I am officially a published writer in a newspaper! Eek. The first issue of An Focal for semester two came out today. I was hugely excited let me tell you. Two weeks of solid work had come to this. I refused to look at the pdfs before hand. I wanted it all to be a surprise, despite having meticulously read and edited each piece. But let's go back to the beginning. How in the name of God did I get here?



I started co op in the SU in UL on the 13th of Sept . I wasn’t nervous until the morning I started. I woke up with large butteflies in my stomach and nervous 'ol me was like "Oh dear, why I have done this?" It truly felt like starting a new school for the first time. I live literally a fifteen minute walk into the college, so bringing my bike to Limerick made the journey even shorter.

My first day was spent being inducted into the position of someone working for the Students' Union. We were shown around the SU, the canteens, all the offices. Places that a regular student would not have access too which was really exciting. I discovered people I knew already had also gained positions in the SU which delighted me. 

I actually had an idea of what I was going into as Deputy-Editor of An Focal. I write for a number of different publications already, ranging from this blog to a website aimed at college students (Campus.ie). I am a self-confessed writer, I spend a lot of my time screenshotting and saving pieces of writing that I find while reading books, newpapers and reading things alone. Words hold so much power so I was very excited for this opportunity.



I pride myself on having good spelling and grammar so I knew that would benefit me going into this position. Something I was really looking forward to was actually getting to read other people's work, seeing their passions and getting to put their words into print. 

I was worried that going into the position that I wouldn't have any ideas. Sometimes as a blogger and writer I find myself lying in bed at night, wracking my brain for some inspiration. I can usually cure this with some music. I always find the best writing comes from you when you're emotional. 

Flash forward to being in the position and I know that I have learned so much already. While I have a lot of writing under my belt, I had some much to learn in terms of structuring writing to suit a newspaper. I realised my having studied Media Law had not gone to waste as I had to phrase emails under different acts and ask for FOIs (Freedom of Information). Writing for a newspaper, even a student one entails formalities and technicalities but also lot of fun.



One of the huge perks is getting on with your co-worker. The editor of An Focal Tomás Heneghan already writes for his own blog, various newspapers and I admire his strong interest in politics, something I really lack. We can joke and laugh together which suits me right down to the ground. I feel really comfortable in the office with him, Killian and Aidan.
I personally don't understand why you wouldn't be excited about submitting work to An Focal or any of your university newspaper. Firstly it'll look great on your CV, you're contributing to your own college and it's something you can hold in your hands, keep forever and be very proud of. I personally am calling on people to send in their best instagrams of UL. I joined Instagram about nine months ago and quickly realised that for me it was not about likes it was about taking really pretty photographs. But we do pride ourselves on getting nice photos for the paper. We do our best to include writing and photos of the highest quality.



If you click the links below they will take you to our social medias and believe me we really do appreciate every like, share and follow!

On Friday, our filmmaking society held its first ever event, a lock-in. A lock-in is where you are locked into a place overnight and you generally cannot leave. We planned to watch as many films as possible during this time.You wouldn't believe how much work went into planning it. I've so many people to thank, but I'll save that for this post's conclusion.

I've been back to college just over a month now and I thought I'd fill you in on the things I've learned so far. It's been a wild ride so far. I can't say for certain that I've been overwhelming happy for most of the last few weeks but I've definitely attempted to take myself out of my comfort zone.

I've realized even more so this year how much of a community UL actually is. In times of loss, (So far this year two second years have unfortunately passed away), in times of celebration (Fresher's week, football and rugby matches and at International night). I remind myself all the time how proud and honoured I am to be attending such an amazing university filled with beautiful, intelligent, funny and creative people. Despite feeling alienated here at times, I wouldn't want to move to a different college when I really think about it. I've compiled a list of sorts, detailing a few things I've learned so far this semester.

I actually wrote a post about my fears of going into first year and a diary of my first week in college. Of course, I was very excited about this new experience to come, but as a naturally very shy person I was freaking out at the thought of being around so many strangers. Going into a new course basically alone was a huge deal for me. Back home I had a few very close friends and heading into the unknown scared me.

Co. Limerick has been my home from September to December of 2014. I'm living there because I go to college in the University of Limerick.  The last few months have been an eye-opener and I think that more than ever that you shouldn’t believe everything you read or hear. Especially when it comes to the Irish media's portrayal of Limerick.

I will put up my hand and say that because of living in Leinster and only ever hearing about Limerick through the news in a negative light, I wasn't expecting much. I was expecting a derelict and decaying city. Of course, some parts of it are, but that's the case with many cities here in Ireland.
However, I was not expecting to see as much cultural heritage and art.

There are so many murals dotted around the city.

First of all, Limerick is home to many art galleries and museums. I have visited the Hunt Museum and Limerick City Gallery of Art and I was more than impressed. One thing, in particular, I like about the art gallery is that it’s never the same each time you visit, new artwork is added, new exhibitions come and go and this keeps the place fresh and exciting. I never knew that Limerick was home to so many talented artists. During my time in Limerick I've gone out in the city so many times that I've lost count, visiting places such as Dolan's Warehouse, Crush 87, Mollie's, Charlie Chaplin’s and I've found that Limerick's nightlife is drastically improving. I'm well used to Limerick at night, I go out at least once a week, in college it is a rite of passage almost! Dolan’s Warehouse is a great place for musicians and also a great place to hold events such as DIE. I love rummaging through O' Mahoney's bookshop to find a good magazine or book. Or taking a trip with my friends to Moody Cow for delicious milkshakes. We have our priorities! I'm preparing to go back for my second semester in UL and I couldn't be more excited. The last six weeks of Christmas holidays have been slow, boring and almost torturous in a way. I never thought I’d say it.


My favourite place to walk in the city is by the Docks, be it late at night where the lights of the city reflect on the water or during the day where you can see hundreds upon hundreds of different birds flying around. The air is really fresh around that area and on more than one occasion I’ve walked along the docks while the sun has been setting. Let me tell you that the sight of the honey coloured sun’s rays reflecting on the rippling water is a gorgeous sight. If you lean against the railings of the docks and look to your left you can where the river Shannon begins to widen and it’s breathtaking. To your right, you can see King John’s Castle. I’ve yet to visit it but it’s on my bucket list for this semester. On Saturday there are markets in the city and if you root around you can find little gems, you just have to know where to look.

You can also find so many sculpture pieces, especially along the Docks

The people of Limerick have been given a mostly negative image by the national media. I feel outraged when I hear this now because I've come across nothing but kindness in Limerick. I remember going into a butcher's in Limerick completely lost and the workers there went out of their way to make sure I could find and get to where I wanted to go. Not to mention the banter I've had with people on my treks through the city.

Take for example the campaign that a young Limerick school girl has started to “Light Up Limerick’s Bridges”. The aim is to put messages of hope and support on all three bridges in Limerick with the hope that it will give support and solace to anyone who is struggling or suicidal. It’s things like this that make me proud of Limerick. There's even a petition related to the cause being signed and it is gaining signatures daily.

No one can say that I'm being biased. I'm an outsider, I'm from the opposite side of the country. But I can still use the hashtag, #Limerickandproud because I'm living in Limerick, and I am proud of it. I want the city and county to continue improving. I'm still so surprised by how much I've taken to the place. I never thought I'd get used to it, but I have and I'm starting to get a proper feel of the place.

The negativity was largely unjustified.

Of course, there's room to improve and I think that Limerick Co Council and the people of Limerick are more than motivated and capable of coming up with new ways to improve and expand Limerick's attractions. I just think that the negativity it’s gotten in recent weeks is completely undeserved and almost crushes the positive change that has been occurring for a while. People took to Twitter and started tweeting their support of their city and also included lovely photos of the many positive things
around the city and county. I even had my own say on the matter. Through this campaign, I've discovered even more sights that I had not previously heard about. I thought I had explored all of Limerick during the last few months but it turns out that I haven't and I'm looking forward to discovering other aspects of the city. I’m looking forward to living here for the next three and half years.

Thanks for reading and I can't wait to get back to UL and see all my friends.

This particular mural was striking.

This cheeky little bird kept watching my friends and I and tilting its head to the side.

Just one of the beautiful views along the Docks.

The three Musketeers.

We happened upon this mural by chance!

As you can see, I love the Limerick Docks.

The University of Limerick is now a home away from home. Honestly.
I never ever thought I’d think of UL like that going into it. Not in a million years. I thought it’d be counting down the days feverishly until Friday came. It turned out to be the complete opposite. If you read my previous blog posts you’ll know that I was eighty percent dreading going to college because I thought that I wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone. I was so wrong!

Right now as I type I miss college. I’m so relieved I’m heading back tomorrow. I miss my new friends, the three girls I’ve met are so so lovely and if I didn’t have them I’d be lost.  I know my way around the college now , another aspect of going to college I thought I wouldn’t grasp. I can get to wherever I want to go so easily, in the beginning I gave myself an hour to find where I was going for my labs and tutorials. Now I’m fine.

My housemates are all lovely. The fact that I can say that truthfully is amazing. Every single one of them are friendly, I’ve had no trouble with any of them. We all get on and I’m really happy with the way things turned out. I’m guessing I’ll be really sad when we all leave each other at the end of the year. I’m so grateful for them for being so welcoming. My shyness with them has completely vanished.

Something I’ve noticed about college is that the people are completely different to secondary school students. College students are a lot more friendly, they are more open. I like that because I feel comfortable enough that I can approach these people. I’m still really shy with people I don’t know though and I want to combat that because I feel like it’s getting in the way of friendships and other relationships. So step by step I’m going to try be little more adventurous, a little braver and to step even more out of my comfort zone. I say that now with butterflies in my stomach.
But I feel that if I don’t I’ll regret it.

I want to explore Limerick city more. I’ve been there three times now and each time has been different. More than once I have been in the city while it was raining. I hope to get a few photos and post them here so you can see the city too. My friend Pamela introduced us to these amazing milkshakes called Moody Cow and they are heaven. Every time we go to the city we go and get them. If you’re in Limerick city I recommend popping in there. It takes all of two to three minutes for the workers there to whip up these unreal milkshakes. Try the Oreo one, the Wispa one or the Twirl. There are SO many options. Do it, it’s worth it.

Lately I’ve been obsessed with freckles. Freckles of all things?! Nothing annoys me more when I see a girl covering her face up with foundation when she’s got beautiful freckles. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with freckles on guys too. There’s this person I’ve been seeing around lately and they've got the most beautiful freckles. They make a person's face really come to life.

Thanks for still reading even though I’m not very active, I checked my stats and was pleasantly surprised!

Have any of you started college this year, or a new school?
People have been so great to me, coming forward with so much support and advice. I'm so happy with my choice of college, course and my attitude to college is so positive. I'm really really happy.

What a world wind the past two weeks have been. Just over a week ago I received my Leaving Cert results (state exams in Ireland that get you into college), and a week since I was accepted to my first choice of college! Some details: I’m going to be studying New Media and English in the University of Limerick. This is exciting as this particular college is one of the most modern in Ireland. There are lots of of cool societies to join. For me it’ll be the badminton one, the drama one and I want to try and set up a filmmaking one since there isn’t one. Getting very ambitious aren’t I?
I guess it’s something I really want to do and since I haven’t had many opportunities to do it at home I am going to try introduce it to the college. Fingers crossed it’ll work out.

This college has over 70 clubs and societies to join. It is one of the biggest campuses in Ireland. It’s scary! I went up there on August 24th to get a tour of my accommodation in Dromroe. Dromroe is a good place to live because we are situated near the main building, we have a Spar (food shop) next door to our apartment block. We got a tour of the Sports facilities, the main Foundation building. There is a 50m swimming pool, and indoor running track, indoor football pitches and at least two stadiums. It’s incredible! The main feeling I got from the whole college was that it was so massive and that everything was so modern. When I heard that there are on average 12,000 students involved with the college in any year I felt butterflies in my stomach. That’s a hell of a lot of people for someone coming from a primary school of about 100 to a secondary of about 400 people.

I will be living with five other people, two other girls and three boys and it is likely I will never have met these people before. That’s getting me a little bit nervous as I’m not usually great with talking to strangers, let alone living with them for the whole year! Of course I’m sure that I’ll get to know them after a couple of weeks, but before I meet them and when I’m left alone at the place when my parents go I know I’m going to be nervous. ARGH. I know I’m going to be terrified.
I’m scared that I won’t find my way around, that I’ll be late to my first lecture, that I’ll be too shy to talk to anyone. Fears. Fears. Fears.

Just the thought of leaving home scares me. The longest I’ve spent away from home was two weeks and that was four years ago. This is like moving away from my house, from my county to a completely different place two and half hours away. I’m worried that I’ll lose people I’ve been friendly with in Greenhill for the past six years because we’re dispersed all over the country. Obviously we’ll meet up but I’m scared we’ll lose touch and I don’t want that to happen. I’ll miss secondary school, god I’ll miss sitting in maths class among my friends in my comfort zone. I'll miss little banters at lunch time in the GPA. I hate the fact that we'll never be together as a proper group ever again after the Debs. Unless we organize something.

College is going to be a great experience, I know that and I am probably over thinking the whole thing. Positives are there are a few people from my year doing the same course as me which is great, going to college will make me a more independent and hopefully a more confident person. I’ll make new friends, learn new things, explore new places. I got a massive package from UL talking about fees, invoices, the consequences if I or any of my house mates break stuff in the house. Apparently if you break a plastic basin there’s a cost of €7.50? If one person goes over the heating quota, every single person in the house has to pay for it. So many rules to remember, so many things to bring with me, passport, PPS number. Am I suddenly turning into a proper adult over night?!?

I'm sorry if this post is a little depressing. Haha I'm just writing this in the hopes that someone out there can help calm me down!

I hope to write about my first week in college so please stayed tuned for that!

Have you any tips for surviving the first week of college?