INDEPENDENT THINKING The University College Magazine 2016

IN THE NEWS CNN’s social media head, Samantha Barry, takes on New York and the world Inside…

FEATURES

04 Bowing out 47 Popular pundit Outgoing President Dr Michael B Murphy We ask well-known sports commentator looks back on a decade in office about his news and views

08 Leading lady 50 Well on track UCC graduate Samantha Barry is top of the How Phil Healy’s outstanding UCC relay social league race brought personal and global kudos 11 Here to stay New bust of commemorates his genius REGULAR FEATURES 12 Up for the challenge President-elect Professor Patrick O’Shea 26 Keep in Touch! tells us what shapes his perspective 32 Weddings 15 Music to our ears 34 Alumni Reunions How annual concert on The Quad helps charities 36 Alumni Achievement Awards

16 Bright city lights 52 Spotlight on Sport Cork University Business School has plans to move downtown

19 Down on the farm Quercus scholar and inventor Marie Martin reveals the source of her inspiration

20 In and out We follow UCC graduate Dr Anna Marie Naughton’s work with the homeless

23 The last word Newly appointed Writer-in-Residence, Cónal Creedon, on life and his universe

30 Simply divine As the marks 100 years we celebrate its wonderful art

38 Mind over matter We talk to award-winning quantum physics researcher Professor Seamus Davis

41 Back to roots UCC is the first university to grow its own fresh veggies for students and staff

44 Central station Student hub will bring all facilities under one roof on campus 08 INDEPENDENT Thinking

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nancy Hawkes

EDITORIAL ADVISOR Margaret Jennings

COMMISSIONING EDITOR 32 Mike Ryan DIGITAL EDITOR Denis Twomey

DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI ADVISORS Aideen Hogan • Karen Kelly • Nini Schwart • Dr Jean van Sinderen-Law • Caroline Waters

DISTRIBUTION Geraldine Taylor

DESIGN Vermillion Design Consultants www.vermilliondesign.com

COVER Samantha Barry in Times Square, New York. Photograph by Michael Appleton 19 PRINTER City Print, Cork 20 EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES AND COMMENTS Nancy Hawkes T: 00 353 (0)21 4902812 E: [email protected]

ALUMNI ENQUIRIES Karen Kelly T: 00 353 (0)21 4903643 E: [email protected]

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INDEPENDENT Thinking 3 It was my privilege to serve during a rollercoaster decade

As UCC President Michael Murphy prepares to hand over the baton after ten years, he shares some of his memories of leading the university through high and low times

“ t was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” goals and the projection of its uniqueness to the How Charles Dickens’s opening line from A Tale outside world, coupled with effective implementation. of Two Cities (1859) might have been written to The UCC Strategic Plan for 2007–12 embraced capture the experience of the past decade in UCC! a vision for “a world-class regional university”. Our IIn February 2007, my first month in office, the purpose today remains excellence in teaching, learning boundless optimism of the Celtic Tiger era was still and research, but striving also to maximise relevance alive: “We could not possibly put a three-storey to the needs of local society and business. building on the former greyhound-racing track, This vision has since emerged as a global theme land prices being where they are, and going where for university planning but our early embrace of the they’re going...”, was a contribution at our university’s agenda attracted considerable international attention. finance committee. The UCC Plan (2009–12) featured as a case study in Just four years later, the same committee was the Henley (UK) MBA programme, students being voting monies to provide free meals for penurious required to compare and contrast the strategic plan students and to help house others sleeping in cars (or of Nokia Corporation with that from Cork. Comparison under a bridge in one case), such was the change in of the status of both institutions today, might give national, institutional, citizen and student fortune. pause for thought to those who foist a business sector And yet the Western Gateway Building was built. ethos on universities! Although it took a decade to find all €109 million Vision must give way to actions, effective required, UCC now boasts the largest and most implementation. Eventually, in 2015, UCC was awarded modern academic edifice in the country. The lesson: 21 A grades across 30 metrics by the European Union universities the world over are extraordinarily resilient U-Multirank, the highest number among all 1,220 and UCC matches the best. universities assessed, celebrating in particular our Wasn’t our Main Quadrangle built at the very performance under regional university measures. height of the Famine (1847–49), while cholera in the Dickens must have had university rankings on city prevented Queen Victoria from coming into the his mind. It has been quite a roller-coaster decade. campus to perform the opening. One hundred and By 2010 and by dint of much hard work, UCC had sixty years later no mere national bankruptcy would made its way into the top 200 (top 2%) of global derail the ambitions of today’s 23,000 confident, universities, recognition we went on to enjoy for three ambitious, diverse and clever community of consecutive years. students and staff. But alas, no more! Eight years of continuous Citation of a construction project as a premier revenue cuts, 15% fewer staff serving 10% more institutional accomplishment is, of course, slightly students, enforced early retirement of some of ironic, as I have repeatedly and publicly denied our most productive academic and support staff, enslavement to the edifice complex – a common loss of our academic stars to other international characteristic of university presidents! More universities, and – equally important – the imposition fundamental than buildings have been the evolution of a bureaucratic stranglehold seen mostly in less of the vision for the university, the refinement of its developed countries has taken an inevitable toll.

4 INDEPENDENTINDEPENDENT Thinking 3 Dr Michael Murphy, University College Cork’s President since 2006, reflects on his time in office.

“A HIGHLIGHT OF THE DECADE HAS BEEN OUR DESIGNATION IN 2010, AS THE FIRST UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN THE WORLD TO BE ACCREDITED WITH THE GREEN FLAG OF THE FEDERATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, RECOGNITION THAT ITSELF SPARKED OFF A NEW GLOBAL UNIVERSITY MOVEMENT”

INDEPENDENT Thinking 5 Nevertheless, we have adapted magnificently: “events, dear boy”. Well, “events” have certainly fewer than 50 cents of each euro flowing to UCC now played their part in the trajectory of UCC lately. comes from the state, contrasted with 86 cents in Examples include: fire at the old naval building 2006, due to growing international and postgraduate housing the Coastal and Marine Research Centre fee-paying student numbers, as well as growing and on Haulbowline Island; the floods of November 2009 diversifying research income. Meanwhile, universities which submerged one third of the campus and in other countries have enjoyed ever more state and inflicted tens of millions of euro worth of damage; private sector investment and – also enjoying greater volcanic eruptions in Iceland in 2010 stranding autonomy to ensure greater effectiveness – have dozens of staff and students on field trips in Western passed all Irish universities by. Europe; and the global economic tsunami of 2008 There is one very important and notable exception from which Ireland is only now recovering. Ah, to the rankings trend, student-initiated and student- yes, Macmillan. led and a manifestation of that independent thinking The roller coaster experience continues. A sublime that we celebrate: UCC’s commitment to institutional moment came in October this year when we learned and societal sustainability is second to none. A that UCC had, once again, been named the Sunday highlight of the decade has been our designation in Times University of the Year for 2017. It is recognition, 2010 as the first university campus in the world to in my view, that UCC is confident in its understanding be accredited with the Green Flag of the Federation of the role of a university and clearly committed for Environmental Education, recognition that itself, to discharging that role to very high standards. sparked off a new global university movement. We exist primarily to teach our students, to learn UCC’s positioning as a champion of the green with and from them, and to provide all students agenda, among the top four universities in the world and staff with opportunities to grow, to improve every year since “greenmetric” rankings began, continuously, to experiment and to innovate – to be is a source of great pride for everyone. The most Independent Thinkers. recent green initiative, the development of our own During the past decade UCC grew in size – in vegetable garden on our new lands at Curraheen its student population, campus acreage, built (which you can read about in this magazine), is also environment and research income. It is more diverse a reminder that the campus estate grew by 53 acres – in its international representation among staff (40%) during the downturn. and students and in its popularity among both You will have noticed that when I began this piece domestic and international student markets. It is I highlighted that UCC has had a plan, implemented more successful in its innovation measures and its it and enjoyed impact and success. But you will also commercialisation and more inclusive, transparent have noticed another theme – the encroachment and resilient than at any previous time. of unanticipated occurrences, famously described It has been my privilege to serve during one of the by the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan as most challenging decades in our history.

1 Michael has been privileged to meet many extraordinary 1 There have been fun moments too over the decade, including people during his 10 years in office, including here Michael being nominated by the UCC Students’ Union for the in 2007, with honorary graduate, Irish-American Ice Bucket Challenge. Here he is seen being doused by SU philanthropist Loretta Brennan Glucksman. President Mark Staunton in the middle of UCC’s famous Quad.

6 INDEPENDENT Thinking Keep in Touch with...

Picture: Rowan Davenport Win a €1,000 travel voucher to be our VIP guest at UCC’s Christmas Homecoming event 2016

hese days, contact information changes all the The prize also includes: time. We would like you • a travel voucher for €1,000 to be spent on your flights home to keep in touch with UCC (if you live abroad) or, if you are based in Ireland, on Tand let us know where you are now. future travel plans. To say thank you for your effort, you • a two-night stay for you and a guest in five-star luxury, at Hayfield will be entered into a draw to be our Manor hotel, Cork, including breakfast and dinner (on one night). VIP guest on campus for the annual • to put the festive icing on the (Christmas) cake, a family box for the UCC Christmas Homecoming seasonal pantomime, Cinderella, in the . Four reception held in UCC’s Aula Maxima runners-up will win pairs of tickets to the show. on 22 December 2016.

All graduates automatically become lifelong members of the UCC Alumni Association. Register for events, make a donation, or update your details at community.ucc.ie

To be eligible to enter the draw, you need to be a graduate of University Sponsored by UCC in partnership with College Cork. The draw will close on 30 November 2016 and the winner will be announced on 1 December 2016. The winner and runners-up will be advised by letter and the results announced on the UCC website. There is no cash alternative should the winner or runners-up be unable to claim their prize. Full terms and conditions for this draw can be found at: www.ucc.ie/en/alumni/

INDEPENDENT Thinking 7 TITLE

Newswoman SAMANTHA is top of the social ladder

Being at the heart of the American presidential election was just one aspect of UCC graduate Samantha Barry’s job as head of social media at CNN. The Cork woman tells Clodagh Finn about her meteoric rise to fame in the digital world

he interviewed Donald Trump in a toilet in Miami, spoke to Hillary Clinton backstage and talked to SBernie Sanders and every other candidate in the recently-held US presidential election. Samantha Barry, UCC graduate and head of social media at CNN, was at the very heart of the 2016 election, though she’s quick to clarify that her Snapchat interview with Trump took place in a toilet because that was the only place they could set up on the day. The fact that Trump was even willing to do a Snapchat interview reveals just how vital a role social media played in the election. “It had a huge part to play,” says 34-year-old Samantha. “You 1 From her New York saw that in the readiness of the office, Cork woman candidates to give the extra Samantha Barry now stories and sidebars necessary oversees a staff of 30-plus people and has for an and helped to transform a Facebook audience.” CNN from a TV news From the outset of the network into a 24-hour global multiplatform primaries, CNN turned two-hour network. Pictures: presidential debates into trending Michael Appleton

8 INDEPENDENT Thinking phenomena on Instagram, everything. It’s a rare privilege to Did her time there help her get Snapchat, and Facebook. cook dinner,” she says. to where she is now? “Absolutely. It It’s a brave new world and The office day goes by in a helped me hone my skills and gave Samantha Barry, a native of heartbeat – from 7.30am to 6pm me confidence in journalism and , Cork, is at the forefront – then, she tries to shut off for a made me feel that I could do this. of it. Since she graduated with few hours before tuning in again to It really started me on the path to an Arts degree (English and keep an eye on primetime coverage working at the BBC.” Psychology) from University and what is coming out of Hong After graduating from UCC, she College Cork in 2002, she has Kong as it wakes. went on to do an MA in Journalism gone on to earn a name as a at City University and from world-renowned social media that got a job at RTÉ. expert who is invited to share “I WROTE FOR “When you grow up listening to her expertise at conferences and a radio station and the next thing universities all over the world. THE UNIVERSITY you are on the radio reading the Two years ago, she was EXAMINER. I DID news – ok, it might be at 3 o’clock headhunted from BBC World in the morning but it’s still the news News in London to run CNN’s THREE RADIO SHOWS – it’s kind of fun.” growing social media division. At 24, she took a year off to ON THE UNIVERSITY From her New York office, go to Australia and took up a job she now oversees a staff of 30- RADIO. I JUST PUT as lunchtime reporter at Newstalk plus people and has helped to radio when she came home. She transform CNN from a TV news MY HAND UP AND still recalls a week-long series she network into a 24-hour global TRIED STUFF” did on Ireland’s most dilapidated multiplatform network. secondary schools, as one of the She strives – and this is her highlights of her career. mantra, she tells us – “to create She stayed at Newstalk for a a CNN news habit for every It’s a long way from her student year and a half, but the travel bug generation on every platform”. days at UCC, though she says her had bitten. In 2009, she went to “That means reaching people who digital journey began the week South America and while there don’t have a cable subscription. she started college. “I tell the she got what she describes as a That means reaching people in story that the first email address “very offbeat opportunity” to go Africa who have leapfrogged I ever had was in UCC. The first to Papua New Guinea with ABC to desktops and are going straight mobile phone I got was from Bank train young reporters. to mobile and social. No matter of Ireland. They were offering “That was the first lightbulb where people live, they know they new students who signed up in moment. Feature phones had can come to us and we are going 1999 a free Nokia flip phone,” just arrived in Papua New to serve them up great stories Samantha says, adding that her Guinea and had changed how and information in a way that they US colleagues can’t believe that everyone communicated. I set want to consume it.” happened as late as 1999. up Facebook pages for 13 radio Ask her about her job and she’ll But what really stands out stations and then, I said – wait a tell you she “absolutely loves it”. from her student days is the way second – this thing that we call Most mornings start at 5.30am or UCC gave her an opportunity to social media is changing not only 6am and the first thing she does put her hand up: “I don’t mean in how we communicate but how is look at her emails on her mobile class. I mean for things that could we consume news.” – it’s been on all night. She then potentially put you down the path After a year and a half there, checks her WhatsApp groups, of where you were going to go. I she had a stint in Pakistan – “it was Facebook, Twitter and CNN’s wrote for the University Examiner. amazing and fascinating” – before messaging apps. I did three radio shows on the going to London to work at BBC “Then, I grab a coffee on the run. university radio. I just put my World News and BBC Media Action. I’ve massively embraced the New hand up and tried stuff,” she says, “They sent me to a lot of York way of life, which is to order advising others to do the same. amazing places, including Burma,”

INDEPENDENT Thinking 9 she says, mentioning another “With this little thing,” she says What device could you career highlight. tapping her iPhone, “so many not do without? “When I went there first in 2012, people have access to information My phone. I have an iPhone I sat in a room with about 100 that they never had before.” for everyday. I have a young journalists and I asked if Another upside is that Samsung that I use for anybody had a mobile phone. One technology has allowed her to virtual reality. Burmese guy put up his hand and stay in touch with friends and put what can only be described family. “I am so connected to Kindle or book? as a satellite phone on the desk. my family in Ireland because of Real books, definitely. I love Nobody else in the room had WhatsApp. I Facetime my sister my book shelf and I have a mobile phone.” Davina, in Sweden and my brother carted books from Papua Two short years later, Samantha , in Barcelona. New Guinea to London. When Barry walked off the tarmac in She Skypes her parents Máiréad CNN relocated me to New Yangon airport and was astounded and David in Bantry, Co Cork, York, I didn’t own one piece to see how radically things had and WhatsApps her mum. “We of furniture. The only thing changed. “Everybody had a mobile are every Irish parent’s worst that was taking up space in phone, from the taxi driver to the nightmare; none of us lives at the boxes was books. monk I met. And a lot of them were home. My dad had to suck it up getting their news from Facebook and buy wifi for the house.” Favourite place in the world? or messaging apps. It was an Looking ahead, she says the It depends on the season. I amplified version of what has been future of news-gathering and news love Paris in December. It is happening all around the world.” consumption is very exciting. While an excuse to wear fabulous She weighs the pros and cons people on social media tend to layers and sit outside carefully when asked if she thinks live in a kind of self-congratulatory and people-watch while the seismic shift in behaviour, bubble that reflects their existing drinking champagne and prompted by innovations in views, sometimes big, important eating cheese. digital technology, is a good news stories penetrate that filter. I love Italy in the summer. or a bad thing. The most recent example I love what the Italians can On the downside, she was the picture of the bloodied do with tomatoes. says cyberbullying is a real Syrian boy Omran Daqneesh, problem, though publishers and photographed in an ambulance. platforms are trying to combat it. “The reach of that on social was “Sometimes the comments section huge. People shared that story who of CNN is not a nice place to be.” had never shared a story on Syria On balance, however, she thinks before. When people do that, we information is a real equaliser. say, ‘Yes, we did our job’.”

10 INDEPENDENT Thinking limestone engraved by Cork-based sculptor Matthew Thompson. The project was made possible through A RoBUST the generous support of two UCC alumni, Shemas Eivers and Teddy McCarthy. The logistics were managed by Barrie Curley and Ross tribute to genius O’Donovan in the Office of Buildings and Estates at UCC. In recognition of Boole’s dual Lincoln and Cork affiliations, the George Boole is here to stay, as a sculpture in his piece was unveiled jointly by Ireland’s Ambassador to the UK honour takes pride of place, writes John Fitzgerald (and UCC alumnus) Dan Mulhall and Sir Dominick Chilcott, British Ambassador to Ireland. e was the centre of Sited between the Boole Library It stands as a lasting tribute not attention at UCC, and and the Main Quad, this newest just to Boole and his legacy, but further afield, for the feature on the campus tourist trail to all of the staff and friends of whole of last year, has also already taken its place in UCC who successfully brought his Hbut the impact and memory of the student mythology, as it has association with this university to George Boole, the forefather of quickly become a charm for pre- global recognition during 2015. the digital age and first professor examination students who have of mathematics at our university, been seen to rub the logician’s nose, For more on George Boole is here to stay – thanks to this John Harvard-style, in order to bring and his legacy in UCC visit magnificent bust, created by good luck in exams. georgeboole.com sculptor Paul Ferriter. In fact some students maintain Although the life and legacy of that to copper-fasten their good one of UCC’s original Independent luck, they have to actually rub it with Thinkers (1815-1864) was celebrated their own nose – Eskimo kiss style! with a major programme of events, Paul Ferriter, who worked raising local, national and global from three drawings and one awareness on his 200th birthday, photographic portrait, sculpted it was the realisation of how he first in clay, then used silicon and laid the foundation stone for our wax in what is known as “the lost indispensable digital devices that wax method” to create a mould bridged the centuries between his into which molten bronze was genius and 20th-century life. poured to make the shape of It was because of Boole’s ideas the final piece. that our students now have mobile The bust is one and devices to take selfies beside the a half life-size and rests bronze bust of this famous man on a column of Kilkenny – unveiled last April as a lasting physical tribute to him and his celebratory year.

3 First-year Genetics student Ciara Judge tests the new ‘tradition’ that says rubbing the nose of George Boole’s statue will bring good luck in exams. Picture: Emmet Curtin

INDEPENDENT Thinking 11 An Independent Thinker with fearless ideas

3 UCC’s president elect, Professor Patrick O’Shea, says the idea of the university being a place of Independent Thinking, is hugely important to him.

12 INDEPENDENT Thinking Proud Corkman and UCC physics graduate Professor Patrick O’Shea has been appointed the 15th President of University College Cork with effect from next February. Currently Vice President and Chief Research Officer at the University of Maryland, USA, he gives here some of his perspectives on life. In conversation with Nancy Hawkes

In the 1920s, my grandmother, My parents were really motivated as a student was an inspiration to Mary Shea (which later became to make sure that their children me to become an academic. O’Shea) was raising a young got ahead. They valued education family of three sons near even though they didn’t have I have four important guiding Glengarriff in West Cork when much themselves. They were principles: Be entrepreneurial. her husband Patrick died of very interested in books and in By that I mean: be someone who tuberculosis. She opened a sweet knowledge and learning, and they sees a problem that you want to shop to make a living and was made sure their children had a solve, who is willing to take a risk fairly successful until she was good education. to solve it and who creates more evicted from the building she value than you consume in the rented. She moved to Pope’s Quay I met my wife Miriam Smyth, in process. That’s my definition of in Cork city where she made her UCC. She got her undergraduate entrepreneur. It’s not necessarily living as a maid. It was a pretty degree in Marine Biology. We a term that connotes “business”. rough life for the family. moved to Maryland to do our Anyone can be an entrepreneur in PhDs. She is currently head his or her own way. My parents met as the result of clinical research strategic Be unreasonable. Reasonable of a tragedy. Both my uncles, planning in the US Department people adapt and get along. Paddy and Dermot, were killed of Veteran Affairs which runs Unreasonable people are unhappy in accidents a few months apart. an extensive medical system for with the status quo and want to Paddy died in a mine in England, military veterans. change things. As George Bernard and Dermot was killed in an We have had a happy and Shaw said: “Reasonable people accident on the island of Mauritius. productive life in the US. We adapt themselves to the world. Dermot’s best friend sent a letter have a son Ronan, who’s 19 Unreasonable people attempt to to my grandmother in French. years old. He has just started his adapt the world to themselves. All Someone told my father, Michael, second year at Brown University progress, therefore, depends on that there was a young lady called studying neuroscience. He runs unreasonable people.” Jo (Josephine) Watkins, who grew for the track and field team there, Be tenacious. “Ever tried. Ever up on the South Terrace, who could so he’s inherited some of the failed. No matter. Try again. Fail read French. They first met on family running genes! again. Fail better”, to quote Samuel Brown Street in the Legion of Mary Beckett. This could be applied to Hall, to translate the letter. I’m an introvert – basically a Phil Healy. Her recent extraordinary physics and mathematics nerd! athletic performance went viral One of my earliest memories is of I remember sitting in a lecture on social media. I’ve shown the my father. Just like his own father, theatre in the Kane Building, video clip to many people as a he contracted tuberculosis when listening to Dr John Delaney, who great example of the quality of I was a baby and spent two years was my first-year physics teacher, tenacity and perseverance when in a TB sanatorium in Glanmire. and thinking: “I’d love to be like all seems lost. My mother would cycle to see him. I’d love to be a teacher.” Be collaborative and think big, him with me on the back of her However, I never thought I could to quote Goethe: “Dream no small bike. We weren’t allowed into the work up the courage to stand up dreams, for they have no power hospital because the disease was in front of a class. So I’ve had to to move the hearts of men.” Think so contagious. So, I remember work every single day of my life of Newgrange, the world’s oldest looking up at his room and seeing to “fake” being an extrovert. The astronomically aligned structure. him standing on a balcony. quality of teaching I saw at UCC Imagine 5,000 years ago, when

INDEPENDENT Thinking 13 the men and women of Meath best places to survive a nuclear decided to build it. People probably apocalypse. Recently I found an “I HAVE FOUR looked at them and wondered article from Esquire magazine why they were wasting their time. in 1962, which cites Cork as one IMPORTANT GUIDING Newgrange represents the strength of the few places in the world PRINCIPLES: BE of the Irish culture and economy; that had sufficient infrastructure that they could marshal resources as a base from which to rebuild ENTREPRENEURIAL, and build the partnerships to civilisation. This concept has been BE UNREASONABLE, something amazing. in my head since I was a child, so now is my chance to help Cork take BE PERSISTENT, AND Perceptions of Ireland abroad its rightful place among the great THINK BIG” have really changed. 100 years cities of the world. ago were pretty far down the totem pole. But that’s not When you’re in a leadership when you get to the edge of the the case anymore. Ireland is now position, you’re sometimes not map, it gets very scary. A research viewed as a sophisticated European sure what’s going to happen next. institution like UCC is involved in country. When people heard that One of the lines I like to use is the creation and understanding I was taking the job in UCC, it was the last sentence from the book of knowledge, and the creation viewed as a very positive step by 2001: A Space Odyssey. It reads: of people who have the mindset my US friends and colleagues. “For though he was master of and educational background to be the world, he was not quite sure creative explorers. There is a term “American what to do next. But he would exceptionalism” and the same think of something.” Some of the Universities should be of and for thing exists in Cork. Cork people essence of leadership is to lead the community. I was involved think of themselves as being when you don’t have enough in a panel discussion recently, exceptional. And I agree that Cork information to make an absolutely and the question was: “Where is more important globally than definitive decision. Exploration is do good ideas come from?” I people imagine. When I was a child like that too. simply said: “Cities,” by which I in the early 60s, I remember hearing Some people are content to mean communities. The sparks a story that Cork was one of the be tourists. It’s comfortable. But that ignite great ideas come when groups of people rub up against one another, arguing 7 A meeting of minds: and disputing. So the university Patrick O’Shea should be of the community and chats with Physics city. The University should create undergraduate John McCarthy more value for the people than during a recent visit it consumes. That could be my to the UCC campus. motto or epitaph: create more Pictures: Tomás Tyner. value than you consume.

The idea of UCC as a place of Independent Thinking is hugely important to me. It meshes with the Fearless Ideas concept that is a hallmark of the University of Maryland. They both connect well to the “creative explorers” concept I mentioned earlier, i.e., explorers have to be both fearless and independent thinkers. It will be exciting to combine these concepts in my new role.

14 INDEPENDENT Thinking Hitting a high note on the Quad

Summer’s Evening on the Quad, which 1 Music-lovers at this year’s Summer’s Evening on The Quad were clearly having a good time clocked up 11 years this summer, has so far at the annual event, which is a fundraiser for raised over €550,000 for local charities. local charities. Pictures: Provision This year’s event, which featured Rebecca AStorm, Michael McCarthy and Keith Hanley, boasted a 2,000-strong attendance. To date, over 20,000 Event organiser Pat Cotter points out that music-lovers have enjoyed this unique annual event. a contributory factor to the concerts being so The support of sponsors like construction successful with the public is that the beneficiaries are company BAM, The Evening Echo newspaper, the Cork charities. “At the end of the day, it’s about Cork Hotel, Cork’s 96FM and more recently people supporting Cork charities,” he adds. Cork University Business School (CUBS) ensures And in using our beautiful 19th-century stone- that all ticket sales go directly to the nominated face quadrangle as the venue, we maintain that charities each year. link between UCC and the community which has A large team of volunteers among UCC staff always been a unique feature of our university, down worked in collaboration with An Garda Síochána through the decades. Bridewell Community Policing, who volunteer their time in co-ordinating, promoting and hosting the Plans for A Summer’s Evening on the event. Cork Cancer Research Centre, Special Olympics Quad 2017 are already underway. (Munster), Cork Simon Community, Down Syndrome See summeronquad.ucc.ie Cork and the Children’s Leukaemia Association have @ASummersEveningOnTheQuad all benefited from the event in past years. @ASummersEvening

INDEPENDENT Thinking 15 CUBS’ scout for city centre building is a landmark success

The proposed transfer of Cork University Business School to the heart of the city’s finance centre and its ongoing recruitment of top-class professorial staff is placing it at the centre of its field in education, both locally and globally, reports Helen O’Callaghan

bold decision by Cork of the finance and business district to consider moving further out. University Business is paramount, says head of CUBS, “But I think you lose something School (CUBS) to locate Professor Ciaran Murphy. “It’s by not being part of the dynamic its executive education important that a business school presence in any city.” Afacility in a landmark building, in an should be close to the commercial In a sense, CUBS is giving area rapidly becoming Cork City’s activity of the city. It ensures new life and fuller meaning to the centre of business activity, says a students have an opportunity old real estate adage, “location, lot about where CUBS sees itself. on a daily basis to imbibe the location, location”, which describes The acquisition of the entrepreneurial experience and the three most important aspects iconic Lapp’s Quay heritage culture of Cork.” of any property and which was building – formerly Cork Savings It might be easier, he concedes, coined by tycoon Harold Samuel. Bank – combined with CUBS’ to find a green site if CUBS were Because relocating its School from determination to find a city centre the heart of UCC’s campus, right location for its proposed €120m into the city’s business hub – a business school, is an ambitious 15-minute walk from UCC and a move. Clearly it’s setting its sights five-minute hop to Cork’s renowned on being a world-class player. – is emblematic of Having a strong physical where it is positioning itself in the presence “downtown” in the heart sphere of business education.

3 Having a strong physical presence “downtown” in the heart of Cork’s finance and business district is paramount, says head of CUBS, Professor Ciaran Murphy.

16 INDEPENDENT Thinking CUBS’ vision begins from the our BComm students are already position that Cork and the southern going abroad to business schools, region need a top-class business mainly in Europe and the US, but school of an international standard. some in Asia too.” “That for us is the key driver,” says One vital element on which Ciaran. He sees its reach going this world-class experience further. The business education is predicated is recruitment The proposed transfer of Cork University Business School to the heart of the city’s finance delivered here will mark it out as of professorial staff. CUBS is centre and its ongoing recruitment of top-class professorial staff is placing it at the centre a significant player on the national committed to hiring 30 new stage and it will have a global professorial-level posts over the of its field in education, both locally and globally, reports Helen O’Callaghan impact: be world class “from” Cork, next four years. “We’re doing rather than “in” Cork. global searches for staff. We’ve “Our students will be had applications from all five challenged to excel – but continents. We’ve filled the first 10 supportively. We’re going to posts – the vast bulk of appointees produce graduates who’ll be have international experience. thinkers, shapers, designers We’re now embarking on a second and developers of the future – round of recruitment.” essentially movers and shakers Also essential in delivering in the business sphere. We will this high-level education is what emphasise the need for students to Ciaran terms “a smart building be inventive and entrepreneurial in for smart students”. Currently their approach to business.” spread over two buildings on Ciaran quotes the words of UCC’s campus, CUBS has never management consultant and had a purpose-designed/built educator Peter Drucker: “Since business school building. And a we live in an age of innovation, a vital element of the proposed new practical education must prepare building will be a top-class digital a man for work that does not infrastructure, enabling students yet exist and cannot yet be to “be in contact with students clearly defined.” anywhere in the world at any time 1 The iconic heritage building, formerly Cork Saving Bank, (seen here and on These words, he says, and ensuring incredibly fast access next page), has been bought as the new encapsulate what CUBS is to information”. city centre location for Cork University about: “None of us can predict Meanwhile, acquisition of Business School. the milieu of progress that will the former Cork Savings Bank happen in all sorts of areas – and building – with an investment of will position it as the go-to for what jobs will result. At CUBS, €5m – represents “great historical executive education. “Staff at we want to educate students to connectivity” with UCC, he says. all levels of multinational and be agile thinkers, to move with “It was designed by the Dean indigenous companies in Cork developments and to help invent brothers, who were also architects need continual up-skilling. And our their own futures.” of UCC’s quadrangle buildings.” offering isn’t just to the business CUBS’ world-class education A firm of heritage architects community – large public sector will be underlined by the offer has been commissioned to organisations like the HSE and Cork to undergraduates of work repurpose the building. City Council have a big requirement placements and university Housed in a building that for ongoing training.” (business school) placements historically played an important The business school is abroad. “We want to develop more role in the business and community in discussions with the Irish linkages with top business schools life of Cork, the CUBS facility will Management Institute (IMI) with a internationally, so students can do now meet the region’s ongoing view to a merger with UCC. CUBS shared projects with students from business education needs. Generic is already alma mater to the largest business schools [abroad]. Many of and customised programmes number of undergraduate students

INDEPENDENT Thinking 17 in any business school in Ireland – leaders, drawn from national undergraduate intake increased by and international communities, “WE’RE GOING TO 15% in the last two years. Now, with whose input will help shape future the strength of the IMI brand and direction of the School. This PRODUCE GRADUATES with the size of IMI’s client base, board, says Ciaran, will have a WHO WILL BE THINKERS, a merger will see UCC become key role in keeping CUBS honest. the largest provider of executive “Our performance needs to be SHAPERS, DESIGNERS education in Ireland. It will be measured. We need to be held AND DEVELOPERS OF UCC’s first Dublin campus and will accountable to our vision and make the university accessible to commitment – I will insist we are.” THE FUTURE” companies based in the greater In keeping with its unrelentingly Dublin region. “We’ll be able to outward focus, CUBS is actively tap into our alumni in a way we seeking international students The School is also hoping to haven’t been before.” – and affiliations with other have completed a process of Ciaran says a business school institutions of note. On the gaining international accreditation must be a two-way street. He research front, the School wants by 2018. The AACSB (Association sees an important role for adjunct to partner up with business to Advance Collegiate Schools professors in giving real-world universities globally. It has of Business) accreditation is experience to the scholarly mix. already teamed up with Zhejiang an international standard, but “It’s not just about CUBS providing University, one of the top three American-based. CUBS project graduates who’ll go out to the universities in China, to conduct manager Áine McCarthy says it’s business world. We want to bring research into new technologies and the largest accrediting body for business to our students, so services for the financial industry. business schools in the world. we’ll appoint top-class business “This summer we hosted a number “It’s regarded as a benchmark for leaders as adjunct professors. They of their staff and students in UCC business school quality across the will share experience, wisdom for three weeks. And 10 of our academic community.” and views of the future with research students, accompanied students and staff.” by staff, spent two weeks in CUBS has developed a CUBS is in the process of Hangzhou. It’s an example of the new brand and logo, along finalising an advisory board of type of research partnership we with its own website: distinguished external business are seeking to develop.” https://www.cubsucc.com/

3 The renovated and repurposed former Cork Savings Bank will be the go-to centre for executive business education in the region. Pictures: Clare Keogh

18 INDEPENDENT Thinking Marie Martin, Quercus Scholar and inventor

The 20-year-old UCC student who has invented a product for making chemical spraying safer for farmers talks about her entrepreneurial spirit and being a farmer at heart In conversation with Denise Goggin

3 Marie Martin is as comfortable with being at home on the farm, as with studying business in UCC, where she has excelled as a promising young entrepreneur. Picture: Clare Keogh

Growing up in Dingle, farming has been in my family marts, they would all be chatting about what products for generations. My father is a farmer, my grandfather they are using. is a farmer and I hope that farming will always be a big part of my life. I applied for the Quercus Scholarship Programme in The idea for the Safe Scrub Sprayer came about my first year in UCC. I was selected for the Innovation after my father, Pádraig, was out doing his daily work, Entrepreneurial Scholarship after I sat my Leaving Cert. I spraying weed-killer. He became very unwell after being wanted a broad business degree, so I chose Commerce. exposed to the chemicals. I started doing research We get a lot of benefits being a Quercus scholar. I into finding something that would protect my dad, am part of a great community as there are Quercus but I couldn’t find anything. I started messing around scholars in a number of different areas. If we need in the garage at home with equipment and I came up support, it is there. with a prototype. I won the Young Entrepreneur Competition in I am representing the UCC Blackstone LaunchPad January, 2012. I got a lot of help from my dad, family [a campus-based entrepreneurship programme], in and friends and Don Holland in Kerry Tractors in Tralee, the Forbes 30 under 30 competition. I worked with setting up the business. To date, I have sold over 1,000 Peter Finnegan and Trish Gibbons for the launch of units of the sprayer. the Blackstone Launchpad, UCC, and built a great relationship with them. I now work with them as a Being taken seriously at pitching competitions when student ambassador promoting the service. What they I was 15 was a huge hurdle to overcome. It took me a are doing is amazing. My role is to encourage start-ups while to break into the market. I’d chat to the farmers at to sign up and to use this great facility on campus. trade shows. I’d read the Farmers Journal, religiously, so I could hold up my end of the conversation! They would You can have a great product, but if you’re not willing then realise that I knew what I was talking about. I love to talk to people, and put yourself out there, you are the underdog, and proving people wrong. not going to succeed. I would advise anyone with a A lot of my sales come from word of mouth. business idea to just give it a go. Also, don’t be afraid to Farmers are complete boasters! Around the ringside of ask for help.

INDEPENDENT Thinking 19 All in a DAY’S WORK

UCC graduate Dr Anna Marie Naughton has been working for the past two years with the homeless in Cork. Michelle McDonagh spent a morning with her and some of her patients in her medical clinic at the Simon emergency shelter in the city centre

lthough Anna Marie had Anna Marie had been a GP Team which includes mental health been a GP for over 10 locum for ten years before taking professionals, administration staff years before she started on her current role. She started in and lately a social worker. Dr Don working with the adult November 2014 doing one clinic a Coffey was the sole GP in the Ahomeless services in Cork and week, but is now doing five clinics service until June 2014 when he as she puts it herself “was no — three at the Simon shelter on took a career break. innocent”, her current role has Anderson’s Quay on Mondays, “I have never had a career plan, been a total eye-opener. Wednesdays and Fridays and two I just found myself here. I really like As well as making her far at St Vincent’s Hostel. the work, it’s very different. There’s more conscious of the weather – always a crisis, I’m certainly never because she knows which of her bored, whether it’s a guy brought patients will be sleeping out in the “IT CAN BE HARD TO in with seizures or somebody cold and wet – she has come to SWITCH OFF THOUGH. suicidal downstairs. It can be hard view the city differently. to switch off though. Last winter, “It’s like a parallel universe. I LAST WINTER, I was waking in the middle of the look at the city with different eyes I WAS WAKING IN night thinking about my patients now. These people are society’s who I knew were sleeping out, most disadvantaged; they have THE MIDDLE OF THE and ringing the soup run to see if the hardest lives ever. They are NIGHT THINKING so-and-so turned up. I was taking children of people with addiction too much home, but it can be hard and mental health problems, they ABOUT MY PATIENTS not to be overwhelmed by the often have a history of childhood sadness,” Anna Marie admits. abuse and are self-medicating with WHO I KNEW WERE Despite the incredible work that alcohol or drugs or both. They are SLEEPING OUT...” Cork Simon do at the coalface of hugely traumatised people just the country’s homeless crisis, there trying to survive.” are simply not enough beds for With her black skinny jeans, Since March 2002, a general the increasing numbers looking for orange Converse and youthful practice service has been provided them. The current lack of private appearance, Anna Marie looks on-site to the homeless population rental accommodation means the more like a recent college graduate in Cork. This is in keeping with the situation is more dire than ever. than an experienced GP who aim of the Department of Health Anna Marie explains: “There are graduated from UCC in 1998. and Children HSE Social Inclusion different types of homelessness. She certainly does not look like Services, to improve access to You have the people who don’t the hard-working 43-year-old mainstream services and to target have a home of their own and mother of five children (aged services to marginalised groups. are sofa surfing, maybe staying from 20 down to five-year-old The GP and nurse operate as part with friends until they run out of twins), that she is. of the Adult Homeless Integrated sofas. Then you have the rough

20 INDEPENDENT Thinking sleepers who sleep out on the streets, many of these have serious mental health issues and are quite unwell. The classic picture of a homeless person was the older alcoholic, but they are getting younger all the time and we are seeing more women. They are hugely vulnerable. Many have come through the youth addiction services but have ended up here at the end of the line, addicted and homeless. No matter how hard they try, they just can’t get past it.” A young woman called Susan, who is staying in the shelter, comes into the clinic limping and complaining of a sore foot. She doesn’t know what she did, but can’t put any weight on her foot and is in a lot of pain. She tells Anna Marie she is “off the pin completely” (which Anna Marie explains means she is not using needles to inject heroin) and feeling a lot better. When Anna Marie asks Susan about a recent spate of 1 UCC graduate Dr Anna Marie Naughton addicts injecting through the started running a clinic once a week with groin, a highly risky practice, Simon in Cork city in November 2014. She Susan says she wouldn’t dream now runs five clinics. Pictures: Clare Keogh of injecting into her groin, only into her arms or neck (causing Anna Marie to wince). She tells me that her best friend lost both legs from injecting into the groin and eventually “OD’d” and be genuine about her weight going to them. If I see somebody died. As Anna Marie says, it is a loss or she might be trying to in normal general practice, I can parallel universe. get the supplements to sell on effectively believe most of what Susan mentions that she has and a clothing grant to spend on they tell me and they usually have been losing weight and has no something other than clothing. The good recall. That is not always the clothes that fit her and asks clinic’s nurse, Elaine Conlon, who case here, although, to be fair, most Anna Marie for a prescription for has been working there for over people are very straight with me,” nutritional supplement drinks. ten years, has hard-earned insight Anna Marie says. After she leaves with a letter into patients’ motivation. However, she takes the for the Mercy Urgent Care Clinic “Our patients have great respect compassionate “there but for the and some Nurofen, Anna Marie for my role and especially for the Grace of God” viewpoint; that explains that she has had to role of the nurse. I have to be her patients are just doing what become something of a detective conscious that what they tell me they can to survive a desperate since she started working in the is not necessarily true and what situation, and that any of us would homeless services. Susan could they are looking for might not be do the same in their circumstances.

INDEPENDENT Thinking 21 Her next patient is a beaming and there is an alarm button on woman in her 30’s called Caroline the wall above her desk. who has a bed in a homeless While I chat to Anna Marie in shelter for women in the city. She between patients, she gets a call is complaining of pain in her back from one of the Simon key workers and legs and looking for painkillers downstairs to tell her she is with containing codeine which Anna a young homeless woman who Marie will not prescribe to was raped the previous night in somebody in addiction. The wide the city centre. Anna Marie rings beam on her face is because the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit she is madly in love with a man at the South Infirmary where she she met sleeping rough on the explains the situation to a nurse street, who she believes has been there and is advised on the next protecting her. the victim should take. It’s When Anna Marie goes next all in a morning’s work for a GP door to the nurse’s room to get working with people who live such some painkillers (not containing precarious lives. codeine), I ask Caroline how One major bugbear for Anna she ended up homeless. She Marie is the lack of integration of explains quite matter-of-factly services for homeless people and that her father, a heavy drinker, the fragmentation of care. brutally attacked her a few weeks “The homeless services are “Is their trying to play the previously and she had to leave like an orphan service. You have system any worse than the wealthy the house. She mentions that she child services, prison services, trying to dodge paying taxes? has five children in foster care, probation, addiction, casualty, Is the woman with the perfectly and is “praying to Our Lord” to psychiatry, social work, all probably manicured nails in the big house get her own place. dealing with the same people with the Range Rover in the After she leaves, Anna Marie who are constantly running from driveway, drinking a bottle of wine explains that Caroline is “a car pillar to post. There are a lot of a night, any different to the women crash in terms of service issues” people working in the area of I see in my clinic who drink on and while it can be easy to get homelessness, but little link-up in the streets? They are just coming caught up in her turmoil, she has communication and services.” from a different place and different learnt to meet her and her other Anna Marie was involved in social supports. These people are patients where they are. Her organising the second Irish Street starting out in life so far behind, it’s priority for Caroline was to treat Medicine Symposium which took like a poverty of hope.” her pain, to get some background place at UCC last September 24th. Anna Marie is involved in a information, offer her a long-acting As I leave the shelter, Caroline research study being carried contraceptive and to encourage is sitting outside on the kerb in her out by the School of Applied her to return. strappy sundress on a rare sunny Psychology at UCC and Cork Like any patient, it takes time day, waiting for her “fella”, who is Simon, titled Exploring the Effects to build up a relationship of trust, inside. She will wait all day if she of Adverse Childhood Experiences and while all of her patients were has to, she says, beaming widely. on Those Using Homeless Services. singing her praises on the morning The aim of the study is to examine that I observed Anna Marie at All patients referred to in the the prevalence and severity of work, she points out there have article gave their permission for trauma within the homeless been a few occasions where the reporter to observe Dr Anna community in Cork and to identify she and Elaine were “effed out Marie Naughton during their a relationship between childhood of it”. While she has never been consultation. All names have trauma and homeless and other physically threatened, Anna Marie been changed to protect the adult life events. has had personal safety training identity of all patients.

22 INDEPENDENT Thinking CONALWhen CREEDAN talent comes out in the wash

Cork novelist, playwright and documentary maker Cónal Creedon has been appointed as Writer in Residence at UCC for the current academic year. He tells Mike Ryan about what has inspired his career as a writer, including opening a laundrette in the city centre 30 years ago

INDEPENDENT Thinking 23 s you walk along Half Moon Street even litmus tested in its early days by those just behind Cork Opera House, in about whom he was writing. the city centre, you’ll notice a series “I remember I used to bring them around of murals depicting Irish literary the corner from where I live, to get typed, and I Ailluminati - with Joyce, Beckett, Wilde and Yeats wouldn’t put my name on it because they knew predictably present. But amongst those pillars me. I said ‘Oh, my friend dropped this in and of Irish literature is also the visage of local man asked me to get it typed up for him’, but then Cónal Creedon. eventually they realised that these stories were Cork city chooses its sentinels of culture very mine, because they were all about here, and carefully. Writers, performers and artists can they started telling me ‘I liked the last one now, spend their lives grafting in the various theatres, but this one now isn’t great’.” concert venues and bars, and yet From the start, Cónal’s work has often dealt however hard they work, they with the theme of family. His Second City never manage to crack the paint Trilogy, which was performed as part of Cork’s around the fortress of Cork’s stint as European of Culture in 2005, artistic heritage. For Cónal, and has since been staged in New York and writing was never work; it was a Shanghai, is a collection of three short plays, compulsive urge. The Cure; When I Was God, and After Luke, “Genuinely, I’d say I’m the which each look at the intimate nature and least ‘writerly’ person you’d influences of parents on their children, as they meet, if there is such a thing,” move through adulthood themselves. Coming he confesses. “I look at the from a brood of 12 himself, he has no shortage world, and I assume that of inspiration to draw on. writers are a certain type of “My greatest source of inspiration has to person. I would never have be the mother and father. I dunno how they seen myself as that person, did it. Twelve kids, all different ages, so at any because it just wasn’t my thing. one time there’s a first tooth, a first birthday, At least, I didn’t think that a first confirmation, a first holy communion, a it was my thing.” first date, a first heartbreak, first leaving cert. But life can send us This is going on all the time. And I see people messages in interesting ways: now with one child, and they have these events for Cónal it was when he coming up, and the whole focus is on this big opened a laundrette 30 years event, and I’m saying to myself ‘How did they ago. “I remember very soon do it?’, and truthfully, they just seemed to take it after that, the film My Beautiful in their stride.” Laundrette came out, and I The writer has his own way of dealing with 1 This old photograph of Cónal Creedon, outside remember thinking ‘You know what? Maybe life’s ups and downs: “When I hit a bad day in the Cork city centre my inspiration was really to write that film life or in my own self-confidence or whatever, launderette where he script’, because I had started writing sort of... I just think ‘Cónal, you don’t even know what a used to write while the machines were running, compulsively. I found myself in the car writing, bad day is, brother, get out of it’. And when I hit is a nostalgic reminder of and in the laundrette while the machines were a good day, I start to realise, you know, a good his early creative urge going ‘round. I wasn’t writing for competition or day is when you’ve a sick child in hospital, and publication, I just kept writing and eventually I you have somebody else there with you, and had a lot of stuff written.” you’re dealing with it. Don’t mind taking a bow That compulsion is clearly still strong. Over in some theatre. That’s not a good day, that’s the past three decades he has written for your ego talking. You’re dealing with adversity theatre, TV and radio, as well as publishing head on and you’re getting out the far side.” multiple books. Cónal’s stories resonate Death is also a frequent presence in his work, with readers in his own unique way. It’s though having grown up right beside a funeral understandable, seeing as the content of his parlour, where he still lives in the city centre, he writing is somehow universally local, and was feels that death is not something to be feared.

24 INDEPENDENT Thinking “Every night coming out the gate – not that international profile, and for them to select it’s even worth saying – but you do meet people me is a huge endorsement of their faith in my crying every night because their father, their integrity really. In my line of business, if you mother, their brother, their son, is next door, and want to call it that, you know why you’re doing after a while, it isn’t that you become cynical or it; you’re doing it because you can’t stop, but anything, but you become slightly desensitised sometimes you question the validity of what to it. I mean if you meet someone on the street you’re doing. Sometimes you and they’re crying, the first time it’s going to do need a certain amount of traumatise you a bit, but after years of it, all validation from third parties, “MY GREATEST SOURCE you can be is respectfully sympathetic, and so this for me is one of empathetic, because of that desensitisation. those moments.” OF INSPIRATION HAS TO When my mother died, and when my father In his younger days, Cónal BE THE MOTHER AND died, they were removed from next door. used to play soccer on the There’s very much an awareness of death in a site where the Glucksman FATHER. I DUNNO HOW lot of my stuff.” Gallery is now, and “get His most recent book, The Immortal Deed of chased out” by the security THEY DID IT. TWELVE KIDS, Michael O’Leary, is a historical biography of the men. “That’s about it – I was ALL DIFFERENT AGES...” first Irish man to be awarded the Victoria Cross never a part of UCC. What for bravery during the First World War. It’s a I find is really interesting is far cry from the cerebral world of his previous that every town, village and novel, Passion Play, in which the protagonist crossroads have a number of worlds. Some decides to go on an acid trip before taking his of them are cultural, some industrial, some own life, and winds up encountering a series of commercial, some sporting – right? And in most long-deceased friends and acquaintances. cases, somebody who’s in the middle of all that “Somebody said to me recently ‘I hope would have a finger in all of those worlds, and I 5 UCC’s new Writer In there aren’t as many dead people in this new suppose what has amazed me is that I thought Residence, Cónal Creedon book, how does it compare to Passion Play?’ I was in the middle of all that, and then when I (main picture), on the campus grounds, and And I said ‘Well, in Passion Play there’s about was accepted as Writer in Residence I realised below, with his dog Judy 20 people dead, and in this one I think it’s 3.5 that, actually, that’s one world I know nothing in the Glucksman Gallery million dead’.” about. So I’m looking forward to engaging cafe, which is built on the green site where he used to Being chosen this year for the position with this new world. It’s a learning process play football in his youth. of Writer in Residence in UCC has taken him for me really.” Pictures: Clare Keogh by surprise. For many it would seem like a natural fit, but he is humbled by the unique opportunity – one that he says he had never really expected to be offered. “It comes up every year, and I never really applied for it because realistically I didn’t think I’d be what they wanted.” Then about two years ago he met Frank McGrath - who used to work in UCC and tragically died in an accident there afterwards. “Frank said to me ‘You know, Cónal you should apply for that’, but I didn’t, because I thought I’d apply for it, and then I’d spend the next six months telling people that I didn’t get it. And sometimes you’re better off just sticking with the work, rather than anticipating a rejection slip, you know?” But there was no rejection: “Truthfully, I do think they could have selected somebody of a much higher profile, of a national and

INDEPENDENT Thinking 25 As a member of the UCC Alumni Keep in Touch Association you can:

• attend cultural, educational and networking events in Ireland and abroad.

• request assistance in planning your class reunion. with UCC... • join alumni chapters around the world.

• avail of a UCC email account for life.

• stay connected through UCC’s social All alumni automatically become lifelong members networks for alumni. of the UCC Alumni Association. Update your details, • enjoy preferential rates at the Arena register for events or make a donation Health and Leisure Centre.

at community.ucc.ie • reserve the UCC Alumni Association Room on campus for special meetings and events.

To find out more about any of the benefits listed above contact the UCC Alumni Office. E: [email protected] • T: +353 (0)21 490 2040

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03

01 2016 Spring Conferrings Róisín Claffey, 06 2016 Medical Conferrings Gillian Bennett and Laura Tejada O’Connor, Zoë Murphy, Nabihah Abdul Razak Lynn Kennedy and Brian McCann 07 2015 Autumn Conferrings Jerry Harrington and 02 2016 Medical Conferrings Cáitríona McGettigan, Ciarán Dalton Siobhán McGettigan and Aisling McGettigan 08 2016 Spring Conferrings Aisling Collins, 03 2015 Autumn Conferrings Karthik Venkitesh Liv Creed and Sheena McCauley and Pooja Shenoy 09 2015 Autumn Conferrings Gearoid Power and 04 2016 Medical Conferrings Jess McCarthy and Oliver Pemble Ciara McCarthy 05 2016 Medical Conferrings Darragh Enright and Nicola Ní Ríain

26 INDEPENDENT Thinking 04 05 06

07 09

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INDEPENDENT Thinking 27

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helping them to develop their potential and Fostering innovative learning find solutions to some of the world’s Encouraging the development of world-class greatest challenges. teaching and learning environments that will ensure our students are world ready and work ready when they leave UCC. Thanks to the generous contributions of alumni, students, staff and friends, UCC can Enriching culture and heritage support a range of exciting projects. Opening doors, both physical and virtual, to diverse aspects of culture and heritage, by funding the digitisation of significant archives, the publication of knowledge and the exhibition of modern and ancient art, literature and artefacts.

Enhancing the environment Supporting the evolution of the university’s magnificent campus for the benefit of students, alumni, citizens and tourists.

Giving a donation to UCC is an investment in the future.

28 INDEPENDENT Thinking

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INDEPENDENT Thinking 29 How blessed we are

On the centenary year of the Honan Chapel, situated on campus grounds, Virginia Teehan, Director of Cultural Projects at UCC, explains how it houses a valuable and unique record of the best of ecclesiastical art from the Irish revival

he Honan Chapel, located Honan Chapel is famous, are Harry School of Art in Cork, where on our campus, which Clarke’s brilliant windows, which there were apprentice classes was consecrated in are generally acknowledged as the initiated by John Lenihan and November 1916, is a jewel finest examples of continued by Michael McNamara, Tin the crown of 20th-century Irish work in Ireland. The work An Túr between 1900 and 1925. art and architecture, set against the Gloine (The Tower of Glass) studio background of the Irish rebellion is represented with eight windows. and the turbulence of a society on The influence of William Scott, “THE CHAPEL AND ITS the cusp of independence. first professor of architecture The chapel and its contents at University College Dublin, is CONTENTS INCLUDE THE include the best examples of intriguing, for although trained as BEST EXAMPLES artworks of the Irish revival. The an architect, he may have been layered stories behind its origins instrumental in providing the OF ARTWORKS OF THE include its rich benefactress design for the spectacular mosaic IRISH REVIVAL” Isabella Honan, the men floors, the work of the firm Ludwig responsible for the commission Oppenheimer Ltd, of Manchester. (Sir John O’Connell and Sir Little is known of the designers Bertram Windle), the architect, of the pews, the lectern, or the The Honan Chapel metal work John F McMullen and the builder, magnificent ceremonial chairs was primarily designed by Scott John F Sisk. The builders, as well as and kneelers: however, Sisk’s and made by Edmond Johnson the many designers, craft workers of Cork, as the main building Ltd, a leading Dublin-based firm and artists, all worked together. contractors, constructed them of silversmiths. The Processional Among the many outstanding all. The woodcarvers were Cross, a silver and enamel replica of pieces of artwork, for which the possibly trained at the Crawford the , hallmarked 1916

30 INDEPENDENT Thinking 7 Floor mosaics (taken from the roof produced in Egan’s workshop. space) at the threshold of the chapel Employing local Irish women in symbolising the earthly paradise of creation represented by the sun its workshops, Dun Emer also and moon. Pictures: Andrew Bradley provided three carpets for the areas in front of the altar, the altar by Johnson, is one of the glittering steps, and the sanctuary. jewels of the Honan collection. Other craftsmen and women Another remarkable piece were Oswald Reeves, the enamel of metal work is the wrought- artist who made the tabernacle iron set of gates, designed by door; Eleanor Kelly of Dublin, William Scott, which hung in who was responsible for the the Chapel doorway. Consisting tooled bindings of the missals; of asymmetrical, stylised, Celtic and Joseph Tierney, who patterns, these gates designed and illuminated a set cast a gossamer shadow over the of altar cards. mosaics. The altar plate by William Although the collection is Egan and Sons, Cork, including the composed of work by various beautifully designed ciborium, is artists working in a wide range of decorated with panels of repoussé differing designs and techniques, knotwork, garnets and armorial all are, nonetheless, in sympathy. shields in enamel. Its lid is topped It provides a valuable and with a miniature and unique record of the best of Irish its form references to the base and ecclesiastical art at the time. knop of the Ardagh . Fortunately for Cork, most of Central to the chapel are the collection remains within the its wonderful collection of context of its original home – the textiles. There are two groups of Honan Chapel – where it most designers and fabricators – the appropriately belongs. local Cork firm of William Egan and Sons, and Dublin’s Dun Emer 3 St Gobnait’s stained glass window by Industries, under the direction of . Evelyn Gleeson. Replica of the Cross of Cong, made by Recent research has indicated 5 Edmund Johnson for the Honan that the major designers of the Chapel, 1916. Honan textiles were Evelyn Gleeson, Katherine MacCormack and Ethel Scally. James Barry Lees of Egan’s Cork was also responsible for some designs. Egan’s seamstresses, sometimes listed by name in inscriptions on the garments’ lining, are yet another group of Irish women involved with the textiles. Furnishings for the altar and chancel were commissioned from Dun Emer, to match each set of

INDEPENDENT Thinking 31 I Do! UCC Weddings

The Honan Chapel has long been a popular venue for weddings on campus. As we celebrate its one hundredth anniversary this year, here are some of the happy couples who held their big day there. 01

02 03

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32 INDEPENDENT Thinking 06

01 Mary O’Connell, (BEng Civil & Env ‘11) and 07 08 Colm Dinan (BEng Civil & Env ‘11) 02 Aoife Bambury (BDS ‘10) and Edward McCarthy (BSC Accounting ‘07) 03 Karen O’Regan, (BSc Finance ‘04) and Colin Houlihan (BSc, BIS ‘04) 04 Carol Manley (BComm and French ‘08) and Thomas Maloney 05 Kate O’Brien, (BSc Microbiology ‘08) and Niall Irish (BSc Finance ‘08) 06 Aisling Gould, (BEd Sports Studies - Physical Education & French ‘11) and Peter Fennell (BSc Mathematical Sciences ‘09) 07 Paula Lawrence (BSc Food Science ‘00) and John Whyte (with baby Cian) 08 Lynn MacCarthy (BComm ‘05) and William Lynch 09 Ruairi Hatchell (BComm ‘03) and Shini Selvaraj

If you are a UCC graduate and would like more information on celebrating your wedding day in the Honan Chapel please

09 contact Yvonne McGrath at +353 (0)21 4903088 or [email protected]

INDEPENDENT Thinking 33 01 Eleanor Cudmore, 01 Moneygourney, Douglas; June Hilliard, Dublin; UCC 1965 June O’Mahony, Ballincollig; and Catriona GOLDEN JUBILEE Hanrahan, Kilworth. 02 Maura Corcoran, Dublin; GRADUATION Beatrice Alley, Durrow; Gay Crowley, Lee Road, Cork; and Olivia REUNION Fitzpatrick, Ballincollig. 03 Pete Genovese, Florida, 2 September 2015 USA; Patrick O’Carroll, Cotswolds, UK; and Richard Sargeant, Florida, USA. lumni and guests from the class of 1965 04 Kay Burke, Dublin; and gathered from all corners of the world Barry Ferris, Rochestown, to mark a special reunion for all those Co Cork. celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of 05 Fr Michael Browne, Dublin; and Caroline Atheir graduation from UCC. Waters, Development and Alumni Office, UCC. 06 Maire Ó Broin, ; 02 Cassandra Roche, Melbourne, Australia; Vera O’Herlihy, Burlington, Canada; Marie O’Keeffe Sheppard, Isle of Wight, UK; and Agnes Vaughan Cronin, Dublin.

04 05

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34 INDEPENDENT Thinking 07 Brida Hickey and 08 Clare Murphy. 08 Class of 1985 BComm 1985 BCOMM Reunion. REUNION 17 October 2015

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Reunions 2006 MEDICAL CLASS REUNION Are you celebrating the anniversary of your 17 June 2016 graduation in 2017? Whether your class graduated in 2007, 1997, 1987, 09 1977, 1967 or beyond, UCC would love to welcome you back to campus. We can help you plan your class reunion and put you in touch with your friends and classmates. For more information contact Bernadette O’Regan at +353 (0)21 490 2040 or [email protected]

The Social Network Social media means that it has never been easier to network and keep in touch after graduation. But there is nothing like catching up with friends, former classmates and teaching staff in person. Every year, UCC welcomes hundreds of graduates back to their alma mater to celebrate the anniversary of their graduation day.

For reunion photographs and more, visit: www.facebook.com/UCCAlumniNetwork

10 09 Dr Una Harrington; Dr Sonya Ryan; Dr Nuala Barry and Dr Elaine Lee Murphy. 10 Dr Marc O’Reilly and Dr Aisling Hamilton.

INDEPENDENT Thinking 35 Alumni Achievement Awards 2015

01

ive distinguished expanding its printed circuit 02 graduates were honoured board operation. She became at the annual, black-tie site controller in 1994 and in 1996 UCC Alumni Achievement operations controller for Europe. FAwards. The gala event took place In 2000 she took over the running on 27 November 2015 in UCC’s of the Applestore Operations historic Aula Maxima. team and four years later became senior director of European Matt Cooper, BComm ’87 operations and has also overseen Matt is a broadcaster, journalist and the expansion of the Cork site author. He is former editor of The at Hollyhill. In 2012 Cathy was and was National promoted to vice president of Journalist of the Year in 1991 and European operations. 2001 and Business Journalist of the Year in 1992 and 1999. He presents Ann B. Kelleher, BE (Elec) ’87, the weekday evening programme MEng ’89, PhD ’93 The Last Word on Today FM. He Ann joined Intel Corporation in has written three best-selling books. 1996 as a process engineer and is He has presented live sports now corporate vice president in television on TV3 including the the Technology and Manufacturing GAA Championships and the Group and general manager of Rugby World Cup. the Fab/Sort Manufacturing organisation. She is responsible Cathy Kearney, BComm ’85 for Intel’s silicon wafer fabrication Cathy joined Apple in May 1989, facilities. Before assuming her as a fixed asset accountant, at current position, she was site a time when the company was manager for Intel’s Fab 11X

36 INDEPENDENT Thinking 04 05

03 06 07 fabrication facility in Rio Rancho, UCC Soccer Alumni in 2000, has 01 2015 Alumni Achievement Award recipients (l-r) Matt Cooper, Dr Ann Kelleher, Dr Michael New Mexico, where she was been a member of the UCC Alumni Murphy (President, UCC), Cathy Kearney, John responsible for all aspects of Board since 2003, serving as MacCarthy and Professor Piniti Ratananukul the operation. Chairman from 2007 to 2009 and 02 (l-r) Dr Eleanor Doyle, Dr Jean van Sinderen-Law and Dr Joan Buckley was also a member of the UCC 03 Professor Piniti Ratananukul and Kantharos Piniti Ratananukul, PhD ’83 Governing Body from 2007 to 2012. Ratananukul Professor Piniti, who studied for 04 Aileen Hickie and Matt Cooper his PhD in Organic Chemistry at If you would like to nominate 05 Kieran Mariga and Cathy Kearney with Katie, UCC in 1983, is secretary general of an individual for an Alumni Cathal and Liam Mariga 06 Dr Ann Kelleher and Margaret Corkery the Higher Education Commission Achievement Award in 2017 07 The Alumni Achievement Award, designed by of Thailand, reporting directly please email [email protected] to Don O’Mahony, Silversmith, takes its inspiration to the prime minister and with request a nomination form. from the old adage ‘Mighty Oaks from Little responsibility for all policy matters Acorns Grow’ 08 The MacCarthy family (l-r), John, Lynn, John, in higher education. Geraldine and David He has been the executive director of the ASEAN University Network 08 (AUN) since 2005, which has played a leading role in higher education, not only in the ASEAN countries, but also in collaboration with agencies and universities internationally.

John MacCarthy, BE Civil ’79 John, who is director of John MacCarthy BE & Partners Consulting Engineers in Cork, has been an outstanding volunteer for UCC over the past two decades. John was a founding member of

INDEPENDENT Thinking 37 A quantum leap from his student days

Being an Independent Thinker has led UCC graduate Professor Seamus Davis to the pinnacle of ground-breaking international research in the physics of materials, winning him the Science Foundation Ireland St Patrick’s Day Science Medal this year, in recognition of his extraordinary achievements. Willie Reville spoke to him about how his passion has made him a world leader in his field

7 Professor Seamus Davis, UCC graduate and world leader of quantum mechanics. Picture: Clare Keogh

38 INDEPENDENT Thinking uantum mechanics, which describes National Laboratory and also a Distinguished the behaviour of matter at the atomic Research Professor at St Andrews University, and subatomic level, may seem far Scotland, on a part-time basis. beyond the understanding of the Seamus is now a world leader of quantum Q average person, but progress in this mechanics. So how do we grasp some field enables huge advances that affect us all in understanding of that world? There are our everyday lives. compelling academic and practical reasons At the helm of this fascinating area of to understand the quantum world as fully science is 55-year-old Skibbereen-born Seamus as possible because everything in the Davis, whose natural love of mathematics material macro-world, including everything and physics was first nurtured by “wonderful underpinning our technological society and teachers” at his local St Fachtna’s de la Salle economy, is governed by quantum mechanics. secondary school, and afterwards at UCC which Many scientists even perceive this quantum he entered at the age of 17, to major in physics. world as eerily beyond the pale of common He loved his time at UCC and pays tribute understanding and detection. But, harnessing to the rigorous and inspiring teaching of the his independent streak, Seamus decided he lecturers in the physics would make the quantum department there. It was world accessible to our Professor Frank Fahey, “IN 2010 HE WAS ONE ordinary senses. head of the Department of In the late 1990s, Physics, who encouraged OF THE YOUNGEST he made a remarkable his brightest students to PHYSICISTS EVER discovery at Berkeley – apply to top American “The Superfluid Josephson universities for admission ELECTED TO THE Effect”. It was predicted in to their graduate school US NATIONAL ACADEMY the 1960s that pressurising PhD programmes. a superfluid (a fluid that Seamus graduated from OF SCIENCES” exhibits no viscosity) UCC with a BSc in 1983 should spontaneously and started right away on produce a pure musical one of those programmes, at the University tone because of the fluid’s quantum of California at Berkeley. He had no trouble dynamics. Seamus developed the necessary settling into American culture, being well used complex instrumentation and discovered this to visiting relatives in the USA, as his mother quantum sound. For the first time ever, one Joan was born in Connecticut. of the human senses experienced a quantum The young Corkman thrived in the elite mechanical phenomenon! environment at Berkeley, developing his natural Having heard the sound of the quantum inclination to pursue research he considers world, the scientist was determined to see important, rather than necessarily fashionable. it also. He invented a new type of electron Such independent thinking has stood him in microscope in the early 2000s – the good stead over the years. He was awarded his “spectroscopic imaging scanning tunnelling PhD in 1988 and joined the academic staff of electron microscope”, with which he was able the physics department at Berkeley. to see the “matter waves” of the freely moving He also met his wife at Berkeley, fellow electrons in electrically-conducting materials, physicist Kathy Selby, and they have two sons, and to reveal many wonderful quantum effects. Owen, 18 and Michael, 16. Thirteen years ago Practical applications of enormous value they moved from Berkeley to the east coast will flow from a detailed understanding , where they both took up of the quantum world. Relatively soon we professorships. He is a Professor of Physics will reach the limit of computing power at Cornell and Senior Physicist at Brookhaven attainable by conventional technology and

INDEPENDENT Thinking 39 and so on, would use little or no energy and furthermore would be 1,000 to 10,000 times faster than at present. “Room temperature superconductors will also be very important for high-energy physics, fundamental science, medicine and future forms of transport.” Seamus has published his ground-breaking work in over 30 papers in Nature and Science, the two premier science journals in the world. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and of the American Physical Society and in 2010 he was one of the youngest physicists ever elected to the US National Academy of Sciences. In 2005 he was awarded the Fritz London Memorial Prize, the greatest honour in low- temperature physics, and in 2009 he was awarded the Kamerlingh Onnes Prize, named for the Nobel Laureate who discovered superconductivity. He is also the Loeb Lecturer in Physics at 1 Though he has soared internationally, Seamus has not Harvard, Einstein Lecturer at the Weizmann forgotten his Irish roots and visits West Cork every summer. Institute in Israel, Ehrenfest Lecturer at Leiden University and the Von Borries to progress further we will have to employ Lecturer at Tubingen. quantum technology. Though he has soared internationally, Superconductivity, for example, is a the scientist has not forgotten his Irish roots. property of certain materials that is determined The whole family return to West Cork every by quantum properties. Electricity flows summer. Kathy is a classically trained violinist through a superconductor without any loss of but is now also devoted to traditional Irish, energy. Discovered in 1911, for many years the Scottish and New English music, playing phenomenon could only be demonstrated at regular performances throughout the extremely low temperatures. Seamus is now academic year in New England and in West using his science to lead an international search Cork during the summers. to discover materials that are superconductive Seamus runs regularly and is a fit-looking at room temperature. man. He is proud to be Irish, and loves talking The practical use of these new materials about physics, and with some wit. When I will enable huge advances. “Room temperature asked him to tell me what a superfluid is, superconductors would improve the power his first answer was “a pint of ”. I efficiency and stability of power networks also naïvely asked him to explain how two worldwide, improve the efficiency of solar and entangled quantum particles can communicate wind farms to transmit their energy with no loss instantly with each other across the width of (you can’t build a high-voltage line for every the universe, and he replied: “If I understood wind farm),” says Seamus. that I wouldn’t be here talking to you, I “They would greatly improve the ability would be in Stockholm talking to the Nobel to send more power into built-up areas committee.” He may well visit Stockholm yet. without digging up all the streets and would revolutionise IT, because laptops, tablets, i-Pads Photographs: Clare Keogh

40 INDEPENDENT Thinking Green light for fresh veggies on campus

UCC is the first university in the country to have its own nearby farm, growing fresh produce for students and staff, and it’s all part of maintaining its award-winning sustainability goals, writes Margaret Jennings

ou would think that our plate – and from there vital in the world of third- eating fresh food is the into our mouths! level education. most natural thing in the This year however UCC has But of course everyone on world; we sow, we become the first university in the campus can benefit from this new Yharvest and we savour. But in an country to have fresh vegetables initiative, with 80–100 tonnes of age of multi-choices and harvested from its own land, five carrots, parsnips and beetroot convenience packaging we often kilometres from campus, and being harvested on demand lose track of that simple trajectory served up daily in six of throughout the winter months from farm to fork. Indeed, produce its restaurants. until February, when the whole uprooted from the earth can often Concerned parents, whose cycle of ploughing and planting travel many air or road miles, children flew the coop three will begin again. before it lands on our shop months ago to start university life, shelves for us to ponder. must be sighing with relief; at least And although it is always they are being well-fed! At the end best to eat “real” food, as opposed of the day, healthy eating is about to processed, the nutritional and having a healthy body and mind – taste value can be lost, we are keeping our energy up and our told, the longer it takes to land on brains alert – a combination that is

3 Waterfall Farm’s Nigel Martin harvests the first crop of vegetables from UCC’s eight-acre farm, destined for cafes and restaurants across campus.

I INDEPENDENT Thinking 41 Nature does provide; the first in 2013 and the first to reattain it a But getting back to the eight- harvested vegetables actually third time, in 2016. In addition we acre field – the “grow our own” arrived on campus in synchronicity proudly hold fourth place in the initiative comes under the Green with the start of the academic year world in the Green Metric World Campus goal of encouraging and – in late August, delivered by the University ranking. maintaining health and wellbeing. Cork family-owned company These accolades are the “Growing our own vegetables Waterfall Farms, who manage the result of a shared commitment means that we are connecting eight-acre site at Curraheen, and throughout our campus on our ecosystem to food, to our deliver to KSG, the catering sustainability. Its policy-making is students and to our staff on company which rents the land far-reaching, involving staff and campus,” says Professor John from UCC and has 13 outlets within students on practical levels that O’Halloran, Vice President for the university. include recycling and waste; Teaching and Learning, and one But behind many apparently energy, water and climate change; of the promoters of the simple projects there can be a lot procurement and contracts; sustainability strategy. of thought and hard work. In this commuting; landscape and “Students and staff already case, the healthy food initiative is heritage; and teaching and had polytunnels on campus for actually part of a Green Campus learning. And a whopping sum the past 10 years where we have strategy being implemented of €20m is secured annually for been growing a range of herbs throughout the whole of the environmental and and salads which are used in the university, which is student-led, sustainability research. restaurants. And we use a research-informed and For example, our recycling rate rainwater collection system practice-focussed. has increased from 21% to 80% and which is a simple and sustainable UCC has already excellent all the leaves and branches from way to provide water for the credentials around our beautiful landscaped grounds crops,” he says. sustainability: we are composted and used on But the green field project, not were the first campus. And for anyone who is far from our university gates, is a university in the interested further, there is an audio big step forward – a step that world to achieve and video guided Green Tour of reaches out beyond the campus, a Green Flag the campus and a smartphone involving not only the Martin award in 2010, app tour of some of the key family business at Waterfall the first to green features, available for Farms, but also the major Irish reattain it all to experience. catering firm, KSG.

7 Tom Keane (left) and Eimear Johnson (below) tending herbs and other produce in the UCC student-run polytunnels.

42 INDEPENDENT Thinking Although KSG supplies many who points out that even the Brookfield Restaurant; the Western third-level institutions in Ireland, this procurement office staff reference Gateway Restaurant; the Tyndall shared venture with UCC is an the sustainability status of a Restaurant; the Bio Café and the absolute first, and very exciting, says service, when tendering staff Restaurant,” he says. MD of the company Michael for contracts. Gleeson. “We as a company have In the last academic year also, also partnered with the Sustainable we piloted a very successful “NATURE DOES PROVIDE; THE Restaurant Association (SRA) which module on sustainability matters, FIRST HARVESTED VEGETABLES is a UK and Ireland not-for-profit delivered on campus over a organisation. It works with six-week period and which was ACTUALLY ARRIVED ON CAMPUS restaurateurs like ourselves in KSG open free of charge to the public, IN SYNCHRONICITY WITH THE Catering, and guides us and as well as students and staff. One supports us in how to bring forward of the bonuses was that through START OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR – sustainable methods,” he says. this module – which is going “This project – where we have ahead again this year – new IN LATE AUGUST” eight acres of land to grow and relationships were developed, and harvest crops and bring it back into existing ones strengthened, with our restaurants – fits very nicely for members of key external civic “They are also being used for us as a company. We were a organisations, extending UCC’s hospitality events and in soups member of the SRA for about four Green Campus influence into the which are made in the main kitchen years, but by working in partnership wider community. and transferred around campus to with the UCC Green Campus But for the 20,000-plus the smaller satellite units that have initiative, we won the highest students and almost 3,000 limited facilities, such as the accolade from the SRA last March, a academic, research and Elements Cafe, the Still Restaurant, three-star Food Made Good award, administrative staff on the ground, the Pharmacy Café and the recognising us as Ireland’s most who want to get their teeth into all Staff Common Room.” sustainable restaurateur.” that delicious farm-fresh produce, It sounds like there is plenty to This type of mutual interaction where can they access it? go around and hopefully a real around sustainability, linking our KSG chief Michael Gleeson spills appreciation for the source of all university locally and even globally, the beans on that one: “The veg is that wonderful produce, just five under the Green Campus umbrella, being used in six of our 13 outlets kilometres down the road from the is part of the overall aim, says John, – the UCC main Restaurant; the busy campus.

7 UCC is the first university in Ireland to serve up fresh vegetables harvested from its own land. Emele Polly (left) and Ciara Kirk are seen enjoying some of the farm-to- fork produce on campus. Pictures: Clare Keogh

INDEPENDENT Thinking 43 Hub gets to the nub of what students need

Work has already begun on the etween “five to” and And as those students walk transformation of one of our original “five past” the hour, the through the gates of UCC they walkway between The are following in the footsteps of campus buildings into a modern Quad and the Kane generations before them, going state-of-the-art facility which Bbuilding on our university grounds back to its foundation in 1845. will provide a central point for all would give any metropolitan However, the UCC campus is students’ needs. Robert O’Sullivan thoroughfare a run for its money a far more complex place now – such is the hustle and bustle of than in the past two centuries, gives us a taste of what’s to come that inter-lecture dash made by and thankfully there are a host students every day. This should not of services, clubs and societies surprise anyone, as our university, to cater for students’ needs. 5 Some of those lining up for participation in the proposed campus Student Hub are Michael Hanrahan, the first in Ireland to get a five- Unfortunately though, those UCC Clubs executive president; Eolann Sheehan, UCC star status, channels over 20,000 services are currently scattered Students’ Union president; Eoin McSweeney, editor students through its campus around in different buildings, an of Motley magazine; Rob Burton-O’Sullivan, editor of UCC Express and Pat McCarthy, UCC Societies grounds annually. issue that was first fully tackled executive president. Picture: Clare Keogh

44 INDEPENDENT Thinking almost a decade ago when the idea of a Student Hub to centralise everything was first mooted. In an October 2007 edition of the student paper, UCC Express, the then-Students’ Union president Kris McElhinney was quoted as saying the decision to move many student services under one roof was “a step in the right direction”. That step is getting closer now, with plans in progress to have the Student Hub housed in The Windle Building, famously once mentioned in James Joyce’s classic first novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Originally built in 1850, Now The Windle is due to be 1 An illustration of the architectural vision for the new Student Hub following a donation from the given a whole new lease of life – as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord will our students, who will have Clarendon, the Windle – then one focal point to go to for all their include support services like known as The Clarendon, or needs, instead of trying to navigate the Disability Support Service, Medical, Building - was designed any number of services currently Mature Student Office and by the same architects behind dispersed throughout the campus student employment help, as the nearby Quad. Over the next – a disorientating challenge for well as creative services, like our 30 years three other buildings, Freshers, in particular. media outlets – the UCC Express, with connecting hallways, were Bear in mind, we have over 100 Motley magazine and UCC 98.3FM added on. However, after many societies covering a broad range Campus Radio – and artistic of its educational services, mainly of pursuits and over 50 clubs for studios and spaces. medical and anatomy-based, most sporting endeavours. The So what is planned? A were moved to other sites as the value of these services cannot technology-rich building, campus modernised, the Windle be underestimated; they give an designed by architects O’Donnell fell into disrepair, with no public added richness to the students’ and Tuomey (who were also access to most of it in recent years. college experience. They also behind the award-winning Lewis

WE ASKED... AND HERE’S WHAT THEY SAID . . .

Aaron O’Sullivan, Natalie McCafferty, Arts Commerce IV student International II student “It will be great to have “It means that we’re gonna everything centralised. We have a lot more space to have a lot of student services do what we want to do. dispersed across the campus. There’s going to be a new To have one central hub mature student common where students can deal room, which is important with all of their queries will as mature students are often improve students’ time here overlooked with regards considerably.” facilities.”

INDEPENDENT Thinking 45 Glucksman Gallery, on our campus), which will The Student Hub project is expected to be bring a state-of-the-art open and spacious completed in early 2018, with interior work on modern interior, in stark contrast to the The Windle building and external work already twisting labyrinths of back-offices of buildings having begun. Though Freshers of that year past. Space is being set aside for a piece of may take it for granted as part of our excellent contemporary art, which when combined with campus, current students will be thrilled at yet the architectural design should ensure that the another stage of UCC’s continual adaption to building in itself is their needs, over 170 years. aesthetically pleasing. “THE WINDLE BUILDING The Student To keep up to date with all the latest WAS FAMOUSLY ONCE Hub will include the developments visit: studenthub.ucc.ie Careers Office, the MENTIONED IN JAMES Students’ Union, the JOYCE’S CLASSIC FIRST Disability Support Rory O’Donnell, UCC SU Service and the Welfare Officer “Looking into the future UCC Mature Student Office, NOVEL, A PORTRAIT will join services within the in addition to 21 other OF THE ARTIST AS A university and integrate them student-led initiatives into a student space, so such as its print that the separation between YOUNG MAN” both student services and media outlets, the the students themselves is UCC 98.3FM Campus minimised.” Radio, clubs and societies. These spaces will include open-plan offices for the clubs and societies, consultation rooms and offices for the Careers Office and Students’ Union, and teaching and learning rooms and offices for student publications. Mary O’Grady, The building is specifically being designed Head of Disability Support Services, UCC with students’ needs in mind. The rooms will “The Disability Support Service flow naturally around a central reception area will be based in the Student and there will be a co-op kitchen, based on Success Zone. In this area UCC the ground floor. The ground floor will also staff and student services will be working closer together and feature the Market Hall space, a large, multi- collaborating in meaningful functional area that can house anything from ways. The hub will ensure that pop-up exhibitions and Freshers orientation, every student has an amazing experience here in UCC.” to performances and concerts. This “common” space will have a double height ceiling with lots of natural light. The upper floors will be filled with accessible offices for the various student services, JP Quinn, Head of the consultation rooms and hot water points Visitors’ Centre, UCC for students to make tea, coffee and get “The Student Hub is the most exciting development their caffeine fix! There will also be various for students in decades. viewpoints and mezzanines from where The impact of the hub, as I students can work, while taking in views of see it, is in the visualisation of the wealth of student the surrounding campus and city. In addition activities, clubs, societies, to these spaces there are open learning and student activism and student creative spaces on the upper floors, dubbed creativity, all centred in a the Tower Floors. central nexus of campus.”

46 INDEPENDENT Thinking Man of the match

Marty Morrissey is one of the most popular sports commentators in Ireland. He tells Michael Moynihan about his earlier years at UCC and expresses some strong views on the current GAA scene

INDEPENDENT Thinking 47 ne of the most UCG, from an obscure higher popular broadcasters in Ireland recognisable voices in education league game in the with a particular focus on – broadcaster Mardyke. A Mickey Mouse game games. A lifetime of association Marty Morrissey of RTÉ – but the two teams covered the with and Ois recalling his early experiences of page, you wouldn’t see it for has given him strong views on the University College Cork: “I lived on an All-Ireland.” games on and off the field. College Road, looking out over the Marty landed in UCC as a old college car park. Sport was the medical student but flirted with way I assimilated. Early on I went science and arts before becoming “GAELIC GAMES down to the Aula Maxima where a teacher: “I didn’t know what Murt Murphy – now a journalist I wanted to do at the time, to PROVIDED MY SOCIAL himself – and Don Good were be honest. I was very young, in OUTLET IN UCC, ONE signing up freshers for the football college at 16 – all over the shop. team. Robert Bunyan was there, Eventually I did my HDip and HUNDRED PER CENT. Donal Buckley, Jim Nolan – later qualified as a teacher. THAT WAS HOW I a Cork selector – Paddy Barrett “Gaelic games provided my and Michael Downes. These were social outlet in UCC, one hundred MADE FRIENDS” all guys I got to know over the per cent. That was how I made coming years. friends. We played a bit of five- “I said I was a Clare minor, a-side soccer too, in the Maltings, “In goalkeeping, say, everything and Murt and Don said, ‘if we’re and in the Quarry – where the has changed. In our day you got a stuck we’ll be in touch . . .’ I played Boole Library is now – which mound of earth and put the ball on Sigerson [Cup] with Sean Walsh, was great fun.” top of it, and you had to learn how Sean Murphy who played for Broadcasting happened to kick it out. Anthony Burke was Cork, Johnny Mulvihill – Martin by accident, he says: teaching the Clare senior ’keeper, from my O’Doherty was in front of me, so I back home in Clare, he was own club, and he taught me how was safe enough. prevailed upon to do one match to develop a decent kick-out. “We became famous by commentary, then another, and “I’d love to be playing now accident one time – the old Cork after picking up experience with with the tee for kick-outs, certainly. Examiner had a glitch with an Cork Multi-Channel and Clare When we were playing Kieran ad and two huge photographs FM, he joined RTÉ. Dowd was involved, and he was covered a whole page, UCC and He is now one of the most very good to train a team – we

48 INDEPENDENT Thinking worked on kick-outs. For us it was a matter of trying to find Sean On best advice he has been given: Walsh all the time, and we’d aim for Never give up. That’s crucial. him all the time.” Nowadays, he says, Stephen On being criticised: Cluxton has brought it to a Put the criticism in your back pocket, learn from it and say “well, I whole new level, particularly the won’t do that again”. short kick-outs. “If we’d chanced that, you’d have heard about On being fair: it quick enough: ‘what the hell You can’t blackguard people. When you have a microphone – or a are you doing?’ So it’s different, pen, or laptop – you have power but you must be fair to people. more scientific. “Billy Morgan – another UCC man – was my idol. To me he was the man who started the trend Marty admits to being “a to find a balance. That hasn’t of saving the ball, and working little passionate” about the been found yet, and inter-county it out the field. I credit him with county board taking back some managers’ power here needs starting that.” responsibility in this regard. “Fair to be reduced.” The Clare man has a view on enough, you have to be flexible, He caught the eye – or ear – the administration of the games if you’re coming into an All- recently when filling in for Ryan also. “County managers have Ireland final I understand the on radio, and he says he’d too much power and control, to manager wants his players, but I like to move into other areas of an extent. County boards have remember being involved with broadcasting. “I’d like to try other the responsibility to manage the my club, Kilmurry Ibrickane, one things. I was delighted to fill in for GAA in their counties, to organise year, when we played Éire Óg of , I was delighted to games – and shutting down club on May 12th or 13th, and we fill in between Derek and championships in the middle of the didn’t play another championship Ray D’Arcy last year. I love radio. I summer can’t be right,” he says. game until the 28th of August. have itchy feet in that I’d like to try “Quite apart from anything else, in That’s common now. other things in broadcasting, I’ve the old days if you caught the eye “I know we need the inter- reached that stage.” in a club game, you could get a county game to attract coverage call-up to the county team.” and so on, but the GAA needs Pictures: Clare Keogh

INDEPENDENT Thinking 49 Full speed ahead for Phil

UCC’s award-winning athlete Phil Healy became a media star after a YouTube video showing her stunning performance at the Irish intervarsity 4x400m relay event earlier this year went viral. But the outcome of the race also changed the direction of her own personal goals, she tells Margaret Jennings

he blazed her way through social media as well as on the track, stealing the spotlight internationally, not only for the dazzling victory she Sbrought to the UCC athletics relay team, but for the powerful positive message she emitted; that the underdog can rise to the top. Without the YouTube video of 21-year-old student Phil Healy’s startling performance, the story of how she plucked her team-mates from fifth place – dashing to the winning post, when she took the baton in the final lap – would have remained one to be told by stunned onlookers afterwards, in astonished tones, rather than witnessed in that film footage. Instead though, as the video coverage went online after the 4x400m relay event on April “BY THE END OF THE WEEK, 16th at the Irish Intervarsity Track and Field Championships, in , Santry, Phil’s WHEN IT HAD CALMED DOWN, achievement went viral, watched at least 40 I LOOKED AT THE INSPIRATION million times in the aftermath. Included in that tally are the millions of EVERYONE TOOK FROM MY viewers who saw her performance when Good PERFORMANCE AND IT WAS Morning America put it on their Facebook page, one of the many media outlets who chased her UNBELIEVABLE” up after the event. “By the end of the week when it had calmed down, I looked at the inspiration everyone took from it and it was unbelievable,” says Phil.

50 INDEPENDENT Thinking “A college in America had watched it before their basketball game, another before their hockey, and a little girl from high school said she pretended she was me as she was running down the home straight. To see things like that further spurred me on and I brought that back into my own training.” Commentator Cathal Dennehy, in the video voice-over, is heard excitedly describe Phil’s performance – tearing past her opponents in that 54-second sprint – as bringing UCC back “from the depths of hell”. Phil points out that her incredible performance 1 A YouTube clip that captured Phil’s dazzling helped put athletics in a very positive light as performance went viral earlier this year. well: “With the Olympics we keep hearing about the drug allegations and it was said that the relay was not about what time I ran in the lap, but sacrifice, she says. about not giving up and fighting to the end.” Back on campus now, she never takes for Though she may have become a poster girl for granted the state-of-the-art facilities available resilience in the face of an immense obstacle, Phil, to UCC students in the Mardyke arena. “It is less who up to that was a high-achieving 100m and than 10 minutes’ walk from my college house. Not 200m sprinter, also got huge inspiration herself many athletes have a top-class facility like that on about her own capacity to push boundaries. their doorstep. Many might have just the track, or “That 400m was super because it pushed me just the gym, but we have it all. more towards that distance. Up to when I took “The gym has everything I need and Jeff that baton, I was not a 400m runner, but for Gomez the high-performance director maintains the last week in May we were in Belgium and I a super atmosphere there. I’m also allowed jumped into the 400 there and I ran 53.58 which to bring my coach Shane McCormack, who is put me 11th, I think, on the Irish all-time list and based in Wexford, to oversee my sessions there. just a tenth of the European standard. Recovery wise I have full access to the pool, “That was really positive because I hadn’t treadmills, bikes, rowers – anything you could trained for 400s and that last 100m is so tough – possibly need is there. Having all that on hand when you’re hit with lactic acid. That put me then allows me to vary up my active recovery sessions on the Irish 4 x 400 team, so the relay opened from week to week.” me up to huge opportunities. It made me realise As part of her HPAE scholarship she also has that at the end of the day I’m probably a 400 access to performance analysis, hugely beneficial athlete and not a 100 or 200.” to her, she says, in terms of finding out extra So if it touched others’ lives, that Irish information, in relation to her technique and Universities Athletics Association relay also biomechanical feedback. changed her own, putting her on a different track She also values the huge camaraderie in – literally – for her athletics future. the UCC club – how everyone supports each Phil, who is a HPAE (High Performance Athlete other: “I have so many friends in sport. We Entry) award recipient at UCC, completed a push each other on and it’s a social outlet as degree in Health Sciences and has just embarked much as training.” on a postgrad in Computer Science. At the end of the day, however, it is the grit, From outside Bandon, Co Cork, she joined determination and application that fuels Phil’s 1 UCC student Phil Healy is the local athletics club at 11 but took up running passion – qualities that came to the fore when captured in seriously at age 16 and has a long list of she became a media heroine not only for UCC, action here, training at the achievements behind her. but for the millions she touched emotionally, in university’s Though she may not live the average that final relay sprint last April. superb Mardyke college student’s lifestyle – having to train six As she says herself: “I’ll never get that Arena indoor facilities. Picture: out of seven days weekly for 11 months of the much attention again, even if I won an Clare Keogh. year and maintain a healthy diet – it is not a Olympic medal!”

INDEPENDENT Thinking 51 Spotlight on Sport

UCC boasts over 60 sports clubs to cater for a broad range of interests. In addition the university has the Mardyke Arena, a state-of-the-art sports and fitness centre with both indoor and outdoor facilities which is in big demand. While the sports elite mentioned in the pages that follow continue to score at every level, there is also a wealth of opportunity for those who simply want to have fun and keep healthy

LADIES GAELIC FOOTBALL The Cork ladies Gaelic football team scraped a narrow one-point victory over Dublin last September to secure their sixth All Ireland title in a row. In addition to this, it was also their 11th All Ireland title in 12 years. UCC’s strong connections can’t be denied when viewing Cork’s dominance in ladies football, as the historical victory was secured by the experienced Rebel team which featured 14 current UCC students as well as four graduates.

52 INDEPENDENT Thinking KICKBOXING (Lily De La Cour): Lily is one of the most prominent female kickboxers in Ireland at present and has had a tremendous 2015/2016 season. She became Senior National Champion at 50kg in 2015 and won the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) Best Fighter Award at the World Cup in Rimini, Italy at 50kg in 2015. She also became WAKO Senior World Champion at 50kg. She was awarded the Evening Echo Ladies Sports Star Award for December 2015 and was overall Celtic Ross Hotel West Cork Sports Star of the Year Award winner in 2015. She was also awarded the Irish Kickboxing Association Overall Female title for 2015. In 2016 she was the Senior Advanced WAKO International Open Champion – 50kg. She received her second UCC Sports Star Award in 2016 and was also a UCC Sports Scholarship recipient.

UCC MEN’S HOCKEY CLUB: This has been a phenomenal year for UCC men’s hockey club, with 2015/16 being the most successful year in their history. All the teams in the club did very well. The Senior team were Peard Cup winners in December 2015 – the first time in the club’s history. They also won the Munster Senior League title, again a first for the club. However, not to be outshone, the club’s Seconds team also performed remarkably well. They won the Munster Junior Cup on St Patrick’s Day – again a first for the club – and won the Munster League second division title the following weekend, completing a memorable double for the team. The Seconds team was voted Team of the Year and were presented with their award at the Awards Evening.

UCC BASKETBALL CLUB and UCC (Adrian O’Sullivan): Adrian (pictured here with Michael Murphy) has had a tremendous season both for UCC and UCC Demons. He is a HPAE sports scholarship recipient and received his third UCC Sports Star Award this year. He was a member of the UCC men’s basketball team who won the Intervarsity first division title and was a member of Team Hibernia 2015/2016 (Irish Premier League Select team) who participated in the FIBA Europe Cup games in Denmark, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. Adrian was also a member of the UCC Demons Men’s team who retained the Premier League and Champions Trophy in 2016 and of the Irish Senior men’s basketball squad who travelled to Moldova for the European Championships in June.

INDEPENDENT Thinking 53 TRIATHLON (Chris Mintern): Chris is a former UCC Sports Scholarship recipient and was awarded a Quercus Sports Scholarship in 2015 in recognition of his achievements in triathlon. He won the 18–24 age category at the Lee swim in July 2015 and is a Triathlon Ireland Development Squad athlete. Chris has represented Ireland at the European U23 Championships, as well as European Cups in Holland, Turkey and Spain in 2015 and he won several domestic triathlon events in 2015 including in Schull, Valentia Island, Athy, and Dungarvan. In 2016 so far, he has been placed first in duathlons in Youghal, Banner, Limerick and Tramore and he was also selected to represent Ireland at the World University Games.

ROAD BOWLING (Killian Kingston): Killian won the Munster senior bowling final in front of 10,000 people in Lyre, Clonakilty. He represented Munster in the All-Ireland final on July 10th. In 2010 he won a European gold medal and also became the youngest ever winner of the All-Ireland Junior A (third division). This is a really amazing achievement for someone who is only 24.

HURLING (Tadhg de Búrca): Tadhg won a National Hurling League title in 2015 with Waterford and was a GPA All Star 2015 Award winner at centre half back. He was also awarded Young Player of the Year at the GAA National Awards 2015. The centre back made his senior championship debut with Waterford in May 2014 and he was also a member of the UCC team who competed in the colleges league and RUGBY (Paul Kiernan): Paul was a member of the Irish . Tadhg U20 rugby squad for the World Cup held in England was an MJ Dowling during the summer. He captained the team in their UCC Sports Scholarship victory over Georgia. The Irish team were beaten recipient in 2015/16 and a finalists. Paul plays for UCC Rugby Club, who were member of the Waterford promoted to Division 2A of the All Ireland League for team who were this year’s 2016/17. He was joined in the Irish U20 World Cup squad Munster finalists and by UCC students Vincent O’Brien and Shane Daly. beaten league finalists.

54 INDEPENDENT Thinking SOCCER – CORK CITY FC (Michael McSweeney): Michael, who is a former UCC Sports Scholarship recipient, captained UCC to success in 2011 under the management of John Caulfield and was pivotal to UCC’s success at the heart of the defence. He went on to represent the Irish Universities ATHLETICS (Lizzie Lee): Lizzie Lee is a UCC graduate who and this culminated in his selection to represent Ireland at the competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the marathon. It was World Student Games in Russia in 2013. After graduating from Lizzie’s first Olympics – she qualified after she ran 2:32:51 at UCC, Michael had a spell with Mervue Utd in Galway before the Berlin Marathon in September – and she placed in the top signing for Cork City in July 2014. A squad player initially, it was 60. The 36-year-old only took up athletics 10 years ago and has this year that Michael really began to establish himself as a first- not looked back. Running out of Leevale AC, her coach is Donie team player. He was thrown in at the deep end with injuries Walsh who also coaches in UCC Athletics Club. Lizzie captained to Johnny Dunleavy and John Kavanagh this season and has the Irish Women’s Cross Country team which secured a bronze tasted European football with the club – despite not being medal in the European Cross Country Championships. Lizzie played in his natural position – a great achievement for a former can be regularly seen training at the Mardyke track with fellow UCC soccer club player. Olympian Michelle Finn.

CANOEING (Patrick O’Leary): UCC Graduate Patrick O’Leary, who was heavily involved in the UCC Canoe Club during his time at the university, competed in the Paralympic Games in 2016, finishing in sixth place in the final. Patrick took a bronze medal at a Canoe Sprint event in Rio prior to the Olympics, which was the first competition to be held at the Olympic venue. This was the first time that Canoe Sprint – which effectively is a form of kayaking on a flat surface, generally a lake – was included in the Paralympics. Competitors paddle their boats in lanes, similar to the format of a swimming event in the pool. Patrick, who lost his leg five years ago, trains on average 12–13 times per week and remains active and positive. He finished ninth at the World Canoe Sprint Championships in Milan last year.

HOCKEY IN THE MARDYKE JULY 2016: International sport was brought to UCC’s Mardyke sports grounds in July when the university, in association with Munster Hockey and the Irish Hockey Union, hosted a very successful European U-18 Hockey Championships. A week-long event, spectacular hockey was played at the venue, with a resounding success for the Dutch team winning the U-18 Girls event, while Germany won the U-18 Boys event. Two senior men’s international matches also drew big crowds to the Mardyke, in the build-up to the Olympics, between the Irish senior men’s team, who competed in Rio, and the Netherlands. Both matches were a resounding success with large numbers attending the games.

INDEPENDENT Thinking 55 SUNDAY TIMES UNIVERSITY OF THE HIGHEST RESEARCH INCOME PER ACADEMIC YEAR 2017, FOR A BY RECORD-BREAKING VOTED THE SAFEST CAMPUS IN IRELAND IN 2014 FIFTH TIME! AND ONE OF THE SAFEST IN THE WORLD TOP 3 GLOBALLY FOR ITS INTERNATIONAL OFFICE AND CAREERS AND WORK PLACEMENT SERVICE

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