Cover by: Oscar Finn

Issue 40

November 2010

Editor: Oscar Finn

Sub-Editor: Jonathan Keane

Design: Oscar Finn

Contributers:

Antonia Luehmann

Brendan Beagon

Brian O’Donoghue

Dan Huangshou

Darren Cleary

Emma Loughran

Helena Nilsson

Ian Donnegan

Jessica Park Funn Lou

Jojo Chau

Julianne Lawlor

Maiken Woll Eide

Sam Boal

Shane Cunnane

Tim Whelan

Advertising Enquiries:

(01) 4150463

Printed by:

Speciality Print

Griffiti Magazine

Griffith College Students’ Union

South Circular Road

Dublin 8

Ireland

Ph: (01) 4151463

Email: griffiti@gcd.ie

www.gcd.ie/griffiti

Griffiti Magazine is a publication of Griffith Col-

lege Students’ Union established in 2004.

All contents copyright of Griffiti, Reproduction of

any part of the magazine without permission

from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

The views expressed in Griffiti do not necessarily

reflect that of the college or the Students’ Union

A Note From the EditorHi everyone welcome to issue 40 of Griffiti.

The magazine has undergone many

changes since it began back in November

2004 but it has always strived to keep you in-

formed with whats happening on campus

and hopefully bring a smile to your face. This

month the brilliant Maiken Woll Eide brought

her skills to bear in making this months por-

traits of Graham, recently elected Joe Uzah

and myself.

A lot has happened this month and Griffiti is

full to the brim with articles and photos of

whats been happening on and off campus.

We had several photographers down at the

USI march on the 3rd of November turn to

page 14 to check them out. We also have a

great article on the difficulties facing people

wishing to adopt in Ireland written by Julianne Lawlor and you can find that on

page 17. Competition wise we have tickets for you and 5 friends to see Man in

the Mirror see details on page 13. Lastly I would like to say thank you to everyone

who submitted work this month and if you haven’t submitted anything yet why

not? As always we are looking for new and exciting features to put in the maga-

zine so if you want to contribute drop us a line. I hope you enjoy this months mag-

azine and I’ll see you next month for our December issue. Bye for now.

Oscar Finn - Editor

Contents

3

4 state of the union

6 students union news

10 party people

12 super 80’s roller disco

14 students movement - Usi March

16 booze cruise to an early grave

18 difficulties adopting in ireland

19 in focus: fashion

22 griffiti at the movies

24 Gareth Pearson Interview

26 the genuine article

29 movember

30 shamrock rovers

StATE OF THE UNION

Office Opening Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 09:30 - 19:30Friday: 09:30 - 17:30

email: su.president@gcd.ie

Ph: (01) 415 0418

Graham Butler

President

Students’ Union

4

I hope you guys enjoyed all the events that

happened over the past month, some of

which included the Catherine McGuinness

talk, LGBT Karaoke Night, the Glen-

dalough, Enniskerry and Wicklow Day Trip,

the Halloween fancy dress Ball, a Super

80’s Roller Skating Disco and Diwali. Over

the coming months we hope to build on the

frequency and mass of the events that

have occurred to date.

Upcoming, we have the Poker Tournament

upstairs in the SU, a School Disco down in

Arthurs, the International Trip to Galway

and the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare at

the end of the month and a few surprises

in store for the run up until Christmas time,

which I won’t ruin for you now.

I’m delighted to be working with Joe Uzah,

who was recently chosen as the new Vice

President in the Student Council by-elec-

tion. I believe Joe will give the clubs, sports

and societies which he is so passionate

about his upmost attention and

will do a fine job throughout the

year of serving students to the

best of his ability.

In the past weeks, we had the first

Student Council meeting of the

year which was very successful,

where everyone in attendance

had an input. You can read the full

minutes on Page 8. Also this

month, we re-ignited our cam-

paign to lobby members of the

Oireachtas for Maintenance

Grants to become available to

Griffith College student on a

means tested basis. At present,

this is not the case as private col-

lege students are automatically

excludes. With the new re-written

Student Support Bill to be pub-

lished soon, we’ll be pressing all

TD’s and Senators across all par-

ties on this matter to ensure pro-

vision is made so Griffith College,

and other private college students

alike can potentially avail of a

Higher Education Maintenance

Grant.

Over a weekend in mid-October, I attended

the Activist and Officer Training day organ-

ised by USI in Trinity College. There were

presentations and workshops given by a

host of speakers available for Students’

Union officers across the country to help

them improve their working skills with each

other in their Unions, as well as with stu-

dents in their respective colleges. It also

gave necessary and relevant training for

Executive Officers, which would not be

available in their own colleges, including

Griffith. I firmly believe that these gather-

ings that occur throughout the year of

Union Representatives and Class Repre-

sentatives from all around country will,

over time, make the Students’ Union here

in our own college a more effective, effi-

cient and workable entity.

I will be attending the next National Council

of USI at the National University of Ireland

in Galway (NUIG) this month which I hope

to report back on in the next issue.

With a possible General Election in the

coming months, it is important that stu-

dents who are not already registered to

vote should do so now. Voting in General

Elections is the method by which citizens

can express their preference as to who

forms the national government. The pri-

mary function of members of Oireachtas is

to pass laws which shape the society in

which we live.

A draft register is compiled each year and

you have between now and Thursday 25th

November to make a correction or have

your name included. Resident Irish and

British citizens are entitled to vote at all

General Elections, where each con-

stituency votes to send its representatives

to Dáil Eireann. Students living at home

can register in their own constituency or

students living here on campus in the Halls

of Residence can register with Dublin City

Council for the Dublin South Central con-

stituency which we’re in. See www.check-

theregister.ie for more information.

As some of you may know, I represent stu-

dents on the Academic and Professional

Council (APC) which meets every month

to discuss the furthering of educational en-

hancement that the college may provide. If

you have any ideas that you feel I should

submit or express, please do let me know.

Until the next issue, keep an eye on the

notice boards around the campus and our

Facebook page for all the upcoming

events we have for everyone to take part

in.

As always, we’re in the Meagher Building

if you need us for anything!

5

StATE OF THE UNION

Office Opening Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 09:30 - 19:30

Friday: 09:30 - 17:30

email: sports.su@gcd.ie

Ph: (01) 415 0418

Joseph Uzah

Clubs & Societies Officer

Students’ Union

Firstly I would just like to say hello and in-

troduce myself I am Joe your new Sports

& Societies Officer. I’m sure many of you

know me but for those who don’t if you ask

anyone who knows me they will tell you

that I am very passionate about sports and

I hope that I can use my time here in the

SU to make this the most successful year

yet for our teams .

I would also like to take this opportuinity to

thank everyone for their support and par-

ticipation in this year’s clubs and societies.

Clubs

Men’s Soccer

There has been a major improvement this

season with male soccer team under the

management of Coach/Manager LeroyRhodes. With almost a complete new

squad the team have been able to adapt

very quickly to each other’s playing ability

and skill. I am glad to report they remain

unbeaten in the early stages of the league.

•Griffith college 3 - Mater Dei 1

•Griffith College 1 - Drogheda Institute of

FE 1

•Griffith College 3 - St. Pat's College-

Drumcondra 2

Also with a game in hand against Cavan

institute the football team have the oppor-

tunity to go joint first with league leaders

Drogheda. So far we have the highest goal

scorer in the division playing for our team

Kay Oladele with three hat tricks to his

name.

Rugby

Our rugby team though riddled with injuries

will rise from the ashes like a phoenix to

regain our once strong form. With matches

against IT Carlow , IT Blanchardstown and

ITC Cork the rugby team have a tough

challenge ahead and I have faith in them

as I have been actively involved in the

sport and I know they are tough enough to

rise up to the challenge.

Ladies soccer

This year Griffith College is proud

to announce its first ever ladies

football team. For all who are inter-

ested in signing up, contact the

Captain Martina Patterson on 085

7711780.

Basketball

I would like to encourage everyone

interested in basketball to attend

weekly training sessions in st

Catharine’s Marrow Bow Lane

every Thursday from 2 untill 4. I

hope to see more numbers at train-

ing sessions as many matches are

still yet to be played.

Societies

Dance

The dance society is one of the

major societies to start up this year.

Although Hip-Hop orientated, the dance

society seeks to diversify by branching into

other forms of dance such as contempo-

rary and salsa.

Music

The music society is another major society

which we would seek to promote. Only

newly formed the music society has pro-

duced a band with tremendous potential.

So look out for the band as future perform-

ances are inevitable.

Yoga

Yoga society is a society which seeks to

promote healthy living and it is open to all.

Classes are on Tuesdays at 7pm in the

Students’ Union building.

This year there are many events lined up,

so be sure to come up to the SU or take

note of the notice boards around college.

The Griffith college poker tournament is on

Tuesday 16th November 2010 at 7.30. It is

one of many events lined up with plenty

more on the way. This term is now in full

swing and there is lots to look forward to.

Students’ Union News

6

The Law Society in conjunction with the

Griffith College Students' Union was de-

lighted to host a talk on the Law Reform

Commission delivered by its President,

The Honourable Mrs Justice Catherine

McGuinness.

The speech, which centred on the work

that the Commission carries out, along

with its structural make-up, was attended

by many law students in the Conference

Centre Building on Wednesday 13th Octo-

ber 2010. Students were given the oppor-

tunity to ask the former Supreme Court

Justice questions on the Commission, as

well as her role in other areas such as

being a member of Seanad Eireann, as

well as her positions on many Boards and

Councils.

Pictured with Mrs Justice McGuinness is

Bernard White (Auditor of the Griffith Col-

lege Law Society), Eoin McKenna (2nd

Year Law Student) and Graham Butler

(Students' Union President).

At the Academic and Professional Council

Meeting (APC) which took place on Friday

29th October, the issue of a Career Advi-

sory Service arose. Ideally the college and

the Students’ Union would like to have a

full-time facility in place within the college

where students may use these services for

a number of purposes such as creating a

CV, searching for a postgraduate course in

your area, learn about different jobs and

careers, improve your job search skills,

building career skills and professional de-

velopment.

This issue is currently at management

level within the college and will be brought

up on the agenda in December.

Former Students’ Union President

Stephen Stokes, now a Town Councillor in

Greystones, Co Wicklow popped in for a

chat with the current Executive Officers

this month to catch up on the progress of

the Union.

Stephen presided over the Students' Union

back during the 2003/2004 academic year

before the Union was situated in the

Meagher Building where it currently lies.

Stokes is set to become Mayor of Grey-

stones in either in June 2012 or June

2013.

Pictured is current President Graham But-

ler and former President Stephen Stokes

with the first ever issue of Griffiti, published

in November 2004.

On Friday 5th November, the Students'

Union was pleased to announce that the

broadband connection speed in the col-

lege has doubled from 50Mb to 100Mb.

This is something that the Union has cam-

paigned for over a number of years and we

are happy to see this implemented this

month.

This campus-wide roll-out is to meet the in-

creasing and growing demand for capacity

from all areas in the college for ‘gofreegcd’,

which includes the Meagher Building be-

longing to the Students’ Union.

This month marked the end of an era for

the Students’ Union as we had to say

goodbye to one of our most valued mem-

bers. Jacquie Ryan returned this year to fill

in as Acting Clubs & Societies officer after

Paddy Daly’s surprise departure. During

her time here she tackled most of the po-

sitions in the SU including welfare officer

and last year as SU President. On behalf

of all here in the SU we wish her all the

best in her future endevours.

This month soccer coach Leroy Rhodes

stopped by to update us on the success of

the College teams. Here’s what he had to

say: “Being in charge of the college soccer

team for the last 4 years has been very re-

warding for the fact that every year i've

seen great progress.It's like taking a puz-

zle and putting it together.This season

see's the team as possibly having their

most successful season ever..I've seen

good player's come and go each year but

this has to be the strongest squad i've

been able to put together..I have to thank

Paul, Joe and Jackie for their input and

hard work to make it possible for me to do

my job to the best of my ability..I would like

to congratulate Martina and Joanne on

training with the Leinster ladies team.. I'm

looking forward to propelling the ladies

football team forward just like the men's

team so i hope i see more women attend

training.

Students’ Union News

7

We here at the Ministry for infor-

mation A.K.A. Griffiti Magazine

are looking for articles for the

magazine. We are looking for sto-

ries, interviews, features on fash-

ion, sports, college life, social

issues, anything and everything.

We’re also interested in any of

you fiction/short story writers, if

you’ve got something, we’d love

to see it. After all this is your mag-

azine and it is up to you to help

create the content that goes into

it.

You do not have to be a journal-

ism student to have work in Grif-

fiti, if you have an interesting story

to tell then contact the editor at

griffiti@gcd.ie If you are a photog-

rapher and you have a photo

essay but would like someone to

assist you write up the story drop

us a line or indeed if you need a

photgrapher for a feature article

we can help arrange that.

For photographers we have alot

of opportuinities for you to display

your work, First off we have the

cover and with Christmas coming

next month we hope to see lots of

festive images. We also have

hope to have a different photogra-

pher each issue to provide por-

traits of the Editor and the

President and Vice President. We

are of course looking for interest-

ing photo essays, and images

from college and SU events so

get snapping.

This year we are hoping to make

Griffiti more interactive and we

want to hear what you have to

say. From the next issue onwards

we will have a new section called

'Campus Banter' which will be

filled with your comments on any-

thing and everything happening at

GCD. If you want to have your

say there are a number of op-

tions:

email griffiti@gcd.ie with'campus

banter' in the subject line

via facebook on either the 'cam-

pus banter' page

(http://tinyurl.com/32uv4rk) or on

the legendary 'Overheard At Grif-

fith College Dublin' page

(http://tinyurl.com/2ua55zf)

The funniest, most entertaining or

insightful comments will feature in

the magazine.

As you may have seen from the

advert in the last issue we are

hoping to launch a podcast, but

we need your help. If you wish to

get involved drop us a line.

Students’ Union News

8

Student Council MeetingThursday 21st October 2010 – AF301

Minutes

Chair:

Graham Butler – Students’ Union President

Minutes:

Jonathan Keane – BAJ FT 2

Attendance:

Alan Oliver – BAJ FT 1

Anna Vall – BAJVM FT 2

Bernard White – LLB FT 3

Cary Posavitz – BAIHM 1

Darren Cleary – BAJVM FT 3

Darren Reid – LLB FT 1

David Martin – BACS FT 3

David Smyth – LLB PT 1

Eoin McKenna – LLB FT 2

Jacquie Ryan – Acting VP / Candidate

Jessica Forrester – BAIHM 2

Jiho Park – BAAF FT 1

Jonathan Keane – BAJ FT 3

Joseph Uzah – Candidate

MD. Habibur Rahman – BAAF 2

Maiken Woll Eide – BAPM FT 3

Mohammad Jassim Al-Dehneem – BABS FT 1

Morana Mavricek – BABL FT 3

Olamide (Ali) Susan Awogboro – HCB 1

Oscar Finn – BAPM FT 3

Paal Rykhus – Interior Design FT 3

Ross McKinley – BASC FT 2

Sandra Beyer – BAIHM 3

Zhan Sergejev – BAJ FT 2

Zhou Zhiwei – BAAF 2

Zulhkar "Zule" Filandra – BABS FT 3

The first class rep meeting of the new col-

lege year took place on Thursday October

21st. First and foremost the meeting re-

solved the issue of the Clubs and Societies

Officer in the Students’ Union. Acting Offi-

cer Jacquie Ryan and candidate Joseph

Uzah both presented their aims and objec-

tives to the council who then voted on the

position. Joseph Uzah won by a margin of

18 votes to 8. Congratulations to Joseph.

Another hotly discussed topic was the

Union of Students Ireland (USI). Currently

Griffith College is not an active affiliate with

the national union and the council unani-

mously agreed collectively to pursue mem-

bership.

SU President, Graham Butler, outlined the

pros of the affiliation which included Griffith

students’ greater influence in lobbying for

eligibility for Higher Education Mainte-

nance Grants and the training that is pro-

vided to Class Rep’s and Union Officers

annually, amongst other benefits. Annual

affiliation costs would be discussed at a

later stage.

Nominations also took place for four stu-

dents to sit on the Election Supervisory

Committee (ESC). This entails an involve-

ment with SU President and Manager in

overseeing any elections that are taking

place to ensure they are conducted effi-

ciently.

The matter regarding a Constitution with

the Students’ Union was also raised and

will be brought to the next meeting.

To finish, the floor was opened to all class

reps to shine a light on any concerns or

comments they had. Unease was raised

about the arrival of lecturers late to classes

in BAJVM2; the issue will be looked in to.

The rising prices of repeat fees were also

discussed with many students angered by

the rise which many felt were unwarranted.

The Student Council will be meeting again

on Tuesday November 16th.

Below is a list of all the class reps, if you

have any concerns and issues you’d like

addressed, please talk with them:

9

By-Election

A by-election for the position of Vice President, Clubs and Societies Officer vacated by Paddy Daly. Votes cast by secret ballot.

Electorate - 26

Jacquie Ryan - 8

Joseph Uzah - 18

Spoilt - 0

Joseph Uzah declared new Vice President

Election Supervisory Committee (ESC)

Eoin McKenna

Bernard White

Zhan Sergejev

Ross McKinley

Union of Students in Ireland (USI)

Council unanimously agreed the Executive should continue pursuing affiliation. The issue of fee’s was raised but this, along with

other matters about Griffith involvement in USI from affiliation point onwards is to be discussed when SU President Graham Butler

meet’s with USI President Gary Redmond the following week.

Issues brought by Class Reps

- BAJVM2 raised concern over lecturers constantly arriving late. Survey forms from Faculty will be distributed at some point during

the Semester.

- BASC2 brought up that students arriving late causing disruption.

- BAJVM2 looking for how to organise a class party. Super 80’s Roller Skating Disco event for the 4th November mentioned. Rep to

speak with Exec at a later time

- BAJVM3 enquired about the rise in repeat fees. The President informed the reps that since the last academic year, there has

been no increase in the repeat fee. The cap issue is to be looked when further details are brought to the Exec.

- BAPM FT 3 and Editor of Griffiti Magazine Oscar Finn encouraged the class reps to get more of their students to write articles and

pieces for the magazine.

Next Meeting

Tuesday 16th November 2010.

6:30pm.

AF301.

If your class is not represented at Student Council, please contact your faculty.

GGrr ii ff ff ii tthh CCoo ll ll eeggee rreecceenntt ll yy wwee ll ccoommeedd aa nnuummbbeerr oo ff eexxcchhaannggee ss ttuuddeennttss ff rroomm DDeennmmaarrkk

aanndd ttoo ccee lleebbrraa ttee tthhee SSUU oorrggaann ii zzeedd aa SSuuppeerr 8800 ’’ss RRoo ll ll ee rr DDii ssccoo eevveenn iinngg ffoorr aa ll ll mmeedd iiaa

ffaaccuu ll tt yy ss ttuuddeennttss aa ff ttee rr tthhee dd ii ssccoo tthhee ggaanngg ppaarr tt ii eedd tthhee nn iigghh tt aawwaayy aa tt AAnnddrreeww’’ss LLaannee..

II tt wwaass aa ggrreeaa tt nn iigghh tt wwii tthh mmaannyy aa bbrruu ii sseedd kknneeee bbee iinngg rreeppoorr tteedd tthhee ffoo ll ll oowwiinngg ddaayy..

TThhaannkkss ttoo AAnnttoonn iiaa LLuueehhmmaannnn ffoorr pprroovv iidd iinngg pphhoottooss ff rroomm tthhee eevveenn iinngg ..

Thanks to our friends at MCD, Griffiti is givingyou the chance to win tickets for you and fivefriends to see Man in The Mirror at the OlympiaTheatre To win just answer the following ques-tion

How many cities was Michael Jackson goingplay on his ‘This Is It’ tour?

Send your answers to griffiti@gcd.ie

Words Jonathan Keane

Photos Sam Boal, Shane Cunnane &

Tim Whelan

On November 3rd, a student march led

by Union of Students Ireland (USI) made

its presence felt in Dublin city centre

under the banner – Education Not Emi-

gration. A crowd 40,000 strong marched

to the Dáil and the Department of Fi-

nance on Merrion Street in opposition to

proposed increase of the college registra-

tion fees to €3,000 in the forthcoming

budget.

Despite being intended as a peaceful

protest, the day was not without its con-

troversy. Students hurled eggs at the De-

partment of Finance building with chants

including “shame on you”. Gardaí clashed

with a number of students, some of whom

were injured in the discord.

Disturbing images and videos flooded the

net later that day of students being man-

handled and pulled from a sit down

protest on the streets, by members of An

Garda Síochána who had donned riot

gear. One officer can be seen dragging

one male student along the ground by his

hair while another student’s face was left

a crimson mask following the clout of a

Garda’s baton.

Several Gardaí on horseback also

charged at some of the gatherings in an

attempt to move the crowds. Many have

dismissed the actions of the day as being

“Garda brutality”.

However, it is also reported that several

students were responsible for instigating

some of the altercations. Two students

were arrested and charged with criminal

damage and breach of peace, respec-

tively.

USI and demonstration leaders were

quick to condemn all violence of the day’s

march.

The USI said in a statement that the body

“is disappointed by the behaviour of a

small number of people, which occurred

during an incident at the Department of

Finance. This incident was completely

separate from USI’s demonstration.”

“The focus of the media coverage has

been on the actions of a small minority

and this has played into the hands of the

Government”, they continued.

Many of those involved in November

3rd’s march are calling for an inquiry into

the actions on An Garda Síochána.

Whether such an inquiry will come to light

and what the extent of education cuts in

budget will be remain to be seen.

students

movement

16

The average amount of alco-

hol consumed by the people

of Ireland aged 15+ is 12.4

litres of pure alcohol. That

amounts to 46 bottles of

vodka or 129 bottles of wine

per person which puts Ireland

in one of the highest ranks for

alcohol consumption in the 26

EU countries, 20% more than

the average European.

It’s not just adults who are

drinking themselves to an

early grave; it’s also young

people in Ireland. According to

a report by the Office of To-

bacco Control in 2006, 16-17

year olds spend an average of

€20+ per week on alcohol and

over half have reported being

drunk at least once by the age

of 16.

The World Health Organisa-

tion (WHO) has defined binge

drinking as drinking six or

more standard drinks during

one drinking session. How-

ever, researchers have ar-

gued against this definition as

it means this consumption

could occur in an evening of

eating or socialising. New re-

search suggests that “drinking

to drunkenness and repeat-

edly subjecting the brain to

the effects of withdrawal from

the presence of alcohol” could

damage brain cells.

When you drink to drunken-

ness, it increases the chances

of you ending up in the Acci-

dent and Emergency Depart-

ment. Could be because

you’ve gotten into an argu-

ment, been assaulted or suf-

fered alcohol poisoning. One

in four who enters into A&E

had alcohol related injuries.

When you drink, alcohol

passes through your blood-

stream and can interfere with

all your brain activities. Drink-

ing too fast is one of the prob-

lems associated with Irish

people. If you drink one stan-

dard drink in less than an

hour, it means you are drink-

ing too fast and should slow

down by taking a break from

drinking as it will affect your

body functions.

Before, men have outnum-

bered women when it comes

to drinking but now women

are drinking just as much.

Four in ten women are drink-

ing excessively and treatment

centres have seen an in-

crease in women seeking help

with drinking problems.

Reasons for people who drink

can be for socialising, dis-

tressing, emotional problems.

When people drink it affects

the brain so we could lose

judgment, become emotional

and do things we wouldn’t

normally do.

So what happens to alcohol

that goes through our bodies?

Well first of all alcohol will be

absorbed through the stom-

ach and small intestine, which

is why you should always eat

before or during drinking.

Then it goes through your

bloodstream and within min-

utes you will feel the effects

take place. 90%- 95% of alco-

hol is metabolised by the liver,

the remaining is excreted

through urine, breath and

sweat.

Jojo Chau

Booze Cruise to an Early Grave Booze Cruise to an Early Grave Jojo Chau takes a look at how excessive alcohol consumption is destroying Irish lives.

Check out

drinkaware.ie for

more information

The adoption process in Ire-

land is lengthy and compli-

cated. However it is a problem

often overlooked. The availabil-

ity of contraception and the

lessening stigma against single

parenthood has seen the num-

ber of available children, partic-

ularly babies, slow to a mere

trickle in Ireland in the past

decade and with adoption

gates closing in so many pop-

ular countries such as Vietnam

and Russia it is beginning to

become a near desperate

state. You also hear all the hor-

ror stories about children being

bought and sold which makes

it a daunting process to be-

come involved in but for so

many couples who are longing

for a family of their own which

they cannot achieve naturally,

adoption is their only answer.

They should however, prepare

themselves for a long and often

complicated journey.

I got to speak to an Irish cou-

ple, Marie and Paul*, who

began the adoption process in

October 2007. Now three years

later, after having just finished

filling out the initial required

paper work they have begun

the six week preparation

course. From here they will

meet for the first time with a so-

cial worker, then the HSE will

write a letter of recommenda-

tion to the International Adop-

tion Association and they will

then send out the Certificate of

Suitability.

They hope to have this phase

done with by April or May of

next year. They still have yet to

decide which country they

would like to adopt from and

when they do, they could be

facing another two year wait if

they get held up in queues in

their country’s orphanages.

According to a spokesperson

from the International Adoption

Association (IAA) in Dublin, the

waiting times for Irish parents

wishing to adopt abroad vary

considerably. “We are aware

that the total period from ex-

pression of interest to comple-

tion of assessments and

receiving a declaration from the

Adoption Board can amount to

four or five years,” she said.

Marie talked through the entire

adoption process with me. It

was exhausting trying to com-

prehend the obstacles and

challenges they have come up

against so far and it was evi-

dent from her face the emo-

tional and frustrating journey

she has found herself in. How-

ever, with their six week prepa-

ration course underway, Marie

is beginning to see light at the

end of tunnel. “We’re off the

long waiting list and onto the

next one. I’m just hoping we

choose the right country and

that this time we won’t be wait-

ing too long.”

In October 2007, Marie and

Paul attended their first infor-

mation meeting where they re-

ceived an application form and

their number. From here they

had to wait 24 months for their

application to be processed

and their pack to be sent out.

This contained all forms they

had to fill out over the duration

of the adoption process. Infor-

mation of salaries, their P60s,

medical records and also two

references were some of the

requirements.

The biggest annoyance to

Marie was obtaining her Garda

clearance in Ireland. Her Garda

clearance was annoyingly sent

back to her a couple of months

ago because it was found that

her father’s address was incor-

rect on her birth certificate. She

found this very frustrating as it

has no relevance to adopting a

child. Marie has worked as a

youth worker and a special

needs assistant for years and

has on many occasions

needed Garda clearance for

her work and this was the first

time that anything had ever

been a problem.

What worries Marie and Paul

the most is the pressure for

time. All the initial forms that

her and her husband filled out

are only valid for a year, this in-

cludes the Garda clearance.

So from last September, when

she received this clearance

she has a year to find a child

and be successful in the final

stages of the adoption process

or they will have to fill out all the

required documents again.

The Certificate of Suitability,

which gives the prospective

parents the authorisation to

begin their search for a child

abroad, is only valid for three

years and if it runs out and you

haven’t been in touch with the

IAA to prolong it, you could be

looking at another five years

before you have the chance to

adopt again because you have

to go right back to the very

start. For Marie and Paul it is a

race against time.

So far in their journey Marie

and Paul have had a few set-

backs mainly due to the negli-

gence of the HSE. Marie and

Paul seriously considered mov-

ing to Donegal or Sligo when

they first decided on adopting a

child as the whole process is

faster than in Dublin by about

18 months. There is only one

adoption agency in Ireland, run

by the HSE, so undoubtedly

their work load is great, but for

the couples involved that have

to sit around and wait while

their precious time is ticking by,

it is not acceptable. Marie says

that some of their documenta-

tion was left sitting on a social

worker’s desk while she went

on maternity leave and it then

took months to hunt them

down. She also had great diffi-

culty with obtaining suitable ref-

erences because of a lack of

communication between the

board and themselves.

“The HSE never specified that

our references didn’t have to

have children of their own or

that they had to be in our catch-

ment area, so therefore not

outside Kildare. We don’t know

many people who are not re-

lated that have children and

live in our catchment area. So

we had our chosen two and

sent off the forms for them to

Long unbearable delays and frustrating administrative faux pas are only just some of the things that

characterise the adoption process in Ireland. Griffiti’s Julianne Lawlor investigates the process further

The Difficulties ofAdopting a Child in Ireland

18

be sent back because one ref-

erence lived a couple of miles

too far away.”

Irish legislation and policy mak-

ing in intercountry adoption in

the coming years will be bound

by international conventions.

The two key conventions which

will govern this are the United

Nations Convention on the

Rights of the Child and The

Hague Convention on the Pro-

tection of Children and Co-op-

eration in Respect of

Intercountry Adoption.

The Hague Convention is a

multilateral agreement de-

signed to protect children, birth

parents and adoptive parents

from dubious adoption prac-

tices. Adoptions are only autho-

rised from countries that are

signatories to the convention or

which have a bilateral adoption

agreement with Ireland.

Ireland is not yet Hague ratified

but has bilateral agreements

with most Hague ratified coun-

tries. Marie and Paul have

been researching two specific

Hague countries which they

hope to adopt from. It used to

be that you had to choose a

country to adopt from at the be-

ginning of the adoption process

but now you have more than

one option and more time to

choose a country.

Marie and Paul are considering

Mexico as it is a Catholic coun-

try. Mexico looks upon Ireland

as a favourable country for

prospective adoptive parents

as they acknowledge our

strong Catholic customs. How-

ever Mexico is the most expen-

sive country to adopt from be-

cause of the agencies in

America that control the adop-

tions. It is all very legitimate

and this reassures Marie and

Paul because there is the fear

of buying babies through false

agencies.

The costs

are high

due to

lawyer fees

and also

travel fees

as you are

required to

stay in

Mexico for

up to three

months be-

cause the

m o t h e r

holds the

right to her baby for the first

three months. The aspect that

really appeals to both Marie

and Paul is that you are more

than likely able to adopt a new

born baby because in Mexico

most babies are adopted

straight from the mother rather

than from an orphanage. How-

ever with the closure of Viet-

nam and Russia, the list in

Mexico of people from Ireland

trying to adopt has doubled.

One of the requirements ruled

out in the adoption handbook is

that you provide an environ-

ment where the child’s original

nationality, race, culture, lan-

guage and religion will be val-

ued and appropriately

promoted throughout child-

hood. For this reason Marie

and Paul are very attracted to

adopting from Thailand. This is

another country that is Hague

ratified and has a bilateral

agreement with Ireland. Marie

and Paul travelled around Thai-

land in their twenties and fell in

love with

the country.

“We feel

like we

have a real

connection

with Thai-

land and

we could

see our-

selves visit-

ing there

again and

again.”

The IAA

has com-

mented before about the ne-

cessity for a “Grandfather

Clause”, as recommended by

the Law Reform Commission.

Such a mechanism would ex-

pand the exceptional cases

permitted under section 81 of

the Adoption Bill 2009 to allow

families which have adopted a

child or children from a non-

Hague or bilateral country, to

adopt a sibling, with similar cul-

tural and country origins for

their adopted children. The

Adoption Board has stated,

and indeed Irish policy is that

we should be building families,

not creating one-child house-

holds. This is an option that

Marie and Paul hope to explore

if they adopt from Thailand.

Thailand also has a culture

whereby the well-being and

care of their children are its

main priorities. So although the

country is very poor and their

orphanages are run down, they

are kept small so that the chil-

dren in them are not neglected.

It is said that for every year a

child is left neglected in an or-

phanage it affects their devel-

opment by five years. As a

special-needs assistant who

works one-on-one with an

autistic woman, who was

adopted from a Russian or-

phanage 20 two years ago,

Marie is only too aware of the

severe mental problems that

can arise which can be initially

undetected in a small child.

Although the process has been

tiresome to say the least, it is

their desire for a child of their

own that keeps them going and

hopefully by next summer they

will be well on their way. But

Marie pointed out a major point

which she feels couples often

get caught up in and according

to the IAA is not the reason to

apply to adopt a child. She

said, “Adoption is in the interest

of the child and you have to

keep the frame of mind that it is

the child that you are adopting

that needs a home and a fam-

ily, not that you have a desire

for a child.”

* Names changed as intervie-wees wished to remain anony-mous

Julianne Lawlor

20

21

Griffiti At the Movies

22

Title: Let Me In

Cert: 16

Running time: 115 minutes

Release Date: Out Now

This is a stylish and provoca-

tive vampire thriller by director

Matt Reeves and produced by

the godfathers of gore: Ham-

mer Horror. Reeves brought

fear and suspense into our liv-

ing rooms once with Cloverfield

and now he’s done it again.

This is an adaptation

of the Swedish cult horror

novel and movie Let the Right

One In by emerging writer John

Ajvide Lindqvist.

Let Me In is set in

snow covered New Mexico in

1983 and tells the story of an

awkward young boy called

Owen who is tormented by bul-

lies in school and barely no-

ticed at home. He is a social

outcast and spends his time

fantasising of his revenge on

those who hurt him and spying

on the unseen lives of the in-

habitants in his apartment com-

plex. Life seems mundane and

full of quiet sorrow until a

young girl moves in next door.

Abbey is seemingly just as re-

cluse and awkward yet undeni-

ably carefree so it was

inevitable that they soon de-

velop a close relationship.

But all is not right in

this tranquil suburb of New

Mexico as there are growing

numbers of gruesome unex-

plained deaths getting closer to

his doorstep. Grown men are

found tied upside-down to

tree’s with every drop of blood

drained from their withered

bodies.

Owen begins to sus-

pect someone in his apartment

complex but surely it could not

be Abbey; the source of his

new found love and affection?

This film is a complex

amalgamation of a coming of

age drama portraying all its

wonders and innocence com-

bined with the gruesome myth-

ical horror of a contemporary

vampire film. It is offbeat in its

approach and I believe it will be

a cult success with chilling

scenes set to a wonderful

soundtrack of haunting seven-

ties and eighties hits. Some of

the elements within the film

suggest that young Owen and

Abbey are modern day horror

equivalent of Romeo and

Juliet.

If this film were to be

independent of an original I

would recommend it to anyone

with 5 stars but as it stands a

remake I have some issues.

The original Let the Right One

In was such a success in its

subtle and poignant approach

to a vampire film, it reclaimed

some much needed respect to

the horror genre after some re-

cent set backs. No offence

team Edward!

Let Me In lacks this

distinct poignancy and keeps

almost word for word in some

scenes with the original which

leads me to believe it is a point-

less remake. If like me; you

have been a fan of or even

seen the original, then I would-

n’t waste my time seeing an

Americanised version of the

exact same film.

But for those of you

who have not seen the original

than Let Me In is a guaranteed

favourite it will have you quiv-

ering in your cinema seat and

will make you think twice about

walking alone in snow covered

suburbia.

Emma Loughran

Griffiti At the Movies

23

Title: R.E.D.

Cert: 12A

Running time: 111 minutes

Release Date: Out Now

Retired, Extremely

Dangerous. The meaning of the

title, and a stamp on the main

character Frank Moses' (Bruce

Willis) file. It pretty much sums

up the whole film.

Loosely based on a

short comic book series by the

famous writer Warren Ellis, Red

begins by showing us the life of

a former black-ops agent,

Moses. It's a lonely life, involv-

ing eating cereal, exercising in

a basement, putting out the bins

and borderline phone stalking a

customer service agent for the

pension service, Sarah (Mary-

Louise Parker), all scored to a

happy clappy montage tune.

Moses' dreary exis-

tence is then rudely interrupted

one night, by a group of assas-

sins trying to kill him, and

though they manage to demol-

ish his house in the process, he

dispatches them with ease, and

sets the ball rolling for the rest

of the story: find out who is try-

ing to kill him and why, and stop

them.

Along the way, we

meet his old contacts, and ene-

mies, an ensemble cast com-

prising of a chilled out Morgan

Freeman, a fantastically insane

John Malkovich, a feisty Helen

Mirren, and a wonderfully

hammed up Russian Brian Cox.

All play their parts with aplomb,

and it is the acting alone that

makes this worth a look. Throw

in some very well executed

stunts and explosions, and a

decent soundtrack, and you

have enjoyable way to spend

two hours.

This movie doesn't re-

ally take itself too seriously, and

is all the better for it. The plot is

nothing you haven't seen a

dozen times before, so I did feel

my mind wandering at the qui-

eter story driven parts, but the

twist of having the characters

being aged retirees rather than

beefed up agents in their prime,

gives it an interesting feel.

There are plenty of gags to

keep you laughing, like

Malkovich complaining like a

spoilt child: “I haven't killed any-

one in years!” You can also tell

that there is a great chemistry

between the cast, and that

they're loving every minute of it,

though a flakey turn by Parker

does get wearisome after a

while, and you end up wishing

her killed off in some hilarious

fashion. Karl Urban is on top

form though, as the main villain,

scowling and grunting his way

through the film like a bull in

heat.

Though the plot pre-

dictably plays out as you'd ex-

pect, its wit and seasoned cast

make this film impossible not to

like. You know that its mediocre

story should have been much

better with actors of this calibre,

but when it comes down to it,

you realise that its put on a

smile on your face for the guts

of two hours. You can't ask for

more than that.

Brendan Beagon

Title: Vampires Suck

Cert: 12A

Running time: 82 minutes

Release Date: Out Now

Staring no one you

have ever heard of or are likely

ever to hear of again Vampires

Suck is a film that certainly

lives up to its name in that it

has Vampires and, surprise

surprise, it sucks.

This vile piece of cin-

ematic excrement took ninety

minutes of my life that I can’t

get back so at least in one

sense it operates much the

same way vampires do.

Lets face it is unlikely

that anyone imagined that this

would be a good movie and I

am yet to decide who would

hate this more, people who

love the twilight saga or people

who loathe it as this film basi-

cally chews up the first two twi-

light movies throws in a hefty

dose of really bad jokes and

then regurgitates it back on to

celluloid ready to be distributed

around the world where it will

sadly make a profit which will

result in providing the minions

of Satan who produced this

awful mess reason enough to

make another ‘spoof’ of

mediocre movies`.

When writing a review it is im-

portant to be critical yet fair and

balanced so I should mention

some of the films better points

of which there is one and that

is when the credits rolled and I

could leave the cinema and be

thankful films of this calibre

have a large marketing budget

so you will be able to see them

coming and know to turn the

other way and run for the hills.

Oscar Finn

Next month is the last

issue before the

Christmas break so if

you would like to write

a review or write a

piece on what we can

look forward to at the

cinema over the break

drop in to the SU

building or email grif-

fiti@gcd.ie

music Reviews

It must be a near inexpressible feeling to

not only receive the seal of approval of

your idol but to also have their encourage-

ment and words of wisdom. For acoustic

instrumentalist, Gareth Pearson one such

thing happened.

“When the Welsh Tornado hits your town,

get ready for total devastation!” was what

one Tommy Emmanuel had to say about

Gareth Pearson. This comment from Em-

manuel, a legend in finger-style guitar, is

only a mere allusion of Pearson’s abilities

which have already seen him release his

debut record Urban Echoes Vol. 1 and play

the festivals stateside.

You started playing when you were 14.

Were there many musicians in your

family?

Yeah, that’s correct. My dad played guitar

and I’m pretty much self taught. He bought

me my first guitar when I was 14. I got in-

troduced and inspired by Tommy Em-

manuel and that led me directly to Chet

Atkins, Merle Travis and Jerry Reed. They

were my first guitar teachings; they were

my teachers at that point, just listening to

their music picking out how to play their

songs as closely to their records as possi-

ble.

When you started playing did you get

any formal guitar lessons?

No, I could never really afford lessons and

truth be told I still can’t afford to pay for les-

sons! I kind of developed my technique

from just learning and watching how they

play, studying their hands.

So, did your own style just come to you

with time?

Yeah, it naturally developed. It took me

about a year to get more of my own tech-

nique in there but I think for the first few

years I was just a carbon copy of Chet

Atkins and the finger-style of Tommy Em-

manuel.

I got more into the percussive and the

snap beat, that kind of thing. Eventually

then, it kind of created my own style.

How did it feel to be praised by some-

one like Tommy Emmanuel?

It’s hard to believe really, you’re talking

about one of the best guitar players in the

world. It’s humbling and inspiring to think

someone like that is that supportive and

likes your stuff.

How did he become aware of you?

I got to meet Tommy before a show and he

gave me some advice on how to improve

my playing. Then about five months later I

supported him and did opening shows in

Wales and some stuff around the UK with

him. Eventually, he brought me to

Nashville for the Chet Atkins Appreciation

Society and after that then I was doing

tours with him.

I started doing those shows when I was

about 15 and 16, but my first professional

tour was when I was 18.

When did you decide that you wanted

to make a career out of this?

I already decided I wanted to do that the

second I played guitar. The only other job

I had was a paper boy and I got fired from

that which shows I’m not really capable of

holding that kind of job! I always wanted to

be an entertainer and I got a lot of support

from people in guitar and folk clubs, that

kind of egged me on to really pursue this

as a career.

When did you start recording your own

material?

I started recording stuff when I was 16 and

I released my first EP when I was 17. My

first real album (Urban Echoes Vol. 1) has

just been released on the Candy Rat label

and that was when I was 21.

Griffiti’s Jonathan Keane talks to guitarist Gareth Pearson

about learning guitar, writing songs and his influences

25

music ReviewsHave you ever done anything with

bands?

I’ve done some stuff in bands, just filled in

with guitar work and stuff. But my main ca-

reer has just been a solo acoustic guitar

player.

How do you approach the writing of

your own songs? What’s the process

like?

I kind of just let them come to me. I don’t

have any training in song writing. I know

the kind of music I like and I try to figure

out and just write the music that in my mind

has already been written. I try to portray

my feelings through playing the guitar. I

think I’ve got enough technique and ideas

to express myself. I’m lucky that some-

times I can’t express myself so I have to

develop more technique, so they compen-

sate each other.

Tell us about the recording process of

the Urban Echoes Vol. 1.

I first went to Germany to record tracks

with a guy called Henno Althoff who

recorded Tommy Emmanuel’s Only album.

I went from there to Chicago to record

some tracks and then I went from Chicago

to Newport, of all places. I was in two

places where I had to catch planes and

then Newport on my doorstep. I recorded

the tracks there with my brother; I had to

do that, I was having some tuning prob-

lems in Chicago.

How long did it take?

This actually took a lot longer than I

thought. It took about three months.

Why did you choose to re-arrange and

play some popular songs on this

album?

I wanted to express a new way of finger-

style. There are six of my own tunes on the

record where it’s more of my approach, my

feelings and ideas on acoustic guitar.

Then, I wanted to get the feel of more con-

temporary music. A lot of people like to do

jazz standards on [other] people’s tunes. I

wanted to take a new approach and do

bands like Weezer and Radiohead, to try

and get a feel of what kind of music I like,

something to sum me up and what kind of

musician I am.

Do you think that by including such re-

interpretations that it makes it easier to

get your work known, opposed to an

album of solely original material?

I think so; it was a good idea to do them

because it broadens up the range. I do a

track called ‘Blue Smoke’ and that’s one

arrangement by Merle Travis which is my

roots of finger-style. I do some Michael

Jackson stuff, where it’s more of my

favourite pop music and that contrasts re-

ally well. I think it helps people understand

my personality.

What are your plans regarding a new

album? Are you planning more and

arrangements and interpretations or

more original material?

I’m going to be working on my new album

when this tour has ended. After, I got some

time off so I’ll be working on a new album.

I think there’s only about three or four

arrangements that I’m going to be doing on

my next CD, just to finish off Urban

Echoes. This is obviously going to be Vol.

2. I’ll have about six or seven of my own

tunes.

Can you give any indication of when we

can hear it?

I don’t want to put a date because when-

ever people put a date, sometimes it never

gets set. But it’ll be sooner rather than

later.

THE GENUINEARTICLE

26

McARTHUR’SCRISIS HITSS T U D E N TBODIES

By Daniel James

Obesity in Griffith College has

skyrocketed since the introduc-

tion of the ‘Meal Deal Combo’

to Arthurs. The deal offers a

12” Pizza, potato wedges,

seven chicken wings and two

cans of coke for the low, low

price of 11.99.

The Genuine Article spoke to

one enormous victim of the

restaurant’s latest Machiavel-

lian scheme. ‘It’s turned my life

upside-down. It’s such a good

deal but after three deals a day

you’ve spent 36 Euro. I’m a stu-

dent; I don’t have that kind of

money to throw away on meal

deals. I get up in the morning

and I say “ I’m not getting the

deal today” But I’m Just kid-

ding myself, I’m an addict, I

need it, man!’ Said the student

while gorging on a fresh meal

deal and struggling to breath.

Some Griffith students have re-

sorted to prostitution and other

illegal activities in order to get

a fix from the cafeteria result-

ing in a criminal underworld

forming in the college led by

the that guy who works in

Arthur’s with the great evening

shadow... I think his name is

Greg or Tom or

something...anyway...

Fights have broken between

friends who get the deal to

gether over who gets the last

chicken wing. This was

Arthur’s plan all along. They

offer an odd number of wings

so that people fight and end up

getting the deal to themselves

instead in future. This way

Arthur’s make twice as much

profit while students’ lives are

ruined.

But for just 10 Euro a month

you can help stop the surge of

the meal deal on Griffith Col-

lege. Call 1860 69 69 69 and

make a difference today. Unat-

tractive, fat people are techni-

cally people as well, help them

to not be so hard to look at.

Harry Potterbook missingfrom Library

reward iffound.

Contact

Rob

Under the Spotlight

Name: Redmond Quigley

Occupation: Security Guard/ Squirrel Hunter

Hobbies: Hunting Squirrels/ Counting Cars

Likes: A nice long toilet break

Dislikes: A dirty toilet seat

Interesting fact: Has Ireland’s largest collectionof kettles

The contents of this section are satirical and may offend. The views expressed do not represent the views of the SU

27

Smoke machine explodes at Halloween ball, Butler gets high

and vows to use tram co. for all SU events.

There were initial reports that McCormack failed to attend the

Halloween ball, wild rumours he was too scared. When ques-

tioned McCormack tells Genuine Article he was there in a

ridiculously good unrecognisable costume.

Jacquie Ryan found homeless and without clothes on nearby

Camden street after leaving SU

Griffith Soccer team wins match, Heggo springs for pizza.

Butler invites nobody from college to21st castle shindig,

40,000 attend protest in city centre

Negotiations to introduce a third flavour of soup to Arthurs

ongoing

By Daniel James

As you may have noticed the soup in Arthurs

Restaurant is available every day and to be fair it

is quite yummy.

However Daniel James has discovered that there

is only one surviving member of Griffith College

staff who has ever witnessed a selection of soups

other than Leak and Potato or Vegetable soup.

OMG. Yes it’s true, Paddy O’Pluarasi was a lecturer

here many moons ago and he recalls the faithful

day “Twas like something from one o’dem films

you see these days” he wheezed, “I walked into the

place you call Arthurs, only back then we called it

“the Slop House” the food was feckin lovely but

the man that ran it was Joe Slop so that’s where

we got the name.

But surely there were still only, the now very famil-

iar looking soups, in the funky diner?

“Yes laddie, usually there was, but I remember run-

ning down to the post office and joining the cue to

use the only phone for 4 miles to ring my cousin

Tommy in America, Tommy loved soup ya see and

he had only ever had the one flavour”. Paddy

paused here to sip from his hip flask and pick up

his pet cat and place her in his lap as he sat in his

huge winged arm chair.

“So finally I get through to Tommy, and I tell him

what happened.

I walk into the Slop house I says, and I turn the cor-

ner, and when I lifted the lid on the pot of soup

which is the same pot they use today, I seen it,

tomato soup.

I thought it only existed in fancy French places but

no, and Tommy was astounded, nearly put out his

other hip from hopping around with so much ex-

citement.”

Paddy dozed off after that part of the story, but one

thing is for sure folks, once upon a time, there re-

ally did exist a third soup in Arthurs.

THIRD SOUP IN ARTHUR’S

28

29

“A man without a moustache is rather like

a woman with one” said a certain Mr.

Nick Cave once upon a time and while he

has since shed his urbane ‘tasche, it’s a

sentiment we can carry throughout this

month.

It’s November again and that means it’s

the month where it’s encouraged to put

your blood, sweat and tears into growing

the finest, debonair moustache you pos-

sibly can. It’s all in good fun but it comes

with a purpose of much importance and

for a more than worthy cause – prostate

cancer awareness.

Prostate cancer is one of the most com-

mon cancers in men and with thousands

of men being diagnosed in Ireland every

year, according to the Irish Cancer Soci-

ety. Survival rates are increasing, how-

ever only marginally.

Unsurprisingly, Movember’s origins lay in

a piss-up many moons ago but it has

evolved into something its co-founder

Adam Garone never imagined and it can’t

be understated – “The growth of Movem-

ber’s global movement and the spirit of

the Movember community continue to

amaze me each year.”

Movember aims to be to bring awareness

and raise as much money as possible for

prostate cancer research and treatment.

Furthermore, it strives to encourage men

to be more proactive and wary with re-

gards to their health and hopefully, in the

long run, assist in the various researches

and treatment of prostate cancer.

In Ireland, the Movember campaign is in

conjunction with the Irish Cancer Society

and has been rising rapidly since its con-

ception. In 2009 there were over 6,000

registrants, raising €1,015,533, a mas-

sive jump from 2008’s €364,436.

“Movember is our number one fundraiser

in the area of men’s health and men’s

cancer and it has without doubt done so

much to increase awareness of this com-

mon cancer and to get men thinking

about their risk and taking positive ac-

tion”, comments John McCormack, the

CEO of the Irish Cancer Society.

Recently the Waldorf barbershop on

Westmoreland St. celebrated the month’s

launch and was invaded by Johnny

Knoxville, Bam Margera and Jeff

Tremaine who were in Dublin to promote

the release of Jackass 3D. The barber

shop, which was originally opened in

1929 and has been restored to its classic

look and vibe, hosted the event which of-

ficially kick-started the month of Movem-

ber.

So, pop on over to movember.com, can-

cer.ie or waldorfbarbers.com to donate

whatever you can, grow a moustache,

add an air of sophistication to your face

and “change the face of men’s health”.

Words Jonathan Keane

photos Oscar Finn

movember launch at the waldorf

30

It was a great en-

dorsement for the League as

the race came right down to the

wire on the final night. Rovers'

2-2 draw with Bray Wanderers

was enough to give them their

16th league title and deny ri-

vals Bohemians a third title in-

a-row on goal difference.

Rovers had been al-

most certain to end their title

drought for long parts of the

season, but four defeats in six

of the last seven games had al-

lowed Bohemians back into the

title race. Galway United's win

over the gypsies last week and

Rovers' victory over Drogheda

United saw the Hoops reclaim

top spot which despite a tense

night in Bray they were able to

hold onto, and seal, what is a

remarkable turn in fortunes for

the Tallaght outfit. It hasn’t

been easy for the Hoops they

faced near extinction in 2005

after relegation from the Pre-

mier Division and went into ex-

aminership because of the off

field financial irregularities, it’s

safe to say though that the

hoops have bounced back.

What of Bohemians, on-field

success is merely papering

over the cracks that are quickly

developing in the club. The

massive blow of not winning

the Airtricity League means

they lose out on, not just the

coveted three in a row; but the

€700,000 in prize money, and

not to mention the lucrative

qualifying campaign of the

Champions League. Bohs are

teetering on the brink right now,

the last few weeks have been

tough at Dalymount Park, Pat

Fenlon lost his entire backroom

staff before the Dundalk game

as the club embarked on what

they called “aggressive cost re-

duction measures”

The gypsies current

plight is eerily reminiscent to

that of Shelbourne, one of the

most decorated clubs in Irish

football. They too achieved un-

r i v a l l e d

success on

the pitch,

but it was

what went

on behind

the scenes

that saw

the club

enter free

fall in 2007.

D e s p i t e

winning the

L e a g u e ,

they were

relegated by the Football Asso-

ciation of Ireland because of

failure to pay wages. This

came just a short time after the

reds historic European run

which saw them progress fur-

ther then any other Irish side in

the Champions League. The

dream was short lived however

and the heavy investment in

players didn’t pay off and Shel-

bournes’ attempt to artificially

create a successful team by

combining the best players in

the league had failed, after rel-

egation the manager and all of

the squad subsequently left the

club.

Pat Fenlon is the common de-

nominator in both scenarios,

his perception as successful is

largely derived from his results

and accolades on the pitch,

these however, go hand in

hand with his transfer policy

and how much he spent on

players both at Shelbourne and

at Bohs’ to bring success to the

clubs, without taking into ac-

count the

long term fu-

ture of those

clubs. Shel-

bourne are

still in ruins

slaving away

in the first di-

vision, while

it’s become

apparent that

Bohs’ are in

serious trou-

ble.

Many of the

Phibsboro outfits problems can

and should be blamed on Pat

Fenlon. I’m sure much to the

dismay of the Bohs’ faithful. For

many supporters it’s hard to

fault a manager that is deliver-

ing on the field but it has left the

gypsies in a precarious posi-

tion.

Of the three clubs the Dubliner

has managed, two of them

have come into massive finan-

cial difficulties, while Fenlon left

Derry City after just 5 months

citing ‘a lack of ambition’ within

the club. Or was it perhaps that

they were reluctant to spend

beyond their means?

It matters little because at Bo-

hemians Fenlon found a club

that would invest in his policies,

and how it has cost them! Now

they are practically begging

fans for money, as the club

have had to put out an appeal

for supporters to ‘loan’ them

cash which they may never see

again. There’s also little chance

of any business coming in to in-

vest in the club. After all why

would they? With an evident

lack of any forward planning

why would any investor waste

money in a loss making entity

run by wildly under qualified

‘professionals’ with no busi-

ness plan and a product that

can only be described as

‘Fisher Price Football’.

The League is a

shambles, the administrators of

the League are jokers, and the

clubs do whatever they want to

be successful, the naive men-

tality of “Let’s spend €500,000

on players and when we win

the league we’ll make a

€200,000 profit” is just out of

date and unrealistic and has

left bohemians on the brink.

They’re not the first side to be

in this position and unless

proper guidelines are imple-

mented by the FAI they cer-

tainly won’t be the last, right

now for the Gypsies the pres-

ent is tense and the future im-

perfect.

Darren Cleary

Shamrock Rovers exhaled a collective sigh of relief as the club finally ended their 16-year wait for a League

of Ireland title.

the league of gentlementhe league of gentlemen