fancy photographs resembling a

noughties pop band. The Union is there to serve and represent the students but I ask myself: what students are they representing? Just like SU politics appeals to a certain type of person, the SU itself appeals to a certain type of person: the social butterfly; the popular, pretty girl; the guy everyone knows. We should ask ourselves why doesn’t the shy bookish girl or the guy who loves Star Trek or Pokémon feel comfortable in the world of the SU?

Jim Ryder, Arts Are votes taken seriously? It is difficult generating the will to vote in college elections when we see that women, the disabled, the mature members of our community, et al. are all so underrepresented. Every Tom, Dick and Harry will tell you they have policies that will somehow benefit us all but why are there not more women in positions in the UCCSU, or matures for that matter? There have been a couple of absolute gems in important roles this year but we need more. Please take your vote seriously this year; we are all in this together.

Keighley Barry, Arts What do you want from next year’s SU? I think it’s safe to say most students have a laptop, whether it’s their own or borrowed from the college. So why, in 2015, do we still have to beg, borrow and steal desks in the library that have plugs? Coming up to exam time, there are students crammed into the stalls with plugs, while the plugless ones remain empty. I’ve even seen people sitting on the floor outside toilets! UCC needs to fix this. The next Education and Welfare Officers can start with small but significant issues like this. They need to be kind, caring and understanding individuals, with the best interest of their fellow students at heart.

Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

SU candidate's Social Media reach

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UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

Ghost

Siblings Tadhg O’Mahony I watch them grow and though they change beyond compare, they are still mine and I am theirs to bear.

My mother tells of tricks and fights that tore us all to tears. Bubbling words of sporadic hate, as we preyed on each other’s fears.

Now, it seems too far behind, I have wasted my claim to belong. I stab my guilt into my past, I yearn to right my wrongs.

I stubbed out invitation. My wrath felt so benign. I chose to spit atop their love,

Brian Conmy

with his opinion.

“So I met a guy for coffee the other day,” he chimed, to revive the lagging conversation.

Slightly perturbed, and realising the state that was his bedroom when they arrived to his flat (the kind first years are crammed in like cattle on university campuses), the young man showed the stranger to the kitchen and boiled the kettle, promising to show him what a real coffee could taste like. With limited time, and leaving his companion to supervise the coffee-making activities, he darted quickly into his bedroom, throwing dirty clothes in the wardrobe and placing a clean towel on a bedside chair. Only then did he pause for a moment, wondering why he even cared what the stranger thought. Oh well...

that choice is sealed in time.

“Guy from Grindr, Tinder, Gaydar or Twitter?” his acquaintance responded almost automatically.

My sister reddens as she asks

“Growlr,” said the first, only to be met with a sharp reprove. “What the fuck is growlr?” The friend glanced up briefly, one eyebrow raised in mild disapproval.

why we are no longer friends. Stony-faced, I shrug and break bonds that would never mend.

Beside a boy there lies a space where a model should have posed. He waits, but the role is left unplayed and eventually the curtains close.

Now I finally see them, I reach for them to clutch, but I am trapped through a looking glass too cold and hard to touch.

So I will watch them, big and bright, a joy for all to see. They crowd around a shrinking space, a space that was meant for me.

And so, on the way to town to kill a lazy Sunday hour, the young man narrated his casual encounter to the other. The guy hadn’t seemed particularly special. They’d talked the day before but an assignment deadline had kept them both occupied for the night and they’d had to schedule for the next afternoon instead. The stranger from Growlr was coming from the other side of town to hand something in, so they met for coffee on campus and, in the brief initial chat, decided to walk back to the young man’s more familiar territory of home. It wasn’t the longest walk and they occupied themselves contentedly enough with chatter about the decreased quality, and over-priced nature, of the sterile university coffee. The young man sighed and said that in hindsight he shouldn’t have bought anything really; he had new coffee grounds at home he’d wanted to try. The stranger smiled and called him a mess – causally – in a manner slightly too familiar for two strangers. The young man took the slight with a grin, and told the other where he could go

“He smiled across the great expanse of the table and regretted the vast space that had been created by his seating choice.” Upon entering the kitchen he was met with a smile. Unsure why he was slightly startled by the apparently sincere display of basic civility, the young man smiled back and proceeded to the just-boiling kettle. Grabbing the unopened coffee canister from the cupboard below the counter, he held

it in one open palm and waved at it with the other in the way an air hostess signals to an emergency exit. He was quickly embarrassed, a red flush creeping into his cheecks as he silently admonished himself, wondering why in hell he’d just done that. But his guest chuckled pleasantly, and everything seemed okay. Grabbing two mugs from a nearby cupboard, the young man poured fresh coffee into each, enquired as to his guest’s tastes with regard to the volume and mass of his respective milk and sugar preferences – noting that the stranger had suddenly become seemingly uncomfortable in his presence – and walked to the far end of the table to place it before him. The young man took the seat opposite him and furtively tasted his drink but found it initially too hot and so set it down. He smiled across the great expanse of the table and regretted the vast space that had been created by his seating choice. Before he could quip about whether or not he should have sat closer, the stranger admitted he’d thought the invite for coffee was a joke. Then, quickly sipping from the steaming mug before the young man could adequately respond, the stranger offered that the coffee was indeed a lot better than the dreg they sell on campus, and that it reminded him of his usual haunt in New York. This personal detail was questioned – the when and how and why of it all – and the discussion of his placement experience devolved into talk of American bars and American boys, of Irish boys and conquests and boyfriends: a harsh personal truth from one followed by a hesitant admittance

of understanding from the other, only for another truth to be offered as reward or payment. The past, present and future spilled out over another cup of coffee that neither really wanted, but seemed required for the situation. They’d long since stopped the awkward smiles at one other; instead, while absorbing a story or reaching internally for the next topic, they grinned slightly or nodded in quiet approval. Not keeping track of time, eventually one looked at his phone and laughed: time had run on, though neither had really intended it. The young man smiled and admitted this wasn’t how it usually went for him: mostly the dates would come and go, and they’d rarely talk again – like ghosts to each other if ever they crossed paths. As the young man seemed to be finishing his story, he was cut across by his disapproving friend. “Wait, so ye didn’t ride?” “What? Of course we did.” “So what was the point of the story?” He furrowed his eyebrows temporarily. “I didn’t think it had a point. Just thought it was all a bit funny. Different.” “So when are you seeing him again?” The young man mulled that question for a moment, not having considered it himself. “I dunno,” he said. “I never asked.”

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Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

NEWS HEADLINES

Nun gives up Catholicism for Lent

COLLEGE: An estimated 18% of UCC Students know what the R and G stand for in R&G Week, up 3% from last year. BUSINESS: The change in layout of the Daybreak on College Road continues to confuse the student population.

Emily Smalling SPORT: DCU defeated UCC by a single point in the Sigerson Cup Final. On the upside, our college isn’t located in Ballymun. FILM: Robert Sheehan set to star as Sonia O’Sullivan in a biopic of the much loved Corkonian. AWARDS: Outrage receives Oscar snob.

Bogman

TV: RTÉ still undergoing investigation by the Irish Broadcasting Authority for continued crimes against television.

TV Listings

Any other morning you would be apt to find Sister Mary O’Leary kneeling down in preparation for Morning Prayer. Not this Easter, however, as she has taken it upon herself to give up religion... for the 40 days of Lent that is. Previous years she has struggled through the usual platitudes of no Taytos, no chocolate, no eavesdropping on Fr. McCarthy’s confessional appointments, but this year she believes she’s truly made the ultimate offering: “Well when you think about it, there is no greater sacrifice one can make than giving up eternal salvation, so really I’m having the ultimate Lenten

experience,” the 63-year-old Mayo native said while eating Creme Eggs and playing FIFA. For those of you who are ignorant to the ways of the one true God, Lent is like a religious feat of endurance in which one must test their liturgical mettle by way of abstinence. As you can imagine, this creates fierce rivalry between the various members of the clergy and can frequently result in ‘Lent offs’, with Sr. O’Leary’s local convent being no different. However many of her fellow nuns have grown jealous of what they deem to be “not in the spirit of lent.” Sr. Amy Deacon was particularly outspoken,

stating that, “If God is up there, he’s disgusted with the state of her. Well, I mean he’s definitely up there like; it’s just a figure of speech.” Last year’s Lent experience at the Sisters of the Divine Injustice Convent was unfortunately soured when an ambulance was called to treat one Sr. Nora Behan for hypoxia. The perhaps over-zealous sister had vowed to give up oxygen for the whole 40 days but only just managed to last a bare two hours before collapsing from lack of air. It was a shocking disappointment for all involved and she was understandably shunned for breaking her Lenten oath. Of course, she was eventually forgiven once she

had atoned for her transgression with 12 Hail Marys and 10 Our Fathers. It seems pertinent at this point to warn any readers who have been worked into a religious flurry by this story that these individuals are trained professionals. It may seem like a bit of fun to give up something as a symbol of your religious devotion but these extremes must not be emulated. The Vatican has similarly expressed concerns, urging those who do feel like taking part to “stick to giving up the crisps” and be sure to “break your fast once every few days if possible.” May the rest of you have an enjoyable Easter, and be sure to get a good egg before they’re all sold out.

40% of Undecided voters confused by Same-Sex Marriage Kieran Murphy

MTV Wednesday @ 5pm: Catﬁsh. In a particularly tragic outing this week, Emily goes to meet her online boyfriend only to discover it was a sentient AI who had learned to love all along.

RTÉ 2 Thursday @ 11pm: Never Mind the Breach of Copyright. A brand new music-based panel show that is absolutely nothing like Never Mind the Buzzcocks, regardless of what people think.

RTÉ ONE Sunday @ 9.30pm: Room to Improve – Uncut. Despite being sceptical of the wall-mounted dildo, Ian and Siobhán are absolutely delighted with how their sex dungeon turned out.

Support for the introduction of samesex marriage has remained steady since last spring, but an overwhelming amount of undecided voters have admitted to being confused about the idea. A recent survey conducted by the UCC Express has found that 40% of undecided voters are unsure about who is the man and who is the woman in the relationship. One respondent detailed that “neither of the lesbians down the road from me are manly looking and they say that they share the housework; how is a marriage like that supposed to work? Who puts up the shelves?” Another respondent was dismayed to find that two lads on his amateur rugby team were in a relationship, saying, “I’m worried that they’ll be peeking at my stuff underneath my layers of fat – my life is hard enough with all the attention I receive from women... I can’t deal with both sexes!” He then went on to copy and paste a story of his exploits he once shared on a Penthouse Forum.

Other undecided voters are concerned over having to attend ceremonies with vegan menus, with one respondent saying, “If someone were to take ill from the salmon, who’ll say the last rites with no priest present?” This publication attempted to explain the numerous errors in his statement to him but failed to clear anything up. Unsure voters are also concerned with what to get same-sex couples as regards wedding gifts, with many people bemoaning the lack of rainbow-themed kitchen appliances. Further analysis of the survey found that undecided voters are also unsure about the mechanics of same-sex copulation. When questioned, one voter proffered, “It’s a bit like bumper cars or something, isn’t it?” and another wondered “does their foreskin expand or what?” When questioned about the survey results, The LGBT Network of Ireland stated that same-sex marriage will work just as a traditional marriage would, “LGBT people are entitled to have grudges, stony silences and bitter divorces just as any heterosexual couple would.”

The Communications Officer also pointed out the economic benefit of the same-sex marriages. With many LGBT people having to rent out two different venues for both the ceremony and afters, and many bakeries overcharging for having two men or women on top of the cake, it has given rise to what economists are calling the ‘Pink Euro’. However 67% of voters are in favour of same-sex marriage, with many citing

“Ah sure fair play to them” and that the LGBT community are “a lovely bunch of lads.” One respondent said in admiration, “I couldn’t get it up there myself – it’s cooking oil I hear they use!” The same-sex marriage referendum takes places on May 22nd with the Eurovision un-ironically taking place the day after.

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UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

Review: Bogman Trevor Drinkwater

When Bogman was announced I think we were all a bit sceptical. Could Steve McQueen, director of Shame and 12 Years a Slave, make a successful comedy film about two Westmeath teenagers’ discovery of a Neolithic bogman and his subsequent forays into rugby and singer song-writing. There was little doubt that the film would garner some humour, given the flawless premise, but the real question was whether or not McQueen could treat the subject of reanimated prehistoric Irish inhabitants with the level of sophistication and sensitivity it undoubtedly requires. The answer, thankfully, is a firm and hearty, yes! Although it is difficult to imagine a potential reader who has managed to sidestep the constant media onslaught which has lead up to Bogman’s release, I will regardless provide a précis. Two Westmeath boys, Eoin (Jack Gleeson) and Séan (Robert Sheehan), go trekking through a bog on their way to rugby training. While absentmindedly passing the oblong ball to one another, Séan accidentally knocks down a portal dolman with a stray pass, revealing the prehistoric visage which lay dormant

underneath. They soon discover their Stone Age acquaintance’s knack for rugby and penning pop hits and, of course, hilarity ensues. In short it’s California Man meets My Left Foot, and I mean that in every way imaginable.

“They soon discover their Stone Age acquaintance’s knack for rugby and penning pop hits and, of course, hilarity ensues.”

While Sheehan and Gleeson turn in fine performances as the two accidental teenage archaeologists, Niall Breslin steals the show as the titular Bogman. In the press leading up to the release, he humbly admitted having precious little acting experience beyond treading the boards once or twice with the Leinster squad during their annual panto run and that stage experience clearly shines through. The moment when Bogman first accompanies his two teenage cohorts to their rugby training, and his unique sporting ability is discovered, could

have been a laughable farce. Yet Breslin manages to give the scene a level of emotional depth, deftly conveying slight hints of sadness. That same pathos eventually comes to the surface when our protagonist is forced to make the tough choice between taking on a contract with the Leinster squad or leaving to pursue his true dream of fronting an electro-indie fusion band, The Ogham Stones. It would be easy to dismiss Bogman as a humorous piece of fluff, one which plays heavily on the well-worn fish out of time/ water trope seen in other films like Back to the Future or Schinder’s List 2. But what is truly at the heart of McQueen’s Leinster-based jape is the eternal struggle between the heart and mind, which has underpinned all great drama since the days of the bard himself. Within its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, the audience will laugh, cry and hopefully learn something new. And that something is that sometimes you must stop listening to what everybody is telling you to do, and instead search inside for what you truly want. In a world in which teens have never been under more pressure due to social media, the proliferation of internet pornography and face a glut of vapid role models provided by Geordie Shore-a-likes; I applaud this piece of art for providing them with life lessons which will truly resonate in the real world.

4/5 bananas, would recommend!

From the humblest of beginnings Michael Stack

Boredom does strange things to an individual. Most people take up a hobby or stone a homeless person. My Dad decided to digitize all of our childhood videos from the old camcorder. It’s an unsettling feeling to have your angsty childhood years displayed for all to see. I was under the assumption that I began life as an imaginative sprog with a bit of potential in the brains department. Wrong on all accounts.

“If I were to observe my offspring acting the way I did, I’d drop them off at the circus and never look back. Well I would look back, only to make sure that they weren’t following me.” My ineptitude is, however, entertaining. One of these hour-long videos begins with a two-year-old me in my old front garden, wearing what nowadays would be considered hipster attire. Mom explained that when she got sick of my constant neediness, she would give me a bucket of water and a paintbrush and tell me to paint the grey wall. By the time I got from one end of the wall to the other, the start had already dried in

and looked as if I hadn’t ‘painted’ it at all. So baby Stack, not satisfied with an incomplete task, repeated the process. Mom said I spent four hours straight out there in one sitting. I wish the stupidity ended there. Alas, life isn’t fair. I’m surprised my parents didn’t seek professional help; surely they must have been concerned. If I were to observe my offspring acting the way I did, I’d drop them off at the circus and never look back. Well I would look back, only to make sure that they weren’t following me.

There is another clip of me trying to place an old pound coin in between my toes, but, at least, I only spend half an hour at this rudimentary task. I had neither the dexterity nor the intuitiveness to get the coin in place and hold it there. I even had the nerve to smile at the camera at one point. What a little prick, looking for justification for basically accomplishing nothing. Look at the utter state of me. I’ve an elongated head that surely caused me some lower back pain. My hair struggled to make up its mind and decided, eventually,

to start growing about halfway back my already lengthy noggin. Whoever decided to dress me that day wanted me to look like a waiter on a medium-class cruise ship. With all of these factors hindering my development, it’s the 8th wonder of the world that I managed to grow into a normal, moderately respectable individual.

laughing at my misfortunes. (They are a pair of 10-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, Oscar and Zora – their parents really didn’t want them to succeed in life. Until the age of 14 I was unaware that twins could be a boy and a girl. I thought it was either two boys or two girls and I viewed the birth of my young cousins as an absolute abomination.)

It hurts to discuss my early beginnings with you, but I’m sharing all this in confidence and urge you to keep it on the DL. I’m particularly shaken since my young American relations are over at the moment and enjoyed

I’m only halfway through watching these videos and I’m scared to go on further. But fortune favours the brave and I’m not arsed studying, so I can’t think of a better way to be spending the evening. Go f**k yourself San Diego.

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Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

Staring into the fear Stephen Barry talks to UCC student Patrick O’Brien about his second life, racing on ice. “As soon as my name is announced, my helmet is on and everything else is blacked out. You’ve people there ringing cowbells; you don’t hear any of that. You’re on the start block and you’re staring down over the crest of the hill. You’re staring into the fear. There are no brakes on a sled.

the world’s top-100 a year and a half after being brought along to his first trial, is a remarkable tale.

“Once you start pushing, you’re totally committed. You’re on the sled and you’re there until the very end, provided you don’t flip on one of the corners and crash. It’s insane. You’re standing at the top and you know you have to go.”

He admits he has a physique that isn’t traditional for the skeleton but the Irish federation began looking for more explosive athletes, those who can offer speed backed up with extra weight for momentum. “We train like Olympic weightlifters, powerlifters and sprinters,” notes O’Brien, who restarted his gym-work last week, looking ahead eight months until his next race when winter comes around again.

Racing at 80 miles an hour with your chin an inch from the ice, doing something that “scares the shit out of you” seems completely unnatural. The fact that the forebodingly named skeleton event happens on ice only enhances the sensation.

The sport initially grabbed him a decade ago, following it year after year since the 2006 Winter Olympics. “When I saw this on TV it caught me: ‘it looks fast, it looks dangerous, it’s racing with no engine.’ You’re what generates the power.”

Indeed, when coming back from a winter of competing in Calgary, Patrick O’Brien cut an equally unnatural sight: a Hulk-like figure, his arms turning green with aging bruises seared to his body from cushioning high-speed impacts with walls of ice. His broad shoulders mean much of the ice’s cold punishment is inflicted directly to his body, while his skeleton whisks him through the steep tunnel.

“Speed and danger were just a part of growing up for me,” he adds, remembering his rooting in motorsport. Sean Greenwood, a Winter Olympian from last year, brought him up to the trials and, soon after, O’Brien had dropped almost everything else, giving an eight-year commitment to the sport.

The Kilkenny student’s turn as a skeleton racer, making his way inside

As with the majority of his training, the trials were conducted oceans away from ice or snow, with the simple reasoning that, “If you can run on land, they think you can run on ice,” guiding

SLIPPERY SLOPE: Patrick O'Brien sets off down the Calgery track. the selection. Eventually, after much preparation, a trip to race school followed, with O’Brien, like all of those new to the icy arena, let off halfway down the track: “You pinball off of every wall the whole way down. You leave chunks of skin on walls and you’re bruised but, when you get to the end, you’re like ‘that was unbelievable, I want to do it again!’” A few days later you are allowed go from the top, with the increased speed causing the same pinball effect. In the rush all peripheral vision is gone; the

constant focus levelled on controlling entry points into each corner and avoiding getting lost in the gale of white. It’s a sport of physics, power and split-second reactions, where any misread can lead to a head-first crash, leaving you catapulting down the track until it levels at the end. However O’Brien has largely avoided the latter scenario, tapping into the speed control ingrained in him from his motorcycling past and adapting to the small head steers needed to control his direction. Now back on less slippery sod,

Image by: Ron LeBlanc his immediate priority is to buy a replacement sled and start testing his relationship with it: “You’ve got a connection with it or you don’t… it’s intimate and it’s weird.” The former Students’ Union Education Officer also has to deal with the backlog of work for his Maters in Planning, before trying to find a job, “one that has a lot of annual leave!” Should he reach the World Championships in Austria this time next year, as he expects to, that leave may well be needed.

Intervarsity success builds excitement for UCC Goes Dancing Stephen Walsh Sport Editor This Sunday the Dance Club will host their annual UCC Goes Dancing event in the Everyman Theatre. Having been on the go for well over a decade, UCC Goes Dancing has raised thousands for local charities in that time. Before the big event, the Dance Club were hoping to complete a three in a row last weekend, as they competed in the Intervarsities in UL. The weekend brought success, finishing first in Jazz for their third year in succession, while the Hip Hop section finished second for the first time in four years, leading to further excitement for the weekend ahead. Last year the Club raised over €1,500 for Relay for Life, while this year the event is set to support Marymount Hospice, who they have also supported in previous years. The club, who were named Club of the Year last year, are hoping to sell out the Everyman for the first time since 2010, with tickets on sale at the door on the night. It has become a passage of college life for many Students’ Union Presidents to get involved and this year is no

different, with Mark Stanton helping out on the judging panel. The judging panel is still to be fully confirmed but Club Captain Allie Murphy confirmed Stanton, Clubs President Jim McEvoy and Dane O’Sullivan of the Montfort Dance Academy, “with a celebrity judge expected to be announced later this week.” This year the club have decided to change the format of previous years from couples to crews. Committee members from the clubs and societies will be taking part and ‘UCC’s best dance crew’ will be announced at the end of the night. Before taking part in the show on Sunday, both crews will have learned two dances from members of the Club. The ‘Society Crew’ contains Rory Nagle (DJ Soc), Shane Buckley (E&S), Hannah Davis (Musical), as well as Management & Marketing pair James Porter and Stephen Carey and Cancer Society’s Karen O’Sullivan and Conor Carty. Up against them, the ‘Clubs Crew’ features a variety of disciplines with Barry O’Leary and Seán O’Sullivan of the Surfing Club and Powerlifting’s Eoin Jeffries and Jack O’Dwyer taking

JAZZ HANDS: The Dance Club celebrated a third Jazz title in a row at Dance Intervarsities. to the stage alongside Olann Kinsella (Kickboxing) and John Armstrong (UCC Rovers). The event will be more than just watching the crews as the Dance Club, with over 120 members, will have a full showcase of all their dance types,

from Jazz to Irish and Hip Hop, while the Gaelscoil in Ballincollig who they teach will be there along with CIT Dance Club. As well as their teaching, the Club has had a busy year performing at a variety of balls in UCC, while they will also

be performing at half time in the Cork City – Limerick match on the March 13th in Turners Cross. Admission is €10 for the show and includes free after-party entry.

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UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

Third-level solution needed after eligibility crises Stephen Walsh investigates the old chestnut of player eligibility in GAA competitions. The Fitzgibbon Cup weekend that ended with a draw between UL and WIT on Saturday night was dogged by a whole host of appeals over player eligibility in the build-up. Replicating similar issues approaching the Sigerson showpiece, for the past month the majority of supporters of the thirdlevel competitions in the country have been frantically refreshing Twitter and looking at Facebook statements as they seek to find out who will play each other next as appeal after appeal is heard from Mary Immaculate College, IT Carlow, IT Sligo and Queen’s University. It is not the first time that an appeal has shadowed the build-up to the finals weekend, with 2008 even seeing the delay of the Sigerson weekend until April as followers complained about the Garda College playing two intercounty players, Cork’s Michael Cussen and Kerry’s Aidan O’Mahony, while UUJ and GMIT had appeals involving both sides. This year has seen the majority of appeals centre around the definition of a college student, in particular how many credits one needs to be doing in order to compete for their respective college. In the past we have seen Cork’s Aidan

Walsh prevented playing football for DCU, while a prominent individual from Galway was well known to go around the various undergraduate courses for a few years in order to keep playing Fitzgibbon hurling. In order for Higher Education GAA to progress, it is necessary for the GAA to look across the Atlantic at American sport and follow their lead on how to run college sports efficiently. Jackie Cahill, the prominent GAA journalist, has recommended that a sign-off period for all panels be submitted on the first of February each year. Then any objections raised over the eligibility of players can then be handled in a week, so that both weekends can go ahead. The above idea holds a certain merit but it could be improved further by clarifying that one must be doing 60 credits and a minimum number of hours a week – say ten, as any less would not be sufficient time in college to warrant a place as a full time student for a course. This would cut out the chance of colleges playing people who are doing small courses in order to qualify for third-level football or hurling. In America a five-year limit applies for all college participants so as to

NECK OF TIME: UCC's Sigerson weekend preparations were delayed by IT Sligo's reinstatement to the competition. Image by: Eddie O'Hare prevent them staying in the system too long and stopping the individuals from progressing in their personal lives outside of sport. For the GAA, a suggested change could increase this to six years to allow the year at Fresher level, before progressing onto the more senior competitions.

A normal college course for both level seven and eight, which the majority of the participants in these competitions study, would be between three and four years in duration. Allowing another two years for a Masters or HDip, then any remaining years can be used for some PhD study. This will allow the student to make constant progress and prevent

stagnation of any student remaining in college for the sake of GAA. If implemented, these changes would go a long way towards preventing future arguments over player eligibility and would have people talking about the sport, rather than speculating over who is and isn’t legal.

Leesiders prove impressive hosts for Equestrian Intervarsities Suzanne O’Sullivan Sport Writer

The highlight of the Irish Student Riding calendar, the National Equestrian Intervarsities was cohosted by UCC Equestrian Club at the end of February, with the muchanticipated weekend proving a success among the more than 250 competitors from 20 colleges around the country. At the start of two days of intense competition, Saturday morning saw the first rounds of dressage kick off in Maryville Stables, Carrigaline. Meanwhile the outdoor ring saw the O’Brien’s Saddlery show-jumping competition get underway and, after a long day, the contest began to heat up as riders were announced for Sunday’s finals. That night saw the start of the Alex Ott Appeal fundraiser and, by the end of the weekend, close to €800 had been raised from student’s contributions. Sunday began with the evercompetitive Prix Caprilli competition. The team from Athlone IT impressed the judges to claim the top spot in the team category, with Ryan Maxwell from Queen’s University taking the individual first prize. After a quick adjustment to the arena,

third round dressage began and, before long, the finalists were announced. Irish Olympians Donegan-Ryan Eventing provided two of their elite horses to take to the ring under the hands of the two finalists, with Katie Nolan from UCD proving victorious to ride away with the individual dressage title. The outdoor show-jumping ring kicked off for the penultimate round and eight soon was whittled down to two as Jack Hutchinson from Trinity and Carolyn Harty of DIT went head to head in the 1.20m final. This saw each competitor do a round on two top-class horses, one belonging to UCC student Grace Copithorne. However Harty kept her cool to take the top spot, much to the delight of her DIT compatriots. The awards ceremony kicked off that night, with close to 300 in attendance. The announcement of the overall college award, sponsored by Coolmore Stud, was met with a resounding cheer as the title was awarded to UL, a club which has triumphed in the past year under the captaincy of former UCC student Paul McDermott.

DRESSAGED UP: Members of the Equestrain Club ready for action at Maryville Stables

It was a great weekend for the club, with UCC riders holding their own in the stiff competition. Sarah Lumbroso and Olivia Connolly impressed the judges with their beautifully executed

Big performances also came from Meg Ross, claiming fourth in the evercompetitive Prix Caprilli, and Eoin Duggan McSweeney, Rory O’Mahony and Erasmus student Carmen Tietze,

tests to progress to second round dressage. Fiona Mullins also had a thrilling round to earn her spot in second round show-jumping.

who combined to claim fifth place in the Team competition. Equestrian Intervarsities involves a massive amount of organisation due to the nature of the sport. However the year of preparation paid off and the weekend ran smoothly, with the captains and committee given special thanks and presented with flowers at

the awards. The event was hailed as a major success for the club which has seen considerable success in the past year. Such has been the reception to the event that there are talks underway with regard to UCC hosting the National Tetrathlon Competition next year – watch this space…

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Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS

Semi successful weekend for UCC UCC 2-12 IT Carlow 0-8 Stephen Barry Editor-in-Chief UCC’s progress to the Sigerson final was sealed without major hassle a day prior to the decider, with the Leesiders able to up the tempo after a dogged Carlow resistance. Trailing by a point at the break, quick points from David Harrington and Conor Cox rectified that matter before Shane Murphy’s loose punch was gathered and buried by the impressive Luke Connolly. Brendan Murphy’s flying point offered some brief resistance before UCC reeled off a final flurry of 1-5. Thomas Hickey’s 51st minute goal was the signal for many of the leading lights to exit, as UCC unveiled a quintuple substitution before the end. The first half saw some good defensive work from IT Carlow, with Meath duo Declan Smyth and Eoin Lynch in good form. Four placed-balls, including a long effort from ‘keeper Shane Murphy, had Carlow six points to five ahead at the half but UCC had plenty in reserve. UCC (Cork unless stated): Michael Martin; Fergal McNamara, Jack McGuire (Kerry), Padraig O’Connor (Kerry); Conor Dorman, David Culhane (0-1; Kerry), Thomas Clancy; Gary O’Sullivan (Kerry), Shaun Kiely; Shaun Keane (0-1), Luke Connolly (10), Brian O’Driscoll; Thomas Hickey (1-1, 0-1f; Kerry), David Harrington (0-2), Conor Cox (0-7, 3fs; Kerry). Subs: Alan O’Donovan for Dorman (51), Adrian Spillane for Harrington, Eanna Ó Conchúir (Kerry) for O’Sullivan, Kevin Davis for Keane, Conor Horgan for Connolly and Ronan Murphy (Kerry) for Kiely (all 57). IT Carlow: Shane Murphy (0-1f; Kerry); Thomas O’Connell (Kildare), Conor Lawlor (Carlow), Declan Smyth (Meath); Eoin Lynch (Meath), Thomas Featherston (Roscommon), Eoin Walsh (Galway); Will Young (Laois), Mark Sherry (Kildare); Kevin Ryan (0-1; Meath), Anthony Dever (Mayo), Anthony Forde (0-1; Meath); Liam Boland (0-2, 1f; Tipperary), Brendan Murphy (0-1; Carlow), Barry McHugh (0-2, 1f, 1 ‘45; Galway). Subs: Marcus Mangan (Kerry) for Dever (ht), Chris Conroy (Cavan) for McHugh (44), Tom Shiel (Laois) for Boland (49), Kevin Mulvany (Cavan) for B Murphy (BC, 54).

Sigerson dream falls short on home Stephen Barry Editor-in-Chief A chance to retain the Sigerson Cup in the Mardyke was destroyed by a DCU side who had to travel 1,200km to bring the trophy home to Glasnevin. While UCC had the luxury of playing every game at their Leeside base, DCU did it in the toughest possible manner. Starting in the North, the Dubliners slayed a fancied UUJ side before beating St Mary’s after extra time, with Donal Smith’s equaliser bringing up the extra period. That booked their ticket south, where they needed a garbage time penalty from Enda Smith to defeat a resurgent UCD. And then, their finest moment, as goalkeeper Tadgh Lowe took the contest to an extra 20 minutes before Donal Smith and Conor McGraynor hit the levelling and winning scores. It was a heavy loss for a UCC side who had already tasted the salt of defeat in the McGrath Cup final in January, although this was an altogether more devastating blow. UCC had responded to seemingly fatal deficits, with Alan O’Donovan’s goal three minutes from time putting UCC into a one-point lead, before Lowe’s intervention. Then, as DCU grasped control of extra-time, David Culhane scored a remarkable goal within ten seconds of the final throw-in, running half the length of the field to find the bottom corner. Still, DCU returned. Conor Daly traded scores with Kevin Davis before Donal Smith hit the ninth equaliser of the day. The goal-scoring hero Culhane missed a chance for a lead-score and, from that kick-out, McGraynor produced the winning play; the corner-forward fielded the kick-out and fed Mickey Quinn, before arriving on Quinn’s shoulder to convert the winner.

Luke Connolly had a chance from the 45-metre line to do what Lowe had done at the end of normal time but it wouldn’t curl in and UCC’s poor record in Mardyke football finals had struck again. Lowe was given the official manof-the-match recognition but Steven O’Brien was a powerhouse for DCU who maintained a relentless presence on the extra-time proceedings. Donal Wrynn was also prominent, scoring the goal that gave DCU a seemingly decisive advantage after a stalemate first-half. Conor Boyle seemed to have sealed the win in normal time, popping up for a late point after keeping Paul Geaney scoreless. However O’Donovan’s major led to some last minute heroics and an extra period, with the trophy eventually taking the long route home. DCU: Tadgh Lowe (0-2fs; Roscommon); Colm Begley (Laois), Conor Boyle (0-1; Monaghan), Conor Moynagh (Cavan); Jack Smith (Dublin), Conor Daly (0-1; Roscommon), Steven O’Brien (0-1; Tipperary); Conor McHugh (0-2fs; Dublin), Donal Wrynn (1-1; Leitrim); Dessie Ward (Monaghan), Conor McGraynor (01; Wicklow), Eoin O’Connor (0-2; Louth); Diarmuid O’Connor (Mayo), Conor Meredith (Laois), Enda Smith (0-2; Roscommon). Subs: Donal Smith (0-1; Roscommon) for McHugh and Mickey Quinn (Longford) for Ward (ht), Rory Connor (Longford) for D O’Connor (43), Shane Carey (Monaghan) for Meredith and Brian Donnelly (Louth) for Wrynn (54), Simon McCoy (Armagh) for E Smith (58), E Smith for Connor (et), Meredith for Carey (BC, 62), Niall Murphy (Sligo) for E O’Connor (69), Conor McNally (Armagh) for E Smith (77).

‘Deep, deep disappointment’ for Leesiders Stephen Barry Editor-in-Chief

It was a Sigerson final defeat which had a raw feeling to it, as UCC were defeated on their home turf by DCU.

“The Spartans used say come back with your shield or upon it; we certainly came back upon it today.” There was no shame in losing a contest by the minimum after 80 minutes, just a bitter disappointment for UCC selector John Corcoran.

PIPPED AT THE POST: Luke Connolly takes aim as Jack Smith seeks to get in a block. Image by: Marc Moylan

DCU

Sigerson Final Stats

UCC

1-14 AET 2-10 1-8 (0-5) Full-time (ht) 1-8 (0-5) 15/34 Scores/Shots 12/29 13 Wides 12 14/23 Kickouts won 19/27 3 Blockdowns 2 13 Frees conceded 22 0 Yellow cards 1 1 Black cards 1 UCC (Cork unless stated): Michael Martin; Fergal McNamara (Kerry), Jack McGuire (Kerry), Padraig O’Connor (Kerry); Conor Dorman (0-1), David Culhane (1-0; Kerry), Thomas Clancy (0-1); Gary O’Sullivan (0-1; Kerry), Shaun Kiely (0-1); Shaun Keane (0-1), Luke Connolly (0-1 ‘45), Brian O’Driscoll; David Harrington, Paul Geaney (Kerry), Conor Cox (0-3,

1f; Kerry). Subs: Alan O’Donovan (1-1) for O’Driscoll (29), Eanna Ó Conchúir (Kerry) for O’Sullivan (50), Kevin Davis (0-1) for Keane (54), Sean White for O’Donovan (BC, 59), Jamie Davis for McNamara (ht et), Thomas Hickey (Kerry) for Connolly (79), Connolly for Geaney (81).

“It’s awful to be quite honest, there’s a deep, deep disappointment. You’ve the game won in normal time and you see the goalie coming up the field to kick the equaliser against the wind. Then you come back and get a great goal from David Culhane and we go a point up. Unfortunately we didn’t press on.

“The team showed tremendous character. They died on their feet. The Spartans used say come back with your shield or upon it; we certainly came back upon it today. We gave it our all to the final whistle.” Injuries played their part, although the rumours surrounding Paul Geaney in the build-up proved untrue as the Kerry forward was declared on the teamsheet before throw-in. “We lost Brian O’Driscoll and we were without Ian Maguire but I wouldn’t be using that as

LONE WOLF: Padraig O'Connor cuts a despondent ﬁgure as DCU celebrations begin. Image by: Marc Moylan an excuse,” added Corcoran. “You have to congratulate DCU, they were worthy winners. They came back when it looked lost; they came back yesterday when it looked lost. They hadn’t any home game and they won it the hard way. So you can’t quibble with that either.”

Despite the array of inter-county players, under the intense pressure mistakes came from both sides, with UCC left ruing theirs by the final bell: “To be beaten in extra-time by a point, it’s not easy to take. We had our chances and we didn’t take them; at this level you’ll be punished for that.”

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UCC EXPRESS | Wednesday, March 4th 2015

Demons clinch the

Sailing Club come out on top in Schull

double in style C&S UCC Demons 112 Ross O’Donoghue Sport Writer C&S UCC Demons are the Basketball Ireland Men’s Premier League Champions after a 112-81 win over UCD Marian sealed a near-inevitable double. The Cork side broke the 100-point mark for the seventh time this season to wrap up their second ever league and cup double, in what continues to be an unbeaten season. They led at the break 65-47 and maintained their recent good form to record a comprehensive victory. It’s an unbeaten season to date for Colin O’Reilly’s side. “We didn’t really celebrate or anything

Grassroots growth on the wicket

UCD Marian 81 at the final buzzer,” said the playercoach. “It was another good win but the title was earned with the hard yards over the season. It was nice to take it with a bit of style at home.” Demons’ unbeaten streak goes back 51 weeks to include the 2014 Champions Trophy, eight games in pre-season and the 2015 Men’s National Cup – 31 games in total. “We’ve won four of the last five trophies, so it’s good recognition for the work that goes on here,” continued O’Reilly. “We’ll take a week off now and then we’ll come together to realign our goals and focus on the Champion’s Trophy.”

Kevin O’Sullivan traces the increasing popularity of cricket as Ireland continue to impact upon the world stage. One Monday evening, for the first time ever, #IrelandCricket was trending in Cork. The reason for this? Ireland, 200/1 to win the World Cup, had just defeated the West Indies, a nation where the popularity of cricket is akin to that of hurling in Kilkenny and former winners of the World Cup. Unsurprisingly, the country went mad. Not as mad, however, as when we defeated England in 2011 and Pakistan four years earlier. You see, the Irish public is getting used to the ‘Boys in Green’ upsetting the odds

While World Cup heroes like Gary Wilson and Kevin O’Brien are not by any means household names, the profile of the Irish cricket team is slowly growing. RTÉ are reporting daily from the Irish camp at the World Cup, radio stations are providing live half-hourly score updates and UTV Ireland are broadcasting highlights of Ireland’s matches. World Cup fever is gripping the nation and cricket in Ireland is receiving the boost it has dreamed of for years.

Basketball –

Men’s Premier League: C&S UCC Demons 112 UCD Marian 81 (Kyle Hosford 25, Lehmon Colbert 21, Shane Coughlan 15); Sat 7th Mar: UL Eagles vs C&S UCC Demons @ 7.30pm in the UL Sport Arena; Sun 15th Mar: C&S UCC Demons @ 3.15pm in the Mardyke Arena.

UCC vs Harlequins in the Mardyke.

Hockey (Ladies) – Irish Hockey League Pool A: Pegasus 0 UCC 6. Munster League Division 1: UCC 2 Ashton 0 (Amy-Kate Trevor 2); Catholic Institute 2 UCC 4 (Katherine Geoghegan, Amy-Kate Trevor, Sarah Browner, Steffi Bowe); Sat 7th Mar: Catholic Institute vs UCC in Rosbrien, Limerick; Sat 14th Mar: Harlequins vs UCC in Farmers Cross.

Gaelic Football – Sigerson Hurling – Cup Semi-ﬁnal: UCC 2-12 IT Carlow 0-8; Final: DCU 1-14 UCC 2-10 AET. Fresher Division 1 Championship Final: UCC 1-6 UCD 0-13 (Jordan Kiely 1-0; Cian Dorgan 0-3; Michael Walsh, Sean O’Donoghue, f, Stephen Cronin 0-1 each).

Hockey (Mens) –

Munster League Division 1: Bandon 1 UCC 3 (Andrew McGregor 2, Gary Wilkinson); Sat 7th Mar: UCC vs Church of Ireland @ 2pm in the Mardyke; Sat 14th Mar:

BASKETBALL: Men's Premier League P W C&S UCC Demons 16 16 Travelodge Swords Thunder 16 12 Killester 17 11 Templeogue 16 9 UCD Marian 17 8 BFG Neptune 17 7 Belfast Star 16 5 DCU Saints 17 6 UL Eagles 16 5 Dublin Inter 16 3

L 0 4 6 7 9 10 11 11 11 13

F 1545 1274 1229 1214 1242 1341 1213 1309 1137 1120

A 1191 1174 1203 1226 1255 1394 1249 1444 1234 1254

BP 0 0 1 1 4 1 6 1 4 3

Pts 48 36 34 28 28 22 21 19 19 12

against the cricketing powerhouses of the world and that, more than anything, is helping cricket to progress at local level in this country. Instead of seeing cricket once in a blue moon on TV or playing ‘cricket’ with hurleys and a tennis ball in the garden once they have got bored of football, children in Ireland are now asking their parents to bring them to the local cricket club. Here, clubs like Cork County and Harlequins are dealing with growing numbers of young kids who want to copy what they see on television and the popularity of the sport is increasing.

Digest

TIMEOUT: Colin O'Reilly's side have beaten all comers this year. Adrian Hogan Photography

Fresher Division 1 Championship Quarter-ﬁnal: UCC 0-26 UCD 2-15; Semi-ﬁnal: UCC 2-13 Dublin IT 2-7; Final: Thu 5th Mar: UCC vs UL @ 5.30pm in Mallow.

Ladies

Football

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O’Connor Cup Group A: Mary Immaculate 1-6 UCC 5-13; UCC L NUIG L.

Rugby (Mens) –

Ulster Bank League Division 2A: Thomond

WATER WORK: Competitors survey the ocean during the IUSA Intervarsity Championships. Niamh Ní Chonghaile Sport Writer UCC enjoyed a successful weekend’s sailing in the Irish University Sailing Association Intervarsity Championships, capturing the major honours after an all-UCC final, hosted last weekend by the Leesiders in the Fastnet Marine Outdoor Education Centre in Schull Despite heavy racing conditions which necessitated the cancellation of some races, the weekend was a very successful one for UCC, with the UCC1 team winning their section by beating UCC2, while the other four UCC teams qualified for the last 16. It was a very successful weekend for those sailors representing the skull and crossbones, having last won the Varsity title in 2006, although they had been knocking on the door, finishing third and second in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

The problem, however, is that the World Cup only lasts for five weeks. After the bubble has burst on Ireland’s World Cup campaign, that’s when we will really see if the heroic efforts of the national team has had a lasting impact on grassroots cricket. In 2011, after that night in Bangalore when Ireland overcame the odds to trounce the English,

8 UCC 27 (Kevin Kidney 2 cons, 1 pen; Brian Vaughan, Charlie O’Regan, Brendan Monahan, Eddie Earle 1 try each); Sat 7th Mar: UCC vs Seapoint @ 2.30pm in the Mardyke.

Rugby

(Womens)

–

Student Sport Rugby League Division 1: UCC 0 UL 5; UCC 39 NUIG 10.

Soccer (Mens) –

Munster Senior League Premier Division: UCC 1 Avondale United 1 (Conor Barry). Collingwood Cup Quarterfinal: UCC 2 Maynooth University 2 (Cian Hill, Daniel Pender), UCC won 7-6 on pens; Semi-final: UCC 1 NUIG 0 (Jason Abbott); Final: UCC 3 Trinity College 1 (Calvin O’Callaghan, Daniel Pender, Rufus Holmes). FAI Intermediate Cup Quarter-final: Sat 7th Mar: UCC vs St Mochta’s @ 2.30pm in The Farm. EA Sports Cup 1st round: Tue 10th Mar: Wexford Youths vs UCC @ 8pm in Ferrycarrig Park.

participation levels skyrocketed only to fall back again six months later. We know that this World Cup will have the same effect initially but the challenge that cricket in Ireland now faces is to retain that interest and channel it into increased playing numbers, increased interest and achieving full ‘test status’ for Ireland.

UCC have proved themselves to be very promising prospects this term, coming away with two podium finishes in every event so far this season. A total of 28 teams travelled from 12 colleges in Ireland, along with three overseas teams from the Scottish University Sailing Association, in order to take part in the three days of highly competitive racing.

LADIES HOCKEY: Munster League Division 1 P W D L F A Pts UCC 10 9 1 0 31 9 29 Harlequins 10 8 2 0 44 5 28 Catholic Institute 9 6 0 3 27 12 18 Church of Ireland 11 4 2 5 15 16 15 Bandon 11 4 1 6 19 18 14 Ashton 11 3 2 6 12 21 12 Cashel/ New Inn 8 3 0 5 8 23 9 Limerick 8 2 0 6 8 22 6 Fermoy 8 0 0 8 4 42 0

UCC

SPORT

Wednesday, March 4th 2015 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 18 | Issue 11

Soccer club clinches Collingwood for historic double

KING OF THE HILL: UCC captain Cian Hill lifts the Collingwood Cup in Eamonn Deasy Park.

UCC 3 Stephen Walsh Sport Editor UCC won the Collingwood Cup last Thursday for the first time in four years, defeating Trinity College in Eamon Deacy Park. This was their 12th time winning the premier trophy of Irish College soccer and adds to one of the greatest years in the club’s history, having already captured the Harding Cup last month for a first-ever double win. The Collingwood success came after a weeklong string of battles, with the final victory over Trinity the most comfortable of the lot. The journey almost ended before it had really begun on Wednesday, as UCC came from 2-0 down to defeat Maynooth University after 110 minutes and 18 penalties. Maynooth had entered as holders and led through Niall Lannigan and Muhanned Bukhatwa goals with 20 minutes remaining. However the UCC captain Cian Hill scrambled in a goal to give the Corkonians hope before Daniel Pender earned extra-time, after a Conor Barry assist, with five minutes remaining.

Image by: Inpho/ James Crombie

Trinity College 1 Two of the goalscorers were sent to the line as Lannigan and Hill both saw red but Charlie Bornemann was the hero, saving three penalties for UCC to eke out a 6-5 shoot-out win.

on by Waterford United’s Pender to O’Callaghan, and the centre midfielder slotted the ball low past Bishopstown native Denis Minihane in the Trinity goal.

The hosts were the next to fall to UCC as NUIG lost to a late winner. Jason Abbott had struck the crossbar with a first-half free-kick but the Galwegians could do nothing to stop Daniel Pender’s placed-ball effort four minutes from time.

UCC who could be found at 6/1 at the beginning of the week to lift the trophy were odds on favourites to defeat Trinity, who were the week’s surprise package, being listed as high as 33/1 when the tournament began.

A day later it was goals from Calvin O’Callaghan, Pender and Rufus Holmes that helped UCC comfortably seal Collingwood Cup success, despite the concession of a penalty to Trinity College’s Ciaran McGahon late on. It has been a remarkable few weeks for six UCC players in particular, winning both the Harding and Collingwood Cups in their first year in college; Charlie Bourneman, Jeremy Bridgeman, Pender, Sean O’Mahony, Pierce O’Riordan and Cian Murphy the history-making sextet. The winners of the 101st Collingwood Cup took the lead on 20 minutes, when a cross from Barry was knocked

UCC introduced former Ipswich trainee and Cork City player Cathal Lordan at the break so as to further help their cause. Within eight minutes of the introduction of the midfielder UCC had their lead doubled, with Pender scoring from close range after Lordan had seen his shot saved by Minihane. Minihane was announced as the player of the tournament in the aftermath of the final whistle on a day in which he celebrated his 21st birthday, although his efforts were not enough to seal the trophy or prevent a third goal. That third was to arrive on 88 minutes as substitute Rufus Holmes, who was introduced to the field less than a minute previous, got his head to a

Lordan cross to beat Minihane from 8 yards out.

Inside Sport Page 22

Longford Town’s Aymen Ben Mohamed was fouled in the penalty area late on and up stepped McGahon to slot the ball past Bourneman for a late consolation. It was too little to late though as UCC held on to win and kick off celebrations on Leeside for the first time since 2011. UCC: Charlie Bournemann, Andy Gannon, Cian Hill, Seán O’Mahony, Cian Murphy, Seán O’Callaghan, Daniel Pender, Jason Abbott, Mark Murphy, Conor Barry, Calvin O’Callaghan Subs: Cathal Lordan for O’Callaghan (ht), Rufus Holmes for M Murphy (87), Ian Mylod for C Murphy and Pierce O’Riordan for Gannon (89). Trinity College: David Minihane, Conor Medlar, Conor Moran, Cormac O’Neill, Dan Vogel, Brian O’Reilly, Ciaran McGahon, Liam Ware, Darren O’Donoghue, Aymen Ben Mohamed, Alan Hughes. Subs: John McDonagh for Ware and Matt Collins for Brian O’Reilly (ht), Gerry Walsh for Medlar (83).

RUNNERS-UP: Paul Geaney’s presence couldn’t prevent a cruel home defeat in the Sigerson Cup for UCC, who lost in extra-time to DCU.