Most Viewed Articles of 2016

As the calendar year winds down, and we finish up work until January, it's time to look back on 2016 and see what you, the reader, checked out most this year on UCCExpress.ie. The articles are ranked by page views.A special thanks goes out to all the writers, contributors and staff members who helped with the Express in 2016, including the 2015/16 staff, 2016/17 staff, Kieran Hurley of UCC 98.3fm and Evan Smith, our webmaster/online editor, who has put a lot of Trojan work & effort into this website over the last few months.

5. Acceptable in 2016 - An Interview with Jay Hunter of OSW Review, by Jonathan Soltan

Originally published in Issue Three of Volume 20 of the UCC Express, and on UCCExpress.ie on October 24th.I don’t think it would come as a surprise to any of you if I described professional wrestling as a niche subject. Finding an audience for a podcast about old WWF pay-per-views, therefore, would seem nigh impossible, but that’s exactly what three lads from Dublin did when they started OSW (Old School Wrestling) Review. The show features our three hosts: Jay Hunter, Steve (V1) and Steve (Mr. OOC) highlighting the dizzying highs of Hulkamania, the terrifying bottomless pit of lows that was Russo-era WCW, and even some hardcore creamy middle action in ECW. After many years of simply doing the show for fun, the lads have finally managed to earn a few quid by starting a Patreon campaign that seems to have the momentum of a runaway freight train. I managed to get in contact with the 2013 ‘Golden Nogger’ Award winning Best Host himself, Jay Hunter, to ask him about the genesis of the show, his thoughts on current wresting and where he sees the show going in the future.To read the full article, click this link.

4. The Old Bar is Being Closed, and We Shouldn't Care, by Dave Buting*

Originally published on UCCExpress.ie on July 20th. *Article published under a pseudonym.I have always had issues with the Old Bar: from the fact that every event last year seemed to be double booked, to the promise of food being provided at an event there that was guaranteed to fall through. After these minor shortcomings, I won’t lie, it was a grand place. The music was never too loud (though later I found out that was because most of the speakers were broken), and, it carried a more relaxed atmosphere than the New Bar. The one major issue that I just couldn’t get over was its accessibility, or should I say, the lack of accessibility.To read the full article, click this link.

3. The Siege of Jadotville, by Tomás Kiely

Originally published in Issue 2 of Volume 20 of the UCC Express, and on UCCExpress.ie on October 5th.As a small boy growing up in the wilds of West Waterford, I occasionally heard my late father speak of this place in the Congo called ‘Jadotville’. An Irish army unit was surrounded and held out for six nights against a superior force. Sure, I had heard of the Niemba Ambush and massacre (in November 1960, nine Irish soldiers were slaughtered while on patrol serving with 33 Battalion ONUC – Ireland’s first UN fatalities), and I wondered: what was this ‘Jadotville’ thing? In 1997, I was given the book “Tough at the Bottom” by Captain Mick O’Farrell. The final two chapter of Captain O’Farrell’s memoirs were an account of this battle at Jadotville in September 1961. When I finished reading his account, I remember thinking “there should be a film made about this!” Nineteen years later, I get the privilege of covering the Red Carpet event for the Irish Premiere.To read the full article, click this link.

2. Breaking the Fast, by Ciara Dinneen

Originally published in Issue 6 of Volume 20 of the UCC Express, and on UCCExpress.ie on November 29th.They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.For a time, it was my only meal of the day.For a time, it was the only thing keeping me alive.But eventually, of even that I deprived myself.It is difficult to explain what it is like to go through something, knowing it is an impossible thing to understand having not gone through it. I didn’t understand until it was over, until after I got better. I feel as though Eating Disorders are often misperceived as something one, in a way, decides to have; as if one day that person wakes up and decides “you know what, I’m kind of sick of eating and want to be super thin, so I’m going to be anorexic from now on.” This is a misconception, and a dangerous misunderstanding. You don’t wake up one day and decide you’re going to starve yourself. It’s not something you choose; the eating disorder chooses you. The illness happens to you. It haunts you; develops from deep within you, growing slowly and malevolently inside until it takes over completely and you’re helpless to stop it. It isn’t your fault. A mental illness is exactly that: an illness, and it is not something that can be fixed by a good pep talk or simple change of perspective. It takes time; infinite time, constant effort and consistent determination.To read the full article, click this link.

1. UCC Old Bar to Close, by Rob O'Sullivan

Originally published on UCCExpress.ie on July 19th.It was revealed today in a press release from UCC Students’ Union that University College Cork has decided to close its Old Bar.The Old College Bar, located between the Boole Basement & the Kane Building, which has been in operation for over thirty years, has been closed by the University Management Team Operations (UMTO). The decision to close the Old Bar has been met with opposition from the ‘Student Life’ organisations on campus, with the Presidents of the Societies Guild, Clubs Executive and Students Union writing a letter to UCC President Michael Murphy.To read the full article, click this link.If you would like to submit to UCCExpress.ie, the UCC Express or Byline in 2017 (or even in the remainder of 2016) you can email me on Editor@UCCExpress.ie or submit an article through our online submission portal.