tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67761838498530941042024-03-13T13:48:22.959-07:00The Forgotten Irish GraduateOnce upon a time in the land of bank bailouts......there was an Irish Graduate.... and they all lived in debt ever after! Feisty and fluent in sarcasm... this is one graduate who refuses to be forgotten!!
Follow me on Twitter @graduate_irishUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-48489178763710638802014-03-18T09:03:00.000-07:002014-03-18T09:03:17.233-07:00Syria: Three Years On<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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9
million Syrians have been uprooted from their homes; half of the people
displaced are children; 2.5 million Syrians have registered as refugees in
neighbouring countries; this is Syria three years on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
Since
the Syrian conflict erupted, Syria has become the world’s leading country of
forced displacement. As of today 2,563,434 Syrians have registered as refugees
or are awaiting registration in neighbouring countries.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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In a
statement released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Friday, António
Guterres said “It is unconscionable that a humanitarian catastrophe of this
scale is unfolding before our eyes with no meaningful progress to stop the
bloodshed.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
surrounding region of Syria is expected to become the largest refugee
population in the world. Lebanon, for example, has the highest per-capital
concentration of refugees of any country in recent history. The number of
registered refugees in Lebanon that hail from Syria could grow to 1.6 million by
the end of 2014. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Imagine
the crushing social and economic consequences of this crisis on Lebanon and
other countries in the region,” Guterres added.<o:p></o:p></div>
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International support, beyond the parameters
of the immediate neighbouring region of Syria, is integral. For example, in
Europe, 56,000 asylum applications have been submitted by Syrians since March
2011 when the conflict began.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br />
A mere 4% of Syrians who have fled from their
native land have sought safety in Europe. But this trend is rising, however
with grave consequences. An increasing number of Syrians are putting their
lives in the hands of human smugglers, resultant of which has been the tragic
death of 250 Syrians, who died whilst attempting to cross the Mediterranean. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br />
Furthermore,
borders are being closed to Syrians in some instances. “What kind of a world is
this where Syrians fleeing this violent conflict have to risk their lives to
reach safety, and when they finally make it, they are not welcomed or even
turned away at borders?” Guterres said. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">UNCHR have played an instrumental role in ensuring that those seeking
asylum in other countries should be able to do so. UNCHR, alongside UNICEF
worked with the country’s Ministry of Education to get 30,000 refugee children
in to the public school system in Lebanon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In addition to their work in the realm of education, UNICEF Ireland
Ambassador, Donncha O’Callaghan, travelled to the Beka region in Lebanon in
June 2013. “What I saw out there absolutely shocked me. I couldn’t believe the
dire state of it all”, Donncaha said, upon his return. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">It saddened him greatly to see children suffering from severe
infections due to dirty water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">“Imagine not being able to get a drink, a small basic human need”,
he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">During his time in Lebanon, Donncha spent time on a special
caravan that travels throughout the entire Bekaa region, providing trauma
counselling and therapy for children. These therapy sessions run by UNICEF are
designed to help children cope and survive the mental and physical trauma of
the Syrian conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Donncha has been an Ambassador for UNICEF since August 2009, but
the pressures the renowned Munster rugby star feel accompany such a title are
much greater than those he ever feels when on a rugby pitch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The UNICEF Ireland Ambassador understands the gravity of the
Syrian crisis; “I’ve stood for anthems 94 times but I’ve never felt the pressure
to get a story across than I have for things like this”, he said at the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">3 years on, it is a crisis that must not be forgotten. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">To help the displaced, log onto </span><a href="http://www.unicef.ie/">www.unicef.ie</a><span style="color: black;"> or </span><a href="http://www.unchr.org/">www.unchr.org</a><span style="color: black;"> and pledge your support
today.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> -</span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The Forgotten Irish Graduate, March 2014</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-65368301366841060492013-04-29T12:19:00.002-07:002013-04-29T12:26:14.579-07:00Your Gender: A Drawback in Professional Sport?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In 1918, Irish
women exercised their right to vote for the first time; in the same year, the
nation elected the first woman to parliament, Constance Markievicz; and in 1990,
Ireland elected its first female president, Mary Robinson. These are not only
milestones in Irish history; they are also milestones on an elongated path
towards gender equality. Ireland’s feminists however believe that women are
still not pari passu to men despite the aforementioned female attainments.
There is indeed veracity in their beliefs. In the past year, there has been a
plethora of information published on the topic of the gender pay gap, whereby a
report by the European Commission detailed a 17% gender pay gap in Ireland, and
also political gender inequality, whereby only 15% of politicians in Dáil
Éireann are female.<span> </span>Such statistics
suggest that a culture of gender inequality prevails. Yet one such area rarely
alluded to in Irish literature or media is that of Gender Equality in Sport, or
rather the lack thereof.<span> </span>It is an issue
of grave salience and one which must be tackled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Does gender serve as a limitation in the pursuit of a
professional sporting career?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Brian
O’Driscoll, Jamie Heaslip and Paul O’Connell are renowned full time
professional rugby players, who also play at international level. Fiona
Coghlan, Niamh Briggs, and Lynne Cantwell also represent their country at
international level on the Irish Women’s Rugby Team. However, there is one
major difference between the male and female Irish rugby teams, all male
members of the Irish rugby team are full time professional rugby players, whereas
the ladies rugby team are deemed amateur sportspeople. The Irish Times <i>(2012)</i> once described rugby as ‘<i>just the day job’ </i>for Jamie Heaslip, yet
his female counterparts do not enjoy the same luxury, for them it is entirely
amateur. Fiona Coghlan, Niamh Briggs and Lynne Cantwell have full-time careers
off the rugby pitch, namely, teaching, the Gardaí, and physiotherapy
respectively. So whilst their male counterparts can pursue rugby as a
professional sporting career, females must maintain another career, and pursue
rugby as a mere hobby. This is one such example of gender inequality in the
sporting arena. Both groups train at the same level, compete at the same level,
yet do not enjoy the same equality in terms of funding, media coverage, and
appreciation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In rugby in
particular there remains gender inequality in Ireland. Fiona Coghlan*, Captain
of the Irish Ladies Rugby team, said of this <i>‘It is not an option to be a professional female rugby player in
Ireland. In other countries where women’s rugby is semi-professional or
professional it is still incomparable to the men’s professional game, as the
women’s wage for example would be far less than the men’s’. </i>Quite simply if
a female wants to pursue a professional career in rugby in Ireland it is not
possible. The IRFU do not appear to be amending this status, they are merely
amateurs, who choose to dedicate themselves to the cause at international
level, whilst they must sustain their respective full-time jobs. Admirably, it
is their wanting and hunger for success as a ladies team that sees them don the
infamous green jersey, not the hefty wage or the lucrative sports deals unlike
their male counterparts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The role the
media plays in the coverage of sports has also a significant impact on gender
equality. Sports coverage, including both television and print, favour male
sporting events. Dublin’s Sport and Recreational Council <i>(2007)</i> conducted an investigation into this matter in 2007. During
their study, they counted the number of photographs of sportsmen and sports
women in six prominent Irish National Newspapers over a 15 day time period. The
chosen newspapers comprised The Irish Times, The Irish Examiner, The Irish
Independent, The Irish Star, The Irish Sun, and The Irish Mirror. The results
illustrated that in 2007, 1.2% of the photos in the aforementioned Irish
National Newspapers were that of sportswomen. This figure decreased
considerably when compared to their previous study conducted in 2005, which
noted 3.3% of photos were of women. In 2007, overall during the three week
period sampled, there were 6,503 images of sportspeople in the National Newspapers;
of these 6,425 were images of male sporting professionals, whereas a meagre 78
images were that of female sporting professionals. These figures highlight the
injustice in the coverage of sport in the media, the inequality female sporting
professionals must contend with despite their prowess in their chosen sports
field. In their study, Dublin’s Sport and Recreational Council noted that the
explanation for the underrepresentation of women in the sports pages of
national newspapers was simply due to the fact that a greater proportion of men
than women read the sports pages and so; they suggest newspapers tailor the
material included in the sports pages to suit the readership. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the United
States, over 40% of men watch female sports <i>(Massey,
2012). </i>The same literature also referred to the fact that only three covers
of <i>Sports Illustrated </i>were dedicated
to women. Male professional sporting events dominate the airwaves, the
internet, and television. The only women’s sports that are given major
television coverage are generally tennis, and less frequently, golf. In their
academic paper entitled, <i>‘Gender in
Televised Sports: News and Highlights Shows, 1989-2009, </i>Messner and Cooky <i>(June 2010)</i> utilising the United States
as their study, found that male sporting events received 96.3% of the airtime,
whilst women’s sports received 1.6%, and gender neutral topics 2.1%. Their
findings also demonstrated that ESPN’s nationally-televised programme, namely <i>SportsCenter</i>, allocated only 1.4% of its
airtime to coverage of female sport. Another noteworthy indication of gender
inequality within professional sport illustrated by this study was that 100% of
the <i>SportsCenter</i> programmes and also,
100% of sports news shows in their sample study led with men’s sports story, as
opposed to that of a female. In general it was observed that lead stories are
among the lengthiest story in the broadcast, containing the highest production
values. These statistics are indeed all indicators of gender inequality in the
professional sporting arena. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">When asked if
she felt media coverage favoured men over women in the sports ground Coghlan
made a well substantiated point; <i>‘Open
any paper, turn on the sports news there is very little coverage of Women’s
Sport.<span> </span>I don’t necessarily just blame
media outlets as society is to blame for this and how we respect Women in sport’.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Irish
Ladies Rugby Team won their first ever Grand Slam on March 17<sup>th</sup>,
2013, beating Italy 6 – 3 <i>(The Irish
Examiner, 2013)</i>. Social media, broadcast and print media went into
overdrive. Suddenly we had a rugby team to be proud of. A mere two weeks
previous they had been catapulted into the limelight with a victory over
Scotland in the Six Nations Championship, when it was reported they were on
track to win their first ever Grand Slam, and given the mediocre performance of
the men’s side this year, all eyes turned to the ladies. The media wanted to
report the success story, and so the women’s side began to fill the column inches
and news bulletins for a number of weeks. RTÉ <i>(2013) </i>made the announcement that it would broadcast the Six
Nations female clash between Ireland and Italy. This was the first time the
state broadcaster had shown a live women’s rugby game. Prior to this, female
rugby was not broadcast, and was largely unreported in the media, despite the
international playing field upon which the ladies played.<span> </span>Ryle Nugent, Head of RTÉ Sport, said of the
decision to broadcast this game live, <i>‘This
is a significant investment by RTÉ in the women’s game’</i>. This is
undoubtedly extremely offensive, and such an example emphasises the widespread
nature of gender inequality in sports coverage, and indeed society’s perception
of women in sport. Coghlan has potent opinions on this issue stating; <i>‘How many of Katie Taylor’s fights were
broadcast prior to the Olympics, very few. How many women’s rugby games were
broadcast prior to the Grand Slam decider this year, the answer is none. Now
that we have achieved success will these events be broadcast in the future,
probably not</i>.’ Herein lies the saddening reality of gender inequality in
sport. Our female sporting stars are unappreciated, unacknowledged, and largely
unknown. They are representing our country remarkably with such sporting prowess
and athletic ability, yet they will merely amount to onetime headlines, only
when they attain the highest levels of success unlike their male counterparts
who enjoy headlines on a daily basis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Irish Times
<i>(2004)</i> published an article by Kevin
Myers in 2004 which was an attempt to absolutely demolish the credibility of
women in sport. His article was a reactive piece to a TD, namely Jimmy
Deenihan, and his suggestion that the Irish media needed to cover women in sport
more frequently. Myers, like previous studies alluded to earlier, pointed out
that the only sporting events worldwide involving women which attract large
crowds are those held in conjunction with men’s events, such as athletics and
tennis. His scathing attack on women in sport went so far as to insult their
sporting ability, stating <i>‘We don’t want
to watch women playing sports because, generally speaking, they’re not very
good. They’re small and they’re weak and they’re slow, and watching an average
woman thrown an object is a deeply moving tragedy.’</i> It was Myers belief
that the reason less images are dedicated to females in the sports pages of
newspapers, because it was the truth, that men triumph in the sporting arena
and so this should be showcased. Research conducted by Dublin’s Sport and
Recreational Council revealed that this notion that men should dominate the
sports pages has been subconsciously influenced by the reader’s perception of
reality. Coghlan also alluded to the need for a change in mentality for gender
equality to ensue, saying <i>‘we would need
society to have a shift and respect Sport for Sport and don’t make it gender
specific. This would take some time and I’m not sure it will ever happen.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<h3 style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">There is little academic
literature available in the realm of Irish sporting professional salaries
across both genders. The fact that female sports in Ireland remain <i>amateur </i>whereas their male counterparts play
professionally, and thus experience immense wages for the same level of
training and commitment may indeed explain the lack of research in this field.
However, in the United States extensive research has been conducted in this
area. It is unsurprising that the wage discrepancies are great. Massey <i>(2012)</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">identifies that a WNBA player in
the 2005 season had a minimum salary of $31,000 and a maximum of $80,000. Their
male counterparts in the NBA circuit during the same season enjoyed a minimum
salary of $385,277 to a maximum of $15.3 million. In soccer in the U.S., the
female team were given a salary of $25,000 each, whereas the men’s team
received $200,000 each. Such statistics reveal that gender equality in sport,
is but a utopian dream. <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">Kane <i>(2011)
</i>denoted that a vast empirical body of evidence has been amassed over the
past three decades which suggests that women are more likely to be portrayed in
such a way as to accentuate their femininity and heterosexuality as opposed to
their sporting proficiency. Academic research according to Kane, has suggested
that the media’s fondness toward sexualising women’s sporting accomplishments
reinforces their status as second class citizens. In doing so, this calls
gender inequality universally in all aspects of life into question. The
sexualising of media images of females in professional sport in fact suppresses
interest in and respect for women’s sport. One notable example is that of
Lindsey Vonn, an American Alpine Skier, who won gold at the Vancouver Winter
Olympics 2010. Vonn was the first American woman to achieve such an accolade,
and received the prestigious Sportswoman of the Year award from the US Olympic
Committee. <i>Sports Illustrated, </i>as
previously mentioned covers little female sports participation; however it
decided to devote a cover to Vonn given her attainment in the Olympics. Instead
of offering an illustration of Vonn as the incredible athlete she is, they
depicted Vonn as a sexualised object, and spoke volumes about the rampant
sexual representations of women athletes. This demeaning, derogative image
indeed would not have been conveyed had Vonn been male; instead an image of
strength and resilience would have been expressed.<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">Another such example is that of Irish female
sporting hero, Katie Taylor, before winning gold at the London 2012 Olympic
Games, faced adversity in her sport, boxing <i>(Irish
Times, 2013)</i>. Taylor determinedly campaigned for women’s boxing to be
included in the 2012 Olympic Games. In the face of another sexist decision by
the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Taylor stood tall condemning the
decision to have women swap shorts for skirts to make boxing more attractive.
Taylor threatened legal action if the issue were pursued, and rightly so. There
now exists an option to wear either shorts or skirts. Imposing such a decision
would have added a disparaging element to the sport, and belittle the female
athletes having the AIBA utilising them for their nefarious ends, an attractive
sexualised object. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">From the evidence provided above it is
undeniable that there exists a certain level of gender inequality in
professional sport. Academic literature and media coverage both suggest that
the road for men in pursuit of a professional sporting career is unquestionably
easier, and appears to favour them in terms of opportunities, salaries, media
coverage, respect, support and the perception the society has of their
successes in the sporting field. For women the road is laden with obstacles,
salaries are not on par to those of men, if they receive any salaries at all;
they are unrepresented in the media, unappreciated, unknown, subject to sexual
objectification on the grounds of their successes and in many cases, must multi-task
and maintain two careers, as the option to pursue certain sports as a female
professional simply does not exist. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">Is your gender a drawback in professional
sport? Without a doubt! The evidence compiled above confirms this. It saddens
me to say, that men are indeed favoured over women, women do not enjoy gender
equality in the sporting arena. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">As Fiona Coghlan said, ‘<i>respect Sport for Sport, don’t make it gender specific’; </i>and one
can only hope that in time society changes, as your gender should never limit
your career choices. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">For now, unfortunately, your gender is a
drawback in professional sport. <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">One can best conclude with the <i>Beyoncé </i>classic <i>‘If I were a boy....’</i></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 29th April 2013 </i> <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-20374260936582264362013-04-10T08:57:00.000-07:002013-04-10T08:58:24.271-07:00Irish Politics: The 85/15 Gender Divide<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Whilst women
are no long chained to the kitchen sink, female participation in the Irish political
arena is diminutive. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Half of the
Irish population are female, yet our democratic society affords us a government
in which only 15% of seats in Dáil Éireann are held by women. These statistics show
that Irish women are still not pari passu to men in the political arena.
Ironically, this meagre 15% constitutes a record high for women’s representation
in Dáil Éireann. In the world rankings of women’s parliamentary representation,
Ireland is now ranked in 109<sup>th</sup> place out of a possible 190 nations.
In the EU, Ireland is ranked in 23<sup>rd</sup> place out of 27 EU member
states. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Dáil Éireann
has always been a predominantly male playing field. Like the <i>‘Yorkie’</i></span> chocolate bar, it too
could boast the infamous <i>‘It’s not for
girls’</i> slogan. In the history of the state, at least 85% of the government
has always been male. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">In 1918,
Irish women exercised their right to vote for the first time, and in doing so,
elected the first woman to parliament, Constance Markievicz. In the 95 years that
have since passed, a mere 91 women have been elected to serve in Dáil Éireann. At
present, there are no women TDs in 21 of the 43 constituencies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Enough
statistics! What is it that constrains women from entering the political sphere
in Ireland?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Senator
Ivana Bacik conducted a study in 2009 to find the barriers hindering women’s
involvement in politics. Senator Bacik documented five reasons women choose not
to actively engage in politics. They were cleverly coined the 5C’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Candidate
selection: Political parties often act as gate-keepers in the selection of
women candidates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Care: A biased
towards traditional gender roles still exist in Ireland. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Confidence:
Despite Irish women having a higher educational success than men, they lack the
confidence to enter the political forum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Culture: In
Ireland, a political culture of male dominance prevails. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Cash: The reigning
gender pay gap ensures it is men that have access to greater financial
resources. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Despite the
waning influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, and a conscious move
from a conservative to a more secular society, Article 41 of Bunreacht na
hÉireann confined the role of the woman to the domestic domain. The notion of a
woman as a ‘bread-winner’ was considered absurd, instead, their place was
considered to be in the home. In 2012, the Central Statistics Offices released
its 2011 figures revealing that the role of the carer in the home predominantly
falls on the female; 500,000 women were looking after family compared with a
minute 9,600 men. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">The gender
pay gap also lingers on in Ireland. A European Commission report released last
year detailed that Irish women earn 17% less than their male counterparts. </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Discrimination
against women, undervaluing of women’s skills, and a low number of women in
senior and leadership positions were cited as reasons for this pay gap. These
motivations also reflect why women refrain from entering politics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">President Michael D. Higgins, an advocate for progressive change on
equal pay for women, alluded to the fact that women outperform men in
educational attainment. The highest percentage of women graduates in Europe are
Irish. Women, he asserted, should be given a greater role in the new economic
model that is being built in Ireland to replace the one that has failed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Consistent
with his optimism for greater female political involvement, President Michael
D. Higgins signed <i>The Electoral
(Amendment) (Political Funding) Act</i> into law on July, 28<sup>th</sup> 2012.
This act tackles the under-representation of women in Irish politics. 30% of
all party candidates must now be female at the time of the next general
election; the figure increases to 40% seven years thereafter. The penalty for
parties that fail to adhere to this act is a cut to their state funding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Averil
Power, a Senator in Seanad Éireann, provides an insight into the female
mentality, saying <i>“It simply never occurs
to many women that running for election is something they could do</i>”. It was
the desire to achieve social change and tackle inequality that saw Senator
Power enter politics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"> “The
research shows that women need to be asked and encouraged to put themselves
forward for election. Political parties in general have not been proactive enough
rather than approaching potential female candidates and encouraging them to
run”, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Senator Power says when
discussing the candidate selection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">A salient
obstacle for women opting for a political career is the work-life balance.
Unlike other employers, the pressures, the workload and working hours
associated with a political career can be off-putting. “<i>There is no entitlement to maternity leave for female TDs or Senators</i>”,
explains Senator Power. There is a lack of adequate support systems and
facilities in place for women who are attempting to juggle family life with
politics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Sacrifices must
be made at present if as a female you wish to pursue a career in politics. When
Olwyn Enright, widely regarded as a successful politician, announced her
decision to quit politics she cited family reasons as the main influence <i>“With a young family, I will not be in a
position to give enormous commitment required and that my constituents
deserve”.</i> Family reasons are never mentioned when a male politician steps
down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Without
affirmative action Senator Power does not envisage that the number of women
involved in politics will ever grow in the future to equal that of their male
counterparts. <span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"></span>Research
conducted suggests that there is conviction in Senator Power’s outlook, as only
five more women were elected in 2011 than in 1992. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Evidence
signals a positive element of female political involvement. Females active in
politics very often become role models for other women. To them, they are
confident figureheads, and many revere in their courage, strength and
contributions to the political forum. Notable examples in Irish society include
Constance Markievicz, Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese and Mary O’Rourke. Female
political involvement must not be but a history lesson. Gender balance in the
Irish government is gravely important for our country’s future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Of the 4,744
Dáil seats filled since 1918, only 260 of those have been occupied by women,
and only 86 women during this time have served in Seanad Éireann. These are not
statistics to be proud of. It may be time the government reviewed the 85/15
Gender Divide that currently exists in Dáil Éireann.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 10 April 2013</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-47797627596713231432013-03-27T15:13:00.003-07:002013-03-27T15:13:29.735-07:00A mugging, Morrissey and the Sammon of knowledge: Ireland 2 – 2 Austria <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What else would you expect from a
World Cup Qualifying game? Maybe a draw and an inept manager where the Irish
are concerned; undoubtedly the Ireland v Austria clash was eventful both on and
off the pitch.</div>
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It wasn’t the ‘<i>Céad Mile Failte</i>’ two unsuspecting
Austrian fans were expecting when they arrived into Dublin yesterday, a mugging.
Like any good tourists, the two Austrians were on route to the Guinness
Storehouse, only to have their wallets <i>(which
contained their match tickets) </i>snatched on the streets of Dublin 8. <span> </span><span> </span>Their
plight was quickly highlighted by the marvel that is the social network forums;
Twitter and Facebook erupted. Whilst the public conveyed their sheer disgust at
the actions of their fellow citizens, the story came to the attention of the
Irish fan forum ybig.ie. Not only did the FAI offer replacement tickets for the
two Austrian fans, but in true Irish football fan style <i>(Sure who can forget the Irish fans in Poznan during Euro 2012?) </i>ybig.ie
organised a collection for the two unfortunate victims, and donations were made
by fans to reimburse their losses. The heroic Irish football fans to the rescue
once more.... #YBIG I’m sure the Austrians had holiday insurance... but ye didn’t
think of that YBIG, now did you? <span> </span></div>
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And then the unbelievable
happened; Robbie Keane arrived at the Aviva Stadium to watch the match
accompanied by his cousin. OK, so Robbie Keane having a cousin isn’t quite
unbelievable, but what is? His cousin is Morrissey, the former front man of The
Smiths, and so Twitter went into overdrive once again. It was this story that
for many was the highlight of the match; Robbie Keane has a famous cousin! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Lastly, there was the minor issue
of the qualifying match, and Trapattoni’s <i>Sammon
of Knowledge (or lack thereof)</i>! Conor Sammon was selected ahead of Kevin
Doyle, the pandemonium that ensued was to some degree warranted. It appears
Sammon isn’t all that knowledgeable on the football field, and has quite a lot
to learn about the international arena. Quite simply he failed to make any real
impact on the game. The Ireland side had quite a promising first half, and two
Jon Walters goals before the break gave Ireland the lead. But then came our
demise, in the second half Austria dominated possession and quite rightly
deserved that equaliser, courtesy of David Alaba. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Full time Austria 2 – 2 Ireland .
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And after a disappointing draw
the inevitable happened, out emerged the <i>finger
of blame</i>. Everyone points to the Italian. Trapattoni, when will you learn?
But he remains insistent; when asked if it is now more difficult to qualify for
the World Cup he replied <i>“Why? We have
the same table. The situation has not changed. No change. We have five games
left and must play Sweden again”. </i>Someone get the man a translator, I fear
he didn’t quite understand the question. <i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Dunphy denounced Trapattoni, “Trap
has no faith in Ireland”. Well he wouldn’t be the first now would he? But alas,
Dunphy’s invaluable contribution came when he announced at the end of the night,
<i>“Trap doesn’t get our football culture”. </i>Well
if I’m honest, I didn’t realise we actually had one! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Oh, and did I mention, Robbie
Keane has a famous cousin... Morrissey for god sakes, Morrissey! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 27 March 2013</i> </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-13106910183774116962013-03-26T09:51:00.003-07:002013-03-26T09:51:56.555-07:00Conor Niland: ‘If it was a regular tour event I wouldn’t have played; but I needed it’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US"> “Djokovic man”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span> </span>It was the text Conor Niland
had been waiting for. His 2011 US Open Round 1 opponent had been revealed,
Novak Djokovic. Whilst others would shudder at the thought of such an
encounter, Niland relished at the opportunity to learn from the world number
one. “I was delighted” says the man who was the highest ranked Irish Tennis
Player during his seven year professional career. The delight however, was
short lived, as a mere two days later Niland was struck down with food
poisoning. He sighs, “It was just back luck”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">“There were four of us at dinner, and I was the only one who got
sick” he says recounting the now infamous food poisoning saga. Surely there
were moments of self pity? “Yes, loads, before, during and after. It was
unbelievable. I felt like for god sake for all days for this to have to happen”.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Niland knew the platform Arthur Ashe stadium, US Open 2011, afforded
him. “If it was a regular tour event I wouldn’t have played, but I needed it”
he says poignantly, aware that had he chosen not to play, he’d have never
officially played in the main draw of the US Open, despite qualifying. At 0-6,
1-5, Niland’s body began to fail, he retired the match, “I knew I wasn’t doing
myself justice. <span> </span>I felt terrible.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Niland was destined to play tennis. The youngest of four, his
parents moved to Birmingham before his birth. They lived across the road from a
tennis court, where his sister Gina began to play. When the family relocated to
Limerick, his dad built a tennis court at their house to enable Gina to progress,
and so Conor played too. “So that’s how it all started, a tennis court in
Birmingham before I was born” he says. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Niland claimed the Israeli Open title and the ATP Salzburg Indoors
title in 2010, which were largely unreported. These wins however, lifted Niland
to his highest world ranking, 129. With such a ranking, surely he deserved a
wild card into Wimbledon 2011? It didn’t happen. “I was expecting them to give
me one” he says, but admits “it worked out perfectly that I got in myself”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">“I do take pride in the fact that Ireland got interested in tennis
for at least a week or two” he says of his career highlight, Wimbledon 2011.
The saddening reality in Ireland is that sports coverage favours other sports,
and tennis is but a mere sub-headline in a news bulletin if an Irish player
progresses to a Grand Slam. “It would be great to see more tennis on TV. I felt
I was always playing good tennis in quite obscure places unlike the GAA or
rugby players who are always able to showcase what they can do every Saturday
in their home town” says Conor, in a rather disenchanted tone. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Wimbledon was the stage on which he ached to showcase his talent; saying
“Wimbledon is really what people in Ireland take notice of. People will always
have a context for my tennis career. ‘Oh, you played in Wimbledon - then you
must have been a legitimate professional’”. His first round match in Wimbledon
against Frenchman Adrian Mannanon was a gripping match. The pair had met
previously in 2006. In the deciding fifth set, Niland had a 4-1 lead but then
began his demise. “I made a lot of silly errors. I should have won it in the
end”. Niland lost the final set and match 6-4. Mannanon proceeded to face
Federer in centre court. Referring to this loss, Niland says “That’s tennis,
you lose loads of close tennis matches as a tennis player, so you have to shrug
off loses”. And that he did, Niland qualified to the 2011 US Open shortly
afterwards.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Niland also trained with the reining US Open champion, Andy Murray,
several times in 2010. “It’s great to play with someone that highly ranked”
Niland said of the experience. Murray respected Niland. When Murray heard that Niland
was suffering from food poisoning at the US Open, he sent his physiologist to Niland’s
hotel to rehydrate him before his match. The personable side of tennis, a side
widely unreported. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">On his journey home, from a harrowing defeat in the qualifying stages
of the 2010 Australian Open, Niland read the Andre Agassi autobiography. He
could empathise with Agassi, “It’s definitely not a natural way to live.” Whilst
Agassi hated tennis, Niland best describes it as “a game when you’re a kid, but
then it becomes your job. It takes over your life. It’s about keeping the
balance and not resenting it”. On returning home, Niland turned to a sports
psychologist for help. He proceeded to have the best two years of his career;
this was by no means a coincidence. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Sadly, after these two awe-inspiring years of tennis, Conor Niland announced
his retirement from professional tennis in April 2012; “It was a decision my
body made for me really. It was my hips; they were bothering me for about a
year”. Conor has since made the transition from player to coach and is
currently coaching full time at the national academy in DCU. In the past month,
Conor has undergone surgery on his hips, and says he’s “feeling good now”. He
aims to finish all the required coaching courses, and when his hips clear up,
he hopes to “get back into tennis a bit more from a playing stand point”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">“When I finished, I thought I’d never do anything as well as I did
being a tennis player”, he says but it seems like Conor Niland will continue to
shape the future of Irish tennis by successfully coaching our nation’s future
tennis professionals, after all, as he himself <span> </span>says “it’s my element, the tennis court”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 26th March 2013</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <i>A recent interview I conducted with Conor Niland, at The Westin Hotel, Dublin </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-36262935814901343722013-02-21T12:00:00.000-08:002013-02-22T06:17:33.317-08:00Oscar Pistorius: The exception?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When Adrian Bayley murdered Irish
woman Jill Meagher in Melbourne in September 2012, when Ian Huntley murdered
two young school girls in Britain, namely Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in
2002 and when Clive Sharp murdered Catherine Gowing in Wales in October 2012,
we did not send well wishes. Why then when a well known sports personality, at
the top of his game, kills his young girlfriend, does such a nefarious act
prompt messages of well wishes from his fans? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Yes, a sports personality can be
someone who develops role model status, who draws in millions of fans, and be
chosen for lucrative sponsorship deals – but in the face of criminal activity do
we stand by them? Surely not! Two days, after Oscar Pistorius’ killed his
girlfriend, his agent Peet Van Zyl detailed the show of support Pistorius was
receiving from his global fan base. Support in a time like this is unwarranted.
Furthermore, publishing stories that even suggest sponsors are standing by
someone who killed their spouse; that this same person will possibly be
competing in the World Championships later in the year is unfathomable. It
appears the story is not about the death of a 29 year old girl with a life of
endless opportunities ahead of her, so unfairly cut short, by the malicious act
of one man, no this is the story of a Paralympic athlete who has fallen from
grace. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Reeva Skteenkamp’s body was
discovered in the home of Pistorius on Valentine’s Day, with four gunshot
wounds, she lay in a pool of her own blood. It has been reported that she was
shot through the bathroom door from close range. Furthermore, it has been widely
reported that a cricket bat is now also a crucial piece of evidence in this
murder case. It has been speculated that the bat was used by Pistorius to
assault the deceased, or by the deceased to defend herself. Furthermore, it was
claimed by a South African newspaper the City Press, that Steenkamp’s skull was
partially ‘crushed’. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
If there is any veracity in these
reports, and if this is the nature of the reports being circulated, why are
people empathising with Pistorius? Why are people attempting to rationalise
his actions? Are people, and in
particular his fan base, extremely naive, do they not understand the severity
of his actions? Why in the face of such a heinous crime, are the media referencing
all his merits, and sporting achievements as a Paraolympian, reminding the
world of his status in the sporting world? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Those statistics should be deemed
redundant in the face of an odious crime. For, they are irrelevant. Surely,
quoting his statistics and medal count in a court room will not uphold the name
of a killer in the eyes of a jury, nor save him from the prison sentence he
rightly deserves. Strip Pistorius of his sports titles, his sports persona,
and you are left with an unknown figure, a figure who is accused of killing his
girlfriend. If this story was reported as a news report in which an ordinary,
unknown South African man killed his girlfriend, the media would be rife with outrage,
and the coverage would be given to his unfortunate victim, and a global fan
base offering well wishes would be nonexistent, as everyone would see the criminal
activity for what it is. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Offering well wishes to a killer
at a time like this, is not only insensitive to the family of the deceased, but
almost attempts to rationalise his behaviour. We cannot rationalise this
behaviour purely because he is a globally renowned Paraolympian. We did not
rationalise the actions of Ian Huntley on the basis that at one point in his
life he was an excellent school caretaker, no, we did not; and we shan’t do any
differently for Pistorius – Olympic medals do not make you the exception
Oscar! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 21st February 2013</i> </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-91215039620568542142013-02-13T13:13:00.001-08:002013-02-13T13:13:47.237-08:00Cheating: One definition fits all in Sport?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">‘To gain an advantage over or deprive of something by using unfair
or deceitful methods; to defraud’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A clear succinct definition of ‘cheating’ offered by the Oxford
Dictionary; would a sporting personality offer you the same definition if
questioned? Some would say it’s dependent on the sport in question. Should the
doping revelations of Lance Armstrong be looked upon with the same severity of
other cheats in the sporting arena, a hand ball from Thierry Henry? Most
definitely ‘C’est ne pas juste’ especially in the eyes of the Irish, but would
we categorize Henry in the same band as Armstrong?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cheating; it has one meaning, one meaning only, and so should be
treated in the same manner across all sports. Cultivating a culture of cheating
whether on the soccer field, or rugby pitch by falsely winning a penalty, or by
utilizing sports enhancing drugs to increase your chances of a win, undoubtedly
demeans sport and, furthermore, it calls into question the credibility of
sports people who chose not to engage in any form of cheating. How many young
people today who once idealised Lance Armstrong, will feel as passionately
about cycling as a sport, as they once did? Has the actions of one man
tarnished this sporting activity permanently? When we see an honest sportsman,
who excels on the basis of pure talent and gruelling training sessions, do we
suspect foul play, possible drug interference? This is the world, a culture of
cheating creates – a world of scepticism, where every apparent foul on the
soccer pitch on Luis Suarez is a mere rouse for a penalty opportunity, where
every cyclist worthy of a Tour De France title must be doping. There is no
place for competitive sport in a world laden with doubt and deception. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet cheating across a myriad of sports is not assessed in a
similar fashion, for example, last year, only 21 drug tests were carried out on
professional tennis players, whereas thousands of cyclists were tested for
performance enhancing drugs. Some sports stars have spoken out against testing
authorities, and the fact that they must be present on a daily basis at a specific
hour should they be selected for random drug testing. However, given recent
doping revelations, it is now evident, that if the sports community want to
stamp out cheating, they cannot decry testing authorities. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The severity of treatment resultant of different forms of
cheating is most definitely evident across the sporting world. This is in my
eyes unjust. Given the role, sports people play in society, as mentors to those
wishing to pursue a career in sports, it is integral that those professionals
are ‘cheat free’; from unsavoury tactics on the rugby pitch to the utilisation of
performance enhancing drugs. Otherwise the foundations upon which we chose to partake
are flawed, the future of competitive sport is threatened, and our future
sporting heroes are not heroes at all, but mere cheats in disguise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To many people, sports are the building blocks for life, built
on strong foundations of integrity, sportsmanship, pride. The testing
authorities must ensure that every sporting activity is regulated against
cheating in the same manner; otherwise, the foundations of sport will ultimately
be crushed. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In sport, cheating has one definition, and in terms of the genre
of sporting activity, one definition should fit all, but unfortunately for the
sporting arena, the definition of cheating in the mentality of sports people
isn’t always akin to that of the trusted Oxford dictionary. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="definition"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>-<i> The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 13th February 2013</i></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-59241865041103005842013-02-13T03:31:00.000-08:002013-02-13T03:31:41.842-08:0026.2 miles later...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Running Blog, soaring in popularity, from amateurs,
professionals, to the launch of The Guardian’s Running Blog last week, I give you my
slant... and hopefully, a little motivation to get off that couch!</i></div>
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A running blog: not solely a collection of technique, but a
medium for the real life tale. Sometimes it is in the story of the ordinary
that we are truly inspired, that story which ultimately ignites that spark of
self belief and encourages others to lace up those trainers and pound the
pavements. </div>
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There’s a runner in all of us, clichéd as it may sound. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do I know? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A former gym bunny with a fondness for the outdoors and a
ludicrous notion, that putting one foot in front of the other for 30 minutes a
day at your fastest possible speed was a little mundane. I couldn’t see the
appeal.<span> </span>However, the notion that 2
million people were connected through their love of this activity, yet as a
sport it was renowned for its solitary disconnection from the world, left me
curious. So I began to run; simple as. A daily 7km for fitness purposes I told
myself, sure wasn’t that why the other 2 million were running?</div>
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Herein lay a depth I did not realise existed in such a
sporting activity. I was hooked. The hour I devoted to running on a daily basis
cleansed the mind after a notoriously bad day in work, it became my escape.
Some days it hurt like hell, but I wanted to run on, for on some level I enjoyed
it. The infamous “No pain, no gain” mantra finally resonated with me. I’d rid
myself of any lingering anger I may had to deal with whilst my two legs carried
me that extra mile. Furthermore, I made my best life changing decisions when
out there on the road. It must have been akin to a therapy session I told
myself. It was my release from the everyday, from life, and from the world for
a mere 60 minutes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A year later, resultant of an injury sustained whilst out
running, was a time out – 3 months exactly. Sheer devastation. I invested in
the Dean Karnazes, (The Ultramarathon Man, for which he is better known)<i> </i>autobiography in the interim to ensure
my motivation did not wane, for in the back of mind was the ultimate challenge,
a burning ambition to take part in a race. Injury healed; registration
complete; my first ever running race was to be a marathon. 26.2 miles, aim high
I told myself. I downloaded a first timer’s guide to running a marathon, pinned
it on my wall, and told myself 4.5 hours was the target. Giving myself 5 months
to rebuild my fitness following my injury, and run in a registered race, I was
to run the Belfast City Marathon on May 7<sup>th</sup> 2012. </div>
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I would like to say I religiously followed my training
regime, but I didn’t. I ran as often as possible, the short distances, to the
long distances. In the months leading up to the marathon, Saturday and Sunday
mornings were consumed by running. I began to question had running become a
chore? Did I still harbour the great love of the pavements I once had, or did I
now see it as a ritual all in aid of 26.2 miles? Had the punising running
sessions been in vain? No, alas, running still served its function of
disconnecting me from reality, an iPhone free world, if only for an hour or
two. Bliss. </div>
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Two weeks before I undertook my 26.2 mile test I was glued
to the coverage of the 2012 London Marathon, the atmosphere of which was
infectious; energy from the hoards of people all with the same goal, scampering
to the start line was tantalising. Headlines to follow that day included the
story of the 101 year old Indian runner, Fauja Singh, who had proven that
anything is possible finishing the marathon in a time of 7 hours and 49 minutes.
Yet later that day, the headlines were marred with sadness. The news of the death
of a young lady, Claire Squires, who had been undertaking the marathon, dominated
our screens. For it touched not only the hearts of the UK, but those across the
globe, she was one of the 2 million runners in the UK, that non exclusive club,
for which we all know someone in. It was a humane story one to which we could
all relate too – it could have been any one of our 2 million fellow runners. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A mere 2 weeks later, I ran the Belfast Marathon on May 7<sup>th</sup>
2012,<span> </span>in what was to be a culmination of
my training to date, an extremely amateur training schedule, my physical
ability, but more importantly, my mental strength, which would keep me fighting
until I saw that finish line. And it did, I did see that finish line, 3 hours
56 minutes after I crossed the starting line. My first race complete, my first
record, and although I raised over £1,000 for a charity of my choice in running
the marathon, I realised I wasn’t merely running for them, I was running for
myself, and those other 2 million members of that unofficial running club, that
anyone of us from any corner of the globe could be part of.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span> </span>Those 3 hours 56
minutes were torturous yet exhilarating, fraught with emotion, but far from
solitary, as one by one, those lining the streets of Belfast City were united
by one common goal, quite simply, to run. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I once asked a keen runner if 26.2 miles as first race was
an ambitious target to set for one self, to which they replied ‘Do it, and
decide then’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did. Turns out 26.2 miles isn’t all that ambitious, and
what’s more, you’ll find your fellow runners and supporters on the day will be
the ones to carry you across that finish line, albeit a little bit of training
in the build up to the big day can be somewhat beneficial.<span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Running guys! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 13th Feb 2013</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-15285681381394758632013-01-27T16:03:00.001-08:002013-01-27T16:06:15.361-08:00A brave and bold Bucket List for 2013... on a Budget! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ah, the age old adage, ‘find a job that you love and you’ll
never work a day in your life’, so many say it, few agree with it, because let’s
face it, everyone lives for 5pm on Friday.... no one out there truly loves their
job, right? </div>
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At a mere 25 years, I had the Degree, Masters, and 3.5 years
work experience in the Banking Industry in the bag. Why? Because I thought it
was what I loved, I spent my college years aching to get into a power suit and
rise above the ranks in Finance to oust the male dominated hierarchy that
currently existed. </div>
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Somewhere along that journey, I changed... the piece of
canvas that lines by bedroom wall served as a reminder to me over the past few
years to ‘Do Something you Love Every Day’, so I adopted my own motto ‘Do It’. And so in a bid to fulfil this, I set a list
of personal and professional challenges on an annual basis, an annual bucket
list if you will. Easily done on a generous pay packet (albeit no bonuses – I was
working in the banking industry after all), but here within lies the ultimate
challenge, can I attain my annual bucket list on a budget (a ‘mature’ student
one at that?) in 2013?</div>
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On January 25<sup>th</sup>, I terminated my employment in the
banking industry in what I can only describe as one of the bravest and boldest
decisions I’ve taken to date, terminated certainty, to face a year and a half
of uncertainty. It was time to follow my
true passion in life, and listen to that aching desire I had to pursue a career
in Journalism. In a bid to hone the necessary skills to become a full time
journalist, I signed up to masters number two, one in Journalism and Media
Communications. My great love in life is
the potency of the written word, and creating impactful articles that gauge
your target audience, so I decided it was time to put the calculator away, close
that excel spreadsheet, and follow my dream of becoming a journalist. Despite
the absolute fear and terror at the notion of abandoning the familiar, the
everyday comfortable life I lead, it had been on my bucket list 2012 to review
my status in my job. I did. I took the
plunge, and tomorrow I begin life as a full time student (i.e. a full time
pauper).... the bag is packed, the lunch is made, the pencil case is at the
ready... #scared #nervous #excited #coppersonamonday</div>
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So there you go number one on this year’s Bucket List marked
off:</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Hand in Notice. Embark on MA in Journalism and
Media Communications.</div>
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Where to next.... well as Student life resumes, I am now on
the quest to find employment in the realm of Journalism and Media to gain
experience... Where does an ambitious, ballsy young journalist with a passion
in current affairs go to get employment? </div>
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Answer: Everywhere! Emailing any CEO, any journalist, and any
contact I can find in a bid to gain some hands on experience, and prove my
worth in the industry. </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Get part time relevant work experience in the
Journalism/Media Industry (Deadline: March 1<sup>st</sup>). Dare to be
different, dare to knock on every door until someone sees some potential. HIRE
ME! HIRE ME! HIRE ME! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->In 2011, I got my full driving license; in 2012,
a family member finally agreed that if I’d officially been deemed road worthy, I
was eligible for the open roads, and they insured me on their car, and so in
2013, my aim is to purchase my first set of wheels. Toyota starlet anyone? </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--> New
Hobby... with a 15 hour week commencing tomorrow, I am in need of a new hobby!
All suggestions welcome... currently thinking of a return to tag rugby,
attempting swimming for the umpteenth time (without the aid of four floats, and
six armbands), or possibly jumping on the cycling bandwagon (although the rust
laden mountain bike which resides at my homestead in Cavan doesn’t look too
healthy... 2<sup>nd</sup> hand bicycle wanted please!). So yes, a new hobby is required. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Travel, always on the mind. As a student, I
shall be shelving my notions of a return to Africa, in favour of exploring more
European cities.... #cheaphostel</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Continue to get involved in the political arena
in Ireland. Following on from my involvement in the Being Young and Irish
seminars continue to tackle issues arising from those seminars, and represent
those young people on salient issues of contention in Irish society. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->The personal challenge... Another marathon?
Another mountain? Or something more adventurous and challenging.... I am
currently toying with the notion of the Autism Ireland cycle from Malin Head to
Mizen Head over approximately 6 days, juxtaposing my desire to fundraise for a
different charity this year, and challenge my sheer drive, determination and
personal self. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->And lastly, in an attempt to veer away from
living in the materialistic world that we all easily find ourselves sucked into
(and in attempt to embrace student living), I have decided to try something
new, but free to all, every weekend. There are so many events held every week
in Dublin, yet we fail to avail of any, or embrace what Dublin or the
surrounding areas have to offer, as we’re all too busy queuing for Buck Whaleys
on a Saturday night and recovering on a Sunday. So there shall be weekly
updates, via my twitter or my blog of what I find.... here’s to opening your
mind to new and unexplored things in 2013! </div>
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So the detail may be sparse when it comes to my 2013 bucket
list on a budget, but I want to express my intent for the year, of exploring
the unexplored, opening my mind to things to new experiences, daring to do the
things I want to do career wise, and when in doubt always remind myself that
though I ‘Feel the fear’ to go ahead and ‘Do it’ anyways, after all life’s too
short to live in any other way!<br />
<br />
<i><b>- The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 27th January 2013</b></i></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-13925202147686395022012-12-02T07:05:00.001-08:002012-12-02T07:05:37.628-08:00NAMA... Not only taking bad debt, taking lives! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><br /><o:p></o:p></b>The untimely death of high profile developer Hugh O’Regan
last Monday night, who was found dead in his car on the side of the road,
serves as a poignant reminder to all embroiled in our debt ridden nation of the
potential outcome that high levels of stress and strain associated with debt
burden can lead to. </div>
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NAMA is but a buzzword to the nation, a word utilised daily
in news bulletins. An establishment founded in 2009 to address the severe
crisis in Irish banking, to combat loan impairments due to excessive lending by
the Irish banking system to the property sector causing a depletion in bank
regulatory capital. €71bn in loan assets were acquired in the first phase of
NAMA’s operation which involved 850 debtors and over 11,000 individual loans,
the purpose of which being to pursue all debts owed by its debtors. And the
humane side of NAMA?! There was none – as an indebted nation that succumbed to
greed, was in desperate need for a solution to aid an economic recovery. </div>
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The one time poster boy of the Celtic Tiger era, Mr O’Regan
was one of Ireland’s most high profile developers. It was his pub empire for
which he was renowned, catering for the needs of affluent clientele. During the
boom Mr O’Regan’s portfolio included The Thomas Read pub group which included
exclusive haunts like Pravda, The Bailey, Ron Blacks and Searson’s. He also
developed the Morrison Hotel. In 2009 however, liquidators were appointed to a
number of his companies which had debts of €260m which were transferred to
NAMA. In July of this year, Mr O’Regan was sanctioned by the High Court placing
restrictions on him in respect of him acting as a company director for the next
five years. </div>
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Whilst reports circulated initially in the media that Mr O’Regan
commit suicide it is now thought that he died of natural causes. A fellow
developer Paddy Kelly has spoke out following the tragic death of his former
business partner, Mr O’Regan. Mr Kelly revealed the pressures and stresses that
Hugh O’Regan was under in recent months due to clashes with the banks. Mr Kelly
called for banks to treat debtors with humanity citing that many developers who’d
had loans transferred to NAMA were now experiencing mental problems, with at
least one other developer known to have taken his own life this year. </div>
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Mr O’Regan’s story is merely one story that made the headlines;
there are other smaller business people who have succumbed to severe stress due
to bad debt. But on most occasions the people behind the bad debt do not make
the headlines, they are a mere statistic owing hundreds, thousands and millions
– behind the euro signs, there’s the humane aspect of these stories that go
unpublished. </div>
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Yes, we can all say these business people were greedy, and
we the taxpayers are the real victims but we must remember that banks excessively
lent millions to these businesses without question. They encouraged this
behaviour. We were a nation driven by greed and now we are paying the price.</div>
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And some are paying more dearly than others.<span> </span>This week Adrienne O’Regan lost her husband,
Stephen, Adam, Alex and Hugo lost their dad. </div>
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In dealing with debtors and those families burdened by
significant debt, let’s ensure our approach to dealing with them, whilst following
the appropriate regulation, is humane.</div>
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<b><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 02 December 2012</i></b> </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-65323214429469975592012-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:002012-10-29T10:38:29.851-07:00Cyber Space where a facade isn’t just for Halloween! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
‘By not
tweeting, you’re tweeting. You’re sending a message’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And at the risk of not conforming it seems that the youth of
today scramble to sign up to all available social media outlets; Facebook,
Twitter, You Tube, Blogs, Ask fm, My Space. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Personally speaking,<span> </span>I
am a social media junkie; it’s difficult to remember a time when the ‘hash tag’
wasn’t of any salience, when 140 characters wasn’t <span> </span>all you had to express your thoughts, and when
you couldn’t virtually check in and tag your friends at social occasions –
allowing both a physical and virtual presence. Social media has allowed the
world to be at our finger tips – from connecting with friends on Facebook, to
following celebrities on Twitter, to posting music videos on You Tube, creating
a blogs, commenting in public forums on a plethora of topics, promoting a start
up business, a new career perhaps, or simply keeping abreast of global events. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The immediacy, brevity, reach and the social connections it
offers has compelled millions of users to join various social media networking
sites. It is slowly replacing traditional media outlets as a ‘breaking news
source’; Twitter itself broke the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death. Companies
can now forget about the massive marketing budget and turn instead to social
networking sites to create brand awareness, build an online reputation, utilise
it for recruiting and to connect with customers.<span> </span>We now get a glimpse into the lives of
celebrities as glamorous as they may be – through the likes of Twitter and
Facebook<span> </span>. It’s all very exciting when
Bressie tweets a twitpic, and relatively less so when the likes of Piers Morgan
does the same, each to their own I suppose.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But alas, despite the many benefits of social media,
we have seen an increase in the misuse of social media by individual patrons.
Individual patrons who hide behind their social media accounts by utilising
different aliases, so that they can engage in cyber bullying are mere cowards.
Yes, everyone is entitle to their opinions, but utilising social media sites
for bullying purposes is leading to drastic outcomes; namely the untimely and
tragic deaths of young people who find the public degradation on these sites
too difficult to deal with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">On a very personal note, I took part in an in
conversation interview with a national paper in which my name was utilised, my
views on the topic of emigration given, and a photo attached. I was extremely
proud to share my views with the nation, but somewhat unprepared for the
backlash.<span> </span>It almost felt like a personal
attack, and despite the many supportive comments it was the negative comments which
ultimately played out in my mind for a number of hours after it had been
published. Thankfully, I’m not a naive young lady, I’d consider myself strong,
comfortable in my own skin, self assured and well aware that not everyone in
this world has to agree with me, nor do they have to like me – I am an acquired
taste after all! But that said, I’m 24 years old – if I had received them at
the age of 13 would my reaction be different – quite simply, yes! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I awoke this morning to the news of Erin Gallagher’s
death, another young girl of 13 years who met her untimely death at the hands
of online bullies. It appears that a number of youths had been bullying her via
Ask fm, a social networking site. Her death comes a mere six weeks after Ciara
Pugsley aged 15 took her own life after receiving vicious messages on the same
social networking site. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Comments on the Ask Fm site suggest that Erin was
subjected to physical and virtual bullying. She responded to her tormentors
warning them that she would take her own life because of being subjected to the
online bullying. Unfortunately, 24 hours later, she did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ask Fm is a site where comments can be posted
anonymously, whilst sites like this shouldn’t exist; it is possible to access
other accounts under a pseudonym. The young Donegal girl’s elder sister, Shannon,
took to Facebook last night, paying tribute to her saying ‘No one deserved what
you went through. I’m sorry that I couldn’t prevent it. Love you with all my
heart”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">That’s the thing, cyber bullying is much harder to
track, and often the words utilised hurt more than any physical scars bullies
will leave. They are left on a public forum forever, and seen by many, your peers,
your fellow students and your friends. Everyone can be very quickly alerted to
these online attacks, and witness them, and utilise them as a source of
entertainment forgetting that despite it being a virtual forum, there is a
physical human being being ridiculed. That human being can’t switch their
feelings off like you can a laptop; they too have a heart, and in most
instances are young teenagers – where fitting in, being ‘cool’ and having a
huge number of virtual friends is of great importance to them. Teenagers, are
in the process of moulding themselves into young adults, finding out who they
really are, and getting to a place in which they are truly happy with being
that person – being you! The pressures on young people these days to mould
themselves into a certain stereotype which the media (and photo shop!) has
created makes being young extremely difficult. Add the pressure of an online
forum and you can see where the pressure can sometimes become too great. That
is ultimately what happened to Erin, a young girl, with a life of opportunities
ahead of her, cut short because the taunts and jibes of cowards cut deeper
creating wounds she could not heal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This weekend, we were all donning masks and guises
for Halloween, for one night only, yet we fail to remember that everyday there
are cowards in this world that will don a mask, via a social media account,
under a false alias, and torment, hurt and bully others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">These cowards prefer to hide behind the mask of the
social media account, to hide behind the computer screen, and sit safely in
their own homes not realising the ruination their actions can cause. I urge you
all to recognise that this is the second time in the past two months a young
person has been subjected to such torment, this cannot continue – if you’re not
brave enough to say something face to face, don’t hide behind the facade of a
social media site, instead, don’t say anything at all. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 29th October 2012</i></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-20172895232223787082012-10-18T16:48:00.003-07:002012-10-18T17:03:36.305-07:00What Richard Did? Fiction vs Fact!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">"Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">So said Paul Theroux; and I guess my constant stream of thought during this movie rendered this statement to be somewhat true. The Lenny Abrahamson’s movie ‘What Richard Did?’ is loosely based on the novel ‘Bad Day in Blackrock’; whilst both claim to be fictional certain aspects of the story were inspired by news coverage of actual events. The actual events refer to the death of Brian Murphy outside of Anabel’s nightclub in Dublin which involved three former Blackrock College students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">The movie captures the very essence of the life of affluent South Dubliners at that moment in time, and the factors which can contribute to an episode like this unraveling. The stereotypical Volkswagen Golf driving, self-absorbed, hedonistic, rugby playing, D4 head quickly emerges, and the main character Richard Karlsen (played by Jack Reynor) embodies each one of these traits superbly. Richard utilises these traits to woo the girlfriend of a less privileged eighteen year old Conor, and like all D4 charmers, it works. However, despite the commencement of a relationship with Conor’s former flame, Lara, Richard is somewhat insecure. Insecurities can take hold in a way like no others when you’re young and naive, and you apply a great weight to the little things in life; failing to see they are mere stages of adolescence. Richard’s insecurities were too great, his jealousy was immense, and the sheer notion of Lara interacting with Conor ignited anger inside him. After a house party, a drunken altercation occurs in the driveway of the house between Richard and his mates, setting on Conor. The altercation ends with Richard casting one final blow to Conor’s head. To Richard and his crew, it appeared that Conor got up and staggered off, but news filters through the air waves the following morning that a teenager died outside the aforementioned house party the night before. Richard panics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">At the risk of divulging too much, I will not disclose or spoil for you how the story plays out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">But we all are aware of how the true story unraveled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I for one went into this movie wondering how Abrahamson would deal with the resulting court case in which the nation felt cemented the theory that, the rich take care of their own. In the end you are left feeling like a mere observer into the life of the affluent, and the fragility of life, how one nano second, one fit of rage, can change life as you know it for good. Private schooling and a privileged upbringing cannot alter one’s behaviour. The privileged lifestyle whilst it may remain in the aftermath of such an event cannot quench the mental struggle that you can only hope the perpetrators face every day of their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">It is a thoroughly enjoyable movie – an excellent Irish production, it may be somewhat fictional, but you cannot direct your thoughts away from the true story which this movie shadows, its origins are inescapable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">When I think of this case I think of Brian Murphy, a youngster, who died at the hands of a vicious unnecessary assault, a life wasted; a life for which no one was truly held responsible for ending – I’m angered. There was no justice for the less affluent youngster, yet ‘the money can buy society’ from which the accused hailed from, the guys who caused this heinous assault, now roam the streets freely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Yet, on watching this film, strangely, I find myself feeling some remorse towards Richard, the perpetrator. We see the film through his eyes, What Richard Did; how one nano second can tear your life apart, one foolish fit of rage over something so frivolous. We don’t however see the aftermath or the anguish faced on a daily basis by the Murphy family so for that reason we are drawn to Richard’s plight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">As I alluded to earlier in this passage ‘Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">But as this was a fictional tale based on a true event, both in fiction and in reality Conor (Brian Murphy) never got a second chance that life so cruelly denied him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">For Richard Karlsen, fiction gave him a second chance; normality resumes and life continues with Semester 1 in UCD. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">For the real life Richard Karlsen, his name was dragged through the media (and rightfully so) yet the charge for manslaughter was quashed. He may be free but he’ll never get a second chance to emerge from Anabel’s nightclub and make the decision not to have dealt that final blow resulting in the untimely and necessary death of Brian Murphy. He’ll never get a second chance to walk away from that shameful situation. His name will forever be linked to this case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">That’s the beauty of fiction, it offers characters hope and gives them that second chance. Real life however isn’t that considerate..... it’s a one way ticket, no return fares, no second chances! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <i><b>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 19th October 2012</b></i></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-35166188832739528072012-10-14T06:53:00.002-07:002012-10-14T06:53:32.289-07:00Fame Hungry or Money Hungry?! The motive behind the autobiography! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Maybe the race for the Christmas stocking filler
has begun earlier than anticipated this year, but one thing’s for sure, a
plethora of celebrities are lining the shelves of bookstores with their autobiographies,
from Cheryl Cole, David McWilliams, to Tulisa Contostavlos, we will definitely
not be short of some light reading this Christmas. I’m the first to pick up nonfiction,
but I can’t quite see how reading about Cheryl Cole and the likes is an interesting
read, nor why they feel the need to pen their life stories whilst under the age
of 30 – maybe they are reliant on book deal number two to cover the later
stages of their lives. To me, autobiographies by those with true talent, who
aren’t exactly media crazed people are the best reads – Andre Agassi’s Open is
one of the most honest insights into the life of a sportsman I have yet to
read, Steve Jobs biography, Dean Karnazes, Aung San Suu Kyi they offer a glimmer
into an extremely interesting life, and can inspire so many by sharing their
stories. The same can hardly be said for Cheryl Cole’s brawl with a bathroom attendant
in a night club eh?! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But the latest, and possibly most bizarre autobiography
of all, is the memoirs of Melanie Verwoerd, the former director of Unicef
Ireland. Melanie was well accustomed to being in the public eye, having married
the grandson of the South African Prime Minister, Hendrik Verwoerd. She wasn’t
solely known for this however; she was successful in her own right as an anti-apartheid
activist and was also one of the youngest MPs representing Nelson Mandela’s
African National Congress. Given this profile, one would expect her memoirs;
entitled ‘When We Dance’ to be an interesting read. Instead half the book is
devoted to a two year relationship she had with the late RTE presenter, Gerry
Ryan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The untimely death of Gerry Ryan shocked the nation
in 2010; however his family have kept a dignified silence since then. Not his
partner though, Melanie has decided to utilise her autobiography as a ‘tell all’
book about her relationship with the star. She details what seems like every
minute detail of their relationship from their first date in his Ballsbridge
apartment, to their first holiday together staying with U2 manager, a close of
friend of Gerry’s, Paul McGuiuness in the South of France, to the financial
duress he felt in the lead up to his death, spending €30,000 a month, how RTE
shunned him for the top gig of Late Late Show presenter in favour of Ryan
Tubridy, and she continued to divulge these stories, up until and including the
moment where she found the late Gerry dead on the floor of his apartment. Ms Verwoerd
is even brash enough to detail Gerry’s devastation at the time his marriage
collapsed with Morah. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">On Wednesday the book was due to go on sale, but
was temporarily taken off book shelves, as an injunction was made by Dave
Kavanagh, a friend of Gerry’s, objecting to certain passages in the book. A
hearing is due to take place later in the month, which has now delayed the
publication of this book. Let’s hope the judge takes it off the shelves for
good! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It seems however that others are coming forward to
discuss their feelings on this book. In speaking with the Irish Independent,
Pat Kenny, said that ‘he was deeply saddened that Ms Verwoerd had decided to
reveal details about Ryan’s private life – including his personal finances’,
and also how ‘Gerry wrote his own book and he had a chance to share all of
this. But he chose to share none of his difficulties and he didn't intend for
any of them to be in the public domain... So I don't know why Melanie has
decided to do this. And I think it's very sad that she has.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ms Verwoerd even accused Pat of not being ‘truly
close to Gerry’ and not being ‘around him in the last two years as his friend’
to which Pat Kenny denied, stating that they met several times a week, and
often went for lunch and a chat, and had done so on the Wednesday before he
died. Pat Kenny’s statements are laden with veracity in saying that Gerry had
the opportunity to divulge his personal difficulties but chose not to. It also
appears that maybe Melanie did not know Gerry quite as well as she claims to,
as Pat details the close friendship he did in fact share with Gerry. Are
Melanie’s claims an attempt to grab some headlines? Or possibly to create a
media storm surrounding her memoirs to ensure good book sales? It seems likely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Also, in the Late Late Show tribute to Gerry Ryan
Melanie also said that she was extremely hurt not to be mentioned and that it
was as if their relationship had never existed. The truth is that tribute was
to Gerry Ryan the broadcaster, not to celebrate their 2 year relationship. The
fact that she was hurt shows a degree of immaturity and again a constant need
to be in the limelight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">His family never felt the need to be mentioned;
instead they wanted to celebrate his career as a broadcaster and what he meant
to his listeners. Since his death, his family have continued to keep a
dignified silence, they have not chosen to pen his every move, his traits as a
husband, as a father, as a friend... instead they’ve chosen to cherish those memories
in the way Gerry would have wanted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I can’t quite decide the reasoning behind Melanie
Verwoerd’s decision to release her autobiography, which for the most part is
focused on her 2 year relationship with the later RTE broadcaster, Gerry Ryan,
which she claims he wanted told. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Intimate moments are those generally shared between
two people, Gerry Ryan had the national airwaves to broadcast these moments,
his financial worries, his most private feelings, but he chose not to. He had
the perfect medium, had he wanted to share. He clearly didn’t. The lady, who
claims to have been the closest to him in the run up to his death defies all
this, by publicising his inner most thoughts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Fame hungry or money hungry?! I may not be able to
establish Ms Verwoerd’s motive, but the remaining salient feature of her
decision to pen these memoirs, is an obvious lack of respect, for the one
person she apparently loved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Ryan Line closed 2 years ago Melanie.... and
let’s leave it like that, let Gerry Rest in Peace. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 14 October 2012</i></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-75143183643705760282012-10-06T09:02:00.001-07:002012-10-11T04:38:32.088-07:00The Mid - Mid Life Crisis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I slowly come to terms with the fact that I’m turning 25 next month, I find myself scouring the web daily for hours, relying on my good friend, Google, to inform me of ‘things to do before you turn 25’.... followed by a slightly more drastic search for ‘things to do before you die’. Thankfully, the prognosis isn’t terminal. <br />
<br />
Apparently, broaching the 25 year mark is met with mixed sentiments. I’m now in the process of reassessing every minute aspect of my life to date. Cheers for the forewarning guys!!<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I never had a bucket list, just a mere quote, a mantra on life if you may to which I’ve aimed to live my life by; the infamous ‘Stay Hungry! Stay Foolish’ quote. Since hearing it mentioned as part of the late Steve Jobs’ address to the graduation class of 2005 at Stanford University, it has become my mantra. I had believed it had served me well until now; until I felt the need for a re-evaluation of my life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Google has churned out hundreds of things to do before turning 25 (or die), they vary from the everyday mundane achievable tasks to the outrageous, and some include: <br />
<br />
- Go Sky Diving <i>(Not yet....)</i><br />
<em>- </em>Go Snorkelling <i>(Yet to find an instructor brave enough to take me on...)</i><br />
<em>- </em>Confront a fear <i>(Currently attending swimming lessons to conquer my fear of water, also got my full driving license last year after confronting my fear of both 5<sup>th</sup> gear and the reverse around the corner!)</i><br />
<em>- </em>Finish College <i>(Done – aching to return though!)</i><br />
<em>- </em>Open a retirement account <i>(Can’t - You need money to do that!)</i><br />
<em>- </em>See your favourite band live <i>(Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band live in Barcelona May 2012)</i><br />
<em>- </em>Look back on the last 25 years and make sure you’ve no regrets <i>(Have loads, but believe that you should never regret regrets... we all have them, you just learn to live with them!)</i><br />
<em>- </em>Take a multi day hiking trip <i>(5,875m – Kilimanjaro.... on foot , the porters did not carry me, just my bag(s))</i><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Quit that job that’s making you miserable, end the relationship that makes you act like a lunatic, lose the friend whose sole purpose in life is making you feel like you’re perpetually on the verge of vomiting. You’re young, you’re resilient, there are other jobs and relationships and friends if you’re patient and open. <i>(Wish it were that easy....)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Leave the country <i>(For good? Wish I was brave enough!)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Build your own igloo <i>(Opportunity hasn’t arisen just yet.....)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Go to a nightclub on your own and make some new friends <i>(That’s called ‘creeping’ where I come from.... Never have, never will!)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Watch the sunrise <i>(Does walking up Harcourt Street at sunrise count? Just kidding, last day of Kilimanjaro trek, witnessed sunrise at plus 5000m)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Run with the bulls <i>(Does dancing with them in Coppers count?)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Write your own book <i>(Does a 2<sup>nd</sup> class story entitled ‘The secret in the basement’ count? It never did make the school library let alone the NY Times best sellers list!)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Let go of your past <i>(Wish I could... maybe one day!) </i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Make a donation <i>(Raised over €1000 this year for ICS running the Belfast marathon in the meantime...crossed the finish line, and haven’t ran since!)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Kiss someone I love in the rain <i>(Sounds like someone’s trying to recreate the Notebook – don’t have an emotional bone in my body.... don’t do fairytales.... so won’t be partaking, unless of course Tommy Bowe is asking?!) </i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Travel the world <i>(Seen a little, a lot more of it to see!) </i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Cross a country by bicycle <i>(With or without stabilizers?!)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Attend the Olympics<i> (If I conquer the fear of swimming, I might try for Rio 2016, you can wear armbands right?)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Attend a music festival<i> (Yet to do....)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Go Skinny dipping<i> (No one needs to see that....ever!)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Take belly dancing classes<i> (As above!)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Get a tattoo <i>(Like dogs, they aren’t just for Christmas....so no, not yet) </i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Win the Lottery <i>(Still trying...)</i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Visit the Taj Mahal <i>(Marked my 24<sup>th</sup>birthday with a visit!) </i></span><br />
<em>- </em><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Accept yourself for who you are <i>(I’ve accepted that my unique sarcastic wit is not understood by many.... the serious stuff, not so sure, you can’t accept who you are until you’re truly happy in yourself right?! In that case, I’ve got a little bit more to go, but firmly believe I’m on my way.... after 25 years I’m still hungry, and still foolish!) </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black;">On the grand scale of things, I’ve spent the last 25 years enjoying life maybe that’s why the big 25 has crept up so fast. But surely life isn’t about ticking off a list of things society expects you to do (or Google for that matter), it’s that mental list of things only you know you want to do, things that will truly make you happy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black;">So as I write this, my Mid Mid Life Crisis has taken a firm grip of my life, extremely tacky music bellows from my laptop – Fun ‘We are Young’ and 1D’s ‘Live While We’re Young’ <i>(Please excuse my poor taste in music, The Boss would not be impressed)</i>.... I’ve decided acceptance is key; and as Theodore Roosevelt said ‘Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young’..... and that I intend to do! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black;">If I’m crying in a corner on my 25th.... someone please stop me! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">The Forgotten (and Aging) Irish Graduate<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="color: black;"><b>6<sup>th</sup> October 2012 </b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-71533262989183014302012-09-26T15:06:00.002-07:002012-09-26T15:06:39.321-07:00Michael D and the Being Young and Irish Squad hit Monaghan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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‘In Dreams begin
responsibility’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So said WB Yeats, and I agree.
Being young and Irish is met with mixed sentiments today. When Katie Taylor
took gold in London 2012 whilst Amhrán na bhFiann bellowed in the background,
when Leinster were crowned Heineken Cup champions in 2011 and 2012, when the
Irish Paralympic team returned to our shores with 16 medals from London 2012,
when the Irish Rugby team won both the Grand Slam and the Six Nations Championship
in 2009 – I was proud to young and Irish. Having such a high calibre of young
people representing us on the global stage in various sporting genres, focused
and committed to achieving their best for each and every one of us, fills me
with pride. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But that pride quickly subsides;
when I am reminded these moments are the minority. In reality, being young and
Irish equates to concern; concern about the future, Ireland’s future; who will
be left behind to lead our country if the young generation of today are forced
to leave our shores in search of employment opportunities abroad? Will anyone
be left behind to repair this country? Despite the plethora of concerns,
despite the numerous attempts to promote the need for the youth to become
politically aware and involved, there was no answer from government bodies. We,
the youth, had no voice. Many felt silenced, many felt cheated by a country and
a former generation who’d wronged us, only to make us pay dearly for their
mistakes, and many, with little hope of a future in Ireland, left. It’s
disheartening to watch from the sidelines as a country shunned its youth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Step forward Michael D Higgins,
Ireland’s current President. A President, who seems to care, not solely for his
term in office, but for the future of the entire country, and the future as he
sees it is the youth of today. So often, presidential candidates have promises
they vow to keep if they get into office, only to so quickly fall by the waste
side by other more ‘pressing’ issues. Not Michael D. He wanted the involvement
of young people from the start and he actively sought to create an initiative
that encompasses young people remoulding our country. It’s a beginning. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Following a pilot programme
earlier in the year, the Being Young and Irish initiative kicked off, with four
regional workshops, which invited young people aged 17-26 years to take part in
sharing their vision for Ireland, and tackling questions such as what do young
people need to do to help achieve this Ireland. If you couldn’t attend a
workshop and still wished to take part, you could do so by logging on to
president.ie and submitting your thoughts. Finally, we have a voice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I was taking no chances, so I
registered to attend a workshop and submitted by views on the website also. I
attended the Monaghan workshop on September 22<sup>nd</sup>, almost 70 young
people attended. The workshop was opened by President Higgins, this small
gesture of taking the time out on a Saturday morning to address us emphasised
his commitment to this project and to us as a generation. I was impressed. The
manner in which he addressed us was refreshing – open, honest, and encouraging.
Subsequent to this address, we spent the morning brainstorming our vision for
the country, what it was we wanted to be proud of in Ireland, what we wanted
Ireland to be renowned for in years to come. It was interesting to see the
ideas of young people, a stark reminder the creativity young people can offer.
Throughout the day we tackled the problems we as young people wanted confronted,
and how we proposed to get involved and provide solutions for these issues. Team
work was integral, and every member had a voice, regardless if we agreed or
disagreed with each other – sure a healthy debate is important now and again
eh?! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I ended the day content in the
fact that ideas we brought to the table, were now in the hands of the project
team, and would later be presented at a national seminar, and furthermore, our
proposals would be sent to the necessary governmental department for review. I
could only hope that our efforts were not in vain, and that President Higgins
will continue his efforts to involve young people in the country’s welfare.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Despite my content at the
workshop, I also left feeling concerned. The 70 people who attended the
workshop were predominantly aged between 17-20 years, whilst the workshop was
open to those aged from 17-26 years. There were a mere handful of people in
their twenties, on the later side of 24, not only did I feel like the OAP of
the group, I was gravely concerned. Where were my age group? Was it a lack of
political interest? Or had they fled the country? In the rural area of Cavan/Monaghan,
most people who were permanently based in these regions have left, have had to
leave due to the lack of job opportunities, and so there voice was unheard,
silenced if you may. The 22-26 age bracket was underrepresented, but due to
circumstance not lack of interest. I urge the Being Young and Irish initiative
to attempt to gauge the views of those who’ve emigrated, it’s vital if we ever
want them to return with a greater skill set than what they left with.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Also with second level students
well represented on the day something new became evident. There is an education
gap. The majority of second level students openly admitted to not fully
understanding the salient issues of concern for our nation. When the topic of
economic stability and a recovery were broached, it was a topic they felt they
could not contribute or add value to, as they had not been educated to
appreciate what truly is going on in our economy. These are young people in an
education system which does not provide an education on such topics. Despite
this concern, they were at the workshop – they acknowledged an education gap
and wanted to rectify it, and wanted to learn so they too could be part of the
recovery.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In an age where due to past
mistakes we are often disheartened and feel undervalued as a generation when
forced to emigrate or take jobs which do not allow us to realise our full
potential, it is encouraging to know that though we often feel like a ‘forgotten’
generation, we now have a medium through which we can have our voice heard, and
more importantly, there are a myriad of young people who want to get involved
and repair this country to realise their future of a better Ireland. Let’s hope
President Higgins continues with this initiative and we as a young generation
get to realise our dreams – after all ‘In Dreams being Responsibility’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Video link to my submission to
the Being Young and Irish Initiative below – </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpgzeTLXCWw&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpgzeTLXCWw&feature=youtu.be</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p> <i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 26th September 2012</i></o:p></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-14552958423258254122012-09-09T08:43:00.001-07:002012-09-09T08:43:27.041-07:00The Olympic Opening Ceremony, Britain’s latest Bond Girl and a rather bizarre tribute to the NHS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
According to the BBC last night they had an audience share of 82%, with ratings
soaring to 27 million during the three and a half hour spectacle. Despite the
extortionate viewing figures, we can all admit that the level of hype and the
highest level of secrecy surrounding the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony
sparked our curiosity and drove the majority of us to tune in last night to what
was undoubtedly at times one of the most atypical ceremonies ever witnessed.<br />
<br />
£27million for the creation of Danny Boyle’s highly anticipated spectacle,
but was it worth it?<br />
As most adoring Olypmic fans and Brits praised the creative showpiece, I for
one am not in total agreement that the Olympic Opening Ceremony truly was
magnificent.<br />
<br />
As the titles rolled and we sat in anticipation for what was definitely a
memorable beginning to any Olympic Games, and as Tour de France champion Bradley
Wiggins rang the Olympic Bell I wondered what would lie in store. Was I the only
one who thought school was out for the summer, only to feel like I’d been
summoned to my living room chair for a British history lesson courtesy of Danny
Boyle. However, despite this busy showcase, I urged myself to keep watching if
only to see Katie Taylor lead the Irish Team into the Olympic Stadium. As my
knowledge on the industrial revolution was restored and the inclusion of Sir
Kenneth Branagh reading from Shakespeare’s The Tempest , I firmly believed that
that opening ceremony could only get better, not so, as a rather bizarre tribute
to the NHS ensued. I wondered what befit its place in this show, as they
celebrated the NHS, up popped Harry Potter characters, and down came an influx
of Mary Poppins. Was I dreaming? Unfortunately, I wasn’t, as the peculiarities
were set to continue.<br />
<br />
Just as we began to come to terms with what we were visualising, Daniel Craig
appeared on the big screen as his 007 character with Britain’s latest, and
possibly oldest bond girl to date, the Queen herself. She made a cameo
appearance in a comical sketch filmed at Buckingham Palace culminated by her
arrival into the Olympic Stadium seemingly parachuting from an overhead
helicopter with the James Bond star. As stuntsman Gary Connery makes his landing
wearing a similar dress to her majesty, and the camera quickly turns on the
Queen who walks into the Stadium. Yes, Danny you fooled the world there with a
stunt like that!<br />
<br />
The ceremony moved to celebrate music and social media with dance
performances which included the appearance of Dizzee Rascal. Chariots of Fire
was announced as the next musical composition to be played by the orchestra,
only to see Rowan Akinson’s infamous character Mr Bean, take part in the
composition in a satirical manner. Confused? Yes, me too, not quite sure why
his presence was required. Apparently his comedy is well received across the
globe, well if that’s the case; why not throw him into the opening ceremony
too.<br />
<br />
Next David Beckham appeared on a speedboat travelling on the final leg of the
journey with the Olympic torch. Perhaps this move a little more comprehendible
as he himself is a globally renowned sporting figure.<br />
Was I the only one who thought that the antics of the Opening Ceremony were a
little bizarre? Perhaps I’m one of the few honest enough to admit that it wasn’t
quite what I was expecting, and perhaps putting on view Britain’s well known
faces for comedy sketches doesn’t exactly go hand in hand with this sporting
event. Was it all a mere ploy to showcase some of Britain’s most beloved
celebrities? In truth, I’m not sure. Nor am I sure what Danny Boyle’s logic was
in the creation of this spectacle. One thing’s for sure it did make the global
headlines.<br />
<br />
The Guardian hailed Boyle’s ‘masterpiece’ as ‘the biggest, maddest, weirdest,
most heartfelt and lovable dream sequence in British cinema history’. The Mirror
did notice that ‘it was hard to think of any British icon it didn’t reference’,
whilst the New York Times described it as ‘visually stunning’.<br />
For me however, it wasn’t the spectacle and the famous faces that made the
night quite stunning. Instead for me, it was seeing each country enter the
Olympic Stadium with the flag holder leading their country and their country’s
athletes following behind. The sense of pride which lit their eyes, and the
happiness that filled their faces was no comedy sketch; it was a natural
reaction to the honour bestowed on them to represent their country in the 2012
Olympic Games. It was a culmination of their talent; hard work and dedication
that had resulted in each one of them walking into that stadium last night.<br />
<br />
Watching on and reading the reviews today, it felt that the most salient part
of the Opening Ceremony, the introduction of the countries and their athletes to
the Olympic Stadium, had been overlooked as all eyes were on some mad spectacle
set to honour celebrities and not the true heroes that were present to represent
us all. Whilst Daniel Craig may be the most handsome Bond we’ve had in long
time, and whilst David Beckham gets better looking with age, they were not what
our eyes should have been fixated on last night, it was the athletes. The fact
that the media are heralding the involvement of British celebrities in the
ceremony saddens me.<br />
What saddens me even more, is the criticism the unknown young athletes who
received the Olympic torch from Sir Steve Redgrave and brought it on it’s final
journey to light the cauldron was deemed an ‘anti-climax’ by many across various
media outlets.<br />
<br />
John Cherwa from the LA Times wrote ‘Hated the flame lighting. Just make a
decision and pick someone’. Some went so far as to say letting seven people
light the cauldron was a cop out, and that it should have been lit by a person
‘people have heard of’. Again a reminder that we live in a celebrity crazed
world that wanted a ‘famous face’ taking the torch on it’s final hurdle. The
point missed by so many is that it was seven young people who had been nominated
by renowned sporting figures and athletes, who wanted to inspire the new
generation. Sport is a wonderful thing; it is something comprehendible no
matter your race, religion or background. It brings people together, it requires
real dedication, personal commitment, motivation, ambition and passion;
characteristics that can inspire us all. The lightening of the cauldron was an
act to inspire the next generation, the folk that sat in their living room
tuning into the Opening Ceremony with similar dreams as those, that the athletes
possessed, that were presented to us tonight. Reminding us that we can dream
big, and that one day we too could inspire another generation.<br />
<br />
The ceremony concluded with the Queen officially declaring them open ‘I
declare open the Games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern
era’ and Sir Paul Mc Cartney singing Hey Jude, as a scene of breathtaking
fireworks lit the London sky line, Danny Boyle tweeted ‘Proud to be British’, I
tweeted ‘Proud to be Irish’. Seeing Katie Taylor wave our flag, followed by the
Irish contingent filled me with pride…for me, they were the true heroes of last
night, alas, I can watch Daniel Craig on the big screen any day!<br />
<br />
<i><b>28 July 2012 - The Forgotten Irish Graduate </b></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-59333346651792499272012-09-09T08:36:00.001-07:002012-09-09T08:41:20.969-07:00The Voice UK - Not about the Price Tag! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not about the Price Tag? Whatever the reason, it looks like Jessie J and Sir Tom
Jones will not be returning The Voice.<br />
<br />
According to sources it is thought that the reason Jessie J isn’t returning
as a judge on the next series of The Voice is due to a clash with her UK tour
dates and the filming of the second season of the BBC show. The singer had
previously received criticism for her alleged diva like behaviour on the BBC
set, her refusal to do publicity for the show, and her admission on Graham
Norton’s chat show that she hadn’t even bothered to watch the show back.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the Welsh wonder, Sir Tom Jones, the winner of the first series
with his contestant Leanne Mitchell has apparently also been advised not to
return for the second season by his own management team. I for one can’t see why
the man needed the gig anyhow!<br />
<br />
Twitter crazed Will.i.am however, does look set to return, as does The Script
front man Danny O’Donoghue, to the judging panel, but if rumours are to be
believed there could be two new faces joining the judging panel. The BBC are
also keen to make changes to the £22 million show in a bid to boost ratings in
the upcoming season after they plummeted in week 10 of last year’s season.<br />
£22 million for the creation of a show supposedly just aimed at finding ‘The
Voice’ of the UK….a show based on true talent, devoid of any gimmicks
(apparently). Hmm, why then the need for the massive £22million price tag?!
Possibly a ploy to get Jessie J and Sir Tom back again?!Only time will tell…
well that or a tweet from Will.i.am!<br />
<br />
<i><b>24 July 2012 - The Forgotten Irish Graduate </b></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-4218475645726583042012-09-09T08:27:00.001-07:002012-09-09T08:33:15.548-07:00Tale Of Tragedy As London Marathon Remembered For More Than Charitable Efforts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last Sunday I scrambled out of bed at what seemed like an ungodly hour to tune
into the coverage of the 2012 London Marathon. Interviews with elite athletes
hoping for a place in the London Olympics; celebrities; and then the normal,
everyday folk who didn’t have the help of a personal trainer, running for a
charitable cause close to their heart were broadcast. The atmosphere seemed
almost infectious as hoards of people with the same goal scampered to the start
line whilst remembering the reason they had decided to endure this 26.2 mile
test.<br />
<br />
I watched on in excitement. Throughout the day headlines scrolled across our
screens of the various celebrities that had bravely completed the route, the 101
year old Indian runner, Fauja Singh, who had proven that anything is possible
finishing the marathon in a time of 7 hours and 49 minutes. However few were
aware of the 101 year old runner’s achievement, as the headlines were dominated
by a tragic end to the London Marathon for one young lady.<br />
<br />
30 year old avid fundraiser Claire Squires was undertaking the last mile of
the London Marathon when she collapsed at Birdcage Walk. She died a short time
later. She had raised £500 for The Samaritans, but news of her untimely death
prompted an outpouring of condolences and public donations from people across
all corners of the globe to her online fundraising page. Her fund currently
stands at over £1 million, five days after her death. Claire, a hairdresser from
Leicestershire, was described by family and friends as an ‘incredible,
inspirational, driven person’. And this was undoubtedly evident from her
fundraising efforts running the marathon in aid of the Samaritans, and in honour
of her brother, Grant, who passed away in 2001 following a drug overdose;
raising £1,886 for the Childrens’ Society by completing the 2010 London
Marathon; and only last year raised £1,430 for the RAF Association by climbing
Mount Kilimanjaro. The outpouring of generosity this week reminds her family and
friends that her fundraising efforts were not in vain, and that they can find
solace in the support offered by all at this difficult time.<br />
<br />
It is indeed a story which has touched not only the hearts of the UK, but the
hearts of the world. We may not have known Claire Spires personally, but we all
know someone who has ran a marathon, maybe you are a marathon runner, or maybe
you’ve dreamed of being brave enough to register for one. It is a humane story
to which we can all relate to. I know I can. I’m running the Belfast Marathon on
May 7<sup>th</sup>, in nine days time. The Belfast Marathon will be by first
marathon. It will be a culmination of my training to date, my physical ability
but more importantly my mental strength, which will help me keep fighting until
I see that finish line.<br />
Claire Squires did not make that final mile, but her inspirational story
touched us all. I know that I won’t be alone in saying this but when I do
attempt to run the Belfast Marathon on May 7<sup>th</sup>, I will not solely be
running the marathon for myself and the Irish Cancer Society, part of me will be
running it for Claire too.<br />
<br />
<i><b>28 April 2012 - The Forgotten Irish Graduate </b></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-28619566659114938862012-09-09T08:23:00.002-07:002012-09-09T08:23:58.051-07:00A Real Life Villain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
We all know the villain from the movies… the vacant eyes, yet a face of terror,
responsible for the most heinous of crimes. We are shielded from their acts by a
cinema screen, a half eaten box of popcorn perhaps or the human shield you’re
sitting next to in the comfort lined cinema seats. We’ve all been there; if you
dare to admit it or not, I’m sure there was that one movie, that one scene,
which ignited an element of fear within you.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, for the packed cinema in Colorado last Friday, at a midnight
screening of The Dark Knight Rises, the villain that came to life that night was
not one from the movies, but a real life villain. An incident, that within
minutes resulted in the shooting dead of 12 people and causing injury to 58
others. A man dressed in body armour and toting three guns opened fire at the
midnight screening of the Batman movie. Moments after the massacre this man was
apprehended.<br />
<br />
President Obama was due to visit the town to meet victims and their families
last night. This atrocity will now serve as a reminder for the President that
the issue of gun control in America is one of grave salience and one which needs
to be addressed immediately.<br />
Today, that suspected gunman made his first court appearance, refusing to
talk about the reasoning behind the shootings, a massacre which is undoubtedly
one of the worst in US history. Police are still searching for the motive which
led him to this terrible onslaught.<br />
<br />
As the suspect sat in court, courtesy of the TV screen, the rest of the world
were today sheltered from this villain; dressed in a red jailhouse jump suit,
with bright red dyed hair, his glare fixated straight ahead – James Holmes, a
real life villain, and one that will now haunt Colorado for life. He will face
at least 71 charges, one for each victim, and may face the death penalty.<br />
<br />
In the movies, the villains are also tried at the end, but it is then the
happily ever after ensues, but not this time, the bleak realism for the people
of Colorado is no happy ending, it’s a heartbreaking tale of a packed cinema
screening that ended in tragedy, a tragedy that will remain with Colorado for
years to come.<br />
To the twelve victims of the Colorado Massacre– Rest In Peace.<br />
<br />
<i><b>24 July 2012 - The Forgotten Irish Graduate </b></i></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-45480690215807967862012-09-09T08:19:00.000-07:002012-09-09T08:19:30.869-07:00Labour Party Conference Descends Into Chaos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In recent times politicians haven’t been topping any popularity polls, so it was
no surprise that on Saturday, at the Labour Party Conference in NUI Galway that
violent clashes broke out between anti-austerity protestors and Gardaí.<br />
<br />
In the afternoon, vicious scenes of fighting were witnessed, as protestors
attacked security men with flags, utilised a mock coffin as a weapon with which
they breached the Garda cordon surrounding the conference and proceeded to the
doors of the hall where the conference was taking place. A mere 20 Gardaí became
the shielding force, acting as the sole barrier between the protestors and the
conference delegates, the not so popular Labour politicians.<br />
<br />
Resulting from these ferocious scenes was the decision to lock down the
conference centre for a period of time. This however did not deter the efforts
of the protestors, with one RTE camera man even succumbing to a ‘pepper spray’
ordeal at the hands of the frustrated protestors. Journalists who had attended
the event to cover the protest were also threatened, and one student was finally
arrested by Gardaí after reaching the windows of the conference centre.<br />
<br />
People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett, who was one of the politicians
leading the demonstration, said that what was initially a peacefully
demonstration had been hijacked by a plethora of other protest groups, namely
the Occupy Dame Street movement, Citizens versus Charges, Shell to Sea, lone
parents, anti-bin tax campaigners, DEIS schools defenders.<br />
<br />
As bag pipes and bodhrans sounded in the background, taunts aimed at Minister
for the Environment, Phil Hogan, echoed around the NUI Galway campus, whilst
placards read ‘Don’t Register Don’t Pay’, ‘Axe the Home Tax’ and ‘Thug Hogan’
were evident to all. <br />
<br />
Undoubtedly this was an obvious to Phil Hogan’s reiteration on Friday night
that the Government were not backing down regarding the collection of the
Household Charge of €100, and would enlist the help of local authorities to
pursue all those who have not paid.<br />
<br />
To date 900,000 people have registered for the household charge.
Notifications will be sent to those who have yet to pay in a similar method by
which people are notified of their obligation to pay the TV licence. Phil Hogan
also pointed out that “People know in these financial circumstances they must
make a financial contribution for local services, and notwithstanding the fact
that people are under pressure, over 900,000 people in this country have
prepared to comply with the law – unlike the people outside,” referring to
protestors outside a conference he delivered in Kilkenny on Friday.<br />
<br />
So dare I say it – Are violent protests truly the correct medium to have your
voice heard? Or are they just an excuse for thuggish behaviour? Does there not
exist a better means through which our voice can be heard? Should these groups
to meet not be given the opportunity to meet with specific political parties in
an ordered manner for a healthy discussion and one which does not end in
violence?<br />
<br />
It may be the age old adage, but violence does not solve anything. Outlandish
yobbish behaviour of protestors merely paints the nation in a bad light, and we
could really do with not tarnishing our name any further. If we want issues
addressed by government ministers we must meet with them in a different
environment. Also, we must note that it is possibly the worst time to be in
government, and must commend the efforts of those currently in ministerial
roles, as they have quite simply landed a job that requires them to clean up a
mess caused by others.<br />
<br />
We as a nation must accept our part too in the financial recovery. Whilst we
may look unfavourably at some austerity measures, and the requirement to pay the
household charge, we must focus on the ways by which we will recover as a
nation, and return to some form of prosperity as a country – a country we can be
proud of and one we aren’t so ashamed to call home – even if that does mean
adhering to the Government’s request and paying the household charge!<br />
<br />
<i><b>16 April 2012 - The Forgotten Irish Graduate </b></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-70480699153840136152012-09-09T08:12:00.002-07:002012-09-09T08:12:59.084-07:00Young, Talented and Loaded<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Sunday Times Rich List released this week gave us every reason to be
envious, as young talented actors and musicians are reeling in the big
bucks!<br />
<br />
Not solely the lead role in the Harry Potter films, but Danielle Radcliffe
also took the lead role in the Young Rich List of millions with earnings
totalling £54m. Who would have thought that a glasses wearing wizard boy had the
potential to command such high earnings?! The earnings amassed by the Radcliffe
last year were resultant of his lead role in the final instalment of Harry
Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, and the success of his
most recent film, The Woman In Black also contributed to topping up his earnings
by £6m this year.<br />
<br />
It was however ‘Someone Like You’ singing sensation, Adele, who topped the
young musicians poll. Her album entitled ‘21’ sold 10 million copies last year,
and also trebled her wealth in the meantime soaring from earnings of £6m to £20m
in a mere year. Not a bad year, eh?!<br />
<br />
Acting remains the means by which one can amass significant earnings. This is
evidenced by Robert Pattinson’s pay packet for his contributions to the Twlight
Saga, which this year added a supplementary £8m to his wealth. The Twlight Star
is now worth approximately £40m. Kiera Knightley features as the third highest
paid actress with earnings of £30m. This starlet registered no increase to her
wealth last year…. my heart bleeds for you Kiera, given the fact the rest of us
were stripped of bonuses and salary increments to basic salaries, you can hardly
complain!!<br />
<br />
In 2010 Jessie J didn’t even feature in the Young Music Millionaires Top 20,
but in 2011 her ‘Price tag’ <em>(see what I did there?!) </em>was an estimated
£5m. The meteoric rise to fame of Rosie Huntington-Whitely secured the
Victoria’s Secret lingerie model and now actress secured her earnings of £5m
also. So it appears that it is possible to be plucked from obscurity one year,
and included in the top young earners list the next, not a bad year’s work at
all work for either starlet!!<br />
<br />
It is also worth pointing out that on further inspection of the rich list, it
appears that Mr Nasty himself, Simon Cowell, is behind many of youngsters listed
this year. Juxtaposing his creation of several reality talent shows, and his
influence in the music industry, X Factor sensations, JLS and Leona Lewis, and
former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole also make the cut with earnings of £12m, £5m
(per member) and £12m respectively. So whilst many will slate BGT, X Factor and
the likes, there appears to be a hefty reward for those who go the distance once
the talent shows come to a close. No doubt, the members of One Direction will be
joining this rich list next year given the current success they are experiencing
on an international scale.<br />
<br />
So it seems the talented youth of today are earning mega bucks, I, like many
others, am extremely envious, and wish there was some way I could feature on
next year’s list!! <br />
<br />
<em>Now to find myself a vocal coach that can cure my tone deaf singing
habits and ensure I sail through an X Factor audition…. or a drama teacher who
can land me a coveted walk on role in Fair City…. </em><br />
<br />
<em><b>14 April 2012 - The Forgotten Irish Graduate </b></em></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-57260749085509788822012-09-09T08:08:00.005-07:002012-09-09T08:10:48.521-07:00Government Remain Quiet As Divorce Rate Increases<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The
results of Census 2011 released this week have revealed that the number of
divorcees has soared by 150 percent in the past decade to 87,770. This can be
evidenced from the results of the 2002 census, the first census to be conducted
following the introduction of divorce in Ireland in 1996, inside which detailed
a figure of 35,059 divorcees.<br />
<br />
In contrast to the number of divorcees, the number of separated people has
marginally increased to 116,194 from 107,263 five years previous.<br />
<br />
Expectedly, resultant of an increase in the divorce rate was an increase in
the marital breakdown rate. In 2006 the marital breakdown rate was 8.7%, and
this has now risen to 9.7% in 2011.<br />
Nationwide, there was an increase of 21,800 since 2006 of co-habiting
couples, with 143,600 of couples favouring co-habitation as opposed to
marriage.<br />
<br />
But all of the above are mere statistics. The reasons and the effects of
divorce remains a topic largely undiscussed in Ireland. The findings by the
Central Statistics Office give us reason to allow these statistics occupy the
headlines, but only for a matter of days, until they become the taboo subject
which will only rear its ugly head again when the next set of Census results are
released.<br />
Even then the means in which they are released is a little deceiving, if you
add together the number of divorcees, people separated, and those who remarried
after divorce, the number jumps to a quarter of a million. Now that’s a real
headline grabber! Albeit comparative to other countries the marital breakdown
rate in Ireland still remains relatively low.<br />
<br />
Today I ask, why is there no discussion surrounding these figures? Why aren’t
the government questioning the increase in divorce rates? And why is no one
delving into the possible effects divorce can have on both parent and child?<br />
<br />
Whilst reported nationwide as a mere statistic, divorce is much more. It can
be for many, that lasting scar which remains unhealed for years to come. The
number of children who are affected by martial breakups remains unreported and
research suggesting the damage it causes children has been published on
countless occasions, the impact it can have on a child’s educational attainment
in the future is significant, as teachers can notice a change in a child’s
behaviour subsequent to a marital breakup.<br />
On a personal note, I am a by-product of a bitter and acrimonious martial
break up, but I didn’t allow it to affect my studies. In fact, following the
news, I went in to school and sat my Junior Certificate exams the next morning –
my education achievement remained, thankfully, unaffected.<br />
<br />
However it has been noted that divorce leads to a mistrust of marriage by
those affected, and to that I would concur. It is this which is believed to be a
factor which has contributed to the falling rates of marriages in western
countries. For children who experience divorce, are reluctant to ever subject
themselves to something which would lead to that experience ever again. Once
bitten, twice shy as they say. This also points to the reasoning behind the
increase in cohabitation in western countries including Ireland – and whilst we
worry about divorce rates, further research has suggested that cohabiting
parents are twice as likely to break up as married parents.<br />
<br />
So what can we do in Ireland? Re-enact our much loved ‘brush it under the
carpet’ attitude? Isn’t that where the topic of abortion and other controversial
topics remain? Or utilise these figures as a wake-up call.<br />
Surely no society wants to boast about soaring divorce rates, surely no
society wants children to be affected in the long term from such an experience,
and surely the government can side step talks of the bank bailouts for one day
in the Dail to address a humane aspect of life here in Ireland and one effecting
adults, children, and the wider society alike?<br />
<br />
I don’t know about you Enda, but I sure am getting uncomfortable with these
figures!!<br />
<br />
<i><b>31st March 2012 - The Forgotten Irish Graduate </b></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-91270999487905799402012-03-30T13:20:00.001-07:002012-03-30T13:21:17.565-07:00Twit of the week..... Erm, ‘Tweet’ of the week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I struggle
with the definition of a ‘celebrity’ at the best of times, but when it comes to
the definition of an Irish celebrity herein lies a much greater challenge. Like
most, I’m not quite sure why many of the so called ‘Irish celebrities’ have
acquired the title and furthermore, why such a title requires them to overload
the web with a plethora of tweets on the current darling of social media,
Twitter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week
we’ve delved into the intriguing (mundane!) lives of celebrities, which they
have so generously shared with us, via Twitter! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Poor DJ Ray
Shah seemed to be at breaking point this week... it appears that the life of a
DJ is more taxing than one would think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘Ah here.... brain is FRIIEEEDDD’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Clearly...
as it has impinged upon your ability to spell Ray!! Whatever the reason, it did
serve as a gentle reminder that DJs too have brains!! Never doubted you for a
minute Ray! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Talking of
brains, or lack thereof, Kamal Ibrahim tweeted...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘It's been an emotional week! :-(
I miss everyone already x’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I can’t say
the feeling is mutual.... we hadn’t even noticed that Mr. World himself had
gone MIA / relocated! Word of advice: staying away from the homeland (your
celeb land) for too land will result in a downgrade to your already waning
celebrity status! (i.e. no more VIP entrances into Dublin’s finest
nightclubs!!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">And then there were those
celebrities who proved to us that Twitter is a mere medium on which you can
detail to your followers what it is you’ve eaten for breakfast..... or in Niall
Horan’s case, what you haven’t!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘I’ve been asleep for the last 4
hours... I just woke up and everyone has eaten but me.. no one woke me.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ever heard
of room service Niall?!? You’re not in Mullingar anymore mate, I’m sure the
celeb lifestyle which you are currently enjoying stateside can afford you the
luxury that is room service! #stop complaining!<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ah, but do
not be fooled, celebrities can deviate from the usual <i>‘I’ve just had a boiled egg for breakfast’ </i>tweet and can instead <span> </span>offer something more, something profound
perhaps... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘Looking for inspiration </span></i><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23vipstyleawards" title="#vipstyleawards"><i><s><span style="color: #66b5d2; font-size: 12pt;">#</span></s></i><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">vipstyleawards</span></i></b></a><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> ... Hair/make-up/dress’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Actually
scrap that, I read the word inspiration and got a little excited! My bad - Pippa
O’Connor Ormond is actually just advertising for a new stylist, well that, or
she is unaware that she’ll find the aforementioned in her walk in wardrobe!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lastly, my
tweet of the week comes from an English celebrity and was one which I couldn’t
pass as it offers an insightful glance into the life of one of the UK’s finest
celebrities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<i><span style="color: #27343c; font-size: 12pt;">‘Right,
after late nights I'm off to bed early.(Fills hot water bottle, shuffles into
slippers, pours toddy, fetches reading glasses).Night...x’ <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #27343c; font-size: 12pt;">Too much information Richard!! Surely some of the above needs to
be censored?! Sometimes, Richard Madeley can get carried away with the alluring
existence that most celebrities enjoy... you really are living the dream!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #27343c; font-size: 12pt;">#never a dull moment on Twitter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #27343c; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #27343c; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 17th March 2012</i></o:p></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-19761108659833576282012-03-30T13:17:00.000-07:002012-03-30T13:19:15.461-07:00Happy Anniversary Enda and Eamon!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Don’t you just love the first
year of a new relationship? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Ah, the intense excitement and
romance of it all; not to mention the chemistry of bonding which floods the
brain. The desire to learn more about one another other; the budding
relationship is fresh, fun and adventurous. It has also been revealed that the simplistic
act of being in the presence of your other half on a daily basis can stimulate
love... So was that the case for Fine Gael and Labour?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One year on, having spent a year
cooped up in the Dáil together, we ask, has the union of Fine Gael and Labour
been the perfect partnership? Can this coalition stand the test of time? And
has the honeymoon period ended for Enda and Eamon? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Sure they had a rocky start to
their relationship, with the Tánaiste himself admitting they had been “knocking
lumps” out of each during the general election campaign, but the publishing by
the Government of its first annual progress reports details that they have made
a ‘solid start’ at tackling the problems faced by the State. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The 45 page publication claimed
that from 167 policy commitments listed in the implementation plan for the
coalition government in their first year together, more than 150 of them had
either been delivered or substantial progress had been made. The report also
served as a reminder of their ‘achievement’s including the extra
mortgage-interest relief for the negative-equity generation, the €10 billion
reduction in the interest bill on our bailout loans, the reversal of the cut to
the minimum wage by €1, and lastly, and possibly my favourite..... The €4m
saved on ministerial car costs!! <i>(Such
expenditure was not warranted in the first place!) <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(But remember this is their own self assessment of their progress... and
as the infamous saying goes, ‘self praise is no praise’)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
They did however accept that they
had failed to delivered approximately a dozen commitments <i>(how very noble of them!) </i>but emphasised what they claimed were
successes on debt reduction, banking and restoring stability <i>(Again debatable!)</i>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Acknowledgement by the Taoiseach
Enda Kenny, that as a government they had failed to provide enough support to
struggling mortgage holders was welcomed and he alluded to the fact that a
temporary cabinet sub-committee had been formed to address the issue of
distressed mortgages. <i>(Let’s hope some
action on this issue follows...as personal insolvency legislation is apparently
still awaited.)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Mr Kenny also cited that the
burden of the bank bailout was still “too onerous” on taxpayers <i>(You think Enda?).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Also, despite his promise in May
2011, to publish “report cards” evaluating the performance of individual
ministers, they were not included in this report. However it was confirmed in
recent days that this would not be a public exercise. Instead Mr Kenny met with
ministers, senior and junior alike, and had an “honest appraisal” with them
prior to the publication of the Government’s performance in this report. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Furthermore, it seems like Mr
Kenny is adamant that this coalition will be a match made in heaven; expressing
his feelings that “The people will be the judge of the ‘A Class’ in due course
at the end of five years”. <i>(You’re
sounding overtly confident Enda! Relationships are tricky... Who says it won’t
all crumble before then? Who says you won’t be deemed the ‘NG’ class?! Tread
carefully Enda, tread carefully!!)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
An Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore
appeared to be somewhat more in tune with reality reminding us that whilst as a
government they had taken over the reins in “horrific circumstances” that they
had made progress, but he was not going to exaggerate it. Stating “We know full
well the extent of what we have to do and we know full well the difficulties
people are having”. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Of course the
opposition parties were on hand to suggest that the report was a mere
propaganda exercise, but both Taoiseach and Tánaiste denied any such PR
exercise was at the heart of this report or that it was a mere ploy to paint a
rosy assessment of their progress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The bleak realism
pointed out by opposition parties captured a myriad of ongoing issues they
failed to address; the hoards of crowds queuing up at jobs fairs this week in search of employment opportunities abroad <i>(undoubtedly a case of forced emigration!)</i>,
unemployment rates<i> </i>and the health
budget cutbacks of €750m <i>(a vital service
which should not be ignored!). <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Fine Gael had
previously planned to celebrate their first anniversary in fashion <i>(without inviting the Labour Party along!) </i>by
means of a photocall with TD’s and Senators holding up stars in an effort to
illustrate their achievements over the past year. Thankfully, for both us and
their better half, this ‘supposed’ celebration was cancelled as it was deemed
by some clever sod as ‘inappropriate’ <i>(Whoever
you are – we are grateful!!).</i> The sheer notion of celebrating alone raised the
obvious questions surrounding the cohesiveness of the coalition government.
They may have been all smiles at the publication of the annual progress report,
but they cannot fool the nation! This is no perfect partnership – this
coalition has got to work, for the sake of the nation and our hope of an
economic recovery! <i>(This is one
relationship that cannot break up!)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Given the sheer
scale of the economic crisis, and the major issues which the coalition
government has yet to address, it is without a doubt not the time to be
celebrating when so many people in the country are struggling – FG and
Labour... Enda and Eamon, having reflected on your first year together, it is
quite clear that the honeymoon period is most definitely over!!! Now, get back to work guys... you have one
hell of a job YET to do!! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 9th March 2012</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6776183849853094104.post-88921965650113793012012-03-30T13:14:00.002-07:002012-03-30T13:18:51.719-07:00Paving the way to recovery? No, instead we’re re-paving Grafton Street!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><br /><o:p></o:p></b>‘All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their
mistakes’</div>
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So said Winston Churchill, and one can merely hope that we
all learn from our mistakes. Yesterday’s revelations regarding the upgrade of
Grafton Street would suggest otherwise.</div>
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Set the scene, Ireland 2012, a far cry from the Celtic Tiger
era it once was, and now a debt ridden state, attempting to cope with a severe
economic crisis, a single currency whose future remains uncertain, a banking
sector on the brink of breakdown and few employment opportunities resulting in
forced emigration. This is unfortunately a scene we are now all too familiar
with. </div>
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Herein lies some hope; hope that our current government can
right the wrongs of the government line up that went before them and repair our
demolished economy. But oh, how hope can fade fast....</div>
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Yes, we have acknowledged that all men make mistakes
(mistakes which we are now forced to pay dearly for courtesy of our previous
government!), but surely, the current governments can learn from their
mistakes. Not so. Revelations of a planned €4 million upgrade of the paving of
Dublin’s Grafton Street due to start early next year would suggest otherwise.
Seriously €4m on a pedestrianised street which is functioning fine and sees
thousands walk it on a daily basis without complaint? Surely, we have better
areas in which we can at this current time deploy such funds. </div>
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Pardon me for my ignorance, but how exactly are we to
benefit from this upgrade?</div>
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Further information released yesterday depicted the new
paving, alluding to the intent to use the same grey granite to that of Henry
Street coupled with a dark grey way finding path along one side with sections
in pink to highlight intersections and points of interest. How very glamorous!!
(Please detect the sarcasm!)</div>
<div style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Coincidently on the
same day on which this information was released news surfaced that Our Lady’s
Children’s<span> </span>Hospital in Crumlin launched
an €8m fundraising campaign to renovate the cancer and cardiac units, citing
the urgent need to upgrade its old and cramped wards to enable children to be
cared for in quality facilities. Dr. Orla Franklin, a consultant paediatric at
the hospital said of the situation “Children are fighting aggressive cancers.
These tough life struggles are happening in cramped and out of date facilities.
This has to change”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Surely such news
pales in comparison to that of the supposed need for the repaving of Grafton
Street? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Serious thought must
be given to where it is our priorities lie as a nation. It angers me that the
country would place prominence at a time like this, given the current economic
crisis, on the upgrade of a shopping street – when the welfare of sick children
is at stake. It infuriates me that Dublin City Council are injecting €4m into
the design of ‘pink sections’ on Grafton Street, when in fact, few will notice
such changes and upgrades as it is merely a street in which people walk on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I urge the
government and Dublin City Council to reconsider where it deploys it’s funds –
as in a year’s time, I don’t want to walk down Grafton Street, gilt ridden, in
the knowledge that I am walking on what could have been the upgrade to a vital
service to our country, the health service, and to what could ultimately have
saved the lives of children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Children’s
Medical Research Foundation have pledged €4m to the children’s cancer ward and
another €4m for a new cardiac facility and have made a direct appeal to Irish
people to help them raise the €8m funding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">To Dublin City
Council.... don’t let us spend next year and subsequent years trampling on €4m
when instead it could be utilised for the greater good of the country. The
paving on Grafton Street has stood the test of time since 1980, it has more
time to give, but as the fundraising slogan for Our Lady’s Hospital Crumlin
suggests the ‘Sick Children Are Out of Time’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The future of the
country lies with the children of today, not some glamorously paved shopping
street. Please we’ve made enough mistakes in this country already.... it’s time
we started learning from them.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><i> </i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The Forgotten Irish Graduate, 7th March 2012</i> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com