to View - Griffith College Dublin

6
LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE
THE CIRCULAR
Out-foxed
By Gillian Wallace
“Is fox hunting cruel The answer,
of course, is that it is. How can it
be justified The answer is that it
cannot.” said Nicholas O’Hare,
columnist with The Irish Field.
“No matter how traditional or
how highly eulogised by its supporters,
it is a minority sport with
the damning spectre of cruelty
hanging over it.”
In civilised society there is no
place for the savaging of a
defenceless creature in the name
of a so-called sport. The Irish
Council Against Blood Sports has
displayed video evidence of the
sickening cruelty of fox hunting
on their website. One clip shows a
hunt terrier gripping a fox’s head
between its teeth and ripping off
part of its scalp. The fox’s eyes are
bulging, and clearly terrified it is
held down by a hunter, with blood
leaking from the gaping wound in
its head. For the fox, the torture
has just begun; it has yet to endure
the hounds being called in to rip it
to shreds. How can this be called
sport
It is not just animal rights
activists who campaign against this
The myths surrounding foxhunting
debunked
sport. Philip Lynch, Chairman of
Farmers against Fox Hunting and
Trespass (FAFT) says, “we
demand action now to rid the
countryside of foxhunts.” FAFT
outline the rights of farmers not
to have their lands poached, their
fences knocked down or
destroyed, or their crops trampled
into the ground.
“the nearest
thing you
can get to
natural
selection”
Thomas Hardiman from
Craughwell Co. Galway, was once
a supporter of fox hunting, but
became disgusted at the cruelty he
witnessed and has campaigned
against fox hunting since 1998. He
recalls observing the hounds mauling
a farmer’s sheepdog.
According to Mr.Hardiman, “The
hunters wanted to put the dog
down but the farmer said no. Of
course, the reason the hunters
wanted to shoot the sheepdog was
so that they could cover up the
cruel attack by the hounds.” He
pickets the Dail every Wednesday
and has done so for 105 days.
Fox hunting provides no measurable
benefit to the environment
and there is no evidence to suggest
that fox numbers would soar
and become problematic. A
Ministry of Agriculture report
states that, “A study of lambing in
upland areas showed that lamb
losses were unaffected by the presence
of foxes”. In reality, the hunt
is much more likely to cause damage
than the fox.
Although the season usually
begins in November, the Irish
Council Against Blood Sports
explain that prior to this, the
hunters meet for what is
euphemistically termed autumn
hunting. This cub hunting is so
despicable that the hunt attempts
to hide it from the public. Hunters
attend only by invitation of The
Master of Foxhounds. A caller to
Just another day for farmer Thomas Harding
Mid West Radio, who identified
himself only as Derek described
how he had been hunting in the
UK and Ireland for thirty years.
When he was quizzed about cub
hunting he touted it as being ‘the
nearest thing you can get to natural
selection”.
Obviously, this sadistic sport is
a far cry from what nature intended.
It is hard to believe such cruelty
has yet to be banned in Ireland.
Seeing that fox hunting has been
banned in the country from where
it originated, the argument that it
should be preserved because it is
traditional can immediately be dispelled.
Claims by hunting enthusiasts
that it is not the kill that
inspires them hold no weight, as
they shun the humane alternative
of drag hunting. Only one element
of the hunt is absent from drag
hunting -the slaughter of a
defenceless animal.
Curtains Fall for TCD Actors
By Eimear Harte
Trinity College announced in
January that it is to axe its
renowned three year undergraduate
degree course in acting.
The announcement has a come
as a shock and has angered
many in the Irish theatre community.
In a public statement to
Trinity College Dublin, prominent
directors, actors and a
Trinity College professor signed
their names in joint effort to
show their disappointment and
dismay at the decision. The
course, they told the Irish Times,
“has been of enormous value
not only to Trinity College but
to Irish theatre as a whole”.
The main reason for the decision
to drop the course is that it
“A country isn’t
remembered for its
accountants, it’s remembered
for its artists”
is not financially viable. Annual
spending is said to be in the
region of €250,000, according to
the college. This goes against
statements made by Trinity
College Provost, Dr John
Hegarty in the Irish Times, that
Trinity’s “academic staff could
lead the world”. He went on to
say “there is a compelling case
to be made for greater emphasis
on the arts, humanities and
social sciences at the national
level, and for increased public
investment at undergraduate and
graduate levels.” This comes at a
time when Ireland is still experiencing
the financial bliss of the
Celtic Tiger, yet there is no
money to invest in this course
and in turn, in the future of
Ireland’s artists.
On the Drama website of
Trinity College Dublin, it states
that the BA Acting course is the
only one of its kind in Ireland
with an aim to produce fine
actors. To date, examples
include, Ruth Negga, Derbhle
Crotty and Jason Byrne. Access
to the course is non-CAO based
and admission is through audition
only. Plans by the college
to introduce a new postgraduate
course in acting will not replace
like with like. Forementioned
past pupil of the BA acting
course and Artistic Director of
Loose Canon Theatre Company,
Jason Byrne, is not in favour of
the proposed post graduate
course. Byrne claims he got
accepted onto the acting course
through his ability to act, as he
had not done well in the Leaving
Certificate. The new postgraduate
course could potentially
bypass people like him, as
emphasis would shift to academic
achievement. The course will
also carry an entrance fee, for
which the cost has not yet been
disclosed. This Byrne feels, will
again be an obstacle to those
who cannot afford the fee.
In the meantime, students
who were planning to pursue the
BA Acting course for 2007
incurring no fees, now have to
decide what other options are
available to them. Established in
1995, the BA Acting course has
always attracted great interest
and currently has 35 students
enrolled, with an average class
size of 12 every year.
Trinity additionally offer students
an honours degree programme
in Drama and Theatre
Studies. Entry to this course is
decided by audition and leaving
certificate points obtained.
Jason Byrne: former
graduate
There is also an option to take
Drama Studies combined with
another Arts subject. DIT also
runs a three year undergraduate
degree in Drama Studies which
includes acting modules. Other
options are postgraduate courses
available in UCC and UCG in
drama and theatre studies. These
courses incur fees of over
€6,000. The Gaiety School of
Acting also runs a two year acting
course costing €5,000 a year
to the student.
However, for a student to fulfil
his or her desire to study acting,
he or she may have to look
towards British drama schools.
Competition for such is fierce,
and fees are again very high.
Instead of Ireland investing in
our future artists, we are in danger
of losing them.
DCU are in discussions with
the Gaiety School of Acting
about the establishment of a
new three year undergraduate
degree course in acting, which
they plan will be fee-free. This
course is in early developmental
stages so students will have to
hold out for this class format to
be made available to them.
Taking a quote from Trinity
News, January edition, the decision
to cut the course on
grounds of finances is shortsighted
… “a country isn’t
remembered for its accountants,
it’s remembered for its artists”.3