UCC Express Issue 8

Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 19 | Issue 8

Zoë Cashman - News Editor

Last Tuesday, six young people, aged 18 to 37, were admitted to hospital after taking a psychoactive substance, called 25I-NBOMe, while at a house party in Cork.

The HSE confirmed that emergency services were called to the property on the South side of the city in the early hours of the morning. Gerard Banks, who raised the alarm after hearing “crazy shouting” coming from the house, said the scene inside “was like

something from CSI”.

“The bedroom was covered in blood, walls, floor, bed and even curtains” Banks said. He went on to say that there was a man and woman naked covered in blood, the naked man was smashing up the house and another man was on the floor in cardiac arrest with major breathing problems. “It’s really scary stuff and we need to make everyone aware of these dangers” Banks concluded.

A gardaí statement said: “A

number of young people were admitted to CUH following the ingestion of a psychoactive substance”. Specific information about the drugs has not been released, but the HSE believes they were “new psychoactive substances similar to those products previously sold in headshops”.

According to the HSE, “these drugs can be sold in tablet, powder or liquid form and are consumed at parties or clubs for their stimulant, mood altering and in some cases, aphrodisiac

effect”. Side effects of the drug can include paranoia, hallucinations, gastrointestinal issues and kidney problems.

(Continued on Page 3...)

Drug Leaves Six in Hospital in CorkSCENE OF TRAGEDY: Location of the fatal house party where several died following consumption of ‘N-Bomb’ drug (PHOTO: RTÉ.ie)

Students Educate Elderly on I.T.

Pg. 3 - News

General ElectionBreakdown

Pg. 8 - Features

How To Do Drugs Feature

BYLINE Magazine

Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

Inside Today:College Dropout Rate Page 4

The Reality of Drugs Page 7

#ge16 Breakdown Page 8

Top Fashion Blogs Page 10

Societies Photos Page 12

CCFC Hooliganism Page 14

Editor-in-Chief: Brian ConmyDeputy & News Editor: Zoë Cashman Deputy News Editor: Chris McCahill

Features Editor: Deirdre FerriterDeputy Features Editor: Katie Jeffers

Sport Editor: Dylan O ConnellSport Editor: Aaron Casey

Photo Editor: Emmet CurtinDesigner: Robert O’Sullivan

Byline Editor: Xander CosgraveFiction Editor: Austin Dowling

Humour Editor: Lauren Mulvihill Arts & Lit Editor: Colm Furlong Film & TV Editor: Olivia Brown Gaming Editor: Aoife Gleeson Music Editor: Holly Cooney

Fashion Editor: Jessica NiMhaolain Fashion Editor: Kenneth Nwaezeigwe

Editorial team

/UCCExpress

UCCExpress.ie

@UCCExpress

2 |

Letters from the EditorsNo Death Talk This Week

I Haven’t Slept in Five Days

Powering through the unfortunate events of the last few weeks I’m glad to be able to talk about literally anything else in this editorial. So what’s been on my mind for the past while? Censorship. One of these days I’ll be preoccupied by some-thing fun I swear.

So there’s been a lot of talk about “censorship” in and around college lately. Truth be told I’m amazed the larger discussion around “censor-ship” hasn’t come to UCC before now given the apparent fact that millennials are destroying free speech with our intolerant need for political cor-rectness. The fact that the majority of the com-mentators decrying college students for speaking out against what they see as injustices or social maladies are coming from older generations and judging solely on reports they see from the skewed media they happen to line up with most socio-politically surely has nothing to do with this harsh opinion of people my age.

The recent furore over new Student Centre advertising came and went but the fallout has left an odd bitterness in the air. Not that Yik Yak is typically a hive of positivity but the need-less backlash against Femsoc is gone beyond tiresome. That’s not to say that every comment about the group is hate speech or anything of the kind, honestly the first time I saw “Femsoc CAN melt steel beams” I laughed. However the legitimate hate the members of the society, and self-appointed feminists, have been getting is symptomatic of a larger problem.

As much as I’m quick to defend my generation from accusations of lazi-ness, absent mind-edness, tech and image obsession and any other number of negative traits erro-neously assigned to us, we do share one problem with every generation slinging these accusations against us. This problem is more a result of our environment than ourselves, at least it seems so to me. The media around us and the quick and easy access to it, to an extent unprecedented even a decade ago, has made us a more reaction-ary people than ever before. With such a steady supply of news, entertainment, amusements and “content” it’s become difficult to discuss any one thing in any depth for any period of time. That’s not to say things like the Express aren’t part of this problem, as I see it anyway.

So while the story around the possibly sexist ad-vertising dies away quickly the real hatred built up by a small few for a small few others may last much, much longer. While in this instance feminists are the target, I saw a fair amount of hate be generated during the marriage equali-ty referendum for various reasons toward ME campaigners, often erroneously just called “the gays”. What this hate manifests as at some point down the line beats me but I guess figuring that out would require a bigger conversation to take place. Shame there’s no time for that.

Before you start worrying, title is a bit of an over exaggeration. I want to address the idea of stress in this editorial as this past week I’ve experi-enced what we all go through at certain points in our lives which is lack of sleep due to stress.

I think it is slightly overlooked how much stress students actually have to go through during their time in college. You have classes, possibly accommodation, possibly the cost and stress of public transport or paying for a car, a part-time job etc. There are a lot of aspects to it which need to be considered.

Mental health is an important issue and thank-fully one which is becoming more and more discussed. The question I’m posing is how can we address stress and deal with it effectively, and I guess there is no simple answer. Personally I feel that it is tough when it comes to classes to explain that you were absent because of a mental health issue when you haven’t been formally diagnosed with one. We all have times when we

are feeling low, whether it is on a regular basis or sporadically. Are we at a level where we can email a lecturer and state we missed a class or seminar because we just couldn’t face the world that day? is that considered an excuse? do we need a certified doctor’s note for that?

This is where I feel the grey area arises, and perhaps it needs to be discussed even more so. In light of recent surveys carried out by the USI in relation to mental health and attendance, the statistics are staggering. This is something which affects students on a daily basis. I think it would be shocking to discover the amount of students who have missed classes in relation to some-thing to do with their mental health, and even more so the amount who have failed classes due to attendance levels. Am I offering a solution to this? not exactly, I just think students’ mental health is a viable reason for not performing to their best ability in college, and I don’t neces-sarily think someone needs to be assessed and given a note in order to prove that, as that is stressful enough in itself.

Brian Conmy - Editor-in-Chief


UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, January 26th 2016

Last Friday, 22nd January, two bodies were discovered in the Cork City area. The two inci-dents are said to be unrelated.

The first body of an unidenti-fied man in his 30s was found at around 7.20am by a pas-ser-by at the Cork City Council car park at White Street off Douglas Street in the south inner city. The emergency ser-vices and gardaí were notified and a local doctor pronounced the man dead at the scene be-fore the gardaí cordoned off the

area. A garda spokesman stated that the death is being treated as a sudden death and is not believed to be suspicious and added that the man is not be-lieved to be a missing person.

Garda technical experts carried out a technical examination of the area, but it is understood that the man showed no signs of injury and his body was removed to Cork University Hospital. Assistant State Pa-thologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, carried out a post-mortem as a

precautionary measure as foul play is not expected. It is un-derstood the man was from the Togher area and gardaí spoke to family members in an attempt to establish his last known movements.

A second body was discovered at about 9.40am on Friday morning, and is thought to be the body of missing UCC stu-dent, Colin Ronayne, aged 31.

Colin, who was a native of the Mallow area, went missing in

Cork city early in the morning of New Year’s Day. He was last seen near Wellington Bridge in the city at around 6am on that date. He had been attending a New Year’s Eve party with friends in the College Road area but left the house in the early hours of the morning.

The body was recovered from the river at Kennedy Quay by a search team from Mallow Search and Rescue (MSAR), according to a spokesman for the service. Watchers on the

Marina spotted a body floating in the river near the ESB and alerted the emergency services. A garda spokesman confirmed that the body was removed to Cork University Hospital where a formal identification is expected to take place. UCC flew its flag at half mast yester-day as a mark of respect to Mr. Roynane.

The ‘Up To Scratch’ JCI Cork Community Project, led by final year UCC student, Ali Khan, aims to advance computer education of elderly people in Cork.

This is a Junior Chamber International Cork Project, consisting of a group of young professionals who are committed to advanc-ing computer education for elderly people in Cork. The project achieves this in two ways; fundraising to improve existing computer education services here in Cork and through its online platform uptoscratch.co, which provides necessary information on how to get started in computers.

Whether you’re looking to get started your-self or whether you’re looking to get some-one you know into technology for the first time uptoscratch.co provides information on equipment, on broadband, even a basic curriculum to get going. Anyone looking to donate or get involved can contact [email protected].

For more news and information on JCI Cork’s events and activities please go to jcicork.ie, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

A teenager remained in critical condition in hospital for several days after the incident but passed away on Saturday the 23rd. The 18 year old from Millstreet, Co. Cork, was one of the six people who took ill after consuming a powdered form of the drug at St. Patrick’s Terrace in the Greenmount area of the city. Despite reports that the drug involved was the uncontrolled substance 2C-B, tests carried out by the Forensic Science Laboratory at Garda Headquarters have revealed the drug in question to be 25I-NBOMe, which carries the street name “N-bomb”.

Cork’s RedFM reported that

gardaí “came upon a man lying naked on the road in the area”. Those who consumed the substance by ingesting it subsequently recovered, however, the 18 year old is understood to have consumed the drug by snorting it and remained critical but stable in the hospital’s intensive care unity on Friday night.

Authorities have issued a warning, advising people that there is no quality control on these drugs. The warning covers 2CP, 2CB, 2CI and its derivative 25I-NBOMe, which are known by a variety of street names, including N Bomb, Smiles and Solaris. The HSE’s

statement concluded that “given the serious side-effects experienced by the young people, the HSE Addiction services are issuing a warning about possible contaminated ‘party pills’ and advise people not to consume any unknown substances that they are offered at this time”.

As of Friday night, three of the affected people were still in hospital in a stable condition, one in a critical stable condition and two have been discharged. Dr. Audrey O’ Donnell, a forensic scientist at the Garda Headquarters laboratory, stated that the drug has been linked with

hospitalisations and deaths in other jurisdictions. “We have seen it in the laboratory about six times since 2010”. O’ Donnell went on to state that “a tiny amount - an amount you can barely see - would have an effect on the brain”.

Graham de Barra, writer for TheJournal.ie, commented that the drug issue can no longer be ignored. de Barra went on to write that “the tragic case in Cork is a reminder of the failures in our approach to drugs in responding after-the-fact to emergencies instead of putting in place proactive measures to identify contaminates and high-purity

drugs in the market”.

82% of students have tried illegal drugs in their lifetime, according to the National Student Drug survey, and so it affects people from all walks of life.

Gardaí arrested a 29 year old man in relation to the matter in the French’s Quay area of Cork City on Wednesday evening. He was brought to the Bridewell Garda station where he was questioned for more than 10 hours before being released without charge. A file is to be prepared for the DPP.

| 3

“N-Bomb” Drug Leaves Six in HospitalCover Story - Continued

Bodies Found in Cork City

Up To Scratch-Empowerment Through Education of Cork’s Elderly



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Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | UCC EXPRESS4 |

High Dropout Rates Connected to Lack of Student Support

UCC Names on ‘Most International’ List

Apple Plant Evacuated Following Security Threat

Marie-Louise Keane - News Writer


Aisling Mary Coleman - News Writer

Due to the cost of college fees ever increasing and accommo-dation shortage causing rent prices to soar, The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have expressed their concerns for students ahead of the upcom-ing General Election. The USI have released research which highlights the ever growing link between the high dropout rates in third level education and the lack of student support available.

According to the SUSI group, in October 2015, they stat-ed that the number of grants they awarded to third-level students was up by 30%. This figure is based on the number

of applications they received in 2014. With this in mind, the USI’s survey found that 22.1% of students dropped out mainly due to financial difficulty. Even before college begins for students, the number one concern is the increasing cost of third-level fees. The rising costs of third level fees have also added difficulty in securing grants and so causes concern for many prospective students.

USI President, Kevin Dono-ghue, addressed the issue stating that: “Three-quarters of students who dropped out of college in 2014/15 were wor-ried about the cost of college

before they even started their course. The cost of college came into the top three reasons people dropped out. It proves that the lack of student support such as the Student Assistant Fund, grants and counselling has a direct impact on the stu-dent retention rates.”

The USI registered over 80,000 student voters over the past two years, and so it is likely that students will prove crucial in the upcoming General Elec-tion. With the success of the Marriage Equality Referendum passing due to the large num-bers of students voting, poli-ticians will be targeting their agendas towards third-level

students. For example, Minis-ter for Education and member of the Labour Party, Jan O’ Sullivan, recently announced that if herself and her party are re-elected in the upcom-ing General Election, she will reduce the student contribution fee by €500, at present the stu-dent contribution is €3000.

Donoghue went on to say that: “Fees are far too high and grants are insufficient. We now see that financial strains are driving people out of college and the government still isn’t doing anything about it. These results show that education is unaffordable for many students across Ireland”.

Many third-level and prospective third-level students are concerned about the effects of the General Elec-tion. Kevin Donoghue and the USI have express their views as to what is needed from the next government in their own General Election manifesto, which includes a rejection of increasing third-level fees and of an income-contingent loan scheme. Accommodation is also a concern for students in the manifesto, in which the USI are calling on the government to supply short-term accommo-dation before the issue can be properly addressed.

UCC has made it into the Times Higher Education’s list of the top 200 most internation-al universities.

Times Higher Education used the ‘international outlook’ indicator of the World Univer-sity Rankings to create this list and all institutions in the top 800 of the ranking have been considered, making UCC’s inclusion at 147 a significant achievement.

UCC’s international outlook helps to attract the very highest calibre of staff and students. Both the diversity of the uni-versity’s student body and the extent to which its academics

collaborate with international colleagues are factors among the 13 carefully calibrated per-formance indicators considered by Times Higher Education to produce the most comprehen-sive global university rankings in the world.

UCC Director International, Dr. Christopher Brown, stat-ed that “Recruiting a broadly diverse international student body helps to promote sustain-able growth while at the same time providing a dynamic mix of ideas and talents”.

“In its purest form, internation-alisation enhances the quality of the classroom experience for

everyone, spurs new ideas and combinations in research, and promotes greater intellectual understanding. I am proud of our progress towards making global thinking part of our everyday business at UCC”.

Unlike many Universities, UCC has large numbers of international students from diverse regions of the globe: the goal is to attract the best students not only from China, India, Brazil and the USA; but also from Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa as well, Dr. Brown added.

International students who

come to UCC almost always have a variety of offers on the table, from elsewhere in Ireland as well as from insti-tutions in other countries, but they choose to come to Cork for a combination of reasons, explains Dr. Brown

“UCC’s appeal begins with its academic excellence, both in terms of ranking and employ-ment prospects. Our historic campus, our competitive price point and our warm, welcom-ing community are key factors that help encourage prospects to choose UCC”.

With offices in China, India and the USA, and teams dedi-

cated to specif-ic regions almost everywhere else, UCC’s outreach is indeed global. Worldwide initiatives like the George Boole 200 cel-ebrations are helping to build the world’s awareness of UCC as a University that encourag-es independent thinking and innovation.

Editor of the THE Rankings, Phil Baty, commented that “It is great news for all the insti-tutions in the list of the most international universities in the world. It is a sign of great potential, competitiveness and dynamism”.

Upwards of 4,000 members of staff were evacuated last Mon-day due to a security threat from three Apple plants in Cork; their branch in Hollyhill, the company’s premises on the Model Farm Road and their base in Lavitt’s Quay.

It is understood that Apple received several threatening emails and thus decided to evacuate their premises. It is

unclear whether the emails contained information regard-ing serious packages. A Garda spokesman commented that no specific Apple location out of the three in Cork was targeted, leading to all three premis-es requiring evacuation as a precautionary measure before searches commenced.

The alarm was raised after 9 a.m. Searches were carried

out by Apple’s own security staff, and a full search and risk assessment was carried out by the Gardaí. The Defence Forc-es were informed of the threat, however, the army bomb disposal team was not required at any of the affected facilities, although they had been kept on standby. It was not deemed necessary to inform the Explo-sives Ordnance Disposal Unit (EOD).

Despite the issued threat, no suspicious devices were found on site. Staff affected by the evacuations were re-admit-ted to their places of work by noon, and were due to be de-briefed on the situation at a lat-er stage. Many of the members of staff that were evacuated from the affected facilities are said to be AppleWorks staff, who are employed within Ap-ple’s customer support section.

On January 13 last year the Intel plant in Leixlip was evacuated after a bomb threat which later turned out to be a hoax. The source of these random business threats is not yet known, but investigations as to its origins are said to be ongoing.

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | 5

UCC Contributes to ‘Ending Preventable Stillbirths’

Students from Rural Backgrounds Will be Disproportionately Affected by the Loan Scheme if Brought in After General Election


Chris McCahill - Deputy News Editor

Researchers and Clinicians from UCC have contributed to the Lancet Stillbirth Series: Ending Preventable Stillbirths, which was recently launched globally.

The series builds on the orig-inal Lancet Stillbirths Series published in 2011, which reviews where international progress has and has not been made, and shows what steps should be done to end prevent-able stillbirths by 2030.

Consultant Obstetrician, Dr. Keelin O’ Donoghue, and Healthcare Chaplain, Daniel Nuzum, both from the Preg-

nancy Loss Research Group at UCC, are among the co-au-thors of one of the five seminal papers in the Series. Formed in 2012, the Pregnancy Loss Research Group, led by Dr. O’ Donoghue, is based at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology UCC and Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).

The group are among 216 authors and advisors from more than 40 countries who have contributed to this series. It presents the clearest picture to date of the ongoing progress in reducing stillbirths, as well as missed opportunities leading

to a call to action for ending preventable stillbirths.

Every year globally, more than 2.6 million babies are still-born, according to Dr. Keelin O’ Donoghue: “Of these 2.6 million stillbirths, 98% occur in low and middle income countries and almost half of all stillbirths happen during labour and birth. Most deaths result from problems that can be avoided with good materni-ty care such as the prevention or treatment of infections and pregnancy-related complica-tions (e.g high blood pressure and diabetes). Efforts to pre-vent stillbirth need to form part

of normal healthcare of women and babies”.

The series highlights that most stillbirths could be prevented during pregnancy, labour and birth, and that improvements in global maternity care will also prevent the deaths of mothers and newborn babies and ultimately improve child development. Healthcare Chap-lain CUMH, Daniel Nuzum, commented that “Stillbirth is a tragedy for families and can have long lasting psychologi-cal, social, spiritual and finan-cial impact. Having respectful maternity services that include good quality bereavement care

can reduce the negative impact for parents and families”.

Figures presented in the series show that Ireland now ranks 17th out of 186 countries in the world with a stillbirth rate of 2.7 stillbirths per 1,000 total births after 28 weeks of pregnancy. It is important to remember that this loss of life has a huge impact on families and caregivers, and places a significant burden on both ma-ternity services and wider soci-ety. The Lancet Ending Pre-ventable Stillbirth Series calls upon all high-income countries to set and meet targets.

The Union of students in Ireland has warned that should the proposed loan scheme be brought in after the general election students from rural backgrounds will be the most affected.

The proposed loan scheme would see changes to the cur-rent system which include asset testing for grants and the re-placing of grant payments with loans instead. The USI argues that this would have major neg-ative impacts on families from rural backgrounds and stressed that such students already face greater financial strains than those from urban areas, as ex-penses such as accommodation and transport are much higher

for students from rural back-grounds.

Kevin Donoghue, President of the USI, criticised the proposed scheme which also proposes that students should begin repayments of tuition fees once their income reaches a mini-mum level.

Donoghue also argued that “any implementation of the new proposed loan scheme for students would disproportion-ately affect those from rural and agricultural backgrounds, deter them from applying to college, and widen the gap between urban and rural op-portunities. People from rural backgrounds are more likely

to be on 3rd level grants and so are more likely to be affect-ed by the new proposals, for example 67% of students at LYIT (Letterkenny Institute of Technology) are on the grant, compared to only 24% of Trini-ty students.”

Donoghue pointed out that the most “frustrating aspect” of the debate about third-level fund-ing “is that we continue to pre-tend that we are all on the same playing field when it comes to contributions”. Across the country the cost of attending a third level institution differs greatly between students living away from home when com-pared to those living at home, in particular for Dublin the cost

of college according to DIT Campus Life’s ‘Cost of Liv-ing’ survey is €11,000 a year for students to live away from home, compared to €7,000 a year for those who live at home.

He is urging families and stu-dents from rural backgrounds to vote for a party who will increase student support such as the student assistant fund, grants (both undergraduate and postgraduate), and who will re-duce the registration fee which currently stands at €3,000 a year.

“For many families, education is already unaffordable.” Dono-ghue said. “It should be a right,

not a privilege and while poli-ticians say that free education would be too big a strain on the state, every other country in the EU, with the exception of the UK, have lower registration fees and better student support. Free education enables social mobility, breaks poverty traps, empowers the youth and cre-ates a level playing field where true equality is possible. It should be a priority for the next government, so USI is urging families across Ireland to vote for parties who will prioritise education and brighten the future of their children.”


The Lowdown on the J1Zoe Cashman - Features Writer

Summer is slowly approaching, and if you’re thinking about participating in the J1 programme, I’m telling you book it now. I experienced the J1 last year, and I am again partaking this year with the new system. I’m going to highlight here the main dos and don’ts in my eyes in relation to the J1, and offer a little insight into my experience. These are my personal views and understand that every J1 experience is different.

So, the 411 on the J1 visa. First of all, minor change this year. Students now must have a job prearranged before they go. Honestly, no big deal at all. The companies who help students obtain their visas, USIT and SAYIT, have adapted to this change and are now helping students with interviews before they head over.

So first of all, organisation. It is an extremely difficult and nerve-wrecking thing to establish yourself in a foreign country for 3/4 months. If you ha-ven’t booked it yet, do it now. By getting on the ball early you’re giving yourself more opportunity to find a good job and housing. I used USIT last year and am using them again this year, so I will only be speaking from experience with them. As a general rundown, once you pay your deposit, you obtain an online account where you will receive messages, book your flights and make payments. All in all, you’re looking at about 1,500 euro approx before you even head over, so it’s a good idea to start saving as soon

as possible.

As for jobs, there is absolutely no need to wait for the com-pany to do the work for you. This year I searched jobs in the area I wanted to go to and obtained a job myself. Amer-ica is the land of opportunity and its much easier to find a job there, so take the initiative and do the research yourself.

Location, location, location. First of all, you want to figure out where exactly you want to go. The most popular destination is California. When deciding where to go you must consider various things; are you there to make money or mostly as a holiday? do you want to travel while you’re there? how much money are you going with? California is a very expensive state to live in, accommodation is going to be expensive and difficult to find, but you will also be making good money if you can find a decent job. Cape Cod is a holiday destination about an hour away from Boston. This is where I went last year and had an amazing time. If you want to be around a bunch

of Irish people, California is the place. If you want to immerse yourself in the American culture, Cape Cod is a great destination and has a lot of beaches and things to do. I have not experienced or heard anything to do with any other destinations. Housing costs between 110-160 dollars a week and there is an abundance of restaurants, resorts and hotels in Cape Cod.

A lot of students travelling in groups do not try to integrate themselves with the American people and their culture I noticed last year. I person-ally made friends with a lot of American students and went to cultural things such as baseball games etc. which I definitely feel enhanced my experience. I went by myself but my advice would be if you’re going in a group, make the effort to throw yourself into the culture, you may never get that chance again.

The most important and dangerous aspect of the J1 is your housing. There are a lot of people out there who will attempt to scam you, so be very wary. Last year I lived in the hotel where I worked which attempted to scam me out of money. Advice, do not live where you work. When you organise your accommodation, make sure you receive a lease and read it thoroughly and keep a copy. Another thing, Irish students have gotten a bad reputation in many areas of the states for wrecking apartments and housing. Those who do this give the rest of the J1ers a bad reputation which I feel is very unfair. It makes it extremely difficult for future J1ers to find jobs and accommodation and could eventually lead to the discon-tinuation of the J1 programme. So above all else, my advice is be respect-ful, have fun but don’t ruin it for everyone else.

So that’s the general lowdown. I’ll conclude by saying the J1 experience will change you forever; you will grow as a person, you’ll experience things you never had the opportunity to experience before and you’ll have the best damn summer of your life. So, if you have the means, I recom-mend you go and have the summer of a lifetime. Good luck in your future adventures!


I’m sure most of us are now aware of the tragedy that occurred at a house party on Pouladuff Road last week. Six young people had to be rushed to hospital after ingesting what is known as N-Bomb, a ‘head shop’ drug that mimics the effects of acid. Thankfully, five of those six young people were discharged from hospital, lucky enough to have survived their particular brush with the unquestionable consequences of the suppression of the ille-gal drug trade. Sadly though, one of those six was not so fortunate. I must outline at this point that I am extremely wary of appearing to use such a tragedy to make a political point. Unfortunately though, it is tragedies like this that illustrate the dire consequences of political ineptitude around the creation of sensible and evidence-based drug policy. And so while I re-main acutely aware of the sensitivity of this case, lessons simply have to be learned by all of us.

“It is a stain on our collective existence, when people feel so disassociated from other human beings in their society, that

their first reaction to such news is to display a total lack of empathy”

I have to admit from the outset to being absolute incredulous at the reac-tion of some people when news of the tragedy initially broke early in the week, people who are clearly oblivious to the realities of drug use and just how common it is. It is a stain on our collective existence, when people feel so disassociated from other human beings in their society, that their first reaction to such news is to display a total lack of empathy with somebody’s son, brother, friend and neighbour when a tragedy like this occurs. What is it about someone who takes drugs, whether that be an experimental teen-ager, a weekend party goer, or someone crippled by addiction, that makes them, their families and their friends not only undeserving of sympathy, but deserving of ridicule? If we are truly committed to preventing the never ending cycle of tragedies, it is imperative that we learn to empathise with all drug users, stop treating opinion as fact, and engage in a fact-based discus-sion around drug use, while collectively recognising that current drug poli-cy in Ireland has been nothing short of an abject failure. For some time now, casual drug users, as well as addicts, have been portrayed as vagrants and drags on society. People imagine a drug user as a dangerous criminal. We label those with addiction problems junkies, zombies, and dehumanise them to the point of invisibility. We problematise those who dabble or experiment with drugs, but the reality is that these people are our family, friends and colleagues.

“Wagging your finger, tut-tuting, and criminalising those who experiment, use and/or are addicted is so removed from a mature response, I find

myself perplexed that seemingly intelligent people think it is the answer to a drug epidemic in a globalised and 21st century Ireland”

The Gardaí, our law makers, and a big contingent of the population it must be said, see prohibition as the solution. Wagging your finger, tut-tuting, and criminalising those who experiment, use and/or are addicted is so removed from a mature response, I find myself perplexed that seemingly intelligent people think it is the answer to a drug epidemic in a globalised and 21st century Ireland. One thing we all shared is the experience of adolescence. It is a critical time in the development of you as a person, yet quite cruelly it is also a time when you are most self-conscious, open to peer pressure and crucially, adverse to the idea of danger and risk. Kids don’t take ‘head-shop’ drugs or ecstasy to be bad kids. They take them because they are curious, need to escape, feel pressured or simply want to try something new, amongst hundreds of other genuine, understandable reasons. As a result, ad-olescence is when the vast majority of people experiment with, use, or be-

come addicted to drugs. You may not have taken drugs growing up, but it is highly likely someone in your immediate circle of family and friends did, even if you are unaware of it. Would you prefer that they set off on their journey of experi-mentation with no seat belt, airbag or knowledge of how to drive safely, pawns to the dangerous terrain of the black market?

“Contemporary drug policy has suppressed the illegal drug trade to the point where ‘headshop’ drugs and ‘legal highs’ have

become more commonplace than the more well-known drugs such as MDMA, LSD, Cocaine and Cannabis”

When I was a teenager, ecstasy was the drug of choice, and while MDMA, the base ingredient of ecstasy, is actually quite safe in small doses, the main risk to your health comes from the toxicity of the mixing agents. The situation today is dramatically different. Contemporary drug policy has suppressed the illegal drug trade to the point where ‘headshop’ drugs and ‘legal highs’ have become more commonplace than the more well-known drugs such as MDMA, LSD, Cocaine and Cannabis. And that is the entire problem. ‘Head shop’ drugs are sold off the back of catchy names and the buzz they create or mimic. In order to evade jurisdictional laws, chemical combinations are constantly evolving. That creates a situation where from one week to the next, people are taking entirely different chemical combi-nations, with potentially lethal consequences. Legislatively ill equipped, drug services find themselves fighting a fire that shows no side of abating, with ‘head shops’ and online markets creating back drafts that consistently overwhelm their efforts.

“Adopting harm reduction policies would also almost certainly ensure tragedies like that which has struck our city this week are

avoided in the future”

It is time to acknowledge that we have got it wrong. Legislators can make simple changes to current policy and provide safer environments for ex-perimental users, and better health outcomes for addicts. It starts with, but is not limited to the decriminalisation of possession of drugs for personal use, with a refocus of resources on the illegal supply chain. Adopting harm reduction policies would also almost certainly ensure tragedies like that which has struck our city this week are avoided in the future. For example, in the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, chemical testing units are provided at festivals and nightclubs. Their societies recognise that people will con-tinue to take drugs even when prohibited, and while they don’t turn a blind eye to possession, they recognise that they have a wider responsibility and don’t allow the reality of drug use dilute their duty of care to their citizens, a pragmatic and responsible outlook. Creating a safe environment for drug users is not done with the intention of creating a party at every corner. On the contrary, sensible and realistic policy around drugs has been proven to reduce use. In the 15 years since Portugal has introduced decriminalisa-tion, drug use amongst 15 to 24 year olds has actually dropped. Perhaps the only glimmer of hope this past week was listening to the HSE, and not the Gardai, advising people against taking ‘head shop’ products, in light of this most recent tragedy; a clear indication that drug use is moving away from being a criminal offence, to being of concern to health bodies. It is now incumbent upon legislators to follow suit, and to provide protection to all Ireland’s children, and ensure that this latest tragedy is not completely in vain.

The Reality of Drugs in 2016Diarmuid Twomey - Features Writer

Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

Party Acronyms & Other Notes

AAA-PBPCDFFFGGPINDIND/CPPC

IND/IND ALLLABRNSDSFWP

Anti-Austerity Alliance - People Before Profit

Catholic Democrats

Fianna Fáil

Fine Gael

Green Party

Independent

IND/Independent Alliance

Labour

ReNua

Social Democrats

Sinn Féin

Worker’s Party

*Denotes Sitting TD, **Denotes sitting Senator

8 |

General Election 2016 Constituency BreakdownStephen Spillane - Political Activist / Writer

Cork East (4 Seats)

Cork North Central (4 Seats)

Political activist Stephen Spillane breaks down, constituency by constituency, the top candidates for Cork in advance of General Election 2016.

Candidates: Barbara Ahern (FF), Tom Barry (FG)*, Paul Bradford (RN)**, Pat Buckley (SF), Claire Cullinane (Ind), Ken Curtin (SD), Natasha Harty (GP), Mary Linehan Foley (Ind) Claire Leonardi-Roche (AAA-PBP), Kieran McCarthy (Ind), Noel McCarthy (FG), Kevin O’Keeffe (FF), Sean Sherlock (Lab)*, David Stanton (FG)*Possible Candidates: Sandra McLellan (Ind)*

Candidates: Mick Barry (AAA- PBP), Thomas Gould (SF), Billy Kelleher (FF)*, Thomas Kiely (Ind/CPPC), Kathleen Lynch (Lab)*, Oliver Moran (GP), Dara Murphy (FG)*, Jonathan O’Brien (SF)*, Julie O’Leary (FG) Aislinn Tongue (Ind), Ted Tynann (WP)Possible Candidates: Noel O’Flynn (Ind)

This is a vast constituency stretching from Fermoy and Mitchelstown in North Cork all the way to Youghal on the Waterford border taking in Midleton and Cobh also.

The 2011 General Election saw Labour’s Sean Sherlock topping the poll with just over 20% of the vote, a feat he will find very hard to repeat with Labour’s current polling.

Sinn Fein here are also in a spot of bother. Their TD Sandra McLellan has left the party, but hasn’t yet confirmed that she is out of this year’s election. The independent candidate Kier-an McCarthy is a former member of Sinn Fein who was expelled last year over complaints. This of course leaves a difficult job for Pat Buckley to hold on to the seat for Sinn Fein.

Fine Gael are re-running their two sitting candidates David Stanton and Tom Barry and should see both re-elected. This time round they are joined on the ticket by Noel McCarthy a local councillor and a former member of the Labour party acting as a sweeper here.

Fianna Fail certainly have a hope of regaining a seat here. Running two family Dynasties here should mean they are betting high here. Barbara Ahern, related to former TD Michael Ahern, and Kevin O’Keeffe, son of former TD Ned O’Keeffe, have an end of the vast

constituency each should definitely see one of the two elected, our money is on second time out Kevin.

For the smaller parties there are a variety of candidates running. Senator Paul Bradford, husband of Lucinda, is flying the flag for ReNua. This will be Bradford’s first time running in the constituency since 2009. Ken Curtin is the Social Democrat’s only candidate in Cork and so will be flying the flag high in the rebel county, but how many voters in Cork East will the former FF man get?

Predications: David Stanton (FG), Kevin O’Keeffe (FF), Tom Barry (FG) and Kieran McCarthy (Ind). We believe Sandra McLellan may get the seat instead of Kieran McCarthy if she runs

This constituency is the left’s big hope in Cork. But with the addition of Bishopstown into this constituency it may save the Fine Gael seat in the area.

Last time out Jonathan O’Brien of Sinn Fein topped the poll with 15% of the vote. This hardworking TD will more than likely again top the poll, but that will depend on the vote of his running mate Cllr Thomas Gould who is also based in the city side of the constituen-cy.

If Sinn Fein don’t pick up two seats here, Mick Barry of the Socialist Party (here as AAA-PBP) will certainly pick up the parties first seat in Cork. In 2011 he had 9% of the vote and with Labour’s vote down, he looks set to reap the reward and join the Dáil.

Fianna Fail’s Billy Kelleher is known for the constituency organisation and should be returned to the Dáil. With no running mate to worry about Billy can focus all his energy on the campaign against everyone else. The only possible fly in the ointment is if former Fian-na Fail TD and father of current FF City Councillor Ken O’Flynn, Noel O’Flynn decides to run as an independent. Noel stepped aside in 2011 but may feel he has a chance again.

Labour’s Kathleen Lynch is in the fight of her life here. Following Labour’s collapse at the 2014 Local Elections, Kathleen will be hard pushed to hold on to a seat here. It may take a miracle, but politics has always taught us not to write anyone off, if anyone can pull it off its Kathleen.

Fine Gael’s Dara Murphy too will be in a fight to keep his seat and it may be Labour’s trans-fers that get him in. It has not been an easy term for Dara and he may suffer at the election because of it. Recently Fine Gael have added Julie O’Leary a member of Young Fine Gael and UCC Graduate and Barrister to the ticket in Cork North Central. This is Julie’s first election and is Fine Gael’s youngest candidate in the election.

Predications: Jonathan O’Brien (SF), Billy Kelleher (FF), Dara Murphy (FG), Mick Barry (AAA-PBP)

IND/The People’s Convention


Cork North West (3 Seats)

Cork South Central (4 Seats)

Cork South West (3 Seats)

Candidates: Aine Collins (FG)*, Michael Creed (FG)*, Nigel Dennehy (SF), Jason Fitzgerald (RN), Shirley Griffin (Ind/CPPC), Cormac Manning (GP), Aindrias Moynihan (FF), Michael Moynihan (FF)*, Diarmuid O’Flynn (Ind/Ind All), Steven O’Riordan (Ind), John Paul O’Shea (Ind)

Candidates: Lorna Bogue (GP), Jerry Buttimer (FG)*, Simon Coveney (FG)*, Mick Finn (Ind/Ind All), Elizabeth Hourihane (Ind) Ciaran Lynch (Lab)*, Micheál Martin (FF)*, Michael McGrath (FF)*, Michael Mohally (Ind/CPPC), Diarmuid O’Cadhla (Ind/CPPC), Jim O’Connell (AAA-PBP), Donnchadh Ó’Laoighaire (SF), Fiona Ryan (AAA-PBP)

Candidates: Michael Collins (Ind), Alan Coleman (Ind), Jim Daly (FG)*, Noel Harrington (FG)*, Michael McCarthy (Lab)*, Rachel McCarthy (SF), Mary Murphy-O’Mahony (FF), Johnny O’Mahony (GP).Possible Candidates: Theresa Heaney (CD)

This mainly rural constituency runs from Ballincollig in the South to Charleville in the North and to the Kerry border in the West taking in Macroom and the surrounding area. Rural issues will be a big issue here. Fianna Fail should definitely keep their seat in this constituency and will be hoping for a second in the form of Aindrias Moynihan a local Councillor in Macroom.

On a good day Fine Gael should hold its two seats in the area. Michael Creed and Aine Collins are well known in the constituency, but Aine is the more vulnerable of the two and should Fianna Fail win a second seat it will be to her cost.

There is a few independent challengers who are well known and will make a good shot of taking a seat. Diarmuid O’Flynn, a journalist and campaigner who is heavily involved in the ‘Ballyhea Says No’ protests against the bank bailouts, is running as an independent as-sociated with the Independent Alliance. O’Flynn ran in the European Elections and polled over 30,000 votes across Ireland South.

Other possible winners include John Paul O’Shea the County Mayor who topped the poll in the Mallow – Kanturk Local Electoral Area with just over 20% of the vote. While Mallow

itself is in the neighbouring Cork East Constit-uency, a good part of the north and west of the Area are within the Cork North West Constitu-ency and this will stand to O’Shea. Another high profile name is Steven O’Riordan, brother of Joanna O’Riordan. O’Riordan has been a campaigner on many issues including disability and the survivors of Mother and Baby Homes. He may get a good vote, but will it be enough to get him over the line.

ReNua’s only other Cork Candidate is running in this area, Jason Fitzgerald a farming and community activist. Cormac Manning of Ballincollig is flying the flag for the Green Party, while Nigel Dennehy of Rylan is representing the hopes of Sinn Fein. At the time of writ-ing the Labour party have not yet selected a candidate for this constituency.

Predications: Michael Creed (FG), Michael Moynihan (FF) and Aine Collins (FG)

This constituency will be a tough one for the sitting candidates let alone the new ones as it is reduced from a five seater to a four seater constituency. It also includes heavy hitters in all its sitting TDs.

Fianna Fail are well placed to hold on to its two seats in the constituency. Party Leader Micheal Martin and popular finance spokesman Michael McGrath. These two candidates could end up damaging each other as they fight to top the poll, with the smart money being on McGrath to top the poll, but if the vote management doesn’t go right, it could but Mar-tin’s seat in danger.

Labour’s Ciaran Lynch is in a fight for political survival. The current Chair of the Banking Inquiry witnessed the Labour Party Councillors within the constituency being wiped out in the 2014 Local Elections, which does not bode well for his chances. Meanwhile Labour’s standings in the polls nationally won’t be of comfort to Lynch either. He will either be elected or else his tranfers will decide who does get elected.

The Fine Gael ticket in the constituency is also a high profile one. Minister for Agriculture and Defence Simon Coveney and Chair or the Health Committee Jerry Buttimer form a formidable team. But the challenge will be on for the party to hold two seats in the constit-uency. Buttimer is well known for his on the ground operation and for the fact he has been continually canvassing, while Coveney is a popular politician and talk of being the next leader of Fine Gael certainly won’t damage his chances.

Sinn Fein are putting their hopes in County Councillor Donnacha O’Laoighaire. O’Lao-ighaire who represents the Carrigaline-Ball-incollig area on the County Council is from the Togher area of the Constituency. He beat the former Sinn Fein Candidate, Cllr Chris O’Leary, for the nomination. Expect O’Lao-ighaire to be in strong contention for the final seat, but unless Sinn Fein can improve its ability at getting Transfers, it may be a bridge too far for O’Laoighaire.

Of the Independents, City Councillor Mick Finn, who topped the South Central Ward of the City in the 2014 Local Elections is one to watch. He ran in the 2011 General Election where he polled 3% of the vote. Expect that figure to rise substantially in this election. Will it rise enough to be a challenge is debatea-ble but expect him to feature as we get closer to the election.

Predications: Michael McGrath (FF), Simon Coveney (FG), Michael Martin (FF) and Jerry Buttimer (FG). We believe Donnacha O’Laoighaire (SF) will be in serious contention for the last seat.

Cork South West is one of the longest constituencies in Ireland, running from the end of the Beara Peninsula to Kinsale. This makes it a though constituency to canvass.

Fianna Fail are poised to take back the seat they lost to Labour’s Michael McCarthy in the 2011 election with all their energies focused on Cllr Mary Murphy-O’Mahony. With the Labour vote down and this constituency once known as the most conservative in the coun-try, it could see Fianna Fail returning a seat. While it was expected that Cllr Alan Coleman would be the name on ticket as he came ahead of Murphy-O’Mahony in the 2014 Locals in the Bandon-Kinsale area, but the party went with Murphy-O’Mahony leave Coleman to run as an independent. Expect Cllr Coleman to be in the running for the last seat.

For Fine Gael, Jim Daly from Bandon and Noel Harrington in Beara, seem geographically set to hold on to their two seats. But with the Fine Gael vote down since the 2011 General Election, Harrington would seem the more vulnerable of the two. Jim Daly’s more central location could give him a bump, and the fact that his constituency office in Bandon has also been affected by the flooding in the area can show is not the above the problems in the

locality.

Cllr Rachel McCarthy is Sinn Fein’s hope in this Constituency. In the 2014 Locals she polled 56 votes more than Alan Coleman, so certainly will be in the mix for the last seat along with Fine Gael’s Harrington and the Independent Cllr Coleman.

Prediction: Mary Murphy-O’Mahony (FF), Jim Daly (FG), and Noel Harrington (FG)

Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | UCC EXPRESS10 | FashionPitti 89 InterviewKenneth Nwaezeigwe - Fashion EditorHere at the express fashion section, we like to be forward thinking in the way we think about fashion. We want to deviate from the norm and push the boundaries of fashion so that our own individual style may be better expressed (pardon the pun).

One of the biggest menswear fashion event just happened, I’m not talking about Milan, Paris, New York or London. We’re going to a place where menswear fashion reigns supreme. For this event we’re venturing off to the beautiful city of Florence, Italy to Pitti Immagine Uomo 89.

We got an exclusive interview with the owner of a bespoke menswear boutique called Salinger, located over on Winthrop Street. I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing the charismatic and stylish Wayne Greene-Salm.

What is Pitti?Pitti is one of the biggest menswear shows in the world. It happens twice a year, for Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer. It’s been hap-pening for 40years now. It’s a huge collection of all the top menswear brands. It started off as predominantly tailoring but it’s now branched off into all aspects of menswear including streetwear, accessories, shoes etc. It’s a meeting place for bloggers, vloggers, journalists and basically all top menswear people. It’s very different than ‘Milan Fashion Week’, which happens the week after and ‘Paris Fashion Week’ 2 weeks after and London collection is before it.

What kinds of people would we hope to see at Pitti?You can see anyone from Buyers of Harolds to the top bloggers and fashion Instagram blogs such as @menwithstyle, models like Mari-ano DiVaio, agents like Alessandro Squarzi, literally anybody. All the top tailors will also be on the guest list, most notably Mararo. Top designers will also be there but they won’t be like those you’d find at London Fashion Week. These are the guys who control the market, who control fabrics. They are the guys who design for everybody in the style world. Those are the kinds of people that you’d find at Pitti. They wouldn’t be the kinds of models, designers who’d light up the covers and pages of GQ but if you’re a fashion guy then you might know them.

Who would you say we should look out from your stay at Pitti 89?Anthony Morado. They are quite mainstream in Italy but they aren’t very well known outside of Italy. They’ve put quite a lot of time and effort into their advertising and setup. They’re changing from street and denim to tailoring. They’re extremely affordable but has some-thing that pushes the limits of fashion. They’re also changing from being along the same lines as River Island to something a bit more elegant and timeless.

What can Pitti 89 bring to the Irish Fashion Industry?It brings boldness. It can teach us to be a bit bolder in the way that we dress, to embrace colour, embrace something a little bit different. Whereas at Pitti, guys are celebrated for being a little bit different. Who’s going to turn up in a cape? Who’s going to show up wearing a bathrobe with some Yeezeys? Being a little bit different you’re high-lighted whereas the opposite is true here in Ireland. Falling into the crowd is the accepted thing.

Can you comment on the state of Men’s Fashion in Cork now?It’s much better than it was 5 years ago when I arrived here. The rea-son behind it is that guys are taking more chances, Irish guys especial-ly. Cork has a lot of European influences and African influences which brings a lot of colour, a lot of different tastes so I think the Irish side of it, guys are getting more into it. They’re taking much more care over what they wear, the fit of their jeans, how they look going out. They’ve stepped up their game and they look a lot better. There’s less baggy jeans, brown shoes and the big “pulling” shirt. You know the really loud shirt for attracting girls. There’s a nice mix of street and tailoring. Guys don’t get funny looks for wearing a blazer on a night out anymore which they probably were 4 years ago. There’s a lot of elegant well-dressed men in Cork, a lot of them are over 50 but those are the guys that we should all be looking up to and taking lessons from. There are also a few guys pushing the boat, street wise.

What kind of advice would you give someone starting out?Go around to different shops. Go to little boutiques like Salingers. Don’t be worried if you can’t afford everything. Seek out wisdom from the guys there who’ve good style. There’s a lot of knowledge that can be gained from talking to guys who work in retail and know what they’re talking about. They’ll give you good advice as to where to go. Just start experimenting with your own body shape. Buy staples that will last the test of time and that you can mix and match. Go into H&M, Topman, French Connection, Buy a fitted blazer, a gingham shirt and beige chinos. Play around with what fits you. You’ll find your way. I started with blazers and they’ve stayed with me for the last 5 years. Everyman should not leave the house without a jacket on because you never know who you’ll run into.

Any final parting words for us?“Every man should dress a state above his station so that no one will think any less of him” It’s a quote that has stuck with me through the years.

For more information on Pitti Uomo 89 go to PittiMMagine.comFor more from UCC Express Fashion check out Ken’s blog Dapper Sapeur & Jess’ blog Beyond the Blonde.

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | 11 FashionPhotos Courtesy of: DapperSapeur

Tuesday, January 26th 2015 | UCC EXPRESS | 13 Photos Courtesy of: Emmet Curtin Photography

Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | UCC EXPRESSSport14 |

UCC Soccer Soars Again in 2016

Fitting Tribute to John Corcoran from UCC GAA Club

Death of a Hooliagn?

Fred McElroy - Sports Writer

UCC GAA Club - An Cumann Luthchleas Gael UCC

Dylan O Connell - Sports Editor

UCC find themselves back on top of the men’s division 1 after a 4-0 win against Limerick. The students were very quick out of the blocks against a sturdy Limerick side at Villiers School on Saturday afternoon. They got two quick fire goals in the first 10 minutes from captain, Fionn O’Leary and speedster Gary Wilkinson, Leaving it 2-0 at halftime.

From there, the game began to get scrappy as Limerick chased a moral boosting goal. However, UCC stamped their authority midway through the

second half as Sam Grace rifled in a drag flick and Stuart Miller polished a swift team goal to make it 4-0.

UCC took their foot off the pedal for the last few minutes and saw the game off to kick start the second half of their season.”

Following the sudden death of Mr. John Corcoran, UCC GAA paid this tribute: UCC GAA Club would like to acknowledge the huge contribution that the late John Corcoran made to Gaelic Games in the University over the past number of years. John passed away last Tuesday, January 19th and the students and manage-ment have lost a man who made a massive contribution towards the wellbe-ing of those that he came in contact with and there is huge sadness now that he is no longer with us.

Along with Billy Morgan, John Corcoran oversaw a marvellous period in Sigerson Cup football in UCC with College reaching five finals, winning two, indeed up to the time of his death he was preparing for another Sigerson campaign. He was a great friend, loyal with a generous spirit; we were the lucky ones because we got to know him, the unlucky ones were those who did not. Since October the Gaelic Football Club has lost Billy O’Keeffe, Eric Phil-pott and now John Corcoran, three men who gave freely of their time, three men who will be sorely missed.

When you say the words, “Hooligan” to a modern day football fan, memories of dark and dreary days from the 80’s are conjured up of fights, riots and everything in between. Yet, now in 2014 with banners of “football for hope” being displayed before UEFA Champions League games and advertised to the ends of the earth; can we say those days are honestly and truly behind us?

I’m not going to lie here and I’m certainly not going to try and sugar coat anything. There may not be riots and murders after every game anymore but hooliganism is certainly present in today’s game. I’m not talking about burning cars after a game or people being killed for supporting the wrong team altogether, I’m on about

smaller incidents, more per-sonal ones.

Friendly matches are always a good place to start; not only do they tell us what formations and players are needed for the months ahead, it’s also the place where I first saw hooligan-ism fully in all its hooded and swearing glory. It was late summer in 2012, Cork City FC; my boyhood club, where playing English Championship side Watford on a sun soaked Tuesday night in Turner’s Cross. I was 16 years old and only interested in one thing that night; a night of football, banter and hopefully goals.

So the game kicked off, City passed the ball, Wat-ford attacked and a night of football awaited us. As if mapped out, when City

started playing well and attacking all our attention wasn’t on the players and the game. To be honest, that was just an afterthought with what was going on in the Shed End, where Cork City FC fans where arguing with Watford fans for cov-ering up flags and banners with their own. Around half time tempers flared, bottles and burgers where thrown and before they knew it the Guards where around segre-gating the fans.

Funnily enough, this is the least of the incidents.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to bore you with endless sto-ries, facts and figures. If you want that RTE do a great show on Monday nights, with an extra guessing game of figuring out the panel from former League of Ire-

land players and managers to who scored in the UEFA UNDER 19’S Champion-ship 3rd place playoff a few years back.

Hooliganism exists in many different forms, from at-tacking people to just being down right abusive.

Take a league game between Cork City FC and Sham-rock Rovers in March 2012, where Rovers snatched a late equaliser to deny Cork City their first league win. How did the Rovers fans celebrate? Charge at mem-bers of St John Ambulance and afterwards bottle hous-es on St Anne’s Park and smash windows on cars. Or even four months later, a small group of Cork City fans celebrated a 0-0 draw at home to Shellbourne by bottling and stoning Shell-

bourne fans post match all in the name of “A chase”.

My personal favourite is the “Bohs Baby Crew” who enjoyed starting fights in Turners Cross in March 2013, disrupting a game for five minutes while Guards pulled fans off each other. Or even the Shamrock Rov-ers fans who hospitalised a funeral goer with a fractured eye socket following the 2014 EA Sports Cup Final in Dundalk.

So really, if you ask me honestly and truly, hooligan-ism is alive and well in Irish football and it’s not going away easy.

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, January 26th 2016 Sport | 15

Soccer 2016: Where to Next?

Match Preview - Cork City W.F.C. vs UCD Waves

Dylan O Connell - Sports Editor

Aaron Casey - Sports Editor

Are we ever perfect?

As people and athletes we spend days down in the muck, our faces implanted in the sodden turf dreaming of the tinted silverware. Our whole lives become a giant obstacle to us; putting aside social nights out for the comfort of an early night, sacrificing the cheap tastes of a burger and chips to set meals hunkered down with a sheltered lifestyle. Yet, through the distractions and hard work, come days end; here we are victorious. Back in 2009 Barcelona won an

unprecedented sextuple; dominating world football through their swashbuckling romantic footballing ways, in 2015 Cork Women’s GAA reigned supreme yet again; winning back to back All Ireland Doubles.

Still though, when you stand on that moment of infini-ty, the greatest there ever was; unbeatable, have we achieved perfection? How do you spur yourself on? Questions like this UCC Soccer will be facing this year ahead closing months of the 2016 season. After

a treble and historic 2015, where does one go, how does one improve?

2015 was a magnificent year for Leesiders, with the sen-iors capturing the Colling-wood Cup for the second time in five years, while also the Junior and Fresher sides completing the treble with the Harding Cup and the Crowley Cup. So much so, the year was capped off with the seniors over coming League of Ireland opposition such as Cobh Ramblers and Wexford Youths to reach the quarter finals of the 2015

League of Ireland Cup. Unfortunately, the fairy-tale was cut short by League of Ireland Champions Dun-dalk, when the visitors ran riot in a 5-0 score line at the Mardyke.

In all three competitions, UCC entertain stiff opposi-tion from across the board. Beginning with the Harding Cup, UCC hope to plough through boys from UL to get a semi-final spot against possibly UCD. Meanwhile, across the divisions, the Crowley Cup awaits in in March and the seniors will

be early anticipating the winners between Ulster University and Maynooth University, with a semi-final spot up for grabs.

Could the sides press through the glass ceiling and into the history books? The talent is there, with the victorious fresher’s of 2015 still training away, the jun-iors still training away at the farm and the seniors rearing to go, the skies the limit.

Cork City W.F.C. wel-come UCD Waves to Cork TBC for their first game in the Continental Tyres League Cup at 2.00pm.

The game was originally scheduled for Bishop-stown Stadium but due to ongoing work at the Curraheen ground – the game has been moved to Camden, the home of Crosshaven A.F.C.

Speaking on the game, manager Niall O’Regan had this to say “Sadly the weather has been the only winner over the past month and we go into the weekend in the hope that the weather stays away, Bishopstown is closed

for a few weeks work to try and get the pitch into a playing condition after all the horrible weather. Thankfully we have huge support from some of the clubs in Cork and we have been able to secure the game to be played on grass on the great pitch and set up in Crosshaven. We also have a fall-back if the grass pitch in Cross-haven is unavailable.”

The Leesiders have been busy in the transfer market adding Danielle Burke & Lauren Homan from Pas-sage AFC and Lakwood AFC respectively - both having represented the Republic of Ireland Un-der 17 International Side. Also signing up are Laura Lynch, Roísín O’Connell and Lauren Murphy who are joining from local side Wilton United. The man-ager is hoping to have a full squad to choose from but goalkeeper Chelsea

Noonan has picked up a long-term injury with her cruciate and will be out for the season. A number of other players are fight-ing to overcome the flu in time for Sunday’s game. “We go into the game with only a few players over-coming the flu and will complete fitness tests on them at the weekend and Chelsea Noonan is out for the season after her cruci-ate injury. The game can’t come soon enough for the squad and especially the new signings who are all excited about putting in the jersey for the first time since signing. The team has been training hard and working towards the game with a return to pitch sessions in CIT and to be back on grass has been brilliant for everyone. “

The game is the first in the League Cup with remain-ing games upcoming in January against Wexford

and UCD at home in a reverse of the Shield com-petition earlier this year. “This competition gives us a great sounding board to evaluate the progress of the team and group since the start of the season with the teams were up against being the same as the previous cup group with the fixtures rotated. In the previous game we lost heavily to UCD and failed to score but we improved upon this in the league by getting a goal and keep-ing UCD at bay for large majority of the first half before 5 minutes of mad-ness before half time and we conceded bad goals that day.”

O’Regan is also quick to praise the work his players are putting in, in terms of the fitness work they have put in throughout the Christmas period “Along with this the work the girls are putting in with

Fehily’s Fitness in Ball-incollig in F1T has been invaluable to the players. For us we go into this game aiming to improve upon these results and to be able to demonstrate the hard work that has been going on and off the pitch. The game will be a great opportunity to see the new signings against one of the top sides in the country and we all just pray and hope the weather doesn’t claim another weekend of football.”

Injuries – Chelsea Noo-nanSuspensions – noneAbsentees – none

Greetings grapple fans! This is (to my knowledge) the first article about the great pseudo-sport known as Professional Wrestling to be printed in the UCC Express in its near-20 years in print. And though it is 2016 I feel almost obliged to start this article with the following words: wrestling isn’t real. You may think it ridiculous that that needed to be stated, but if it wasn’t I couldn’t imagine the torrent of emails that would flood our Editor’s email accounts & social media about this taking a spot in the sports section.

Last Sunday World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) held its annual Royal Rumble extravaganza, a show main evented by the eponymous 30-man over-the-top-rope elimination Battle Royale. The last two Royal Rumble matches have been marred by disgruntled fans, both at home and present in the live crowd, expressing their displeasure that fan-favourite Daniel Bryan had either been easily eliminated or not in the match at all, in favour of Dave Batista (who famously

played ‘Drax the Destroyer’ in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie) & hansy Somoan Roman Reigns.

Even before the show began fans openly expressed their displeasure with the show, with some opting to boycott watching the show entirely. Indeed, rumours were widely circulated that Daniel Bryan had not been medically cleared because of his ability to spoil the company’s plans, and not because of the large amount of concussions he has suffered over his near-20 year career inside the squared circle.

On the other side of the rumour mill was the reported signings of Bullet Club members AJ Styles (formerly of TNA & ROH), Karl Anderson & DOC Gallows (formerly Festus & Luke Gallows in WWE) and Shinsuke Nakamura from New Japan Pro Wrestling to WWE. The news broke the day following January 4th’s massive ‘Wrestle Kingdom 10’ show that the four men had been signed, with the signings of Nakamura & Styles confirmed in the intervening weeks. Gallows & Anderson, it

is assumed, are to report to NXT, WWE’s Developmental territory, to assist former stablemate & Irishman Finn Bálor (formerly ‘Prince’ Fergal Devitt in NJPW) in an angle related to that of the Bullet Club’s founding. Nakamura is expected to report to NXT to learn WWE’s production style, but isn’t expected to last long there due to the high cost of his contract. The major rumour leading into the ‘Rumble was this: what role would AJ Styles play?

The answer is a big one. He entered the Rumble at number three to a huge pop, with various AJ Styles chants throughout.

This Rumble was unique in that the winner would win theWWE World Heavyweight Title itself as opposed to a shot at the belt at the annual extravaganza that is Wrestlemania. Also unlike other years the match was devoid of any past heroes & villains, despite rumours of a Papa Shango comeback...

The match was booked rather well, with the match setting up matches

at ‘Mania, including Bray Wyatt v Brock Lesnar and Sami Zayn v Kevin Owens. The match finished with Triple H getting his revenge on Roman Reigns, dumping him over the top rope & quickly dispatching of Dean Ambrose for his 14th World Title. At the time of writing it is assumed that this is leading to Triple H v Roman Reigns in the main event of Wrestlemania in Dallas TX.

Full Card: Dean Ambrose (c) def. Kevin Owens - Intercontinental Title New Day (c) def. The Usos - Tag Titles Kalisto def. Alberto Del Rio (c) - US Title Charlotte (c) def. Becky Lynch - Divas Title

Triple H def. WWE Roster - WWE WHC Title

TRIPLE H REIGNS SUPREME IN RUMBLE

Inside Sport Page 14

Tuesday, January 26th 2016 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 19 | Issue 8

TIME TO PLAY THE GAME: Mr.McMahon & Stephanie McMahon raises Triple H’s hand after Royal Rumble victory (PHOTO: WWE.com)

Robert O’Sullivan - Sports Entertainment Editor

PREVIEW: Tributes paid to John Corcoran by UCC GAA Club following his sudden passing

AJ Styles Debuts At Sunday’s Royal Rumble

ucc sport

UCC Express Issue 8

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Transcript of UCC Express Issue 8