BCFE Bulletin Edition 2 PDF (Final)

Edition 2
27 January 2016
NEWS
THE
SPORT
14 Students from
BCFE to go to
Finland for Work
Experience
by Sean Clinton
The students are from the sec-
ond year Business and Jour-
nalism courses. Joshua Reid, a
journalism student spoke about
the trip. “It will be my first time
undertaking work experience
in another country. I’m looking
forward to publishing some ar-
ticles in English for Good News
from Finland,” he said. He add-
ed that he wanted to gain some
experience “working online”.
Meanwhile business student
Gillian is looking forward to ex-
periencing a “different culture”.
BCFE Gig Raises
€1,300 for Charity
by Anne Buckley
A BCFE charity gig has
raised €1,300 for a homeless
charity. First-year student,
Eamonn Mooney, who plays
bass, spoke about the gig: “It
is part of the course, usually
the money for the gig each
year goes into the kitty to
pay for the next gig,” he ex-
plained. The event took place
at the Cobblestone TRAD
in Smithfield in Dublin 7 on
15th December 2015, and the
chosen charity was the Cap-
uchin Monks Charity. The
successful event was organ-
ised by the students.
SHAG Week to Go Ahead at BCFE
by Anthony Neville
BCFE may finally get its own
SHAG Week in February 2016
as the Student Union and ISU
are hoping to organise one by
Valentine’s Day.
SHAG Week is an annual event
that is organised by the Students
Union of third level institutes
throughout Ireland to promote
awareness of student sexual
health through talks, guidance,
social activities and free STI
screenings funded by the Irish
Student Union (ISU).
Being a Further Education
College, BCFE has not yet had
the opportunity to have its own
SHAG Week.
However, the President of the
BCFE Student Council, Vinny
Flynn, with the support of his
peers and BCFE management is
working with the ISU to organise
BCFE’s first ever SHAG Week.
The BCFE Bulletin decided
to ask the students of BCFE
through online surveys about
their knowledge of sexually
transmitted infections (STIs).
The survey found that 57%
of students who participated in
the survey have had unprotected
sex with a stranger, while 56%
have never had an STI screening
before. Twenty-six people who
took part in the survey are not
aware of any STI clinics around
Dublin.
Many of the students who
took part in the survey are aware
of the common STIs such as
HIV, hepatitis B, gonorrhoea,
chlamydia and herpes.
But at least 6% of students
believe that there is a vaccine
for HIV, and 28% believe there
is a vaccine for gonorrhoea. The
only two STIs that currently
have vaccines are hepatitis B
and HPV.
While the majority of people
believe that getting tested is
the most obvious thing to do
during an STI scare, a shock-
ing 12% believe that taking a
shower will get rid of an STI.
In 2014 there were at least
10,000 reported cases of STIs in
Ireland.
The most frequently reported
STIs in Ireland are chlamydia,
anogenital warts, gonorrhoea
and herpes.
If you are worried that you
may have contracted an STI,
contact the GUIDE Clinic in St
James’s Hospital by telephone at
(01) 4162315 or visit the web-
site www.guideclinic.ie.
BCFE
Trio
Reel In
Awards
at DAFF
2015
Inside: Kim O’Leary investigates
new government loan scheme
and how it affects students
Inside: Joe Murphy and Stephen
Duffy talk Euro ‘16 with BCFE
students
Disability
Restricts Student
from Work
Placement
by Stephen Duffy
A BCFE student was left
devastated when she could not
join her class on a foreign work
placement due to high insur-
ance costs because she had a
disability.
The student in question, Emily
Barr said: “I suffer from epilepsy
and cerebral palsy. I signed up to
do the travel and tourism course
in BCFE as I have always wanted
to work in the hospitality indus-
try.”
Continues on
Fever Solstice
Battle for the Title
by Ruairi O’Hehir
BCFE’s own Fever Solstice
competed, last Wednesday, in
the Semi Final of the King Kong
Club’s Battle of The Bands. The
bluesy rock hybrid managed to
push their way to the semi-final
of the competition, judged by a
clap-o-meter by blowing audi-
ences in the Mercantile on Dame
Street away with their energy. The
band, which plays regularly at
college gigs, is fronted by vocalist
Grainne Swanton and backed up
by Roisin Barret on bass and Mat-
thew O’Brien on keyboards. The
band will be back in the Mercan-
tile again on February 2nd for the
annual BCFE Rock School end of
year gig.

Edition 2 | January 27 Edition 2 | January 27
Editor Ruairi O’Hehir
Deputy Editor Josh Reid
News Editor Kim O’Leary
Life Editor Jessica Donohoe
Sports Editor Joe Murphy
Sub/Designer Kevin Gillespie
Marketing Anthony Neville
Special Thanks
We here at The BCFE Bulletin
would like to give a special
thanks to all who made this
year’s publication possible.
It would not have been made
possible without the help of our
class tutors and coordinators,
fellow BCFE students and all
the generous staff members of
BCFE.
Over the coming months, we
plan to produce another edition
and you can expect the release
of our final edition February 25
2016.
To all, we extend our thanks.

Friends,
The first edition of the BCFE
Bulletin was a complete success
for our strong team; we received
positive comments from staff,
students and the guest speakers at
our launch.
Many of you have noticed, I am
sure, the spelling mistake in one
of our headlines.
Needless to say it was one of
very few and it was a source of
laughter for our editorial team for
many days.
In this edition we have tried to
right our wrongs, making it more
colorful and interactive with other
students.
Our big focus here is to bring a
sense of community to the college
for the better and I hope that we
are succeeding in that.
As we are all in our last leg
before the final assignments
and exams, I wish all of you
the very best in your studies.
RUAIRI’S ROAR
NEWS
EDITORAL STAFF
New Year’s
Resolutions
by Laura Slattery
A new year marks a new begin-
ning, but what are BCFE students
hoping to accomplish in 2016?
“I would like to learn three new
languages including French,
Spanish, and Italian,” said Dmitry
Avkhadeev. Another student, Bill
Bailey, said: “I’d like to start
driving, getting a kick-start into
my television career and to lose
a stone in weight.” He added
that resolutions are a “fantastic
idea”. Meanwhile, teacher Fergal
Hardiman said that New Year
resolutions “don’t really mean
anything” for him.
Little Things
Campaign 2016
by Kat O’Connor
The HSE’s latest mental health
and wellbeing campaign
#Littlethings recognises that we
all go through difficult times, but
that doing small things can make
us feel better. The campaign
was launched in October 2015
on TV, online, and radio. The
campaign is full of helpful tips
from getting a good night’s sleep
to going on an early morning
run. BCFE student Laura Kelly
has praised the campaign.
“Seeing their tweets gives me a
nice positive boost,” she said.
To find out more visit www.
yourmentalhealth.ie or call the
Samaritans on 116 123.
Government to Introduce
New Drug-Driving Legislation
by Jessica Donohoe
Life Editor
The government is set to in-
troduce new legislation in an
effort to combat drug-driv-
ing in Ireland.
The new legislation which
is in its early stages could see
drivers found under the influ-
ence face a possible €5,000 on
the spot fine or a 3-year jail
sentence. Under the legisla-
tion, the Gardaí have now the
power to carry out additional
roadside tests.
The five main impairment
tests include the Pupil Dila-
tion Test, Modified Romberg
Balance Test, Walk and Turn
Test, One Leg Stand and Fin-
ger to Nose Test. The BCFE
Bulletin has recently carried
out a survey on 100 students
to find out what students’
thoughts are on the new legis-
lation.
The survey found that 51%
of students admitted to
having tried drugs; the most
popular substance was in fact
cannabis which 60% of stu-
dents claimed to have tried.
One student John* spoke
about the new laws: “I un-
derstand why it’s obviously
being put in place, it’s a
precaution. But driving while
smoking weed isn’t as bad
as people think; I do it all the
time,” he said.
Many students said that
they would feel safer in a
car driven by a person under
the influence of drugs rather
than alcohol.
“My friends are just more
comfortable driving while
stoned,” said Luke* another
student.
However, other students
condemned those who drug-
drive, criticising it as “very
dangerous” and “stupid”.
The Minister for Transport
Paschal Donohoe has said
that the new legislation will
“integrate everything together
into a single overall legisla-
tion”, and to “reduce the risk”
of drug-driving accidents.
For more information
on drug-driving check out
the RSA anti-drug driving
campaign at www.rsa.ie.
BCFE Student Left Devastated
After Work Experience Refusal
by Stephen Duffy
Second-year tourism students
are required to do work expe-
rience abroad, but Emily was
devastated because she could
not go.
“I received the devastating
news that due to my disability, the
insurance was too expensive and
they were unable to acquire the
necessary insurance for me,” she
said.
When asked if she had previ-
ously been made aware of the
possibility of not being able to
travel abroad for her work place-
ment, Emily replied: “No, nothing
was ever said when I took up my
place, and the first time I knew of
any problem was when I was told
I would not be able to travel.”
Emily and her parents were
“very upset” but she decided
to complete the course after a
meeting with BCFE management.
Ninety-one students currently at-
tending the college are registered
as disabled.
Students with disabilities are
put in touch with a disability of-
ficer who will assess what support
they need.
BCFE has issued a response
to this particular case. The Vice
Principal, Kevin Devine, de-
scribed the incident as “unfortu-
nate” but was pleased that Emily
had found an alternative place-
ment in Dublin.
Asked if there were any reasons
why a student could not take up
a place on a course, Mr Devine
said: “In general at BCFE if an
applicant has a disability the
college will put in supports to
enable students to benefit from
the course.”
In Emily’s case, she went on to
get a work placement in a Dublin
hotel and she graduated alongside
the rest of her classmates.
Since graduating, Emily has
successfully found full-time
employment in the hospitality
industry.
“It is good to hear that Emily
has done so well after leaving
BCFE, and we are not surprised
given her ambition and abilities,”
added Mr Devine.
Post-Grad Success
for BCFE Animators
by Kevin Gillespie
Three animation degree gradu-
ates have been hopping borders
with their animation short
“The Teacup” which has been
featured in an array of festivals
and award shows globally.
From honourable mentions at
the Dublin Animation Film Festi-
val (DAFF) 2015 and appearances
at the Warsaw Film Festival 2015
to invitations to Anime Arte 2015
in the heart of Brazil and Special
Mentions at the 20th annual Bos-
ton Turkish Festival, the Teacup
trio has clearly attracted the right
kind of attention.
The group were ecstatic to have
been awarded by BCFE’s own
Tomm Moore of Cartoon Saloon
at the 2015 DAFF. Lynn O’Reilly,
project animation director, hailed
Moore as one of her “Irish anima-
tion heroes.”
Elif Boyacioglu, project writer/
director, expressed great praise
and that the “grins stayed on for
quite some time.” The trio are ac-
tively advancing into their careers
with Francesca Saunders, project
background artist, now working
with esteemed illustrator Chris
Judge on his new children’s book,
Boyacioglu working freelance
shorts with “a few projects in
[her] head” and O’Reilly working
away as a Production Assistant
with Irish multi award-winning
animation company Boulder
Media.
When asked about how she
dealt with the stresses and pres-
sures of working in a massive
group project, Saunders stated
that “communication” was most
important in keeping things on
track.
Boyacioglu comments that
students should tell the stories
they “want to tell” and to always
listen to the advice and feedback
offered.
Hard work and having a “rock
solid team”, claims O’Reilly, is
a recipe for success and being
passionate and determined to
finish, holding a high standard for
quality, is a rewarding experience.
She added: “All in all, it was
definitely worth it.”
You can keep on track with
the girls by visiting their group
blog over on http://theteacupfilm.
tumblr.com/.
BCFE Co-Ordinator to
Take on TXFM Radio
by Josh Reid
MND co-ordinator Simon
Maher is going up against his
arch-nemesis Denis O’Brien for
a BAI radio license.
Maher was one of the founders
and original presenters of Phan-
tom 105.2, which was originally
set up to offer an alternative to
mainstream music stations with
an emphasis on alternative music
by giving new acts more on-air
coverage.
But things changed for Ma-
her’s radio career when Phantom
radio station was purchased by
Communicorp in 2011, which is
owned by media mogul Denis
O’Brien.
Many of the founding members
of Phantom radio station were
told that their services were no
longer required, and Phantom was
re-named TXFM.
Simon decided to leave the sta-
tion a few months later, and other
former presenters include Alison
Curtis and Cormac Battle.
Since leaving TXFM, Simon
founded his own radio station
8Radio, which primarily broad-
casts online and via an app, but
it is also broadcast on radio at
weekends.
Simon is determined to rival
Denis O’Brien’s TXFM, but it is
taking some time for his licence
to be granted from the Broadcast-
ing Authority of Ireland (BAI).
“The [BAI’S] application pro-
cess is more lumbered towards the
incumbent,” said Maher, speaking
of his long wait to receive his
licence.
But once he receives his licence,
Simon is hopeful that his new mu-
sic station will be ready to take on
TXFM, the station that he helped
to set up.
We say, go on Simon.
Success for BCFE
Bulletin First Edition
by Kim O’Leary
News Editor
An array of media profes-
sionals attended the launch
of The BCFE Bulletin. The
special guests included RTE
crime correspondent Paul
Reynolds, radio documentary
maker Pat O’Mahony, and
radio journalist and BCFE
graduate Shona Murray.
“The newspaper looks great
and you should be proud of
yourselves,” said Pat O’Ma-
hony, praising the newspa-
per. Shona Murray spoke of
BCFE’s excellent reputation
for media students and how
she “really enjoyed” her time
at the college.
Ruairi O’Hehir,
Editor.
“
“Nothing was ever
said when I took up
my place.
Disadvantages for Students with Disabilities?
Happy Campers at the DAFF: Elif (Left) and Lynn (Right)

Edition 2 | January 27 Edition 2 | January 27
LifeLife
Affordable Breaks
to the U.K.
by Niamh McDonnell
BCFE students, looking for
an affordable break during the
February mid-term? Check out
these Ryanair return flights
from Dublin to the U.K. Dub-
lin to Manchester 16th -18th
February for €19.98, Dublin
to Edinburgh 14th- 16th Feb-
ruary for €24.98, and Dublin
to London 13th -16th Febru-
ary for €19.98. Hostel prices
start at €14 per night and for
more information visit www.
hostelword.com.
Healthy Diet
Resolution
by Vanessa Manunga
A 20-year-old BCFE ani-
mation student is the latest
person to try the Atkins diet
plan for his New Year’s reso-
lution. The Atkins regime is a
low carbohydrate diet, often
used for the treatment of dia-
betes and obesity. Christian
Keogh’s new diet involves
fasting and exercising at
the gym. “I feel sick in the
morning, I can’t eat breakfast
but drinking water makes it
okay,” he explained, carrying
his sports bag for a trip to the
gym.
BCFE Students
Facing Delay in
VTOS Scheme
by Stephen Duffy
BCFE students who have
applied for the VTOS grant
are now facing a delay in
receiving their grants. The
delay is due to the increased
number of students applying
for the VTOS grant and dif-
ficulties in processing ap-
plications. BCFE’s VTOS
Officer Frank Berry spoke
about the process. “The
way in which payments are
processed has been changed.
Now colleges are sent a
certain number of cheques
on a weekly basis,” he said.
VTOS is working to solve
the issues.
BCFE Students Will Not
Have to Pay 15-Year-Loans
by Kim O’Leary
News Editor
The Vice Principal of BCFE
has said that current BCFE
students will not be affected
by the government’s pro-
posed 15-year-loan scheme.
Kevin Devine went on to
describe the proposed scheme:
“It’s early to say. BCFE
charges are not tuition fees
but they are costs related to
materials and equipment used
on the course,” he said.
Mr Devine also said that
BCFE students will not have
to pay increased fees but that
the scheme may result in a
rise in fees for universities
and ITs.
“It’s a good thing if it will
help to improve the quality of
education, but it will be diffi-
cult to implement it,” he add-
ed. The draft report released
by the government could see
graduates paying €25 per
week for 15 years by the end
of 2016.
Under the proposed
scheme, college would be
free at the point of entry
and graduates would start to
repay their loan once their in-
come reaches a certain level.
The average graduate level
of income would be around
€26,000 and graduates would
pay around €1,300 per year
according to the draft report
published in December 2015.
But the new scheme has
been criticised by institu-
tions and students as a way
of bringing back full college
fees “through the back door”.
The President of the Union
of Students in Ireland Kevin
Donoghue spoke about the
proposed scheme.
“Student loans are not the
right way to raise third level
funding. Ireland already has
the second-highest fees in
Europe,” said Donoghue.
“It’s free at the point of
access in the exact same
way that a mortgage is free
at the point of access,” he
explained.
If the scheme is implement-
ed, graduates could pay in
the region of €19,500 over a
period of 15 years according
the draft report.
BCFE students also voiced
their opinions: “I don’t think
that it’s a good idea at all.
You’re still paying the full
amount just through the back
door,” said Richard Fahy, a
recent graduate.
For more information visit
www.usi.ie.
SUSI Grants Backlog
by Peter Hickey
Students at BCFE recently
saw a delay in receiving their
SUSI grants this year, but now
they are being warned that the
problem is not likely to clear up
anytime soon.
Student Universal Support
Ireland (SUSI) is a grant set up
in 2012 to replace funding from
local authorities.
The grant offers to pay for stu-
dents hoping to enter higher and
further education, with their fees
and costs taken care of.
The SUSI grant has been largely
successful with many school leav-
ers and mature students applying
for the grant online.
According to SUSI, the body has
59,000 grants so far this year with
another 23,000 to award after
receiving more than 106,000 appli-
cations.
But the SUSI grant system has
been plagued with difficulties in
terms of processing and this has
caused long delays in students
receiving their grants, with some
waiting up to a year.
The President of the Union of
Students in Ireland, Kevin Dono-
ghue, said that SUSI is still having
“huge issues”.
There’s an enormous backlog and
it doesn’t look like it will clear up
anytime soon,” added Mr Donoghue.
The USI president furthered that
they are receiving an influx of reports
from students eagerly awaiting the
arrival of their entitled financial
supports.
BCFE Graduate to
Perform at Mental
Health Festival
by Jamie Moans
A former BCFE radio student is
set to perform at the First Fort-
night Festival 2016, Ireland’s
Mental Health Arts Festival.
Alison Spittle is a comedian
who’s had stints on radio, comedy
shows and the Edinburgh Fringe
Festival. She will perform at the
Smock Alley Theatre on January
14th for a three-night run. Spit-
tle’s show revolves around taking
an imaginary journey to Hawaii.
First Fortnight was set up in 2009
as a mental health service and is
now a festival featuring music,
dance and comedy acts. For more
information visit www.firstfort-
night.ie.
Good News for
Movie Buffs
by Shane Whelan
Students at BCFE could
get a new film club in the
coming weeks. It has been
two years since BCFE last
had a film club, but stu-
dents from the IFC and ITC
courses have suggested the
idea to their co-ordinators.
“It’s a great way to bring
students together across
different courses,” said John
Molloy, co-ordinator for the
IFC course. The film club is
expected to take place after
college hours on Wednes-
days, but a date has not yet
been confirmed.
Keane to be GreatKeane to be Great
T
o say I was surprised when
I was greeted with a hug by
my interviewee would be an
understatement, but for Lorraine
Keane she’s used to people hav-
ing the wrong idea of her; “Over
the years I’ve come into a compa-
ny that I don’t know and they’ve
already got this preconceived
notion of who I am and what I’m
like and it’s really frustrating,” she
explained.
For the workaholic mother, her
job is considered nearly as impor-
tant as her family: “I absolutely
adore my career and if I didn’t
have a family I’d happily work
seven days a week--and that says
a lot!” she laughed heartily.
But the industry is tough she ex-
plained and not for the faint-heart-
ed, it’s her passion for it that truly
keeps her going, “I’m definitely
one of the people that do what
they love to do.” After her five
by Laura Kelly
year break from working to spend
time with her two daughters, she’s
landed herself a new chat-show
with UTV and she couldn’t be
more grateful, “it’s a privilege to
be paid to be curious. The sit
down one-on-one is just bliss.”
Like all perfect jobs, they can
have their negatives. It took
hard work and perseverance for
Lorraine to break into the industry
and it’s not the nicest one to be
in, “at least once a week I say to
myself, ‘this is a horrible indus-
try, what the hell am I doing to
myself?”
When asked about the F-Word
(feminism) she told me how
sometimes it’s ourselves that are
our hardest critics. “I never once
went to bed thinking I’ve done a
good job that day,” she admitted
looking slightly guilty.
With so much sexism happen-
ing in different workplaces it can
be tough when that criticism is
coming from another woman,
“unless women start supporting
each other properly then that
[sexism] is never going to
change!” she said with conviction.
That’s where the basis of
Keane on Style came from. It’s an
evening for women to get dressed
up, have fun with hair and makeup
presentations, a fashion show and
topped off with Spanish Tapas.
Lorraine wants it to be the start of
showing how women need to sup-
port other women, “there’s a real
feel-good atmosphere in the room
but I couldn’t do what I do without
the support of other women.”
What started it all off was her
want to be like “the greats,” as she
put it. Terry Wogan and Michael
Parkinson had always inspired
her when she was growing up, “I
wanted to be the person that can
be in the business with longevity
and make a proper career out,”
she said with such inspiration.
Like the rest of us having finished
school at just 17, her friend read
about Ballyfermot College of
Further Education and when she
heard of the one-year Journalism
course, she knew it was, “just me
all over,” she smiled thinking back.
With the help from BCFE Lorraine
has gone on to become an IFTA
nominated journalist with a huge
list of achievements under her belt
and oh her way to becoming one
of “the greats”.“” “”
I absolutely adore
my career. It’s a privilege to
be paid to be
curious.
The struggles of modern day musicians in Ireland
by Kim O’Leary
T
he music industry in Ireland
has changed rapidly in the
last decade with the intro-
duction of new Irish musicians and
bands. While some singers and
song writers have landed record
deals, it is very challenging for
many to break into the industry.
For one BCFE former student, this
has proven to be a long journey.
John McCormack is a 64-year-
old singer and songwriter origi-
nally from Meath Street in Dublin.
McCormack has worked in various
jobs such as security, but his true
passion is for music.
He grew up in a large family of
ten children and music was hugely
popular in their home. “I’m singing
since I was around eight years
old. I went to school in Rialto and I
joined the choir. I really enjoyed it.
My mother was a wonderful singer
and my sisters, too.”
McCormack now has a family
of his own with thirteen children
and twelve grandchildren. “My
step-daughter is doing a course
at BCFE. She loves it there, and I
know that they have an excellent
music department.” Although pas-
sionate about singing, it has taken
him a few years for his career to
take off, things changed for Mc-
Cormack when he auditioned for
Season 4 of The Voice of Ireland
in 2014. “My kids encouraged me
to go for it.
It was a great experience for me
to perform in front of so many
people, and I had a great time,” he
says. McCormack did not make
it past the Blind Auditions of the
show, but he said that he “still had
a good time” while on the show.
Ever since his appearance on
The Voice of Ireland, McCormack
has gigged in pubs around Dublin
and now he is working on his
own album. “I’ve written over 400
songs myself. My idols would
be Elvis Presley and Englebert
Humperdinck; I enjoy rock-and roll
and love ballads, too.”
He is currently not signed to a
label but he records his songs
at radio stations located in
Blanchardstown and Clondalkin.
“It’s terrible because some of the
radio stations don’t have any inter-
est in playing your music; it’s very
frustrating for me.”
Speaking of his struggles for
radio stations to play his songs,
McCormack is not yet giving up
on his dream. “I’m hoping to do an
Elvis-inspired album and maybe a
long song inspired album for
2016. I am also on Facebook and
Myspace, and I’m hoping to get a
few more followers,” he explains.
McCormack is also looking for
sponsorship and has offered
BCFE music students the chance
to collaborate with him in the
studio. “I’d be delighted
to give vocal lessons
to any of the
music
students
if they want
it; I’m looking for
someone to possibly collab
orate with on my album
too,” he says. In terms of
advice for young musicians and
singers hoping to carve a career
in the music industry, McCormack
says: “If you have a dream to be-
come a musician or a singer, just
go for it and don’t wait, always do
what you love and you’ll nev-
er be unhappy.”
”“
”“I’ve written over
400 songs myself.
I’d be delighted to
give vocal lessons
to any of the music
students.
BCFE Supports a Smoke Free Campus
by Ruairi O’Hehir
BCFE Vice Principal Kevin
Devine has said that he supports
a smoke free campus in light of
the students union attempt to
construct a smoking shelter in
the social area.
A recent survey conducted by
the BCFE Bulletin has revealed
that 37% of BCFE students sup-
port a smoke-free campus. Devine
stated that “the college totally
supports a smoke free campus
in the best interest of staff and
students.”
A number of colleges through-
out the country have followed this
direction. Most notably in June
2015 UCD introduced their policy
by banning the sale of cigarettes
on campus and allocating strict
designated smoking areas away
from entrances to buildings. Simi-
larly, Sligo IT was one of the first
colleges to become a “breathe
easy” campus in 2013.
Both these campaigns have been
hugely successful and Mr Devine
hopes to continue the implemen-
tation of a similar policy: “At the
moment we are largely smoke
free apart from a few designated
areas.”
The Vice Principal also hopes
to introduce supports to help
students and staff quit smoking
by having guest speakers to talk
about the health implications of
smoking.
Needless to say, the students un-
ions plan to construct a shelter in
the social area, will not go ahead.
Student Loans Not the Right Way to Raise Funding: USI President Explains

College Flings
fAT
Edition 2 | January 27Edition 2 | January 27
FItKevin Gillespie recounts his year-
long journey of almost five stone in
weight loss, leading a healthier
physical and mental lifestyle, and
lends some useful New Year’s diet
and exercise tips.
2
F
or those of you wishing upon
a weight loss in your New
Year’s resolution this Janu-
ary, you may be finding yourself
stuck in a bit of a rut in terms of
how to move forward; worry not,
because the way you feel now is
perfectly normal for many individu-
als when starting off. For
years I had
listened to many say that
the hardest part is beg-
inning and then
keeping up with it
consistently; listening
to others say it and
experiencing it my-
````````````
self, however, were two
vastly different things.
By the time I hit twenty
last year, I had decided to
stop listening and start acting.
After reading up about exer-
cise and diet plans online and
finally establishing a workout
and dietary regimen, I decided
to spin my plan in motion.
It was now time to purchase
some equipment which would
do the job I wanted it to without
ely enough, with good re-
search there followed even
greater bargains.
I ended up purchasing a set
of weights for just under €60
from Argos, which have lasted
this long despite being tossed
and thrown around during
intense workout sessions.
As far as general fitness and
cardio go, spend about 15 min-
utes skipping and increase it
by about 2 and a half minutes
each session until you can
manage about a half hour.
This burns unbelievable
amounts of fat, while building
muscle on your calves, quadri-
ceps and hamstrings.
Because I wanted to combo
cardio and weightlifting I opted
for something
known as HIIT (or
High Intensity Inter-
val Training). In es-
sence, this workout
style prefered short
durations of aggres-
sive cardio, with say
20 second breaks bet-
ween—during which
I’d slow down and
stretch.
As with every suc-
cessful exercise plan,
there comes an even more
important dietary one.
Having learned a bit about
the various misconceptions of
weight loss, I would eventual-
ly find out that eating healthi-
er, less enjoyable foods than
the ones I would be used to,
would not necessarily lead
to weight loss. Instead, by
averaging a number based
on my
then-weight,
height and age,
I found out what
my daily caloric
intake was. I then
subtracted about
500 calories from
it and aimed to con
sume the remaining
amount daily.
For instance, in order
to remain the weight I
was, based on my
height and age, I would
consume about 3,100
calories daily. So by
severing that to about
2,600, I would be aiming to
lose a healthy 1-2 pounds per
week.
Most people believe that it is
impossible to get the body they
want; like there’s something
holding them back. When the
only person holding them back
is themselves.
My journey began a year
ago, and it still continues.
There’s no reason yours
shouldn’t begin today.
Y
ou may not have heard
of King of Aces Produc-
tions, but this starter film/
media production company is full
of talented ex film students from
BCFE.
Tom Byrne, a graduated student
of film at BCFE is one of the
founders of the independent
production company. He says,
“The ultimate goal of King of
Aces is to have a successful
production company with a large
staff bringing out pieces of work
ranging from film to music videos
regularly.”
He also mentions that his time
at BCFE helped him to determine
the ins and outs of setting up a
company like King of Aces, he
says, “it was great for networking
and knowing the people you can
work well with, in my [Tom’s] case,
it was my classmate Aaron, which
lead to us starting our own com-
pany [King of Aces]”.
Aaron O’ Connor, Tom’s partner
and co-founder of
King of Aces, as well as
their partner Rebecca Dunne in-
dependently run King of Aces pro-
ductions, and they are not short
of work, at-least for a self-funded
starter company involved in an
industry that most would agree is
difficult to remain busy in.
Together they’ve amassed a
body of work that is as impressive
as it is unique, working for local
companies creating advertise-
ments and making music videos
for budding Irish musicians, it
seems King of Aces is dead-set
on making a mark on the industry.
Arguably, were it not for their
time at the BCFE, we might not
have such a brilliant set of inde-
pendent features to look forward
to from this unique production
company.
Rebecca, or Bekkah (as she
eloquently requested to be called),
is an actress that has acted in
almost all of the films to date cre-
ated by King of Aces, but she also
plays her hand in other aspects as
she tells, “I love each part of it! Ac-
ting in the films
is always great fun
and I love my job as a make-up
artist so doing that on film shoots
is amazing.”
The team draw a lot of their
inspiration from music, and Tom
says that, “I can’t write a story
to be as original as I’d like if a
film storyline inspired the idea,
because I can’t seem to get that
movie out of my head then and it
just doesn’t work for me”.
Bekkah however
will draw
inspiration from
almost anything, as she says;
“Everything! Movies, a TV show,
art itself, sometimes random
objects, fashion, periods in time,
dark styles like dark/creepy things,
the occult, the Addams family!”
The pro-
cess is no doubt difficult when
self-funding, but King of Aces
proves that great things can
happen for students that are in
the positions that the King of Aces
founders were before, students of
film looking to aspire to create and
become apart of the film industry,
despite the difficulties of such an
industry.
So far the company, managed
by ex BCFE students Aaron O’
Connor and Tom Byrne along with
their partner Rebecca Dunne,
have created media for retail
stores such as Abana Jewellers,
a tattoo artist called Chopper’s
Artwork and Irish River Jewellery,
as well as for a children’s basket-
ball team in Tyrrelstown called the
Dublin Sonics.
They have also created music
videos for independent budding
musicians and bands, such as
MFM (who have since split up),
TADGH, Andy Duff and RNKN. It
is partially because of these pro-
jects that King of Aces can fund
it’s own independent work. The
body of
work from King
of Aces Productions is ever
growing. Aaron has directed short
films such as ‘All The Time In The
World’, ‘The String Of Life’ and
‘Tragic Static’, which can be found
on the companies Youtube page.
Tom too has directed his own
short films beginning with his
wartime tragedy ‘Casualties Of A
Pointless War’, ‘Lifeline’ and his
more recent work ‘Bloodshot’,
and Bekkah stars in most of those
features as well as being the
make-up artist.
There is more to come from
King of Aces Productions in the
future no doubt, and to find out
about the company and watch
their films you can search for
them on Youtube and Facebook;
‘King of Aces Productions’, or by
typing in the names of the afore-
mentioned film work of King of
Aces Productions in this article
on either Google or Youtube,
and help to show support for our
budding creators and our fellow
students.
Wedding Ringsto
I
t’s not usual we’d see a col-
lege fling go any further, but
this certainly isn’t the case for
Glenn and Orla who first set eyes
on each other in a classroom in
BCFE.
After just celebrating their wed-
ding, October newlyweds Orla and
Glenn O’Connor reminisce their
past ten years together, starting
from students to married life with a
three year old kid.
Orla started in Ballyfermot in
2004 completing her diploma in
Reception Tourism and Business,
she then went to do her Higher
National Diploma in Business
where she met Glenn, three years
her senior who went back to col-
lege as a late joiner of the course.
“I remember the first day he
came into the class I was ex-
tremely hungover I was after
being in DIVA, I didn’t really know
him to begin with because he was
friends with the lads and I had my
group of friends that came through
the first year of college… then our
classes got split.”
Orla and Glenn along with three
other friends cliqued into their
own group and it was then people
noticed their chemistry.
Orla and Glenn were both com-
mitted to different people “He was
with a girl and I was with a guy at
the time, and everyone used to tell
us that if he was single and I was
single that we would make a great
couple.”
They both realised their feelings
after a class night out in SPIRIT
near Parnell street, Orla laughs
away thinking about the night:
“We got very drunk and when we
were both dancing I fell on the
dance floor, I was doing I’m a little
tea pot and I just fell… he tried to
pick me up and some guy and him
were giving me a leg and a duck
on the dancefloor.”
More events led them closer
together such as a time they were
paired up for a project, they both
were in hysterics remembering
but it was these moments the two
became close and exchanged
numbers.
Orla giggles about the
first night they kiss-
ed “Glenn
tried to impress
me when we
were up the lawns
playing football,
I ran up to the
goalpost and tipped it, Glenn
did the same but Glenn flipped
and broke two ribs.”
At the start of May 2006 Orla
broke up with her boyfriend, two
days later Glenn broke up with
his girlfriend, and the two of them
started going on dates but not
locally as they wished to keep
their romance a secret from their
classmates.
During the
summer they went
on a car trip around Ire
land and at a 21st, Glenn
asked Orla to be his girlfriend.
Thinking back on second year
Orla and Glenn shamefully
remembered
skiving off classes
to spend time
with each other,
one particular
class they decid-
ed to ditch would
result them going
to the local bar
Chasers: “I
remember
we had
Lisa’s
class the
following
morning
but we’d
be too
hungov-
er so we
wouldn’t
go.”
Glenn
thinks back
on how the
teachers
started to
become
suspicious of
them, which
resulted in
the couple to start
becoming paranoid
around their teachers, “I
remember Lisa used to make
comments whenever Orla was
out that I was out or vice versa.
The teachers started to know
anyway I think Margaret Carr
our course coordinator copped
on too.”
Ten years after graduating, Orla
and Glenn are now happily mar-
ried with a three year old son.
Both have successful careers,
Orla is currently a Human Re-
source manager while Glenn is
currently an IT Developer.
Ten years on and they still
think back with many drunk
fuelled and giggling stories on
how that very first day in a class-
room in BCFE changed their
lives forever.
“Some guy and
him were giving
me a leg and
a duck on the
dancefloor.”
“First day he came
into the class I
was extremely
hungover.”
Cocaine,Profanities
&
W
eed
-In
d
u
ced
Insanities
F
at moths, bags of white and
slipping into paranoid psy-
chosis; it is no wonder Bal-
lyfermot College’s Alex Sheehan
has achieved cult online status
through satirical rapping.
This is a guy who not only
weaves sentence after sentence
of coherent, lucid words together,
but a man that actually manages
to turn these rhymes into comical
stories featured in even funnier
videos.
Just ask the 600,000 people
that have gone before you, if they
didn’t sit in front of their smart
phones with ridiculous grins
slapped on their faces as they
watched a pair of scauldy looking
stoners get chased around by a
head-case in a Shrek mask. Alex
Sheehan (20) from Ringsend
Dublin 4; has been producing
and co-starring in his very
own satirical rap group
versatile music videos
since he founded it
over two years ago.
Whether it’s
lamenting the paranoia
that occasionally accompanies
the smoking of “the devil’s lettuce”
in “Whopper Trips” to coming to
the hilarious realisation that it’s
occasionally well-founded, you
will find yourself both laughing
along at the ridiculous nature of
the personas on-screen to even
sometimes relating to the loveable
head-cases.
We see the pining of a self-de-
scribed run-around (the person
amongst friends who’s sent on the
small tasks the others are too lazy
or stoned to go on
themselves) for a girl firmly
in the grips of the local hard bas-
tard in “She goes out with a red-
hot.” Versatile takes us to
places we’ve prob-
ably never even
dreamt of but they do it in
a setting and through situations
we’re all probably, given our age,
somewhat familiar with.
The Youtube success has taken
Alex by surprise who was laughing
as he said (him and his friends)
were just doing it “for a laugh and
for everyone we knew, we didn’t
really have a target audience, just
people sort of started liking it and
it blew up a bit.”
Intentional or not he’s very much
the heartbeat of a group that’s
managed to achieve cult online
status with just three videos to
date. No easy feat.
There most recent video hit
100,000 views within a month,
given that it contains a session
with a whole heap of white and
ends with a Garda being hanged
it isn’t surprising that these videos
are gaining notoriety.
His favourite video is the first
one he made “all of us like the first
one the best, just because of the
buzz we got out of filming for the
first time and from the reaction
we got.” Interestingly it was not
just the lyrics Alex and his friends
came up with, but the beat in that
first video, “Whopper Trips” is an
Alex Sheehan original.
He laughed in a self-depreciat-
ing manner at his former self who
along with his friend and co-star
Casey Walsh “were originally try-
ing to be serious rappers, being all
serious and all, it was the cringiest
thing ever.”
However it was ultimately that
initial interest, combined with their
natural inclination, for lack of a
better phrase, to take the piss
that led Alex to mess around with
different beats.
Eventually he put a beat together
that he said “had this mad alien
vibe, so I thought f**k all this
serious shit, just take the piss
and make a video about getting
chased around by an alien, just for
the craic.” That was that.
What followed over the next two
years was the release of just two
more videos, and to say they blew
up is an understatement.
The release of their second song
“She goes out with a red-hot”
confirmed that they were no one-
hit wonders with the song being
viewed over 120,000 times more
than their first attempt at comedy
and with equally hilarious results.
Now a few months on from the
release of their latest song “Mad
Scene” Alex isn’t really expect-
ing anything to come from the
versatile videos, but that doesn’t
mean he would not welcome it
and he says they are “going to
keep making videos, and whatev-
er happens, happens.”
The next video should be avail-
able soon, which is a mockumen-
tary called “The Life of Sid”, a 14
minute short which going by its
official trailer that’s up on Versatile
official Channel, Outburst Produc-
tions, is a must see.
“”
Their most recent
video hit 100’000 views
within a month.
by Shane Wheelan
by Anthony Neville
by Richie Quann-Dowling

We Asked...
Edition 2 | January 27
SPORT
FAI to
Contact
BCFE in
March
by Joe Murphy
Sports Editor
The FAI are to contact
BCFE in March about the
college putting forward a
football team.
Mark Scanlon, who is the
national co-ordinator for
schools and third-level foot-
ball for the FAI has said that
he, along with the FAI, ‘’en-
courage’’ further education
colleges to enter the leagues
along with other third-level
football teams.
Mr Scanlon also said that
that the FAI are “always
open” for more teams to join.
There are currently ten
further education colleges
that currently play within the
CFAI (College football Asso-
ciation of Ireland), including
both Crumlin and Inchicore
College of Further Education.
BCFE vice Principal Kevin
Devine has recently said if
there was “sufficient inter-
est amongst students” this is
something the college would
be interested in.
When asked about who
could take charge of a poten-
tial football team Mr Devine
said: “Perhaps a person
appointed as a sports officer
might be a solution. This
would need a specific budget
which could be a problem.”
Mr Devine also stated that
if any students are interested
they should contact the stu-
dent council who will in turn
bring the matter of creating
a BCFE soccer team to the
principal.
BCFE Graduate Jonny Stapleton Invites
Students To Write For His New Website
by Keith Duffy
Former BCFE student Jonny
Stapleton has plunged himself
into the media world with the
exciting new football website
the Junior Soccer Portal.
Jonny studied in BCFE and
completed the Broadcasting and
Journalism course in 1998, then
did the two years HND in Radio
before going onto the degree.
Jonny suffers with dyslexia
but felt the college helped him
overcome problems he faced and
believes “the lecturers who ran
the classes seen I had a bit of flair
for writing and encouraged it.
They gave me a confidence that
stood to me when I went into
local journalism and then on to
freelancing for papers and maga-
zines all over the world.”
The soccer fanatic is also the
editor of www.irish-boxing.
com. His experience grew since
leaving the college also becoming
the Sports Editor of the Tal-
laght Voice, he then worked as a
freelance and had work published
in all the Irish Nationals as well
as publications over the World.
The former graduate was the UK
and Ireland correspondent for the
Manny Pacquiao magazine.
The Former BCFE man was keen
to advise current students looking
to get into the media business:
“simply get your foot in the door
and be proactive. There are no
barriers to breaking into the me-
dia and that was something I was
told especially by Bernard Evans
(who it turns out is a genius) but
for some reason ignored it.”
The Dubliner also talked about
how The Junior Soccer Portal has
paved the way for “people who
contributed to The JSP on a regu-
lar basis have also secured jobs in
the industry. I wouldn’t encourage
anyone to work for free and the
intern system goes against my
principles, but sometimes I just
think if you want to do what you
love you need to make sacrifices,”
he stated.
Jonny and his business partner
Derek McKenna are currently
looking to take a full time reporter
on their popular fast growing
football website.
The former student says he is
“genuinely shocked at how little
sports journalist hopefuls don’t
use the site. We would never turn
away anyone looking to gain ex-
perience and I am sure that is the
same for numerous media outlets
across Ireland”.
The graduate who has earned his
trade in the college feels” there
are always temptations to go back
and study even more”. The foot-
balling enthusiast is paving the
way for students to gain experi-
ence in the media world.
”“
“”
There are no
barriers to breaking
into the media.
We would never turn
away anyone looking
to gain experience.
W
ith the European cham-
pionships on the hori-
zon and with two warm
up games confirmed by the FAI,
(Slovakia and The Netherlands),
the buzz can be felt throughout all
of Ireland.
The sports team here at the
BCFE Bulletin talked to some
members of staff and students
to see what their take was on
Ireland’s group and how far they
think the Boys in Green will go.
We Asked...
What do you think of Ireland’s group
and how far do you think we’ll go?
“I think the group is very tough,
and identical to the last Euro-
pean championships. We’ll do
well to beat Sweden. I believe
we’ll qualify with the third best
place.” - Dylan Byrne
“The group is a tough one, but not
as tough as the last one. I reckon
it’s possible we can qualify, but I
don’t think we will.”
- Sean Kearney
“I don’t think we’ll do well in
the group. Belgium have a
collection of Premier league
players, Sweden have the best
player in the tournament in
Ibrahimović and Italy always
seem to do well. We won’t
qualify.” - Kevin Devine
“I think we will qualify
from the group, and
possibly push further.”
- Kim O’Leary
Stapleton at Work with Boxing Promoter Eddie Hearn

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BCFE Bulletin Edition 2 PDF (Final)