Literary Magazine 2012

“The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing it’s own thinking.”

Christopher Morley

I use Christopher Morley’s words to introduce this eclectic mix of our student’s work. Here you will find a selection of poetry, fictional essays and debates from various year groups. As we all know reading is an ‘enabling’ activity helping our students to improve in all subject areas. However it is so much more than that.

In our increasingly busy world, reading for pleasure has become more important than ever. This academic year has seen the school library become a central feature of St. Gerard’s school life. Students find it a wonderfully relaxing space, with a comfortable ambience. To celebrate the library we include a four page supplement in this year’s literary magazine. The reading material stocked therein mixes the classics with popular and contemporary titles. This summer will see further titles added. I would urge all students to continue to use this facility to it’s fullest. The rewards will last a lifetime.

Writing too is a wonderfully creative means of release for young people in our challenging world. Reading and writing provides an emotional understanding vital to teenagers; a ‘safety valve’ if you will.

Bryan MacMahon described reading and writing as ‘a mystery, a magic cave, an unlocking of the secrets of the world.‘ I hope you enjoy reading the pieces in this literary magazine, our student’s own ‘magic cave.’

Eamonn Carr English Department

The credit for this publication goes to Laura Gallagher, Sophie O’Reilly, Cormac Clay, David Boland, Christina Connaughton & Adam Cross. After the incredibly creative cover designs of previous years the challenge was immense to match these iconic pieces this year. Aisling Brennan has more than risen to the challenge with a unique and very intricate piece, she has made it her own.

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Orla Brankin

My Secret Life as a Superhero Third Year

I wake up, the sunshine is palpable through my blinds and suddenly I’m aware that it is Sunday- I am no longer Orla Brankin for the day but Glimmer Girl! I snatch my sparkly cape from my cupboard and sneak out the door.

It’s a warm, tepid day, not a good sign. ‘Darn it!’, I say to myself, listening to the sounds of my voice, my brother said I have a “squeamish, high-pitched, irritating voice”, but I don’t think so! However I do know that the sunnier the day, the more events I will have to prevent from happening!

I settle down in the bushes, staying clear from any human sight. I watch my two dogs sunbathe in the grass. This is the sort of thing that happens on a sunny day, and anything could pop up on them now, scaring them to death! This is what I’m here for however, so I sit and observe until a bumble bee catches my attention! I soon notice it has caught Rovers attention as well! He jumps up and begins to attempt catching it in his mouth!

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‘NO!, I scream, leaping out of the bushes and bringing Rover to the ground. I keep him pinned to the ground until the ‘buzz’ of the bumble bee has disappeared. I released Rover as he stood up and he began to lick my face.

I burst out into laughter as I tried to get to my feet. Rover has gotten so big now; he’s up to my shoulders! I pat him on the head and say, ‘you’re welcome Rover, Glimmer Girl saves the day once again!’ and I sprint over to the house, where my den is, under the staircase.

I watch and listen to the sounds coming from my kitchen. Suddenly I hear the sound of what my parents call a ‘kettle.’ I don’t like the ‘kettle’, constantly making so much noise as to interrupt conversations for several minutes, steaming up the windows so we cannot watch

the dogs in case they’re in trouble, and as it’s final attack, burn the tongues of my family as they drink a hot liquid known as ‘tea’, which the kettle makes too hot! Well not this time Mr. Kettle, as Glimmer Girl is on duty!

I see my older brother, James, walk from the kitchen into the living room, carrying a cup of ‘tea’. This is my chance to save him from being scalded! I race to the freezer snatching as many ice-cubes as I can and sprint to the living room. Before my brother has time to complain about my presence, I stuff seven ice-cubes into his cup of tea. I give him a colossal grin, feeling the soft gum, where my baby tooth had fallen out the day before.

Hand on my hips, rather proud of myself for saving my brother’s life, I realize that the expression worn on my brother’s face is not grateful but bewildered and irritated. I race out of the room before he can punch me, yelling out ‘Glimmer Girl strikes again!’ as I did so. I hear my brother’s voice saying ‘more like Orla the Oaf’ behind me as I skid into my den, safe and sound.

I sit and listen to what seems like forever when I hear my mum talk to my dad, ‘you know if you work on that laptop for any longer it’ll turn you into a laptop zombie!’, I start to panic, what’ll I do? This is completely out of my league! I take out my notepad and crayons and begin to draw out my plan. If I manage to get my invisible glasses from my sister’s room, I may be able to destroy this zombie-creating machine with the help of my enemy, the ‘kettle’. However, my rapport with the kettle has not been very strong, and he seems to be much older than me!

After I’d completed drawing out my mission on paper, it was time to put it into action.

The first step I have to complete is retrieving the ‘invisible goggles,’ which my sister calls

‘Gucci glasses’ and always tells me not to touch them, however desperate times call for desperate measures!

I see my sister, Bridget sunbathing outside. I creep out the door onto the lawn and can hear her snores from miles away! Perfect! I sneak over to the sunbed and carefully remove the glasses. They don’t make Bridget disappear but maybe they only work on kids like me.

I place them in my backpack and make my way back to the den.

Now it was time to place step two into action.

If the liquid coming from the kettle is enough to hurt human beings, surely it’ll be enough to give this ‘laptop’ a lesson and show it who’s boss. Now all I have to do is wait to hear the kettle roar and get to it before anyone else can, and knowing my family, it won’t be long until someone has a craving for this ‘tea.’

I was right, according to my Barbie watch it took five small marks of the long arrow to hit before I heard the rumble of the kettle. I put on the invisible goggles and headed for the kitchen. There was nobody to be seen in the kitchen and so after I heard the ‘pop’ from the kettle, I grabbed my stool, climbed upon it, carefully placed the kettle in my backpack and slowly made my way back to the den. From the living room, I heard my brother argue with my dad that he made tea last and that it was dad’s turn. This gives me enough time to fill my ‘groovy chick’ flask with the boiling liquid and return the kettle back to its home.

I ticked off the steps I had completed in my notebook and there was only one more step to complete. My dad, mum and brother were in the living room while my sister was still absorbing the sun outside, which meant I was faced with the zombie-creating machine all by myself.

The only way I could do it would have to be quick and brisk. I enter the study and see the zombie-making laptop sitting on the desk, glowing with thousands of numbers on it.

I sprint over to the monster and throw the boiling liquid all over it and with a flash, the glowing stopped and the brute was dead!

At that moment, I head a whimper behind me. I turned around and saw my dad standing in the doorway. I gave him a huge toothless smile and said ‘Glimmer Girl saves the world again!’ punching my fist into the air. With that, my dad was at the dead monster, trying to repair it. What was he doing?!

Soon he was pacing the room screaming that I wasn’t a superhero and that the ‘laptop’ was not evil. Bridget walked in, sighed and said.

‘Dad, calm down, she’s only five years old,’ I turned around to look at my sister and watched her expression turn from easy-going, to shock, to pure anger. Oh no. I felt up to my head and realised I still had her ‘Gucci glasses.’ She grabbed them from my hands and began to scream a lecture into my face.

I ran to my bedroom in tears, wailing that I was only trying to save the world. It wasn’t long until my mum was at my side, comforting me, explaining that I wasn’t a superhero and that my cape would have to be confiscated. I cried myself to sleep that night, in my Barbie duvet wondering that if I killed Mr. Laptop and he wasn’t a bad guy, that might not make me a superhero, but maybe a villain.

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Are Dictators War Criminals?

Christina Connaughton Fifth Year

Winner of UCC Faculty of Law Essay Writing Competition 2011 When we see or hear the names Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, and are asked whether dictators are war criminals, we have no hesitation in saying yes. But then, when names such as Fidel Castro and Napoleon Bonaparte, as benevolent dictators, are given to us, we question our former beliefs. Maybe some dictators are criminals, and others are not, but where do we draw the line between good and bad?

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Take Adolf Hitler, for instance. He used propaganda, censorship and intimidation to convince German Christians, and Christians of other nationalities, that wiping out the Jewish race was the best thing for the world.

In his part-auto-biography, Mein Kampf, he outlined the main Nazi beliefs, which some people believed to have been a blueprint for his future actions. Its main points were that the German race of people (Aryans) was superior to all, and that this race should occupy one large region (central Europe). He then believed that they needed more land and raw materials to survive, which could be obtained from the rich agricultural region of Steppes in the USSR, also that anything that prevented Germany from achieving these goals, should be got rid of, that German Communists should be crushed, and non-Aryans should be made the slaves of Germany. The ‘non-Aryans’ that Hitler had in mind were the one million or so German Jews.

This outline of his beliefs is enough to prove that Hitler was indeed a war criminal. But again, that does not prove that all dictators are. While it is true that the majority of Cubans supported Castro in 1959, as time went on, a lot of Cubans became disenchanted with Castro’s government and policies. Compared to Batista, Castro was prodigious. Free

education, free medical care, agrarian reform, quenching US imperialism all benefited peoples of Cuba immensely. Before Castro, 67% of Cubans were illiterate. Castro and Che Guevara introduced an excellent education system and consequently, Cuba has made its people one of the most literate in Latin America. Health care is better than that in the USA for most people, and is absolutely free.

The living span of Cubans is greater than that of US Americans. Agrarian reform distributed land to those who worked it. Before the Cuban revolution, land was owned by 1% of population, and billions of dollars were stolen by USA from impoverished Cuban populace. Castro was from a wealthy family and his family plantation was also given to peasants. In this sense, Fidel Castro cannot be defined as a criminal dictator, but can be, as a benevolent dictator. This is not to say that Castro was perfect; he certainly wasn’t, but his good did outweigh his bad.

Then we look at another so-called ‘bad’ dictator, although they could not be described as bad, because they were quite good at what they did. The ‘bad’ that we talk about when discussing these dictators is morally bad; their actions were solely for their own benefits.

Benito Mussolini believed that Fascism was the best solution to his country’s problems after World War 1. He believed in the use of violence when necessary, believed in dictatorship; but although Fascism had some things in common with Communism, Mussolini was seen as an enemy to Communism. He won support from the Italian middle and upper classes who feared Communism would take away their wealth.

Mussolini promised to allow these people to keep their property and their profits from business or land. Thus we can say that Fascism supported private enterprise. Mussolini

also supported the Catholic Church and monarchy, both of which Communism wished to abolish. Many Italians liked the military appearance and behaviour of Mussolini and his followers, who were called the Blackshirts - they marched and saluted in the very same way as the ancient Roman army. Mussolini promised to gain new land for Italy, the land it had expected from the Paris Peace Conference (1919), and more. For some Italians, Mussolini was the man to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire itself. When Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy, he soon set about increasing his power. He also proclaimed himself ‘Il Duce’ - the leader.

Those who disagreed with him were often silent, for fear of attack by the Blackshirts, thus, Mussolini was able to force the Acerbo Law through Parliament, which gave the control of the parliament to the party with the largest amount of seats. Following elections in 1924 and the same mixture of promises, threats and violence, the Fascists won control of Italy.

Along with the Blackshirts, who acted as the official police force, Mussolini also made use of a new secret police force, the OVRA, to arrest, torture and sometimes kill anyone who dared to oppose ‘Il Duce’. The OVRA forced some people into accepting Mussolini by means of propaganda, intimidation, censorship and indoctrination. Children were sent to after-school fascist-run youth clubs and scout groups called the Balilla. The constant message they were taught was - Mussolini ha sempre ragione - Mussolini is always right.

So, although Mussolini’s Fascist ideas were accepted more easily than Communism, the way he went about to achieve huge acclaim tricked and forced the Italian population into following him. Because of this, Mussolini can be characterised as a war criminal.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815. His legal reform, the Napoleonic code, has been a major influence on many civil law jurisdictions worldwide, but he is best remembered for his role in the wars led against France by a series of coalitions, the so-called Napoleonic Wars, during which he established hegemony

over most of continental Europe and sought to spread the ideals of the French Revolution, while consolidating an imperial monarchy which restored aspects of the deposed ancien régime. Due to his long-time success in these wars, often against numerically superior enemies, he is generally regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time.

Napoleon was one of the greatest military commanders ever - brave, innovative, bold, decisive, and very popular with his troops.

Some military historians consider him the best general of all time. As a politician and head of state, Napoleon was opportunist, ruthless, and ambitious. However, he was a poor diplomat, lacking patience - he often shouted at people who contradicted him, and once physically assaulted a senior Austrian diplomat who disagreed with him publicly. Napoleon never fully understood naval power, and understood economics even less. Internally he censored the Press and his Minister of the Interior Fouche dealt with political opposition using methods the Gestapo and NKVD would be familiar with more than a century later. Ultimately, Napoleon lost it all less than 15 years after seizing power, so in the final analysis it could be said that he was an outstanding military leader, an average one diplomatically and as head of state, but absolutely not a war criminal.

So, it is concluded that we can define a war criminal - as Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini - but to claim that dictators in general are war criminals, is counterfactual; leaders such as Napoleon Bonaparte or Fidel Castro were war heroes for the population that they governed, and their benevolent dictatorship benefited France and Cuba respectively even after their reign of power ended.

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JoJo Quilty

Teens on the Internet Fifth Year

A recent survey found that seventy-five percent of 16-to-24 year-olds feel that they “couldn’t live” without the Internet. Thirty-two percent of respondents said that they didn’t need to ask a real person about their problems as they could find everything they needed online and that forty-five percent “felt happiest” when spending time online.

message. We put time and effort into creating our online counterpart who we can embody every day.

In a world teeming with advances in technology, it is no surprise that the Internet plays a significant role in the life of the average teenager. The Internet is our advisor, our teacher, our friend. It allows us to seek information in seconds, browse websites of any description, communicate with friends and, in some cases, hide our true identity.

88% of social-media using teens have witnessed other people be mean or cruel on social network sites, nearly 42% of kids have been bullied online and almost one in four have had it happen more than once. When we are sat in the comfort of our own homes with our Facebook open, our computer screens become our armour and we are equipped with the weapon of words. We feel safe. We can launch insults at others while still maintaining protection. We cannot be touched.

The thing that we have become so dependent on becomes our shield, our sanctuary, our weapon.

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As soon as we log ourselves into our choice of social networking site, reality disintegrates.

We are judged by the number of ‘friends’ we have or what we look like in our pictures. Our profile is a window into our lives where others can freely judge us, but it is when we become too comfortable with our pseudo lives that we become dangerous.

The Internet gives the illusion that we are in a powerful position, almost invincible as we shy away from the real world. As soon as we see that recognizable brand name written across our screens we feel a surge of confidence, after a long day of relentless reality we get to be somebody else. For some, this means that our insecurities disappear. Nobody notices your bad skin when you look so good in your profile picture. Awkwardness doesn’t apply online when you can take five minutes to give a calculated, witty response to an instant

However, sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the pretense of our ideal selves. As we delve further into our make believe lives we begin to forget that behind the pixelated face on a computer screen is a real person.

In the real world, the aspect of bullying implies face to face confrontation or a snide remark from across the room. In the real world, the bully must face the reaction of their victim.

However in internet world, the bully is blinded by their screens. They cannot see nor hear the reaction of their victim, giving the illusion that there is hardly any harm done. They can walk away from that computer feeling innocent and unaware of the consequences of their abuse. This act of cowardice is known as cyber bullying.

We can all recall the tragic death of the young, pretty girl Phoebe Prince. A story that is so shocking that it is hard to believe that cyber bullying plays a significant role in it.

The 15 year old Co. Clare girl had just begun a new life in a Massachusetts High Schooland soon enough she developed feelings for a senior football player. However according to her classmates, this was not acceptable.

They believed that it was their right to teach her a lesson. Abusive messages ensued via Facebook and text and the oppression continued in school. After nearly three months of routine torment Phoebe walked into her closet and hanged herself. The horror reverberated around the world and her tragic death will always be a horrifying reminder of how bullying, either online or in person, can have harrowing consequences.

Surely this is proof that the damaging effects of cyber bullying are being neglected in today’s society, it is an epidemic, which requires more attention. What is uniquely merciless about cyber bullying is it gives the victim a sense of endangerment within the confines of their own room or house. Also, a cyber-bully can acquire anonymity so that the victim may feel like they can’t be secure within their own surroundings, paranoid about whom their debaser may be.

In Ireland, one in 10 students feel that cyber bullying is “just part of life”. So are isolation, anxiety, paranoia and depression due to cyber bullying just things we should tolerate? Should we just accept it as something inevitable? Cyber bullying is a very subtle form of abuse with very blatant repercussions, and the allusive nature of online bullying is a very real aspect of reality.

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No More Bullying!

Martha O’Connell First Year

She was always very quiet, I never heard her speak, I saw those kids laughing at her Calling her weird and geek.

She never really talked, I always wondered why, I could see by her face, She was about to cry She said she felt so lonely, She never told a soul, I said to tell a teacher, But she said “I’ll just go home” I never saw her after I couldn’t help at all She should have told a teacher But he never made that call I guess she thought she had no choice, To leave the school without a voice…

A Bully’s Regret

Brid O’Donnell First Year

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I never thought I was a bully, It was all just a joke, But I should have known David wasn’t that type of bloke.

I was the class clown, I never meant to bring him down, David never seemed to care, Though I never thought that he was scared.

The lads and I were always just messing about, We made fun of each other all the time, And we included David, Because we thought it was wrong to leave someone out.

We were young back then, We were not aware, That the jokes we said to each other, Could make someone suffer.

I thought I was a good friend.

No one knew, no one understood, And only now when we’re adults, Does he have the courage To say to me how I ruined his childhood.

Now I know I was a bully, But you don’t realise until it’s too late, For all I can do is say, “Sorry, I never meant to hurt you” And for that I am ashamed.

Lucy Warde

BULLIED…

First Year

I’d say it was him, He’d say it was me I was bullied 10But students feel that And I thought it was me.

All they did was tell him to stop And they had a word with me, But part the following daySo I was beaten up "just of life". are At a friend’s party.

one in cyber bullying is nxiety, paranoia and depression due to cyber bullying just things we rate? Should wea nice justfeeling, accept it as something inevitable? bullying It wasn’t The scars onCyber the outside eventually healed, say ‘it was a bit very of fun’ blatant repercussions, But theand insidethe never could. btle formThey of abuse with allusive But I was bullied My family tried to reassure me, nline bullying is a very real aspect of reality. Saying, “they would they would’ And I didn’t know what I had done.

I asked my mum what to do, She said nothing at all, All she did was grab the phone And give my school a call.

‘Go away and leave me be, I do NOT want you near, I have always tried to be nice, S JoJoo Quilty, Fifth the bullying stopsyear here…

Mr. Carr with Winners of ‘Bullying Awareness Week’ Poetry Competition Martha O’Connell, Brid O’Donnell & Michael Noonan

with Winners of ‘Bullying Awareness Week’ Poetry Competition Martha O’Connell, Brid O’Donnell & Michael Noonan

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Max Ryan

Obesity in Ireland Fifth Year

Would you like fries with that? This is the question that is ringing in the ears of the Irish youth as we climb towards the dizzying heights of the US ‘mega-obesity’ rates. The importance of regular exercise has gone from being a “good idea” to being an absolute necessity. We can no longer make lame excuses as we head further into the fattening depths of the McDrive Through. “I’m just bigboned,” “I retain water.” Water? More like Mars Bars.

More than 60% of Ireland’s under 65 club are either overweight or obese, according to a 2011 survey carried out by the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance. The same survey found that obese adults spend more time in front of the TV than the overweight adults. And, in turn, the overweight spend more time watching tv than adults of normal weight. A damning statistic for the adult population of Ireland and a promising one for the viewing figures of Come Dine With Me. The difference in hours of TV watched is particularly evident amongst women, as obese females watch 23 hours of TV a week compared to the 16 hours spent by overweight women.

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Why has obesity become such an epidemic?

With the availability of fatty foods. A fast-food joint around every corner, with microwaves and frozen foods in every kitchen, we can all enjoy a warm, delicious meal in a matter of seconds. The food that TV ads tell us to eat is chemically engineered to be tasty. There’s no skill involved in a microwave meal, just calories. There’s fast food, then there’s KFC but there is certainly nothing quick and easy about shedding a hundred pounds or more just to save your life.

Your average extra value meal in MacDonalds (hamburger, fries and a milkshake) contains 1200 calories and takes up the majority of your daily calorie allotment, without even filling you up properly. It’s time we realised that a McTub of ice cream is not a good source

of calcium. It’s time we realised that a Terry’s Chocolate Orange is not part of our five a day.

It’s time to realise that we can do something about this.

In my school, not only is P.E available to students, but after school sports is compulsory four days a week for an hour. I can’t speak for other schools but the effects of regular exercise are evident in day-to-day life. The students are happier, fitter and more switched on in class as a result. Team sports such as rugby and football hone social skills and the ability to work as a team and co-operate with others. Twinned with a balanced lunch and a healthy dinner at home, we are amongst the fittest secondary school students nationwide.

However, this only goes so far.

In my opinion, the root of the problem is to be found in TV ads. Even while watching sports we are brainwashed to eat rubbish and drink booze. Football fans tune in to watch the Budweiser FA Cup or the MacDonalds Community Shield. Rugby fans settle down, bottle in hand to watch the Heineken Cup or the Magners League. Advertisers pay millions to use top athletes as tools to promote their health-damaging product to couch potatoes.

While elite athletes are setting a good example for us, their good work is being hindered by McMarketing. Rather than heading out for a game of five-a-side after the match, we’re sticking on the Xbox for a game of FIFA and a steaming takeaway.

We are cascading towards the US obesity rates quicker than we can run. We, the youth of Ireland do not want to be the ones to set the obesity bar higher than the world’s fat nation.

We do not want to be Europe’s fat nation. We do not want to follow our parents’ generation into the obese abyss. We have to wake up and realise that we do not have to follow in our parent’s footsteps, we do not have to spend our life on the couch, and we most certainly do not want fries with that.

‘Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites’

So said William Ruckelshaus in 1990. This quote contains a message, which is important for our survival. It is a metaphor telling us that planet earth can sustain human life, provided that we allow it to. If we alter the way the planet works, our survival might be threatened.

Look at it this way- imagine we are all on a spaceship. It is travelling through the universe at over thirty kilometers per second! Actually, we are on that spaceship. It is called earth.

Our entire life support system is on board that spaceship. The temperature range suits us, we have plenty food and clean water. However, if we are unwise with our consumption, people in the future may not have enough. If we pollute water, our children’s children will be thirsty. If we mess with the climate control, it might run away on us, leading to extreme climates beyond our endurance. The bottom line is that if we are careful, the spaceship might provide for our needs for countless generations to come. However, if we abuse it, it could fail us. We are on that spaceship together, and we are all at the controls. So let’s be careful, because there is no instruction manual! We don’t yet know what all the buttons do.

We don’t yet fully understand nature. It is true that we have come a long way – we have sent man to the moon and to the very depths of the oceans. Albert Einstein once said “look, look, look deep into nature and you will understand everything”. The problem is we have not looked at everything yet. We don’t fully understand the mechanics of our spaceship. We don’t know if the small part we are about to adjust is keeping the whole system running. We don’t know if that insignificant species is crucial to our food chain. It may well be of no significance at all, but interfering with it in ignorance seems like a huge risk to

Áine McCabe Forth Year

take when our survival is in the balance. We need to preserve and conserve our planet, its resources and its ecosystems.

In order for future generations to survive on this planet, we must think of them in our decision making today. We need to start thinking of the big picture and the long term.

Thinking of ourselves in the long term is one of the greatest challenges facing humankind.

We need to place a greater importance on the planet that supports our existence.

The main reason that we don’t treat nature with the respect it deserves is that we don’t realise the extent to which we rely on it.

More and more people now live in cities.

Urbanisation is happening globally. And we are falling out of touch with nature. Electric lighting and central heating allow us to forget how much we really depend on the sun.

Our constant wants sometimes outshine the fact that, without plants, clean water and an acceptable climate, we could not survive.

Taking care of our planet is sometimes seen as a saintly thing to do. But this is not a call to be selfless. It is a call to be collectively selfish, and to look after our own interests, and the interests of our descendants. I think that it is fair to say that our interests are in a planet that supports our existence.

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Leah Flanagan

How the Media Influences Society Fourth Year

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Ladies and gentlemen, what is an independent media and what does it mean for us as a people? An independent media is what the world needs. An independent media represents a source of unbiased, relevant and essential information that we need to understand the happenings of the world around us.

An independent media is the information that has slipped through the discreet screening process created by parties like the government and multi-national corporations, allowing us to see the world as it truly is.

The media connects one person to another, one country to the next and binds the world together, allowing us to make developments and advance as one. However, how are we supposed to make decisions when the media has become a frantic, chaotic marketplace full of newspapers and magazines competing for a position on your coffee table? How are we supposed to separate the gossip and scandal written to seize our attention and force us to buy a magazine or newspaper from the relevant information such as natural disasters etc. As we are faced every morning with the latest headline news about the scandalous, X-rated lives of the X-Factor stars, we begin to ponder about how our news is filtered. What news has been replaced by this story that affects us in no way whatsoever? Irrelevant gossip replaces fundamental information about politics, developments in science and technology etc. So how does this media affect us?

There are many ways in which the media affects each and every one of us every single day of our lives. Every day, each of us are, on average, exposed to around 1000 advertisements, ranging from the insignificant, easily-skimmed ads in a newspaper or magazine to the bright, bold billboards on the bus stops and the diverse range of ads on the radio and television. Each of these ads have a sub-conscious affect on the mind. Some appease us; making us happy

and content. Others make us feel distressed and down. We need look no further than the L’Oreal ‘Because you’re worth it’ motto.

Does this ad only apply to those who look like the stunning, slim, striking woman on the television? Because, ladies and gentlemen, this idealistic figure only represents 2% of the population of women in the world. This statistic stands for any ad that features this type of woman. We are constantly being bombarded by images that are influencing us to create an ideal world out of who we are and what we do. We are being told by the media, what we should be doing, who we should be and what we should look like. As mentioned in the Dove campaign for ‘real beauty’, “for too long beauty has been defined by narrow, unattainable stereotypes.” Ladies and gentlemen, how is humanity portrayed in the media? Perfect, flawless, impeccable. And those of us who are not perfect are made to feel as if we’re different. As if we aren’t fitting into this idealistic stereotype of a perfect world.

People often underestimate the power of the media. The idea that the media can alter our values is over-looked. Our values our not innate within us, we develop them over a period of time depending on what majorly influences us. Young children and teenagers are at an impressionable age where they are very easily influenced. That’s common knowledge. However, this is the age where their values are formed and these values will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Our values make up a large portion of who we are and how we make decisions. By age 18, a US youth will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. What sorts of values are we going to form based on this information that the media throws at us everyday? Nearly every child’s movie, including Disney movies, include a successful hero who children aspire to be. Many of these

heroes have used violence to win over the audience and viewers. Deceitful behaviour is also a common tactic used. In recent studies, many children who have been exposed to many similar movies have lost a certain element of connection between fiction and reality. They feel that dishonest behaviour is normal and acceptable. When we add this to the statistic that 80% of children under the age of six spend nearly a month exposed to ‘screen media’, we can see how mass media is really affecting young people.

Can we really rely on the information provided by these so-called independent sources? Closer to home, the Irish media can, in my opinion, often act as a simple pawn for the government. For example, the recent presidential election was a ‘dirty campaign’ in the view of many. The media became so involved in the presidential election that the Irish population became inundated with all the scandal concealed behind each candidate. The media focused on alleged scandals pertaining to various candidates, such as Sean Gallagher and Martin McGuinness. The media should be not so quick to accept the information as fact from spin-doctors and governmental press secretaries. Fear is a common tactic employed by these bodies and is regurgitated by the media. Constantly we hear rumours rather than facts. Rumours about rising taxes.

Rumours about soaring prices. Rumours about how all citizens will be undeniably affected by every decision made by the government.

When the final decisions are released, it often transpires that these prices, these taxes, these fees won’t be as high as ‘rumoured’. And what is our reaction? The government are wonderful for not taking this drastic action that was originally feared. This manipulative ploy by the government is simply taken as fact by the media. The Irish media, instead, should be doing a proper job of consistently analysing, criticising and scrutinising instead of taking rumours as facts.

As Malcolm X once said, “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power.

Because they control the minds of the masses.”

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So ladies and gentlemen, let me ask you, has the media affected the modern world or has it become the modern world?

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Gavin Dowd

Dinner Run First Year

Into seventh gear, a section I’d never been before. The skilled Asian gang stayed hot on my tail leading to added pressure. I was a young guy, only 26 and, to this day, I never venture to the west suburbs of Boston. Amidst the shock, my body was creating adrenaline keeping me wanting more. And that was only the start...

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It was only meant to be a normal bank holiday until my friend Sean called. Sean was a former gangster who’d served his time and learnt valuable lessons. We talked about how our lives had changed in the last ten years since we met in High School. Then the conversation turned to how Sean wanted me to visit him. I worried, but then considered the offer and thought it would be a great opportunity to ‘resume’ our friendship. That evening, I dressed in my suit and headed for what was promising to be a ‘Malaysian Fusion’ themed night. Things had gone well for Sean since he left prison. He invested in property and made an easy buck or two along the way. Nevertheless he still lived in the working class, tight-knit community he’d grown up in. I headed there in my modest five year old Ford Mondeo, far from the new GMC jeeps in Sean’s driveway. I pulled up and was greeted with a handshake and a warm smile from Sean. It put me at ease as I followed him into the small government-owned semi.

I then started to fear the clichéd expression was indeed true: once a gangster, always a gangster. The house was not like I expected; small, stuffy, but very clean. We sat down in a dark room with oriental decorations. As Sean sat down facing me, I couldn’t help thinking it was a kind gesture, but my gut feeling was one of intimidation, and I was to find out that I was all too right about this.

The meal included succulent pork ribs glazed in a honey sauce and beef chow mein, washed down with a refreshing Indian Tiger beer. Out

of the blue, the conversation turned serious as Sean made a plea for a loan of money from me. I told him that I couldn’t loan him money as I hadn’t seen him in years, and simply couldn’t trust him. And with that, the group of Asian men who had served us the meal jumped out and swung a rope around my chest. I struggled frantically and managed to move the rope off my waist. Knowing this was Sean’s plan…

I fled the house, jumped into my Ford and hit the road. In the rear-view mirror I could see the Asian group speed towards me, following behind me. I was sweating badly and hoped I could concentrate under this amount of stress. I headed for the busy docklands district where they drove dangerously, reinforcing my thinking that Sean really wanted the money desperately. They were swerving on corners, speeding past people... you name it, I was doing it too!

Then the inevitable happened; the gang crashed into a wall. As I turned back to look at them, I crashed into a shipping container. Uninjured, I scrambled out of the vehicle only to find the Asian gang had started driving again.

Bruised and battered, they barely managed to drive. They went off the ledge and into the freezing water of the Boston docklands.

Unable to move, the gang was dead in the water.

Though the experience has left no physical scars, it shook me mentally. Some nights in bed, I can still hear the tyres screeching and the smell of exhaust fumes. Now, thirty years later, I haven’t been back to the west suburbs.

Five years ago I saw Sean’s death notice in the papers. He got caught between two feuding drug lords and paid the price. Among the negatives from this experience, I learnt that the clichéd expression was true; there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

The Celtic Tiger, obsessed with excess is dead. Time to regain our values.’

The Celtic Tiger is a thing of the past and the sooner we all realise that, the better. It is gone and it is not coming back, all that remains of it are a few memories and a tale for the history books. There was an era, and we all remember it, of wealth, power, and a surplus of funds. And what was believed to be innovative spending. So it seemed anyway.

Could it be that this economic boom wasn’t planned or mapped out in stages? That we had no idea what was about to happen to our little country and we simply got lucky? Of Course!

However we did not realise that the era of the Celtic Tiger would soon draw to a close.

We need to stop dwelling on the past. What was and what could have been. It won’t do us any good and it certainly won’t create jobs and income. We need to focus on the positives in our lives and by positives I mean our own personal values. In the last decade, we became a nation that was so income-orientated that we forgot to take care of ourselves both physically and mentally. You see, it is easy to see when something is wrong with a person physically, but what about their mental health? Mental health is a way to describe the state of your mind, feelings, emotions and nerves. Mental health is the balance between all aspects of life - social, physical, spiritual and emotional. It impacts on how we manage our surroundings and make choices in our lives - clearly it is an integral part of our overall health.

A huge number of people have been made redundant in the last few years and being unemployed for a long time not only affects a person’s financial situation but also strains their self-confidence, tests their relationships and puts their physical and mental health at risk. Individuals can experience a sense of loss, usually financially related. People will often be emotional, feeling grief, anger and a loss of self worth. Both personal and professional

Lauren Lynch Fourth Year

relationships can be put under strain. In many cases, an individual will experience similar feelings and stresses as they would at the loss of a loved one, there will be the same grieving process and turmoil of emotions.

Unemployment forces an unwanted change in a person’s daily routine, it can change the way somebody thinks about themselves. Job loss is inevitable in a recession and it can bring with it an emotional roller-coaster, for both the individual and their friends and family.

Did you know that over 400,000 Irish people experience depression at any one time? That’s one in ten of the average population. 1 in 3 of us will be affected by depression at some point in our lives – either directly, or with a family member. Women are three to four times more likely than men to have depression, but men are far more likely to die by suicide.

One in four men and one in two women will experience depression at some point in their lives. The Irish suicide rate has doubled since the early 1980s. These statistics are too high and they are continuing to rise. We need to do something, fast. It is time that good mental health was promoted and in order to do this we need to abolish completely the taboo that seems to have materialized around topics such as depression and suicide. Yes, there are more facilities to help people with depression then there was 10 years ago, but a majority of people will still avoid issues such as suicide and don’t know how to look after their mental health properly. When surveyed, a shocking 56% of 150 students in my school (aged 11 to 16) did not know how to look after their mental health.

When a person’s physical health is at risk, they will follow a certain procedure in order to regain their wellbeing. They may take antibiotics; go to the doctors, a physiotherapist, even a hospital. But people also understand

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that when it comes to your physical state, prevention always beats cure. We receive vaccinations so that our bodies don’t get ill, we stretch before exercising, and we use safety equipment when needed (for example, a helmet, a gum shield, shin guards). But what about our minds? Our mental health?

Our mental health is just as important as our physical health and it is time that we sat up and took notice of both our own mental wellbeing and of our friends and families.

The Celtic Tiger is, as the motion suggests, dead. We can’t get the past back. What’s done is done. Instead, we need to focus on the present. Deal with each day as it comes, without forgetting about the future. In my opinion, we should stop focusing on where everything went wrong, and start focusing on how we can make things right again. Many of us have become used to a culture of wealth and we need to seriously rethink our way of life. It is time to regain our values. On the 30th of June 2010, a shocking headline on irishexaminer.com read “Recession blamed for 25% surge in suicides”. Spiralling debt, marriage breakdown and depression caused by the recession were being blamed for the alarming 25% rise in the number of recorded suicides.

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In 1987 there were 245 registered suicides in the Irish Republic (population, 4 million); in 1998 there were 478 suicides in the Irish Republic. This is an increase of 110%.

What’s worse is that this figure continued to rise; in 2009 the total number of suicides (as confirmed by the Central Statistic Office) was an alarming 527. However, experts say the figure could have been far higher. An additional 195 “deaths by undetermined intent” were recorded by the CSO, a high proportion of which may have been suicide.

I am not in any way trying to take away from the seriousness of the recession or the increase in the level of redundancies that go with it. But I think everybody can agree that during the era of the Celtic Tiger we failed, as a country and as individuals, to uphold many of our values. It’s not that we forgot about our ethics and principles entirely, we just focused

on other things, such as our economy. We became a nation so obsessed Max with Ryan money, power and greed that we simply forgot both our individuality and our national identity.

We lost a hold of our culture Fifth and Year of our Irish heritage. But now is the time to regain these values. Now is the time to reconnect with friends and family. In the last few years our little country has become cash poor. But perhaps this is better than the greed-driven nation we used to be? I mentioned earlier that we can’t get the past back, but let’s face it, should we really want it back? It did nothing for our mental health or for our ethics and culture.

In my opinion, there are two main values we need to focus on regaining. Family values and valuing the elderly. The first is easy. Now that we have more time on our hands, and less money, we are to spending more time at home. This gives us the opportunity to spend valuable time with the people we care about.

Obviously job loss isn’t ideal, but if it means we have better family relations because of it, we may as well make the most of it. During the ‘boom times’ children would often be carted off to day care centres, dumped on au pairs or handed over to nannies. Children could go the whole day without seeing their parents, except maybe at dinner time. Maybe. But now parents have the time to sit down with their children and talk to them about their day, which is such a simple yet rewarding thing to do. It is also be hugely beneficial for the child’s wellbeing and mental health.

Also, we need to begin to value the elderly.

Once upon a time, the elderly in a society were respected and appreciated. In many cases they were considered the ‘wise ones’ of the village. In Far East countries such as China and Japan, this idea remains. However, during the Celtic Tiger, most of the mature population was shipped off to a nursing home or something of the sort. I recently read an article where Joseph O’Conner sums up the disgraceful attitude of many Irish people today. The article read “How nice for Ireland’s elderly to learn their true function: Pay taxes for 55 years... and then be invited to quietly sod off”. I’m sure there’s politer ways of phrasing

that, but the message is certainly accurate. So ladies and gentlemen, if it takes a recession to take away our income so that we cannot dump our own flesh and blood on strangers, then so be it. Maybe this is a step forward, a movement away from the greed we Irish had during the ‘Boom Times’. The recession will end. But the question is, when it does end, will our values remain? Positive community spirit and strong family structures are key factors in maintaining good mental health.

So, to conclude, we are an age obsessed with technology, media and fast-paced life, we need to take the time to just sit back and relax. To be grateful for what we have. These are tough times, but we’ll pull through. We need to unite as a nation, and move forward together.

It is time we let go of the past and focus on rebuilding both our economies and our lives.

And where better to start then promoting good mental health? It is more important now than ever before. Good mental Health won’t change the world but it’s certainly a good place to start.

Take the time everyday to do something nice.

Not only will it boost your own self-esteem, but a few kind words could make the world of difference to somebody going through a rough time. Random acts of kindness. Good deeds. Whatever you want to call it, it is easy and free to be nice to somebody, but the result can be priceless. So ladies and gentlemen, let us set about regaining our values and living mentally healthy lives.

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TTH Regrets the Rise of Social Networking Websites

My name is Thomas Rafferty and today I am strongly proposing the motion that this house regrets the rise of social networking websites.

I will base my speech around three main points: The risk of Cyber Bullying, the impacts on young people’s education and the fact that these websites have negative effects on society as a whole.

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Now onto my first point, that Social Networks are places where cyber bullying can happen easily. We on the proposition believe that Cyber Bullying is a major issue in today’s society, and social networks are the main cause.

Social networks are places designed for interacting with the ‘friends’ we ‘add’, through status updates and sending links to interesting places on the black hole that is the internet.

However, although these websites can be useful for friendly interactions, they can also serve as a medium to bully through the internet.

The opposition state the multiple benefits of social networks such as Facebook. I do not disagree; these websites have the potential to contact long-lost friends and relatives from abroad. However, on theproposition we see that these websites can also have detrimental effects on young people when used incorrectly.

Shocking statistics released by the National College of Technology in Education (NCTE) show just how serious an issue cyber-bullying is in Ireland. Startling results show that 18% of pupils polled had been cyber-bullied. Also, a staggering 21% admitted to posting comments and the internet to insult, harm and embarrass peers. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is simply unacceptable! The opposition cannot deny that these percentages reflect that undeniably high figures of Ireland’s children are being negatively affected by social networks. This simply needs to stop!

Thomas Rafferty Third Year

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me ask; what has society come to? The youth of today are becoming a malicious and spiteful generation, thanks to the rise of social networks. No benefit of a website can counter such revolting acts being carried out by young people.

Social networks are having a much bigger consequence on youths than has previously been thought possible.

This leads me onto my second point, that Social Networks impact on young people’s education.

Ladies and Gentlemen, social networking sites have been proven to be addictive and a negative influence on the education of teenagers, and now even younger youths.

A startling two-thirds of children surveyed in the UK last year on the subject of the ubiquitous Facebook said that they rush through homework when they come home from school in order to spend time online.

This blatantly clear evidence shows that there is a direct correlation between social networks and the dropping standards of homework in today’s world of education.

Teachers polled by the same survey also stated that there is a clear connection between the increased use of typing in the digital age and the declining levels of quality writing in classrooms. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are creating a nation of Facebook fluent, but classroom illiterate children.

This is continuing beyond primary school classrooms, as a spokeswoman for the company which conducted the survey explained. She suggests that these websites will affect the chances of generations continuing onto higher education due to the concentration problems caused. We on the proposition agree with this belief, and think that the rise of social

networks can have much farther-reaching consequences than have previously been considered. This surely is wholly regrettable.

My third point of today’s debate concerns the impact social networks have on society as a whole.

As the opposition has stated, online networks can provide a simple and useful mean of communication between groups. However, when we look at the recent London Riots, for instance, we see that all good things can be used for violent means and to cause destruction. Social Networks are thought to have played a major role in the organisation of the riots. This example shows that social networks can cause not just bullying among teenagers, but also criminal activity in today’s society.

The British PM, David Cameron, has acknowledged the risks of these deadly websites, threatening that anyone using them to plot criminal activity would be banned from such sites. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a cardinal example of how leaders of society have come to terms with the possible evils of Social Networks.

Ladies and Gentlemen, if prime ministers of countries can realise the truths behind the propositions reasoning, I can assure you can too.

In summary, I have today outlined three main points to strongly regret the rise of social networks; the risk of Cyber Bullying, the impacts on young people’s education and the fact that these websites have negative effects on society as a whole.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I ensure these arguments will have enlightened you to perceive social networks as dangerous and regrettable elements of our society.

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Are Dictators War Criminals?

HERO

JohnChristina Caffrey Connaughton Fifth Year

Winner of UCC Faculty of Law Essay Writing Competition 2011

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Alex got into his car. It had been twenty-seven days since the diagnosis. He was on his way When we seeboring or hear the session names with Adolf to yet another therapy a Hitlerdeaf andseventyBenito five Mussolini, are asked near year oldand woman, who whether dictators are war criminals, we have he doubted even had a medical licence.

This no hesitation in saying But already then, when was his third session andyes. he was sick names and Napoleon of beingsuch told as to Fidel ‘relax’Castro and ‘visualize’ while Bonaparte, as benevolent dictators, are in given the old woman played bagpipe music the to us, we question formerplayer beliefs.

Maybe background (on a our cassette that was some older dictators even than are her).criminals, and others are not, but where do we draw the line between goodhospital and bad?itself was a mustard coloured The building. It was the third tallest in Belfast at Take Adolf Hitler, for instance. used 76 metres high.

Alex went inside. TheHe elevator propaganda, censorship and was intimidation to was broken and his therapy on the top convince German Christians, floor.

As he was going up the and flightsChristians of stairs of noticed other nationalities, wiping out the he the same signthat blue-tacked to each Jewish race was“Out the best thing for thefor world. elevator door: of order, sorry this In his part-auto-biography, Kampf, he inconvenience”. ’More likeMein incompetence,’ outlined theItmain beliefs,minutes which to some he thought. took Nazi him fifteen get people believed room. to have a blueprint to the therapists Hebeen opened the doorfor to his future actions.

Its main points werelike that she the see a young blonde girl who looked German was just race out of people medical(Aryans) school.was ‘Ohsuperior hi, I’m to all, and Mrs. thatYoung,’ this race should here to see he said, still occupy slightly one large ‘She’s region (central then confused. away, I’ll beEurope). taking herHe patients believed they needed land raw for today’that the young doctormore replied ‘Myand names materials to survive, could beimproved. obtained Doctor Reade.’

Alex’swhich day instantly fromReade the rich agricultural Steppes in Dr. gestured for himregion to sit of down. the USSR, also that anything that prevented Germany from achieving these started goals, should After a long pause the doctor to ask be got rid of, that German Communists should him some questions.

‘So Alex, it says here that be crushed, and unemployed, non-Aryans should you’re currently wherebe didmade you the slaves Germany. ‘non-Aryans’ that last work?’.of He thoughtThe about the question Hitler had in mind one or so for a second.

It hadwere beenthe over tenmillion years since German Jews.‘I was a lifeguard’ he replied. his last job.

He remembered that foggy day in August so This outline of the his beliefs is enough to prove clearly.

It was day before his nineteenth that Hitler a waroncriminal. birthday andwas he indeed was working a beach But on again, Island. that does not on prove thatabout all dictators Achill He was patrol, to finish are. shift While it is true of Cubans his when he that saw the twomajority distressed young supported time wentthem on, girls in the Castro water. in He1959, ran inas and pulled a lot out of Cubans became disenchanted both by the ponytails.

By the time hewith got Castro’s government Compared them onto the beach and theypolicies. were unconscious. to the Batista, Castro was prodigious.

Free By time the ambulance came, they were

dead. The ambulance took forty minutes to arrive. Alex spent every second of those forty education, freeto medical care,the agrarian reform, minutes trying resuscitate two children. quenching all benefited It was no useUS as heimperialism could only perform CPR on peoples of at Cuba immensely.

Before Castro, one person a time.

The national newspapers 67% of Cubans werewhen illiterate. and Che blamed him. That’s the Castro hate mail and Guevara an excellent education the threatsintroduced started to pour in. He had to leave system He and changed consequently, Cubaand hasleft made Mayo. his name for its peopleleaving one ofeverything the most behind. literate in London, HeLatin had America.

Health care isand better thansince. that in the barely seen his family friends USA for most people, and is absolutely free.

The living span Cubans isHe greater than that ‘Alex?’ said theoftherapist. realized of US distributed he hadAmericans. zoned out.Agrarian ‘Hmm?’reform he grunted with to voice thosecrack. who ‘Why worked aland slight did it. youBefore becomethe a Cuban revolution, owned by 1% lifeguard?’ she asked.land Alexwas passed for a second of population, and to billions of dollars wereI ‘I...

Uhm... I wanted help people.

I dunno. stolen by from impoverished Cuban wanted to beUSA a hero I suppose,’ he said, slightly populace. Castro wasbeing from aa hero wealthy embarrassed.

In fact hadfamily gone family plantation alsoaway given to aand bit his pear-shaped since he was moved from peasants.

In this sense, Fidelsince Castro be Mayo.

It had been ten years thecannot accident defined as a hadn’t criminal dictator, can be,and as and he still gotten overbut it. ‘Okay a benevolent dictator.

This is not say that why did you move to Belfast?’

Sheto asked.

He Castro was perfect; heher certainly wasn’t, butwas his thought about telling the truth but she did girl, outweigh hisofbad. agood young just out medical school with high hopes and dreams, she didn’t need to Then that we he look anothertwelve so-called ‘bad’ hear hadatconned pensioners dictator, although they could be described out of their life savings.

Alexnot never had any as bad, because they were quite good itat came what trouble taking the money but when theyspending did. Theit,‘bad’ that couldn’t. we talk about when to he just He simply discussing theseadictators morally bad; said ‘I needed change.’isThen there wastheir an actions were solely for Finally their own benefits. awkward sort of silence.

Doctor Reade Benitohim Mussolini thatyou Fascism was asked ‘Did thebelieved doctors tell how long the best solution to histhought country’s problems you have left?’ Alex about this, after they World War 1. told He believed in the use ‘Not of violence hadn’t really him much at all. really, when necessary, dictatorship; but all they told me believed was that inthe diagnosis was although had some common bad and Fascism the prognosis wasthings even inworse,’ he with Alex Communism, Mussolini an said. then got up to leave. was It hadseen beenashalf enemy Communism.

He won an hour.toDr. Reade handed him support a book:from “10 the Italian middle andYou upper classes who feared Things To Do Before Die”, ‘How original,’ Communism would takeit’saway their he thought. ‘ ‘You know never too wealth. to be a Mussolini promised toasallow these people hero,’ Dr. Reade added Alex was going out to keep property andat their profits from the door.their He looked back her and laughed. business or land. can say thata Fascism She sounded likeThus a badwe actress from Nicolas supported Cage movie. private enterprise. Mussolini

Alex got home and was getting ready to go out. He may have been thirty years old but he looked a lot younger. He had always looked a lot younger. He had a quick flick through the therapists’ book. ‘Go bungee jumping,’ no. ‘Visit the Holy Land,’ pfft no. ‘Learn an endangered language,’ dear god no. He got to the final page. There was something about number ten that made him want to keep it. It involved almost no effort. He ripped the page out of the book and stuffed it into his pocket.

He left his apartment and headed for the bar.

When Alex woke up the next day he had a very bad hangover. ‘I guess they weren’t lying when they said alcohol and painkillers don’t mix well,’ he thought. Then he started to take in his surroundings. He was in a jail cell with the overweight Asian woman who he often saw in the Café Belfast on Alfred Street. They got talking. She was being charged with armed robbery. She had robbed a convenience store in order to raise money for her son to go to college in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Alex felt embarrassed that he had just been drunk and disorderly. After she was released Alex noticed that the woman had left her driving licence behind.

Alex spent a whole afternoon looking for her address in the phonebook. There was a surprising number of “Tina Li’s” in Belfast. He finally found the right address and dropped the licence in. Her son answered the door. He asked Alex to watch his short film that he was planning to submit into the Edinburgh Film Festival. He wanted some feedback. Alex was about to decline when he remembered the piece of paper he had stuffed into his pocket.

He read it again. “Help someone in need”.

He took the DVD. Something about that film seemed to pull at his heart strings. Whether it was the redemption of the doomed protagonist, the depressing soundtrack or the powerful acting of this young man, all Alex knew was that it was the first time he’d felt anything in months and he wasn’t even high.

Alex met with his lawyer to organize his will.

He would leave his ill-earned fortune to this budding actor. The task of giving the money

to the boy would be done by the lawyer. The boy could never know where the money came from. His education, accommodation and living costs would be covered until his graduation, after which he would receive the full sum of his fortune. There was seven million pounds in Alex’s account, all taken from elderly victims.

Leaving the lawyers office, Alex pondered his lifelong ambition one last time; Is a hero someone who commits good deeds in the public eye and takes credit for these deeds?

No. A hero had to be the man who gave up his fortune for a good cause. The man who dedicated his last day on Earth to “helping someone in need”. The fact that the money was stolen suddenly became irrelevant. For the first time in his life, Alex had committed a truly unselfish act. The feeling of guilt he had been carrying around for the last ten years suddenly vanished. He got into a taxi and set off for the airport. He booked his one-way ticket to Switzerland and returned to Mayo one week later as dust.

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The Scariest Moment Of My Life

Alex Dalton Second Year

The scariest moment of my life occurred two years ago, during the summer before I started 1st year. I was on a sailing course with my friend. It was a horrible day to go sailing – the weather was rough, stormy, the wind blew hard and the waves were massive – but the instructors on my course took us out anyway as it was the last day and it would be a shame to waste it.

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My friend and I had a boat together – no surprise. We got to sailing, and straight away the wind’s force became apparent. At times we were almost surfing the waves in our boat, yelling with elation. After a while at sea, I spotted a fun opportunity and my friend and I took the decision to take a very tight turn around a buoy, but in doing so the wind caught the boat and flipped it over. My friend managed to dive clear before the boat was finished turning, but I was slower and I got trapped underneath, banging my head in the process. I was not that fussed at first – after all, I had fallen under boats before. I was calm as I tried to duck under the boat to get out.

Suddenly I realised that there was something restricting me and keeping me from surfacing on the other side of the boat. I started to panic under the waves and began to twist and turn, trying to get out from under the side of the boat, but I had to surface for air back inside it. I struggled for breath as the large waves washed over my head. I looked for the source of my problem, and quickly realised I was tangled: there was a long rope wrapped around my legs, and another twisted awkwardly around my neck. I had no idea how I ended up like that, but I was not thinking straight – I started to scream in fear.

Water rushed into my mouth as I tried to take a breath. I spluttered and coughed up the salty liquid. I was freaking out and struggling against the ropes, trying to break free. I was freaking out and struggling against the ropes, trying to break free. I started yelling as loudly as I could, hoping my companion could hear

my desperate calls for help.

“Get an instructor!!! Get Jill! I’m trapped!”

The waves were getting bigger, pushing me around, and water rushed over my head and tried to suck me under. My lifejacket was the only thing keeping me afloat. I was terrified, honestly thinking I was going to drown. The cold water was numbing my legs as I struggled to keep my head above water. I desperately started scrabbling as the rope around my neck with freezing fingers. To my surprise, I got a grip on it and started tugging it manically, trying to get it over my head. As it came off, a huge wave broke over me, making my teeth chatter with cold and fear. I was getting hopeful now though – surely I could free my legs from the other rope?

I pulled and pulled at the rope under the water. I was getting really scared as it seemed to be going nowhere. I tried a different tactic, attempting to un-knot the rope with my numb fingers. It started coming loose, but my fingers were worn out. I could not feel them, much less work out the knots under the grey waves.

I started breathing faster and faster, rubbing my hands together to try and get some warmth into them. I realised I had started to scream again – I had not even heard myself. I slid my hands back under the water as the rough waves knocked me against the side of the boat.

I counted to three and gave the rope a final heave. To my relief, the rope gave way and I pulled myself free and pushed it as far away as I could. I quickly ducked out from underneath the boat, and the second I was in the open air the shock and fear of what had happened turned into a flood and I burst into tears.

Later that day, I had calmed down enough to start joking around with my friend about planning how my funeral would have gone if I had died under the boat. But it has been two years now, and I have not been sailing since. I will never forget that terrifying day.

Edward Clarke

St. Gerard’s Third Year

How does one compress 12 years of memories into one short piece? That was the task I faced with for the last couple of evenings, my odyssey in St. Gerard’s School. Well, I’ll begin from day one… as the saying goes “ the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”

September 1st 1999- my first day at St. Gerard’s School was shrouded in irrational fear and anxiety which was soon put to rest by the welcoming Montessori teacher, Louise , whom unknown to me then, would remain a close family friend for many years to come. Hugging my fathers overcoat with a vice grip, I mingled and chatted to other boys and girls and girls with similar interests (finger printing and playing). The friendships I made on that day are and always will be invaluable. Montessori passed in a flash and it only seems like yesterday I was in that prefab building at the edge of the forest. I recall the long walks around the forest, which back then encompassed the tennis courts and a new senior school, seemed like an adventure that would never end.

The tracksuit- wearing days of junior infants are now a blur of memories. Most notably, Cameron Dorlas cutting a chunk out of my hair with safety scissors or the perpetual leak in the roof, directly underneath where I was sitting. Reading, spelling and the number line seemed like incomprehensible tasks.

Senior infants also passed with ease due to the enjoyable atmosphere of the junior school.

With age came responsibilities, such as walking to and from the car to the school on your own or walking to the bathroom during class.

Standard 1 felt like a leap into the unknown; a new uniform, playground and classroom.

Mr. Jolly’s famous summer camps created memories that would never end. From my

communion in Std 2 to my confirmation and graduation in Std 6, the junior school felt like a second home and a family to me and indeed the senior school. Helen was a motherly figure throughout my time at Gerard’s.

For many years my companions and I dreamt of the Senior school. The intricacies of lockers, changing of class at the bell and in general; the future, little did I know that I would be writing this article so soon!

My time in the Senior school was a fantastic experience under the guidance of dedicated teachers and Mr Geraghty.

I looked around me at a recent year assembly and looked at the faces I had grown up with.

Where would they be in 10 years’ time? I know, where I’ll in 10 years time, but without St Gerard’s I wouldn’t think of 10 years’ time.

Its hard to look to the unforeseen future; it’s also hard to look to the past. Its hard to say goodbye to the people who have shared your happiness, sadness and memories. When people ask me “what school are you in?” - I will always say St Gerard’s.

And last but not least, to my teachers to whom I owe everything. If you’re a teacher or friend whom I have known over my time at Gerard’s, I don’t need to mention you, you know who you are. To those whom I have argued with over petty matters, I’m sorry.

I will cherish the memories forever. Just as I said 12 years ago, I’ll say it again on June 20th 2012, one of the most important and nostalgic dates of my life. “The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”. The memories will never fade. And who knows, maybe the teachers of St Gerard’s will have another Clarke on their hands in due course.

“I never think of the future- it comes soon enough” - Albert Einstein. God Bless.

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The Hopes, Fears and Dreams of Modern Teenagers

Good afternoon. I’m here to speak to you about the hopes, fears and dreams of the modern teenager. We are constantly told by teachers, parents and friends that the world is our proverbial oyster, ripe for the picking and so on. We are told that we can be anything we want to be, from a musician to a lawyer to a nuclear physicist. No matter your chosen-tobe profession, be it teaching, triumphing, or discovering the newest way to blow something up, we are told to reach for it. To follow it to the ends of the earth. To never give up. Good advice and I wish we would listen to it. But, let’s face it, we are not the most obedient of generations and most of us would like to see a nice B1 before we even consider a career.

And maybe that is the main problem. Maybe we should stop choosing a job and start choosing a dream. Find an aspiration before we find a college course. Look at our ideal before we look at exam points. We need to think about what we really want to do and not what others think we ought to do. After all, the world is only your oyster if you want to grow a pearl.

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I must admit the hopes and dreams of the modern teenager obviously differ from those of previous years, but that is only to be expected in a world where there is more technology in a 12-year-old’s phone than in the entire building of computers used to send men to the moon. We change with the times, for better or for worse, for richer and for poorer, which is unfortunately looking more and more likely.

Such is the nature of things. Modern society may have given birth to the dream of a life of money, men and martinis, perhaps not the most sophisticated of ideals, but it has also created the opportunity of more technologyrelated jobs than you can shake a pair of designer sunglasses at. While we may have created the sadistic thirst for a drama-filled soap-opera life, we have also gained access to a veritable smorgasbord of futures that twenty

Aisling Brennan Fifth Year

years ago would have been nigh unreachable.

I see in this room the future leaders, pioneers and world-authorities of your chosen fields and that’s worth a lot more than the generic “teenage dream”, no matter how appealing it may be to some.

Maybe some of you haven’t chosen a path.

Some may call you indecisive, or even lazy, but what do they know? In those of you who may have yet to settle on a “respectable” or “stable” career, I see the future artists and artisans, the writers and musicians, the athletes and Olympics medal gold winners.

Just because you don’t have a job doesn’t mean you can’t have a dream, big or small, realistic or beyond all reasonable expectations. In fact it’s the unattainable ones that taste the sweetest when they are realised. Even if your hopes aren’t for a Nobel Prize or he solution to achieving a utopia, I have no doubt that you will stop at nothing to see them become a reality. Someone in this room might make an Irish international team. One of you might become the next Picasso. One of you might cure a myriad of diseases, or another might look to the stars. Others may run businesses, run miles, or run themselves ragged for the simple pleasure of raising a family. We don’t know who, we don’t know when and we don’t know how, but the glory of this is that we get to find out.

But it’s not just teenage dreams we have to talk about. Ever present in the minds of some are our fears. Fears of everything from the mundane to the completely impossible.

People, places and points get roped into our nightmares, and if you worry enough the stress could kill you. Metaphorically speaking.

Some people worry too much, some worry too little, and a rare few, like myself, find themselves physically incapable of worrying about anything smaller than the end of all life as we know. This, under many circumstances,

is not a good thing. You know your own fears.

You fear rejection, exclusion, losing. A bad grade, a wrong note, an own-goal. Juggling school and friends and recreation can be a source of stress in itself. School requires time, effort and concentration. Friends demand attention, deliberation and an infinite well of patience for the trivial, and recreation is all that stands between many of us and a padded cell. So finding the time and energy for these three important factors of life (among others) can give you the mother of all headaches, and a subsequent fear of them. Cephalgiaphobia, for the few of you who might be wondering.

Fears come in many sizes. For example the person who suffers from a fear of sharks (selachophobia), when confronted with one will probably be just as terrified as an arachibutryophobic happens to be when eating a peanut butter sandwich. So as to not go into a list of phobias or fears, I’ll just remind you that they come in a myriad of varieties. Those of you who have nightmares about failing the Leaving Certificate, might also be afraid of Chihuahuas.

I don’t know. It doesn’t matter whether we fear fire, failure or friendlessness, whether our misgivings are realistic or fantastical, whether we dream them or confront them every day.

All that is important is that we never let them stand between us and whatever aspiration we may be striving for. They will never stop us, they will never be let dissuade us and we will never let them impede or obstruct our chosen path. Unless it is a shark, in which case I would imagine it would be perfectly acceptable to get out of the water and find an alternative route on dry land.

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The library

Deirdre Brady (Head of English)

The library is home to over 2,500 books. It is run by Fifth and Third Year prefects who ensure that this is a quiet space where students can temporarily retreat from busy school life.

We were delighted to welcome a number of guest speakers to the library during the year, including Cathy Kelly, Jonathan Ryan and Christy Kennelly. The students greatly enjoyed the opportunity to listen to extracts read by these well known writers.

English teachers regularly bring their classes to the library to take out books and it is also used by teachers as an alternative to the classroom when reading a novel or a piece of drama.

The Parents’ Association have kindly sponsored a large number of new books and this affords us the opportunity to expand the library by

introducing exciting new Foreign Language and Biography sections.

First and Second Years have recently taken part in a Book Review competition and we have also had reading weeks for both years.

The importance of reading is immeasurable. It is relevant in relation to every subject at Junior and Leaving level. It allows students to attain a deeper understanding of their subjects as well as developing their writing skills.

The library is a wonderful resource and it is filled with books to suit every taste. Parents, encourage your children to come in and browse. The library is open every morning and lunch and prefects are more than happy to make suggestions or assist in choosing a book.

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Ms. BradyMs. with Third YearYear students Kenelly inlibrary the library Brady with Third students& & Christy Christy Kenelly in the The library is home to over 2,500 books. It is run by Fifth and Third Year prefects who ensure that this is a quiet space where students can temporarily retreat 2 from busy school life.

WHAT S IN OUR LIBRARY 

Thousand of books of all genres



A daily newspaper

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Magazines

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Audio tapes



All of which are in an extremely comfortable setting.

WHy should i read?

There are many benefits to reading some of these benefits include: 1. It’s proven that those who read have better general knowledge and a higher level of

intelligence than those who don’t 2. It reduced stress 3. It improves your analytical thinking 4.

Reading improves your vocabulary and this will help you with the majority of your exams

5.

It improves your writing skills

6.

Finally, it helps improve your memory

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Deirdre Brady (Head of English)

Fiction is the biggest genre of books in our library. Some of the books in the world have auguably been fiction. Some of our greats include “The Book Thief”, “Fields of Home” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime”

Darren Shan is the prolific author of the Darren Shan Saga and the The Demonata.

Taking his inspiration from the likes of Stephen King he crafts darkly imaginative and disturbing stories with beautifully developed characters L I T E R A R Y M A G A Z I N E 2 0 1 2

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THE BOOK THIEF

by Markus Zusak

It is 1939. Nazi Germany, The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

A young girl and her younger brother are being taken by their mother to live with a foster family outside Munich. On the journey, Death visits the young boy.

By her brother’s graveside, her life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book - burning, the mayor’s wife library, wherever there are books to be found.

UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE by Marita Conlon-McKenna This is the first book in the famine trilogy. It is set in Ireland in the 1840s, which is devastated by famine. When tragedy strikes their family, three siblings are left to fend for themselves. Starving and in danger of the dreaded workhouse, they escape. Their one hope is to find the great aunts they have heard about in their mothers stories. With tremendous courage they set out on a journey that will test every reserve strength, love and loyalty they possess.

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The Stand

by Stephen King (Illustrations by Bernie Wrightson) GENRE: Horror/ Fantasy PAGES: 1,326 SENIOR LOAN THE BASICS: In the aftermath of a devastating plague, a battle of good versus evil takes place amongst the survivors. Religious parallels ensue.

Stephen King’s novel The Stand is seen by many as his magnum opus and it’s hard to argue. It stands (terrible pun but what can I say, I’m a hack) as a glorious testament to King’s ability as a storyteller, able to weave many loose ends together to form an epic cohesive whole.

Oh yes, epic. It’s a word that’s thrown around a lot these days but here it’s totally fitting. The massive cast of characters?

Epic. The sheer scope and world building King achieves? Epic. The grand, universal themes depicted? Very epic.

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For such a self professed atheist who long ago “rejected organized religion and its’ hard and fast assertions” King’s tale bears many similarities to the good book itself: There’s a massive battle of good versus evil, the former led by a holy figure called Mother Abigail ,the latter by a demonic antichrist called Randall Flagg. Faith, redemption and sacrifice all play an important part in the narrative. It begins with a great plague and ends with crucifixion. Basically it’s a retelling of The Bible set in America with more Bruce Springsteen quotes and atom bombs. This serves to make the story grander, adding a religious intensity to the narrative.

But even the biggest of non-believers can simply ignore this and enjoy a brilliant story. The novel is essentially split into three parts: The outbreak of the flu known as “Captain Trips” which wipes out 94.5% of humanity, the rebuilding of societies in Boulder, Colorado and Las Vegas after the plague (take a wild guess which city evil settles in) and the inevitable confrontation between the two sides. Each segment of the story is brilliantly handled, giving a massive amount of detail but at no point feeling like filler.

After starting the story with a terrifyingly realistic portrayal of a super-flu outbreak, the book slowly starts to move into fantasy territory, providing a threat far more supernatural than a plague. Here, some readers might lose interest due to their lack of interest in fantasy and whether you preserver really depends on your ability to roll with the change in genre and tone. If you can stick with it, you’ll be rewarded by a fantastic story and some great character arcs. The characters that populate The Stand are some of the richest King has ever created, each brimming with their own depth, idiosyncrasies and habits. The cast is wonderfully varied featuring amongst others, a musician on the brink of making it big, a deaf mute

and a mentally challenged pyromaniac everyone shall come to know as The Trashcan Man. One of the joys to be found while reading is watching the characters adjust to this post-apocalyptic world. Some will crumble and join the Dark Man in Las Vegas. Others will rise to the occasion and use the potential they’ve possessed throughout their mundane lives. And in the middle, lies the characters where the reader is kept guessing as to which side they will take.

Like the characters themselves, the readers are taken on a journey of postsuper-flu America. It can be scary, upsetting, wondrous, odd yet strangely familiar and life affirming, sometimes all at the same time. The journey may seem tiresome at times and once or twice you may question the direction you’re going but once you reach your destination, you’ll be glad you never gave up.

Jack O’Higgins Like most novels of such length, The Stand may drag in places but it always regains momentum rapidly. King writes with too much pace and aplomb for it not too. It’s a testament to his brilliantly crafted writing that the titanic size of the novel never becomes an issue. Never has a thousand page plus novel been such a breeze.

Fifth year

L I T E R A R Y

First came the days of the plague . . . .

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Mr. Carr with winners of In-House Debating Competition

“Euthanasia”

Mr. Carr with winners of In-House Debating Competition Saoirse Ní Mhathúna, Sophie O’Reilly, David Boland,

“Euthanasia”

Laura Gallagher & Christina Connaughtan

Saoirse Ní Mhathúna, Sophie O’Reilly, David Boland, Laura Gallagher & Christina Connaughtan

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S t . G e r a rd ’s L i t e r a r y M a g a z i n e 2 0 1 2 w w w. s t g e r a r d s . i e