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University Observer •

Editorial - Thirty Flirty and Thriving

By the time you are reading this, it will have been a year since we first got the news that we got this job.

It feels like a lifetime ago and simultaneously, like yesterday.

We knew this year would fly by. But damn, was it quick.

The highs; the lows; the unprompted giggle fits; the sleepless nights. The pride of seeing our work with our own eyes; touching it with our own hands.

It surely was an incredibly eventful year that we will cherish forever.
University Observer •

UCDSU and UCD BDS Lead Palestinian Demonstration into the Tierney Building

UCDSU and UCD BDS led protestors inside the Tierney Building to denounce the university and Prof. Orla Feely’s “cowardly” position amid Israel’s war on Gaza.

UCDSU and UCD BDS led protestors inside the Tierney Building to denounce the university and Prof. Orla Feely’s “cowardly” position amid Israel’s war on Gaza.

The congregation gathered accross the James Joyce Library near the Main Lake and heard several speakers from the UCD Students’ Union and UCD Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
University Observer •

“Nancy Pelosi is a War Criminal” : UCDSU and UCD BDS Protest Nancy Pelosi's Visit to UCD

UCD BDS and UCDSU are currently protesting Ex-White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s presence in UCD.

On Monday, 22nd April, University College Dublin Students’ Union and the UCD division of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement joined forces to protest the visit of the former speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

Ex-speaker to the White House Mrs. Pelosi was awarded an honorary degree from UCD and will receive a Sutherland Leadership Award during a Gala
University Observer •

OTwo Featured Interview: Julian Huxwell, Creator of Fìor Clothing

Julian Huxwell, second-year Food Science student and creative mind behind Fìor Clothing, talks to Editor Tessa Ndjonkou about how he came to realise that clothing does speak and one man’s past can be another’s future.

Sat front-row at UCD’s second sustainable fashion show, my friends and I try not to whoop so we don’t get recorded on The University Observer Instagram. Unfortunately, we fail miserably because we’ve just seen some of the most exquisite clothing from the day.
University Observer •

Mourning What Never Was: Situationships in Literature

Tessa Ndjonkou has lived through a fair share of (literature) situationships and questions why readers - herself included - keep coming back for more.

I’ve asked myself this question countless times. How do you mourn what never was? How do you tie off the loose end while they’re trying to strangle you?

I’ve used literature as a roadmap for most of my life, but when it came to the charged question of situationships, I was coming up empty.
University Observer •

Cillian Murphy: The Man, The Myth, The Academy Award Winner

Tessa Ndjonkou is obsessed with Cillian Murphy. So is everyone else, and for good reason.

“I just saw him!”, my flatmate screamed as she wrenched the kitchen door open.

Still panting from her run and eyes glazed, she struggled to catch her breath and pointed frantically at the door. I followed her gaze and saw that no one was there.

“Girl, who?”, I asked. She gulped, took a shaky breath, and said “Cillian Murphy. I ran from Monkstown to tell you”.

A beat.
University Observer •

All My Friends is gone. Now what?

Beloved LGBTQ-friendly Liberties Bar All My Friends took its final bow last month and Editor Tessa Ndjonkou is left to wonder what’s next.

Nestled in the meander of The Liberties, All My Friends used to be a beacon for queer people to reunite, socialize and promote their various artists endeavors. Now after two short years, it’s gone leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

In an Instagram post addressed to its nine thousand followers, the small business said: “It is with a heavy heart that we have
University Observer •

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Queer Travel From Abidjan to New York City

Editor Tessa Ndjonkou has been fortunate enough to travel far and wide, but all of her identities have not always traveled with her.

Silence befalls the table, silverware clinks and no one speaks. We all know the question is far from innocent and is just a means to an end. We have an expression in France that sums up this kind of rhetoric succinctly: “Prêcher le faux pour savoir le vrai” which directly translates to “To preach [something] false to gain access to the truth”.

I inhale and lock e
University Observer •

“To me it comes as a package deal”: Being an Openly LGBTQ+ Sabbatical Officer

Co-Editors Tessa Ndjonkou and Ilaria Riccio sit down with Sabbatical Officers Miranda Bauer, Martha Ní Riada and Jill Nelis about the importance of being openly queer while in office.

Since its establishment in Belfield in 1960, University College Dublin has become an increasingly inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ staff and students. This accomplishment is certainly facilitated by the fact that public figures within the college open about their belonging to the queer community. Case in point wit
University Observer •

What Moving to Ireland Has Taught Me About Road Safety

Editor Tessa Ndjonkou moved to Ireland nearly two years ago and never looked back. Except when she crosses the street.

Look right, left, then right again. One foot in front of the other and onto the road. I’ve done it a thousand times before. It’s a dance so natural I hardly have to think about it. Until I did. I moved to Ireland on September 10th, 2022 and I’ve had to relearn everything I used to know about road safety as a pedestrian.

While moving to a country where people drive on the left-
University Observer •

Leo Varadkar steps down as Fine Gael Party Leader and Taoiseach

Fine Gael Party Leader and Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has presented his resignation today March 20th at 12pm.

Fine Gael Party Leader and Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has presented his resignation today March 20th at noon.

The announcement comes shortly after his return from Washington D.C where he attended the traditional White House St. Patrick’s Day celebration with United States President Joe Biden.

The customary trip was particularly contentious this year given the historically pro-Palestinian st
University Observer •

UCDSU and UCD BDS Lead Palestinian Demonstration into the Tierney Building

UCDSU and UCD BDS led protestors inside the Tierney Building to denounce the university and Prof. Orla Feely’s “cowardly” position amid Israel’s war on Gaza.

UCDSU and UCD BDS led protestors inside the Tierney Building to denounce the university and Prof. Orla Feely’s “cowardly” position amid Israel’s war on Gaza.

The congregation gathered across the James Joyce Library near the Main Lake and heard several speakers from the UCD Students’ Union and UCD Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. The cr
Oxygen.ie •

The Long Overdue Free Contraception Scheme

On Wednesday the 14th of September, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly introduced a new service for women and people with uteruses between the ages of 17 to 25 residing in Ireland. This service allows them to gain access to contraceptive care and consultations free of charge. The new service is part of the government’s Women’s Health Action Plan for 2022 and 2023 meant to improve all areas of women’s healthcare to strive toward gender equality. However, on September 28th, only two weeks a
Oxygen.ie •

What lies beyond the Kim-Kraze?

In the era of reality television and social media, the posterity of a person’s fame is directly correlated to how viral (understand shocking, entertaining, and therefore shareable) their content is. Since her infamous 2014 photoshoot for Paper Magazine, Kim Kardashian and the rest of the Kardashian clan have made a habit of breaking the internet and dominating discourse. With pregnancy announcements, global brand partnerships, 17-minute private jet flights, and cheating scandals, the Kardashians
Oxygen.ie •

Hey, Gossip Girl Reboot, You Good?

Adapting a beloved piece of culture with a large following, less than a decade after its last episode premiered is inevitably going to raise a few eyebrows. The producers, directors and cast of the show are most likely not going to be given the benefit of the doubt and will constantly be measured up to their predecessors. After diving headfirst into the pop-culture pool HBO’s reboot of The CW’s hit teen television drama Gossip Girl, helmed by Joshua Safran (an executive producer on the first ser
University Observer •

Celebrity, Influence and the Rise of “Concert Activism”

Isabella Ambrosio and Tessa Ndjonkou examine how and to what effect activism is added to live performances.

Celebrity culture has given us many things: parasocial relationships, inexhaustible gossip fuel and finally, live protest music. Slotting in tidbits of political discourse during live performances is common practice for a growing number of performers. But while past manifestations of this were not always met positively and could sign the end of one’s career or favor in the public eye (see
University Observer •

OTwo Reviews: YUNGBLUD Live at The Button Factory

Tessa Ndjonkou reveals what went down during YUNGBLUD’s latest concert in Dublin

6 pm. The doors open for YUNGBLUD’s first venue in his International As F**k tour to promote his third studio album, YUNGBLUD. Although the self-titled album remains largely biographical, it never fails to address the societal issues that also impact his fanbase, largely made up of teenagers and young adults.

I look down at my phone as the hour reaches seven o’clock. The stage lights pulse: blue, then pink, then p
University Observer •

Xenogenesis: A journey into the anthropocene

Tessa Ndjonkou details how London-based art collective The Otolith Group shakes up IMMA with a retrospective of their work on what it means to be human, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Since its inauguration in 1991, IMMA, the Irish Museum of Modern Art has been a safe place for contemporary artists to break boundaries and redefine what it means to make art. However, every few years or so comes a body of work that is so irreverent and all-encompassing that it has the ability to stop one in their
University Observer •

UCD DJ and MUSIC SOC’s “NIGHT OUT” was the best refreshers event you missed

The collaboration between UCD DJ, UCD Music society, Arts and Humanities and Social Science society, Belfield FM and UCD TV birthed the best off-campus refreshers night with plenty of fresh talent to spare

No, really. It was. My friends and I arrived thirty minutes past midnight and as we walked up the dark steps into the main room and the smoke curled around our ankles, I realized arriving fashionably late had been a mistake. Rock band DEPOINT, Heavy/Alternative/Post-Punk 4-piece PETRICHOR and
University Observer •

Three’s A Crowd: A history of on screen polyamory

Tessa Ndjonkou questions the lack of polyamory representation on-screen and how recent offerings miss the mark on what ‘free love’ might really look like.

The weeks that follow Valentine’s Day are as good a time as any to reflect on love, its ramifications and representations. As you scour through your streaming service of choice in search of the perfect romantic comedy you’ll notice they tend to follow the same pattern, and that the common denominator between them all is monogamy. In The 1995
University Observer •

I Swear We’ve Met Before

Tessa Ndjonkou sits down with Professor John P. Davis from Greenwich University to tackle the phenomenon of super-recognisers.

A new algorithm to improve recognition, processing, and tracing is being developed daily. But before being programmed and coded into artificial intelligence and your smartphone, facial recognition was an inherently human skill, and like all human abilities, it sits on a spectrum. At the lowest end of this spectrum, you will find prosopagnosics or “face blind” people who
University Observer •

Black History Month: The Movies and shows that made us proud

In the aftermath of Black History Month, Tessa Ndjonkou presents movies that empowered her and some of the black voices that are changing how race in Ireland is addressed.

As Black History Month draws to a close and cinemas everywhere prepare for the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it seems like the right moment to assemble movies and TV shows that empowered me and some of the influential black voices in Ireland today.

I remember exactly how I felt when the credits for Black Panther
University Observer •

Blockbusted: The Fall of Escapism

Is the blockbuster as we know it…well, busted? Tessa Ndjonkou considers if the traditional playing grounds for box-office success is an entirely new ballgame.

Loyal to American film tradition, this year’s summer box-office was supported by long-awaited mega productions like Thor: Love and Thunder by Taika Waititi, Bullet Train by David Leitch and Top Gun: Maverick by Joseph Kosinksi, to name only a few.

Their release sparked conflicting reactions from audiences and seemed to reveal a growing t
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