The Circular April 2009 Final.

in1 1 10/04/2009 10:17:53


Contents
FEATURES
Invetigating political language.....................................2
Pat Ingoldspy: Content To Be.....................................3
Drinking Article............................................................4
The Author Who Never Grew Up...........................5
Killer Drugs...................................................................6
FASHION
Fashion w/ I.C.S............................................................7
TRAVEL
Riding The Rails Of Europe........................................9
Travelling Into Your Professional Life.......................10
CULTURE
Summer Movies Preview............................................11
Years of Refusal............................................................12
Whatever Happened To Good Old Romance?,,,,,12
Bodies: The Exhibition.................................................13
MARK CORCORAN
As the world around us seems to be falling to
smithereens, we are often left with the impression
that impending doom lurks around every corner.
Luckily a Circular magazine has no corners, thus
trouble has no where to hide. So sit back, put your
feet up and enjoy The Circular’s relaunch. I’m con-
fident that you will agree The Circular has an array
of top articles for you to sink your teeth into over
lunch in Arthurs, on the bus ride home or in the
back of the boring lecture!
ABDULLAH ELNEIHUM
I’m not sure what Hugh is on about this magazine
being a ‘labour of love’.. it certainly was an experience
to put it mildly!
There were tears, sweat and blood put into this
(minus the tears.. and sweat.. and blood..) but it was fun
putting this issue together and we’re proud of what
we’ve achieved so do enjoy the relaunch of The Cir-
cular magazine! Abe out!
Contributions
Editors: Mark Corcoran
Abdullah Elneihum
Hugh Hick
Nicole O’Regan

SPORT Director of Design: Abdullah Elneihum

Top Sporting Underdog Moments...........................14 Designers: Mark Corcoran
Amanda Davis
OPINION Hugh Hick
Social Networking.......................................................15 Gus McSweeney
John O’Donnell
Mark O’Flynn
Nicole O’Regan
The Editors Sub-Editting Director: Mark Corcoran.
Subeditors: Nicola Fox, Nono Madolo, Gus McSweeney, Lidia
HUGH HICK Okorokova, Anita Slowey.
It’s been a long few weeks struggling to get this la-
bour of love ready, but its finally here. Whether you Contributors: Abdullah Elneihum, Gus McSweeney, Mark
enjoy sports, travel, or just plain and simple informa- O’Flynn, Mark Corcoran, Nicole O’Regan, Christine Maguire,
tive discussion, we hope there’ll be something for you
somewhere in these pages. I’d like to thank everyone Lydia Okorakova, John O’Donnell, Siobhán Worley, Hugh Hick,
who contributed to making this possible, and you, the Cormac Coughlan, Malin Aambakk Boska.
reader, for taking a chance by opening this magazine
and seeing what lurks inside. Fashion Section:
Fashion Director: Nicole O’Regan
Graphics: Abdullah Elneihum
Photography: Julia Kobalz
NICOLE O’REGAN Models: Roisin Trait, Nicole O’Regan
This has been an amazing experience, weeks of
preparation and long hours have been put into this
magazine but finally it has taken shape in the form of
the INCREDIBLE Circular. It was fun, it was tough but
it was definetely worth it. I hope you all enjoy this
Disclaimer - The articles contained within this magazine
good read, which has a little something for everyone are entirely the opinion of the respective writers, and in no
and will certainly keep you entertained. -Nicole! way reflect the views of the editorial team or Griffith College.

The Circular April 2009 Final.in2 2 10/04/2009 10:18:09


Maybe then
they’ll call it
‘genocide’..
By Abdullah Elneihum
Readers! Armed with the heavy hammer and
chisel of cynicism, I’ve become increasingly
aware of small changes in how we describe
current events around us and events from
the past! Would it be strange to claim that
language is now changing our history?
We all know that a little over 5 million Jews
died in Europe in the early 20th Century.
Likewise, do we all know that 160 million
people, the Jewish Holocaust included, died
in wars during the 20th Century? Why is it
that we’ve popularly forgotten that Stalin’s
reign saw the demise of 42.7 million people?
Or that Mao Zedong whiped out 37.8 million
since 1928?
“Is it possible for Israel to
come out of its delerious state
of denial before it is too late? “
Why is it that the millions who have died
have never been dignified with an iota of
the same awareness as that of the Jewish
genocide? What has made the Holocaust
so shocking that other atrocities that are
equally as horrific may not be compared to
it?
The argument that the Jewish Holocaust
was particularly special because it ethinically
singled out Jews isn’t true. Looking at Nazi
deathtolls, Hitler murdered about 21,000,000
people, of whom 11 million were Eastern
Slavs. These Slavs were ethnically targetted.
This has, however, been largely forgotten.
The Circular April 2009 Final.in3 3
Features
waved against anyone who disagrees with
Israel’s militant force, its blatant motives
and the “you’re either with us or against
us” policies and attitude of its right-wing
politics.
“People who who oppose
There is no better or worse genocide, much Israel are not Neo-Nazi,
like that there is no better or worse murder
– it is all murder. But the use of language anti-semetic sponsors of
by particular, predominantly mainstream,
terrorism.”
media has globally allowed us to accept
many horrendous events through complex
language filtering systems.
In Article 2 of the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
I would like to make it clear, before I am
of Genocide (CPPCG), it states:
blasted with empty claims of anti-semetism,
“Any of the following acts committed with
that I am a supporter of a peace process
intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a
and future autonomy in Palestine and Israel.
national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as
Injustices against the Palestinians aside,
such: killing members of the group; causing
people need to move on from the days of
serious bodily or mental harm to members
“us or them”. There are too many human
of the group; deliberately inflicting on the
beings currently living in that tragic part of
group conditions of life, calculated to bring
the world and it would certainly be unethical
about its physical destruction in whole or in
to remove a people – Arab and Jewish – by
part; imposing measures intended to prevent
force, from a place they would consider their
births within the group; [and] forcibly
home.
transferring children of the group to another
group.”
Language has changed the way we perceive
Palestine. It is no longer seen as a State by
From the little clear information one
many countries. This is in no small part due
is able to gather on death tolls of the
to the displacement of Palestinians from
atrocities that occured in Palestine, 61000
their homelands to settle in other countries
or to become refugees in their own homes
mostly-Palestinianian arabs have been
murdered, hundreds of thousands injured
through systematic Israeli legislation.
and millions more forcibly removed from
their homes since 1948. And yet, blatant
When a little village in Spain decided to
Geneva convention breaches coupled with
commemorate “Palestinian Genocide Day”
global public outrage at Israel’s handling of
as a protest on the same day as the global
Palestine is not enough to change right-wing
“Holocaust Remembrance Day”, the Anti-
Israeli motives.
Defemation League wrote:
Is it possible for Israel to come out of its
“Applying the term ‘genocide’ to the Arab-
delerious state of denial before it is too late?
Israeli conflict encourages hatred toward
Will our journalists and media corporations
the State of Israel and deliberately insults
continue to propogate the words of powerful,
those of us, both Jews and non-Jews, who
tyranical nations or will a global conscience
seek to solemnly commemorate the victims
develop and sympathise with the tortured
of the Nazi campaign of slaughter.”
Palestinians? Is it possible that this would
happen before the ordinary Israeli citizen
The Holocaust was a horrible event in
cries out “We didn’t know!” to the world?
history: correct. But it has nothing to do
with the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Jewish
holocaust seems to be now like a red card,
10/04/2009 10:18:14
 Features
Pat Ingoldsby:
Content To Be
By Gus McSweeney
On a cold winter’s morning as everyone
else weaves and rushes through the bustle
of pedestrians at College Green, a lowly,
striking figure, armed with a walking stick
and trolley of books is setting up shop for
the day. Beside the colonnades of the Bank
of Ireland on busy Westmoreland Street,
wearing his long black coat and customary
hat, Pat Ingoldsby’s content and gentle man-
ner cuts a striking contrast to the backdrop
of urban panic that surrounds him.
Pat is a modern day street poet uncensored
by the trappings of editors or employers.
True to the independent tradition of urban
poet, he publishes his own work through his
own publishing company, Willow Publish-
ers, drawing his inspiration from the many
characters he encounters and situations he
observes from his pitch.
Pat Ingoldsby was famed in the 80s for his
children’s TV shows Pat’s Hat and Pat’s Cash
and featured as a story teller on Bosco dur-
ing the same period. In the early 90s he be-
gan writing a column for the Evening Press
which he later re published as a collection
– The Peculiar Sense of being Irish.
After these successes Pat curiously with-
drew from media in the mid 90s, choosing
instead to ply his trade on the streets of
Dublin selling his books of poetry. He began,
selling his first book on North Earl Street.
He explains, “this was my happiest pitch
ever, it was unique, and vibrantly Dublin.”
From this early experience as a street
trader Pat drew inspiration from the vibrant
characters that encouraged in him further
creativity and publications.
Since then, the traders on North Earl Street
have been moved on and Pat is now pitched
on Westmoreland Street. I approached
Pat about the possibility of conducting an
interview with him about the last 15 years
since his withdrawal from the media but he
insisted that “all you’ll get from an interview
with me is that my name is Pat, its Thursday
and I’m fine today”. Sensing my disappoint-
ment he explains to me that that he is
always available on Westmoreland Street to
those who wish to “have a chat” but when
it comes to interviews there’s nothing to
chat about.
What is most endearing about this poet is
his approachability. Anyone and everyone
has access to Pat. There is a child like quality
about him which is reflected in his poems
and his humorous observations and experi-
The Circular April 2009 Final.in4 4
ences of Dublin life. We find we are mutually
acquainted with Malahide, where we both
were raised, and we share a laugh about the
“nudies in behind the sand dunes near the
Malahide Estuary.”
Something you notice from reading Pat In-
goldsby’s collections is that often his poems
are quite personal and that contained in
these poems are many of the answers to
questions you might have of the man.
Far From The Arts is a poem from his latest
collection I’m Out There that that gives a
frank explanation as to why he made such
a dramatic exit from the media world to
which he was once a contributor:
I met so many puffed up, self important,
ego centric, power crazy,
vain glorious, empire building,
busy little bags of wind
during the times
I had got a peripheral involvement
with the arts
that I put a distance between me and it.
My life has become better and better.
The further and further.
Pat doesn’t conform to the conventions of
other artists seeking publicity. He’s content
promoting himself by meeting and greeting
his readers on the side of the road. Confi-
dent of the standard of his work, he takes
pride in being a poet free from the self
indulgences and pretensions often associ-
ated with patrons of the arts.
The first time I met Pat he informed me
with pride that “all of these books here
I published myself without any publicity”
From this, one can deduce that any publicity
he receives he generates himself through
his work.
His audiences are the subjects of his poems
and through their word of mouth they
are his publicists. Showing no distinction
between “classes” Pat writes for everyone.
His poetry has in the past been endorsed
and read by those at both ends of the social
spectrum. On the streets of Dublin this
indifference is demonstrated through his
poetry - his poems about his friendships
with other traders, the homeless and the
many passers by who stop see what “the
fella in the hat” in selling.
He does in essence what every poet should
and that is to inform readers about the ever
changing climate and circumstances in which
we live. As well as taking an anecdotal and
humorous look at city life, his sadness of
Dublin being lost to history is evident in the
tone of many of his poems.
The downside to Pat’s bohemian lifestyle is
being, he admits, “penniless”. Some days he
may struggle to sell a book and on other
days the mercy of the elements keeps him
off the pavements of Westmoreland Street.
However, this is no deterrent for Pat. “I’m
penniless but I’m out here living my life
with these fine people”. Pats outlook and
witty observations on life are that of a man
simply content to just be. He’s not in it for
the money he tells me, “because if I was I
wouldn’t be here.”
Wishing me well and showing me his appre-
ciation Pat sternly shakes my hand before
sitting back down again. I turn away, leaving
the tranquility of his pitch, to re-join the
mayhem of the rat race that weaves its way
down Westmoreland Street, armed with a
new philosophy; to simply be is enough.
Pat Ingoldsby pitched up for the day in Dublin City.
10/04/2009 10:18:14

So picture this, you are one of the oldest
members of the Simpsons and you have a
list of things to do before you die- what
would be on this precious list though? Why
to have one final drink in O’ Flanagan’s pub
back in good ol’ Ireland of course! I am of
course talking about the much publicised
episode of “The Simpsons” where America’s
most famous family travelled to taste a bit
of Irish stout, better yet, culture.
I could not help but notice, however, that
drink seemed to have been the only part
of our culture that was dominant in this
episode. Are we not known for anything
else? How about our wonderful skills on
the hurling field where champions all over
Ireland have a final combat in our glorious
Croke Park stadium to declare who the
champion of the sport really is? Is that
recognised abroad? As also, there is our
unique language that no one can ever take
away from us – Gaeilge! “Tir gan teanga, tir
gan anam” (A country without a language, is
a country without a soul) is the saying and
I believe that there is no greater truth than
that! But is this recognised in foreign places?
Most folk would say that people all over
the world are very aware of our country’s
history, but I have to disagree with that.
Recently, I had the pleasure of going on a
ski holiday to celebrate the New Year, and
on my last night, I went out with a group of
people who were very welcoming. “Slainte!”
we shouted every time we had another
round of Bier and they became enthralled
with this new word that I thought them. “Is
that an English slang word or something?”
asked Stefan from Holland. I then decided to
start throwing more Irish at him, convinced
he would eventually recognize my native
tongue. However, he had never heard of
Irish and assumed that the Irish only spoke
English. “Isn’t that a shame” I thought to
myself,
My point is, will we ever exceed beyond
our stereotypical drinking culture? Is it our
imaginative Guinness ads that represent
us abroad as a nation that is only good at
one thing? And why is it that when a world
famous cartoon series gets the opportunity
to explore our culture, they have to use
The Circular April 2009 Final.in5 5
Features
Are We
More Than
This?
By Mark O’Flynn
drink as the only reason to cross waters? standards. “Well yeah everyone always said
Some might find this as a humorous idea but that the Irish are really friendly and really
I decided to look into this further by asking chatty. It is quite easy to socialise with the
a few of our foreign students in Griffith Irish. Going on a night out in Ireland is
College about what they think of our world pretty much the same as going out back in
famous drinking culture. England.” So how come when we think of
England and its culture, drink would not be
at the top of the list? One thing was still
I decided to start in the SU building,
bothering me, so I asked “Anna, have you
where I came across two Chinese 2nd year
found yourself drinking more since you
accounting students (Grace and William)
came to Ireland?” “Oh yeaaahhhh!!”
who gave some insight on their thoughts of
the Irish before they came here.
Well so far I have gathered that the Irish
certainly have the gift of the gab, and are
“Apart from educational reasons, why did
good old drinkers but are we really so
you two come to Griffith?” I asked. “Well
one dimensional? I decided to ask Peter,
because Ireland is not as busy as Beijing.
from Slovakia, one of the employees of
Here it is much quieter. We also heard
Arthurs Bar “Well the history of Ireland
that the Irish are very friendly people and
is very attractive. I find it very interesting
welcoming to foreign students.”
and, to me, it is something that would bring
tourists over here. The scenery is also very
So far I gather that we are perceived as beautiful.” And our drinking habits? “Oh yes,
an accommodating bunch that welcomes it is very bad with young people here and I
different nationalities with open arms. Good think that it is getting worse.
to hear I thought! “We also knew that the
Irish like their beer very much and drink
We are a nation of drinkers. Am I ashamed?
much more alcohol than the Chinese.” I
Absolutely not. Am I a bit bothered? I’m
knew it was going to come out sooner or
afraid so. I am of the opinion that we, as
later. “And have you drank more since the
people, should be known for something
two of you arrived in Griffith?” Both Grace
more than just drinking. What about the
and William looked and each other and
Arts? We have writers such as Oscar Wilde,
laughed ashamedly.
Seamus Heaney and our very own Griffith
College graduate Cecelia Ahern. As well
Looking for my next victim of questions I as that, we have U2 and actors such as
wandered around the Halls of Residence, Brendan Gleeson and Liam Neeson.
when all of a sudden a very non Irish accent
bursts into the air “Cup of Yorkshire tea
So can their body of work come out on
Mark?” I look up to see Anna Topham from
top in our cultre list? Maybe not in the near
Yorkshire waving out her kitchen window.
future….but in the mean time…..SLAINTE!
While sipping her brewing Yorkshire tea,
Anna is in a pensive mood, trying to recall
her reasons for studying in Ireland. Having
no knowledge of Irish history, she was really
diving headfirst into the unknown. But did
her fellow people tell her anything about us
Irish before she arrived on our shores? “Oh
yeaaah! They said that the Irish are well into
their partying so I should have a great time!
The drinking reputation is unreal over here”
But did she have any idea of what the Irish
were like apart from our high drinking
10/04/2009 10:18:15
 Features
The Author Who Never Grew Up
Circular’s Mark Corcoran chats Peter Pan with distinguished English author
Geraldine McCaughrean.
“My school did a very good job of
convincing me that I was stupid and would
never amount to anything” muses Geraldine
McCaughrean over tea and crumpet.
Born and raised in Enfield, North London,
McCaughrean sits up straight in front of
me after almost twenty years of being a full
time writer. She is incredibly well spoken.
Born the third youngest to a fireman of a
father and a mother who was a teacher,
McCaughrean has gone from strength to
strength and defied her critics since giving
writing all of her time in 1989.
She has written over 140 books for children
and adults won the Carnegie Medal,
Whitbread Children’s book award (3 times)
and the Guardian Children’s Fiction award
among other things. So would this shy
cockney lass, who went so far without the
support of her teachers, change anything?
“I wouldn’t change my chosen career, I just
would have started earlier and with more
confidence” she offers. “In comparison
to my brother and sister admittedly I
The Circular April 2009 Final.in6 6
wasn’t a great joy to them (her school). I
just assumed that I ought to get on with
fairly menial jobs and confine writing into
being a hobby. So I lacked that drive to
get published”. Would a more supportive
teaching staff have helped nurture and
develop her budding talent? “I don’t know
if it would have made any difference” she
ponders, “in the long run it’s always luck
when you get that first novel published. It
would have been nice to set out with that
burning ambition to do something and the
belief that I was capable of doing it.”
“My school did a very
good job of convinc-
ing me that I was stu-
pid and would never
amount to anything”
In 2005 Geraldine McCaughrean put the
final nail in the coffins of all of her doubters
when she was selected by Great Ormond
Street hospital to write the first sequel to
J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan in over 100 years. I
of course, like every journalist, wanted to
know how McCaughrean dealt with the
legacy of J.M Barrie. How did she feel when
she heard this career altering news? How
did she go about writing a new story with
these characters, when Barrie’s tale seemed
so stitched up?
So much to ask, where should I begin? The
beginning is always a good place. Getting
selected must have been an incredible
honour….. “It was an honour, it was a gift.
I only went in for it in the way that you
do when you go in for competitions in a
newspaper, which is quite literally what I
did. And I got this telephone call to say ‘Are
you sitting down? Because you’ve got Pan’
and I was left thinking ‘now I’m going to
have to write it’ (laughs). I knew instantly it
was going to be not only the biggest, most
important book of my career but that it was
going to invite hatred and loathing from lots
of people for different reasons.”
When did the inevitable pressure hit her?
“I was looking forward to the prospect
of writing it until I started doing the
newspaper interviews and without fail they
would say ‘It must be very daunting to be
treading in the footsteps of J.M Barrie’.
Everyone wanted me to say it (writing the
story) was daunting and difficult but really it
was quite fun.”
“It’s a great scenario, the whole Neverland
set up and they’re very interesting
characters, all of them. I would have found
it quite difficult to do with two dimensional
characters, Famous Five, Secret Seven
something like that. But actually Peter is a
very interesting, evil little toad some of the
time.”
McCaughrean’s Pan tale, ‘Peter Pan in
Scarlet’ was widely critically acclaimed
and has been read in the deepest darkest
corners of the land. At what point was the
shy girl inside the author drowned out by a
mature, imaginative, storyteller who had the
confidence to take on a challenge as big as
Peter Pan.
“I don’t know that I ever gained the
confidence” offers McCaughrean before
pausing for a sip of tea, I’m still left with
that feeling that someone is going to tap
me on the shoulder and say ‘your not a real
author ‘cos your not clever enough, your
not an academic are you? You’re not even
well read’”. McCaughrean admits that she
struggled to hold an interest in books while
growing up, how did she compensate for
this in her bid to write professionally?
10/04/2009 10:18:16

“As a child, it was easier to write a story
in order to climb into any imaginary world,
it was easier for me to write a story then
it was to read one, at least after books
stopped having pictures in them and the
print got smaller. I was an avid reader until
that age” says McCaughrean before taking a
poke at that mindset. “That is such a bizarre
thing to do” she laughs, “just because you’ve
got older the print gets smaller, that’s a
really bizarre psychology” she smirks.
Confidence or no confidence, McCaughrean
developed an imagination to rival any
author. An imagination that enabled her to
write a book like ‘The Kite Rider’, a story
set in 13th century China. Perhaps her
imagination was influenced by the role of
her father in her upbringing. Surely having
a father with such an adventurous job as a
fire-fighter must do wonders for a child’s
imagination.
“Should’ve been shouldn’t it? But he never
talked about his work, (stirs in her chair) he
never ever talked about his work. So I was
barely aware of it, except when he came in
to talk at my school, that was the only time
I could say (chuffed voice) ‘that’s my dad’”.
McCaughrean admits reading through
literary internet blogs and cherishing the
comments of bloggers who have just found
her books and want to discuss their feelings
about them to other like minded youths.
This way she can see her work spread.
And spread it has. It seems a McCaughrean
book can be picked up in just about every
country in the world today, for her books
have been translated into 38 different
languages, a fact that baffles her.
“It’s bizarre, it’s just so bizarre (smiles), most
of those are accounted for by ‘Peter Pan in
Scarlet’. I just don’t understand what the
Koreans find so fascinating about Peter Pan;
he just seems so quintessentially English.”
McCaughrean has no idea how her work
has been so successful world wide. Maybe
good writing has universal appeal? “I have no
way of knowing how good the translations
are. Some of the books I don’t even know
from which end to read” she laughs.
So what does the future hold for this
accomplished writer? What is there left to
do? What is their left to win?
“I will concentrate on writing novels now I
think” she offers. “I have always done a little
bit of everything, retellings, picture books,
Features
little books for schools….. My mental
capacities, I can feel decaying already, my
ability to find the right word, construct a
sentence takes me much longer, noticeably
longer to construct a page of writing. So
I want to concentrate what mental time
that I have to writing novels for teenagers.
Books for children old enough to care how
the characters feel.
And so our meeting came to a close. I only
had time to ask but one more question.
What was she most proud of? “The book
that has the greatest hold on my affections
is ‘The White Darkness’ (a novel which
deals with Antarctic life). I don’t know why,
but it’s like nothing I have ever done. After
25 years of writing books I didn’t think I
could be taken by surprise by a book.”
As a child, the system did its best to
make Geraldine
McCaughrean feel
stupid. A twenty
minute chat over tea
and crumpets is long
enough to tell you she
is far from it.

Killer drugs still making a killing

by Nicole O’Regan

Drugs are popular among the rich and famous but they are even
more among the poor and the down and out. Drugs to some are
just about having a good time and flaunting how much spare cash you
have but to others they are the only thing that keeps them going and
it seems that even when times are tough the drugs business is among
the very few that continue to thrive.
over the past months. One centre has reported that the number of
people seeking help for crack cocaine addiction has doubled over the
past year. If Ireland is to remain known as the green country we must
ensure the streets do not become tainted with the red and white
of blood and drugs. With countless families already tormented by
financial troubles this is yet another obstacle over which they must
come.

A drug which has reappeared on the streets of Ireland is called ‘China

The price for a bag of cocaine, about half a gram, is now around
€20! This is the lowest figure recorded for the cocaine market. Crack
cocaine has also taken a dive in price to €80 from €100 a rock. Drugs
are often associated with violence. Drug use is increasing but lets
hope it does not provide us with a sequel to the 80’s.
People find themselves slipping deeper and deeper into the murky
pit of debt due to their habit and it seems the number of people
entering into this habit are on the rise. Drug treatment centres have
reported a significant rise in the number of people seeking treatment
white’ heroin. This drug which can easily be mistaken for cocaine is
twice as strong as brown heroine. Heroin first burst onto the Irish
streets in the 1980’s and if we were to see it return to the glory it once
had would mean devastating effects for society. With the increasing
number of jobs being lost in the country it could lead to recovering
addicts returning to their old habits and indeed newcomers. The drug
has also dropped in price making it more accessible, or at the very
least allowing existing users the opportunity to accumulate more.
In light of this it would seem only reasonable to take action against
this drug epidemic reoccurring yet a confidential drug whistleblower
hotline has been axed. The hotline now works with a fixed rate per
call and the funding is to decline along with the amount of phone
calls made. The call-centre based in Manchester received 1,400 tip
offs since 2007, 370 of which concerned Ireland. The hotline ensured
that the information provided would be completely confidential.
Now people will refrain, in fear that they will be found out. This move
could prove to be a huge blow to the people of Ireland dedicated to
keeping the streets clean. It is however good news for dealers who
will now have an even easier time hooking people on and forcing
people to sell their drugs!!

The Circular April 2009 Final.in7 7 10/04/2009 10:18:17

 Dress for less!
Are you tired of paying too much for your clothes? Do you want
to find a cheap alternative that will satisfy your fashion needs?

Well Circular has searched around and found the answer to all
your fashion problems.

Just check out the prices of these gorgeous dresses and get your-
self down to the Irish Cancer Society Shop on Camden Street.

Why not help others while helping yourself to a new wardrobe!

The Irish Cancer Society is dedicated to the prevention, early de-

tection and fight against cancer. Each year in Ireland over 7,500
people die from cancer.

The Circular April 2009 Final.in8 8 10/04/2009 10:18:20

 Gold Dress €14.95

Navy 70’s Style Dress €6.50

Green and Brown €20

Grey/Black Dress €6.50

P hotography by Julia Kobalz

The Circular April 2009 Final.in9 9 10/04/2009 10:18:29

 Travel
Riding The Rails of Europe By Christine Maguire
Inter-railing is fast becoming a rite of pas-
sage for many students. It is up there with
travelling to Thailand and a year in Australia.
Its popularity resides in the fact that you
visit so many countries in such a short time,
making great new friends and consuming
vast amounts of the local tipple along the
way. For those under 26, unlimited rail trav-
el around 30 countries from Austria to Tur-
key will cost €309 for 22 days, and €399 for
a month. Unfortunately for mature students,
the price is €469 and €599 respectively. The
average hostel is €20 per night, and you can
survive very comfortably on €50 spending
money a day for food and alcohol. A month
costs a maximum of €2500, including the rail
ticket.
“.. the hardcore backpack-
ers look at you in disdain,
and others give you frighten-
ing glares of hatred as their
shoulder straps begin to
chafe their skin in the burn-
ing heat. “
Once your ticket is paid for, it’s time to
start planning where to go. There is so much
choice and it is impossible to go every-
where. Research what each place has to
offer and then make the tough decision of
what to leave out.You should definitely find
how long it takes to get to each destina-
tion, because the distance from Rome to
Bari may look very short on the map, but
don’t be deceived as it takes about 8 hours.
‘Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring’ is
the backpacker’s bible, and will make your
trip a lot easier as it has so much helpful
information.
It is impossible to plan every detail of the
trip, as inter railing doesn’t work like that.
You may fall in love with one place and stay
another night (or three in some cases!) or
you may meet up with fellow backpackers
and decide to make a detour with them.
The Circular April 2009 Final.in10 10
There is also the likelihood that you may
miss a train, or get off at the wrong stop and
have to pay €60 to stay in a hotel in Dres-
den. It is impractical to have every hostel
booked, as one delay could result in your
carefully constructed itinerary becoming a
mess. Before you go, only book very popular
hostels that are likely to fill up in advance, or
one in a very busy area. It is generally easy
to find a hostel on the internet a couple of
days in advance, which is fine.
It is important not to try fit too much in,
although it is hard when you want to go
everywhere. It is better to cut back and stay
at least three days in the majority of places.
Don’t forget you can always leave early if
you’re not impressed and go somewhere
else. That is the magic of inter-railing!
A backpack is a necessity. If you’re really
clever, you’ll invest in one with wheels. It is
worth the money and you’ll be the envy of
everyone else weighed down by their pack.
The only downside is feeling like a bit of an
amateur when the hardcore backpackers
look at you in disdain, and others give you
frightening glares of hatred as their shoulder
straps begin to chafe their skin in the
burning heat. The key is not to over pack.
Bring three-quarter lengths, light tops and
comfortable shoes, but also bring a heavy
jumper and rain jacket. Remember you can
wash your clothes so you don‘t need a new
outfit for each night.
If you travel on the night trains, a supple-
ment will apply for bunks or couchettes.
Alternatively there are compartments with
three seats on either side,that you can lie
across if it is not too busy. Police check
passports at borders and conductors have
to check your tickets every few hours so it
won’t be the best night sleep you have ever
had. Beware of thieves on trains, especially
in Italy and Eastern Europe, as there are
a lot of horror stories. It’s a good idea to
buy a money belt and keep passports and
money etc in it, and sleep with it under your
clothes. For some trains a reservation is
necessary and high speed trains also require
a supplement which is about €8.
The most important thing to bring is a
digital camera with substantial memory, and
preferably someone you get on well with. It
may seem like a good idea to go in a group
of ten, but its very difficult to please every-
one and after a couple of weeks tensions
can run high and you may be tempted to
throw certain people into the Seine or the
Vltava River.
The worst thing about inter-railing is that it
can be a bit stressful figuring everything out,
and that you may want to kill your travel
companions at times. But the good cancels
the bad when you get that smug feeling
after finding the right train and locating your
hostel in a strange country, which makes
you feel like a seasoned professional. Or
when you realise that you have just seen
the Eiffel tower, the Berlin Wall and Dachau
concentration camp in the space of a week,
or when you have a list of new friends from
New Zealand, Canada and Chile and have
been on three bar crawls in three differ-
ent European cities and that you still have
another two to go!
10/04/2009 10:18:32

Travel Into Your Professional Life
Lidia Okorakova discovers that business doesn’t nec-
cesarily need to be all work and no play...
Have you ever thought of combining
travelling with the relevant professional
experience and making important contacts
while all the time partying and taking in the
atmosphere of a foreign country?
If this sounds exciting and new to you, then
look no further.
At first, abbreviations such as FEJS,YP,
EASA,YEUR, ERA (AEL) may seem as
obscure and irrelevant as they come, but
in reality. nothing could be further than the
truth. They are words in the vocabulary of
the language that every ambitious young
businessman, journalist, architect or lawyer
should be fluent in.
They stand for Federation for European
Journalism Students (FEJS),Youth Press (YP),
European Architecture Students Assembly
(EASA),Young EU-Russia (YEUR) and
Academy of European Law (ERA-AEL). But
what exactly do those organisations do and
how do they relate to you?
Most of these organisations are non-
profit and run by young dedicated and
truly enthusiastic people. Take FEJS as an
example: it was set up in 1988 in order to
The Circular April 2009 Final.in11 11
help young journalists tackle the problem of
communicating with other young specialists
in the industry and making some important
contacts, while learning something new and
up-to-date about their profession.
FEJS hold a conference that takes place in a
different country each year. Over a hundred
students join a five day session during
which they have meetings with high echelon
journalists and have fun at some of the
numerous workshops and parties.
At the same time, EASA brings together,
now prepare yourself, almost five hundred
architecture students from around the
world for one month every year. Any ideas
of luxury can be thrown out the window
for these students as they spend their days
leading a backpacker’s lifestyle, sleeping in
tents, eating food from their own plastic or
iron plates that they’ve brought from home
and singing songs in a camp.
One of the participants, when asked what
makes her come back to the EASA each
year, told us: “Well, I come back annually
because of the people that I met there.
It’s a great emotional thing, every creative
Travel
person should go through it. Because of the
people, fun, freedom, beauty, ideas, design,
songs, collaboration. EASA is everywhere.
It’s an absolutely ideal community, you
know, through the course of life EASA
people support each other.”
If you always wanted to set up a business
or perhaps have one on its feet already,
then Young EU- Russia forum welcomes you
on board. This organisation was set up to
provide a platform for young businessmen
from across west and east Europe and
Russia to have serious debates on the
current issues that they face every day
when they deal with taxation office, banks
administration or labour unions.
A young entrepreneur from Russia
describes what his experience with Young
EU-Russia Business Summit was like : “I’ve
participated in conference called Young
EU-Russia Business Summit. The most
important thing is that I’ve gained from
this conference many new friends and
business contacts. This helps me to build
my own career. The second thing is deeper
understanding of different countries culture.
The Academy of European Law is
somewhat different to EASA, FEJS and
YEUR as it is run by the European Union
officials. It was launched to provide young
lawyers with opportunities to communicate
while participating in various conferences
and schools in summer and applying to
their academic courses during the rest of
the year.
If this sounds like the sort of thing that
might interest you then visit the following
websites for more information:
http://www.easa2010.tk/
http://www.fejs.org/
http://www.young-eu-russia.org/
events
10/04/2009 10:18:33
 Culture
In a World Where People Like to
go to the Cinema …
If you only read one preview
of movies appearing in Irish
cinemas this Summer, make it John
O’Donnell’s.
BLOCKBUSTERS
X-Men Origins: Wolverine(May 1)
The Summer blockbuster season kicks
off hard on Mayday with X-Men Origins:
Wolverine. This not a sequel to X-Men
3, it’s the first in a series of prequels.
This explains where Wolverine comes
from and why he’s such a badass
Star Trek(May 8):
J.J. Abrams directs, as the crew of the
Enterprise get lost in space.
Terminator: Salvation(June 5)
T4 is directed by McG - the man who
brought you Charlie’s Angels: Full
Throtle and The O C. He has described
the story’s theme as “individual’s free
will versus their destiny”. If I were
him, I’d go with Christian Bale versus
big robots with guns. You saw how he
reacted to the lighting guy walking on
set, imagine how pissed he’ll get when
Johnny 5 starts poppin’ caps.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen(June
26)
This is the big one (literally). Michael
Bay has been leaking false information
to keep audiences geusing as to what
will happen. Financial info from the
studio as well as the trailer have given
us three tid-bits though. 1) Bigger
budget; $200million pre-marketing. 2)
Bigger cast; nearly 40 transformers. 3)
Bigger robots; check out devastator in
the trailer!
G.I. Joe:The Rise of Cobra (August 7)
Attractive people in tight clothes
blow stuff up. Check out the trailer on
youtube.
The Circular April 2009 Final.in12 12
COMEDIES
Year One(June 19)
Jack Black and Michael Cera are
cavemen who get kicked out of their
village and set off on an adventure.
Brüno (July 10):
Sacha Baron Cohen follows the Borat
formula to bring the other other
character from Ali G in da USAiii to
the big screen.The alternative name for
the movie is “Bruno: Delicious Journeys
Through America for the Purpose of
Making Heterosexual Males Visibly
Uncomfortable in the Presence of a
Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt”. Need
I say more?
Adventureland(July 17)
Superbad writer Greg Mottola covers
the same basic premice, but sets it in
1987.
The Land of the Lost(July 31)
This parody of a 1970s TV show, that
nobody remembers, sees Will Ferrell
and Anna Friel travel through space/
time vortex to a land of fantastic
creatures. Will Ferrell + Dinosaurs -
beat that.
Funny People(August 28)
Judd Apatow directs Adam Sandler and
Seth Rogen – That sounds hilarious!
Sandler’s character has an inoperable
health condition – That sounds less
funny. Lets hope Apatow can do
comedy-drama as well as he does the
gross-out thing.
HORROR
The Haunting in Connecticut (June 19)
Family move into a house, that used to
be a mortuary. Weird shit happens.
Final Destination: Death Trip 3D(August
21)
Teenagers cheat death and then death
comes looking for its dues. Sounds
familiar. Oh this one’s in 3D. Well then,
that’s different. Wait, No it isn’t.
ROM COMS
The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
(May 1)
Matthew McConaughey runs into an
ex at a wedding and blah blah blah.
The Proposal(August 7)
Sandra Bullock forces Ryan Reynolds
into a marriage of convenience. What
are the chances they will fall in love
for real? Good question, but I’m more
puzzled by this one – Isn’t she about
twenty years older than him?
The Ugly Truth(August 14)
Gerard Butler tutors Catherine Heigl
in how to get a man. Apparently Butler
and Heigl’s agents are battling it out for
the title of ‘least imaginative hollywood
hack’.
DRAMA
Angels and Demons(May 14)
Audiences lapped up the da Vinci Code
despite a rinsing from critics. Many
put this down to the media furore
surrounding the book. Can the prequel
generate the same hype?
Public Enemies(July 3)
Michael Mann directs as Christian Bale
plays a cop chasing a gangster played
by Johnny Depp during 1930s Chicago
crime spree. Put down this paper and
go mark the date in your calender.Then
come back to the paper.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
(July 17)
HP has been getting darker and darker
as the series has rolled on. The sixth is
expected to continue in that vein. Due
for release at Christmas, the Half Blood
Prince was delayed, apparently because
of the writers’ strike.
10/04/2009 10:18:35

Years
Years Of
O Refusal
This is Morrissey the way we like to
hear him. Catchy guitar based rock, with
lyrical themes such as morality, lost love
and death. You can even find hints of
humour in between the lines, whether
this is intentional or not, is not clear. With
Morrissey one thing remains undisputed;
he always has a message to deliver. His
performance does at times sound whiny,
but this is also some of the reason we
like him.
Where critics and fans alike thought
that Morrissey had found his ”comeback
sound” with 2006s Ringleader Of The
Tormentors, this album might come as
a bit of a surprise. It has both a rougher
Whatever happened to good old romance?
Romantic comedy of the year ‘He’s Just Not
That Into you’ has set alarm bells ringing for
countless women across the globe. Excuses
excuses. excuses , “ He’s just so stressed
right now with work”, He’s just petrified
of commitment until eventually the penny
drops. . .HE IS JUST NOT INTERESTED!
“Instead of being
asked to dance we
force feed sambuc-
ca at the bar”
It is actual fact that the complicated male
species think with the logical side of their
brain and the women with their emotional
side. Men decide rationally, and women
irrationally. Drama queens, us?? That would
be correct as much as we greatly deny.
Sitting in Dundrums Cinema Screen Three
I closely analyse the main characters and
compare these five neurotic women and
their intricate love lives to that of my own.
Gigi, Anna, Janine, Mary and Beth. Five
completely different women all suffering
from the same misfortune. Is this a new
movie or a new religion? If so, I have found
The Circular April 2009 Final.in13 13
by Malin Aambakk BOSKA
sound and more up tempo songs than
his two previous albums, and this actually
suits the aging musician. He might
however have problems transferring the
energy of these songs onto the stage. Still
it really works on your stereo.
The opening track proves this. Something
Is Squeezing My Skull is by all means
a brilliant opening track, and does not
only show the best of the 50 year old
Morrissey, but also excites the listener
and makes us curious whether he can
maintain the high level throughout the
record.
Regretfully I will have to say no to that.
my holy grail and wish to be baptised
immediately .
Scouting the auditorium I catch a similar
glint in each viewers eye. It is not of
typical casual viewing, but instead a look of
understanding, recognition and a security
in knowing the person sitting beside you
is also relating to one of these characters
complex love lives. Irish men prefer the
sweeter female type. It seems so easy. The
women of Ireland swoon at the likes of
Austin Powers with a clean shaved beard
and the men fantasise of sleeping beauty
with a strong deodorant. Surely it can’t be
that simple?
Culture
At times it can get a bit boring, but the
overall impression is not bad, mostly due
to songs such as Black Cloud and That’s
How People Grow Up. The last song on
Years Of Refusal is by no means a bad
way to end the record, and shows that
Morrissey has more than enough self-
irony to go around.
Years Of Refusal may very well be
considered one of Morrissey’s best solo
releases, because there is no shortage of
quality. But the boring and less enthralling
parts of the record stops it from being
the very pinnacle of his solo career.
Nevertheless, we are enticed as to what
lies ahead.
By Siobhan Worley
It seems Irelands too busy to date. Instead
of writing a letter, we send a text, instead
of being asked to dance we force feed
sambucca at the bar. I find it hilarious when
quirky character Mary claimed with all
these new communication developments
we now have to check “ seven different
technologies to realise we’ve been rejected,
its depressing”. Social networking sites such
as Facebook, Myspace and Bebo have all
moved into the modern Irish dating scene.
All we have to worry about is having a
flattering profile picture and a personality
blog bordering interesting and slightly
schizophrenic. It is fair to say the traditional
dating outlooks are dramatically changing
and somehow I feel we are missing out on
just spending quality time together.
This film categorises the sexes into two
groups. The rule and the exception. The
exception is a Cinderella story, only on rare
occasions will the prince and the pauper
meet and live happily ever after. The rule
is learning the prince who doesn’t fit your
glass slipper on or return your tiara is not
the person of your dreams. Therefore you
should keep kissing your frogs in Copper
Face Jacks and pray your beer goggles
haven’t been tampered with like the night
before.
10/04/2009 10:18:36
 Culture
An Out Of Body Experience
While many gasp in awe and horror and the wonders
of Bodies:The Exhibition, Hugh Hick has other concerns on his mind....
With the opening of “Bodies: The Exhibition”, the puzzling question
of how our bodies actually function is finally taken out of the hands
of academics and placed in a domain accessible to even the least
scientific among us. But have the exhibitors truly revolutionised the
cause for anatomical science, or in their pursuit of a new respect for
these earthly vessels, have they merely violated the sanctity of the
most complex puzzle ever assembled?
This endeavour, run by Premier Exhibtitions, sets out to help people
“to learn about their own bodies” and teach them “how to take
better care of their health and make positive life-style choices. It
does this through the impressive display of dissections of several
“full body specimens”, illustrating the effect of such health hazards as
smoking obesity on the relevant human organs. All well and good.
Visitors will also be treated to a plethora of fun bodily facts, ranging
from the incredible (all the blood vessels in the body joined end to
end would stretch 62,000 miles or two and a half times around the
earth) to the downright bizarre (every person has a unique tongue
print.) No matter what you think you know about the human body,
there’s something here that will impress and astonish you.
“.. sliced open and put on display for
the voyeuristic pleasure of the curious
masses.”
When it gets to the origin of the “specimens” on display, however,
this oasis of knowledge abruptly turns to a mirage. The only
information given out to the viewing public is that they all formerly
lived in their less decomposed state in China, died of natural causes,
and were “unclaimed”. All other details, where known, are kept in
the strictest confidentiality.
One thing that is safely in the realm of conjecture, however, is
that on their death bed, these soon-to-be skeletons surely had no
knowledge of their pending afterlife in a travelling museum. No
consent form. No complimentary cup of tee and explanation as to
the gargantuan advances in human knowledge their donation would
be making.
And certainly, methinks, no tip-off that the very heart that served
them so well would be sliced open and put on display for the
voyeuristic pleasure of the curious masses.
What the organisers of this exhibition fail to mention in their
otherwise thorough audio tour is that the Chinese, like most other
cultures, place a great value on what happens to their body after
death, with many opting for tradition “tree burials”, to lay them at
peace close to nature. The body remains an important temple and
The Circular April 2009 Final.in14 14
shrine to that person’s memory, and as a legacy reaching far beyond
their blackened lungs earned through a lifelong 20-a-day habit.
Whether the individuals involved in this exhibition would have
consented to this sort of treatment is not nearly as relevant as the
fact that they were never asked. Given the emphasis that even the
increasingly secular western world places on post-death rituals, it
is hard to imagine that such concerns merely slipped past the mind
of the innovators of this exhibition. Rather, I suspect they made the
educated decision that the realm of human knowledge is worth the
sacrifice. How kind of them to make such a burdensome decision
on behalf of the deceased!
And so we’re left with what could be described as the 21st century
version of a travelling freak show. It may be wrapped up in the
cosy package of bringing science to the masses, but ultimately,
does the appeal of the exhibition truly lie in anything more than its
sensationalism for the majority of its audience? Is the captivation
these bodies hold really any different to that of John Merrick over
150 years ago?
The ethical questionability of it all has not gone entirely unnoticed
by the viewing public. One acquaintance of mine described it as “the
most morally repugnant thing I have ever seen”, while another was
relieved that “it wasn’t my bloody body on display”.
This isn’t to say that the exhibition holds no value. The insights it
gives into our own body are unique and certainly interesting, but
is such a spectacle truly enough to justify what is essentially grave
robbery? No matter what the answer, the question is surely one that
will spark much more debate before the exhibition finally closes its
doors and moves on next month.
Bodies: The Exhibition runs until 24th April 2009.
10/04/2009 10:18:37

When people think about great
moments in sport, you are forced to think
about decorated heroes, who overcame
all the odds to win. But for a moment to
be great, you don’t have to win. Be it a
single act of incredible courage or just
an individual’s attitude towards life. Truly
great moments in sport have very little
to do with winning.
Lean on me
Derek Redmond didn’t finish in 1st place
in the 1992 400m race in Barcelona.
He didn’t come 2nd or 3rd; both he and
his father came dead last. Derek had
battled with injuries his entire career
and was forced to drop out of the 1988
Olympics four years previous with an
Achilles tendon injury. Seconds after the
gun sounded to start the semi final of
the men’s 400m race, Derek lay on the
ground writhing in agony. He had pulled
his hamstring but this time he was going
to finish the race no matter what. He
struggled to his feet and began to hobble
his way towards the finish line. By now
the other athletes had finished the race.
Derek’s father Jim then broke through
the line of security and ran to his son’s
aid. “You don’t have to do this,” Jim said
to his son.“You don’t have to put yourself
through this.” When Derek insisted
that he was going to finish the race, Jim
replied, “Well, then were going to finish
this together”. Derek wrapped his arm
around his father’s as he began to head
for the finish line, while a capacity crowd
roared its approval even as security
guards and track officials tried to halt
the pair. “I don’t speak Spanish,” said Jim,
“and I wasn’t going to be stopped by
anything.
J Mac
With four minutes left in the final home
game of the season, Jason McElwain or J
Mac to his friends got his one and only
The Circular April 2009 Final.in15 15
chance. Jason was diagnosed with autism
at age of two but he never let that hold
him back. Having not made the varsity
basketball team he took up the role of
student manager at his school, Greece
Athena High. For three years J Mac paced
up and down the sidelines in his blue shirt
and black tie missing only one game.After
an air ball on his first attempt from the
court, 17 year old Jason McElwain, who
is autistic, caught fire. He nailed six three
pointers and finished with 20 points in
those four minutes.An outstanding score
by anyone ones standards. He was the
games highest scorer. When the final
game buzzer went off the crowd went
wild. After being carried off the court on
his teammate’s shoulders, McElwain said
accurately, “I was hot as a pistol.”
Paddling into History
Eric Moussambani learned to swim just
eight months before in a river near his
home in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.Yet he
found himself competing in the Olympics
in the 100 meter freestyle, thanks to a
wildcard rule that allows each country
to enter one athlete in each event even
if he or she doesn’t meet the qualifying
standard. So you might be wondering
how did he manage to get past the
wildcard heats. Well, the other entrants
all managed to false start leaving Eric as
sole swimmer in the wild card race. At
first the spectators thought it was a joke
as they watched a man from Equatorial
Guinea thrashing about, struggling to
make the finish. But then people realized
that they were witnessing one of those
rare sporting moments when somebody
says I am going to do this no matter what.
The crowd rose to their feet and began
cheering for Eric. When Eric reached
one end of the pool he made a speed
turn which he had learned the previous
evening. By the time he had swam the
100 meters he had been in the pool for
nearly two minutes, which double the
record time. Moussambani received a
Sport
By Cormac Coughlan
standing ovation after touching the wall.
“I send hugs and kisses to the crowd,”
Moussambani said. “They kept me
going.”
Do you believe in miracles?
The 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid will
forever be associated with ice hockey.
The Soviet Union entered the Olympic
tournament as heavy favorites and with
good reason. They had won every ice
hockey gold medal since 1964, and all
but one gold medal since 1956. Though
classed as amateurs, the soviet players
essentially played professional in a well
developed league with excellent training
facilities. Their team consisted of some
of the best players ever to take to the
ice. Including Boris Mikhailov and Sergei
Makarov. Just to give you an idea of how
good this team was, in a warm up game
the Soviets played the NHL All-Stars.The
Soviets Destroyed them 6-0. So when
the 1980 Olympics came around, nobody
gave a group of American college kids a
snowballs chance in hell. But those bunch
of kids were about to shock the world.
“Eleven seconds, you’ve got ten seconds,
the countdown going on right now!
Morrow up to Silk. Five seconds left in
the game. Do you believe in miracles?
Yes!”
When the clock ran out on the U.S.
Olympic Hockey team’s 4-3 semifinals
win over the fearsome Soviet Union, the
shaggy haired college kids who made up
the squad flooded the ice and instantly
and inextricably became linked to the
word of “miracle”. I know I said wining
had very little to do with great sporting
moments. But it was the perfect moment,
a marriage of hope and improbability that
became extinct when professionals were
later allowed in Olympic competition.
10/04/2009 10:18:38
 Opinion
Social Networking sites are not
your bleedin’ mate!
Not only does indulging in the unavoidable
phenomenon of social networking highlight
the primal self indulgence inherent in all of
us, it is also damaging to our social environ-
ment and growth.
It isn’t difficult to comprehend the popular-
ity of sites such as bebo, my-space or face-
book because they provide a global forum of
interaction – predominantly for the 18 -35
demography - unlike no other. Allowing us
to communicate with “friends” (and in this
context I use that term very loosely) we are
able to share videos, photographs and ex-
change text in an instant.
So where is the catch? My cynicism is in-
stinctual and tells me that when something
is too good to be true, it’s usually false. And
that’s exactly the case here. Social Network-
ing is false; the arena of interaction it pro-
vides is semi fictional and lacks the intimacy
of real face to face contact. Aside from that,
many of the “friendships” we form on these
sites are with friends we ordinarily wouldn’t
chose in the real world.
“I am not nearly narcissistic
enough to believe that peo-
ple give a f*ck about my two
week holiday orienteering in
Spiddle”
Is there any harm if, like most users, you en-
joy a healthy social life away from the com-
pany of your computer? No there isn’t but
I must question the motives of those (and
there are many) who use these sites as ex-
tensions of their personalities. Those who
obsessively advertise their daily lives to their
Good ol’ days of social networking.
The Circular April 2009 Final.in16 16
by Gus McSweeney
Rasher McGinty enjoying a bit of social banter,
798 “friends” and almost involuntarily send
out invitations of friendship to people they
would ordinarily never engage with.
It’s at this point that I myself must
admit to being somewhat guilty of this
shameless self promotion. I do have a Face-
book account and ashamedly I use it. Quite
a lot. However I don’t upload photos nor do
I accept or make friend requests to people
whom I don’t consider to be a friend. I don’t
claim to be an exceptional case or to have
more dignity than the next social network
user. I believe friendship has value. Also, I am
not nearly narcissistic enough to believe that
people give a f*ck about my two week holi-
day orienteering in Spiddle, nor do I believe
they wish to see the photos. Above all else,
I know that you can’t be friends with every-
body.
Recently I reviewed my friend list of 180, and
after deleting those who failed to meet the
criteria of what I consider a friend, I was left
with a slightly more realistic number of 115.
Of those 115 I could have probably sacri-
ficed another 20 for the cause, but I didn’t
relish the thought of explain my rejection to
them later.
“In all honesty do you really
think that you should meet
Sophie, who you haven’t seen
since 4th class, for drinks? “
Of the 65 people I deleted, only 1 re-re-
quested my friendship. The fact that I wasn’t
missed showed me that I didn’t need this
many friends, but on some level I believe
we want them. We want them because we
see them as a reflection, albeit an inaccurate
one, on who we are, how outgoing we are
and most importantly how “popular” we are.
These friends, whether we believe them to
be real of not, relieve our social insecurities.
In much the same way that mobile
phone texting has robbed communication of
vocal intimacy; social networking sites are
replacing the public sphere of interaction,
the true domain of friendship, where ora-
tion and imagination was how information
was once processed. This is why those few
of you that are left who do not engage with
any of these sites refuse to do so with pride.
Your distaste for facebook/bebo/myspace is
a symptom of your lust for life, where the
more honourable, humane way to interact is
in person or at least verbally. For this, I salute
you.
Social networking sites are commodities
that serve a purpose but, like one too many
glasses of wine, over indulgence can make
you seem both irritating and pretentious. So
take a step back from the on-line lives you’ve
created for yourselves and ask how real are
they? In all honesty do you really think that
you should meet Sophie, who you haven’t
seen since 4th class, for drinks despite your
insistence that she does.
Users of these sites should judge their
friends in the on-line realm the same way
they would in the real world. Be honest and
choose them carefully.
10/04/2009 10:18:39