By Jack Coleman Last April, I was as surprised as anyone when Munster Rugby decided to get involved in the rapidly expanding world of esports. Sure, lots of traditional sports teams have significant investments in the sphere but a rugby team, especially an Irish rugby team, seemed an unlikely candidate. The majority of sports teams…
By Jack Coleman “However, sadly, we find ourselves in a position where the ongoing operations of the business are not financially viable and as such, have taken the decision not to operate going into the new academic year” so read the final statement of Irish Collegiate Esports (ICE). ICE was the organisation in charge of…
By Fergal Smiddy, Byline Editor One of the many unexpected consequences of working in retail is the intimate workplace relationship that develops between you and whatever soundtrack – if any – which serves as your on-the-clock companion. The bone-chilling melodies of royalty-free Christmas songs, for example, still haunt my dreams from past holiday seasons spent…
By Julie Landers, Staff Writer Over the course of my Arts degree, I have amassed a sizable collection of tote bags. It is a mandatory requirement according to the college. But the best one I have ever owned comes courtesy of Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, best known as CMAT. The global teen pop sensation pulled out…
Writes Kyran Leahy – Film & TV Editor Ireland has had its fair share of representation in film and television recently. The country has become the backdrop to several coming-of-age stories as of late that have achieved global attention. You have the college romance story of Normal People, the portrayal of teenage life during the…
Halfway through the first lockdown, I started listening to more podcasts as a way of feeling more connected to a world beyond my parent’s house. Rebel Matters is the one that I have returned to again and again in the last few months. Host Ainle Ó Cairealláin presents a mix of voices coming from all…
Outside the Lloyd’s Pharmacy on Grand Parade, on an electrical box tucked inside the shadow of the imposing St. Patrick’s Buildings and plotted neatly between two trees is a mural commemorating the American abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass. A gesture of artistic solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter installed as the movement caught flame across the U.S. earlier…
“I take the folklore of Ireland and throw them into tracksuits where they are smoking fags and drinking cans, but they would be the Gods” – Diabhal Ireland is known for its rich Celtic past, the stories that have slowly been hidden under politics and hatred, tabooed by society; there is a common misunderstanding that…
Earlier this month, I spoke with one of Ireland’s talented young actors who is a former Young Offender and is now amongst our ranks at UCC. As she trades a busy schedule for another, Jennifer Barry was delighted to sit down and talk with University Express. After some perfectly timed connection issues and a few…
April 13th, 2018: Drummer Alex Gough is sitting at home with his brother Jordan, then joint members of indie-rock four piece Central Hall, for an interview with University Express; an interview which Gough insists “feels like yesterday”, despite all that has happened – in his life and beyond – since then. At the time, Central…