I think that the Byline covers are extremely important; in fact, superficial as it may sound to some, I think the cover is one of the most important elements of our publication. The reasons I feel this way are certainly rooted in my own experience as a reader of Byline over the past number of…
In this issue, the News Section seems fixated on Freshers’ Week in a time of COVID-19—from UCC’s own virtual Freshers’ and accompanying fines, to NUIG students’ viral flouting of health guidelines and how still, some students are left behind in the digital divide. It’s not an accident that so many of our stories this issue…
The impact of the dark mornings are starting to become a regular part of my day once again. Waking to my alarm at 6am each morning I often wonder where did the bright mornings go and why all of a sudden am I faced with the prospect of waking up to be greeted by a…
As I begin writing this Editorial, the 2020 Freshers issue of the Express is already behind us, but there is a certain feeling in the air that things are still waiting to begin. For most of you reading this, the Express’ seeming obsession with Freshers issue probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, so…
There are times where all I have to do is think of a certain object, of a certain location or subject, and they will appear through the ads on my Instagram feed. I can never decide which explanation for this is more unsettling: that my phone is listening to me, or the algorithm knows me…
I had hoped that you would be reading a physical paper for this issue but, yet again, Covid-19 has dealt us a hand of cards that has forced us to adapt to the situation. The first print run usually marks the beginning of the student media year, but this year it was going to mark…
Dust settles over a barren UCC Campus. The steady hum of laughter and conversation which once breathed life through the Main Rest is no more. Outside, the steps down to Boole Basement seem to have taken on a melancholy disposition, as though longing for the old familiar 9:04am pitter-patter of half-tied Doc Martens, and the…
As my pen scratches the paper I pause and think about what people said to me in the weeks before I started college. It is a tough question to answer because the world was a different place four years ago, but the most important thing that you need to hear is: welcome. Welcome to a…
For the last six months, I feel as if my vision has shifted into the gallery view of a Zoom call: each part of my life squared off, sometimes muted. The very last thing I expected in March as I sat in front of my laptop and contorted the cables of my broadband box, was…
It’s hard to believe that this is the last time I will be putting words on a page as part of my editorial during my time with the Express as Editor-In-Chief, but I have to say from the outset what an incredible experience it has been for me, something that I will always cherish. It…