The exhibition represents the culmination of innovative work by final year Fine Art students, and, for the first time, a selection of the works will transfer to the Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Manorhamilton for a June 14^th- 20^th showcase.

“This is an exciting new development and the first step on what we hope will be an enduring relationship between IT Sligo and the Leitrim Sculpture Centre,” said Louis McManus Lecturer in History/Theory of Art and Design, at IT Sligo.

Always popular and though-provoking, the annual end-of-year Degree Show reflects a wide range of approaches to contemporary visual and material culture through the exploration of different media including painting, ceramics, printmaking and digital media.

“As a mature student in my home town it is truly fantastic to have reached my final goal of a Degree in Fine Art,” says one of the exhibitors, Helen Devaney, from Strandhill, Co Sligo. “I thoroughly recommend this degree course to anyone who is interested in the art world, and who is prepared to work very hard indeed.”

Louise Curran, from Beltra, Co. Sligo, who is also exhibiting, says: “To select the best artwork from a body of work is a difficult task. Take sentimental reasons, for example, — an artwork which has special meaning or memories may influence my decision. Learning to curate a cohesive exhibition is an important part of the college’s programme. Already the show is shaping up to be a good one, one which I’m sure the public will enjoy.”

IT Sligo has both a BA Fine Art (Level 7) course and a Level 8 add-on course, which offers graduates the opportunity to learn all the key skills required to work as a professional in the creative sector and to progress to Masters and PhD levels. For more information, click here.

Caption for photo above: Invite to the 2013 Fine Art Exhibition, with final year student Marion Conboy’s piece as backgroud.

A work by Helen Devaney in the 2013 Graduate Art Exhibition.

A creative image by Louise Curran, also showing at the Exhibition.

The 2013 bursary was awarded to Diarmuid Ó Flaherty from Sligo, a final year student of the Institute’s Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Performing Arts course who will take up his Yeats Design Residency at the Abbey Theatre in September.

This year, as part of their course, the students were asked by the Abbey Theatre’s Technical Director, Gavin Harding to create set and costume designs for productions of Shakespeare’s King Lear on the Abbey stage and for The Tales of Ballycumber by Sebastian Barry for the Factory Performance Space in Sligo.  Similar to professional set designers, they were required to work within a design brief, budget and timeline as part of the project. The eight students shortlisted for the 2013 Yeats Design Residency exhibited their designs in the Abbey Theatre at a reception today to announce the bursary.

At the award ceremony, Fiach Mac Conghail, Director of the Abbey Theatre said:  “I am delighted to support this innovative partnership.  We need more Irish trained theatre designers for work in Ireland.  Our partnership with IT Sligo is a great step forward.”

Speaking about his design for King Lear, Diarmuid Ó Flaherty said:  “I wanted to capture the cold harshness of the world which Lear himself created.  I predicted what our world might feel like post civilisation so as to convey ambiguity in location and time for the audience to think about.”  Diarmuid was inspired by painters such as Francis Bacon, Brett Amory and Edward Hopper in their use of light and colour. 

The Yeats Design Residency is a 6 months internship at the Abbey Theatre.  Students learn how world-class theatre directors, designers, technical and production staff at the Abbey Theatre collaborate. They acquire at first hand an understanding of how set design is incorporated into the process of creating a production. During the Yeats Design Residency staff in the Abbey Theatre’s production department participate in student assessments and in the final year presentation process.

In attendance at the Abbey Theatre today was Frank Conway who lectures on the IT Sligo Performing Arts programme and is a former head of design at the Abbey Theatre.  Speaking about Diarmuid Ó Flaherty, he said:  “Throughout the four years of the Performing Arts Theatre Design course, Diarmuid has shown a unique flair, passion and instinct for theatre design.  He created intriguing designs for his two final year projects, King Lear for the Abbey stage and Tales of Ballycumber for the Factory Performance Space in Sligo.  I hope his talents will be recognised and developed in the performing arts and creative media in Ireland.”

Adding her congratulations, IT Sligo President, Professor Terri Scott, said: “We are enormously proud of our collaboration with the Abbey Theatre. Not only does this award add a fresh modern dimension to the links that W.B. Yeats had with both the Abbey and Sligo, it also provides an unrivalled opportunity for contemporary hands-on learning with a theatre that is respected the world over.”

The first recipient of the Yeats Design Residency at the Abbey Theatre was Lydia Concannon from Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, an IT Sligo Performing Arts graduate:  “The Yeats design residency allowed me to experience the working world of theatre in a way that most graduates only dream of. My education at  IT Sligo taught me a lot about theatre.  However, the first hand experiences that I was part of at the Abbey Theatre have been invaluable to me, starting out as a young Irish designer .”

Design has always been an integral part of theatre making at the Abbey Theatre since its foundation by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1904.  Mr. Yeats’ fascination with “players and the painted stage” drove his desire to create a National Theatre for Ireland.  As a poet with a choreographer’s eye, he embraced the influences of Japanese Noh theatre and collaborated with leading European stage innovators of his day such as Edward Gordon Craig.  His own daughter Anne Yeats was a resident set designer at the Abbey Theatre from 1938-1948.

The BA (Hons) in Performing Arts at IT Sligo is the only full-time, degree programme which specialises in theatre design in Ireland.  It has been running since 2006.

Click here for more information on Performing Art Courses at IT Sligo.

Caption for top photo : IT Sligo Performing Arts undergraduate Diarmuid Ó Flaherty, with one of his model set designs, at the Abbey Theatre today where he was awarded the 2013 Yeats Design Residency.

Caption for bottom photo: Front (left to right): Ceola McGowan, Diarmuid Ó Flaherty, Laura Dillon. Middle (left to right): Laura Brennan, Mary Cushen. Back Row (left to right):  Kieran Ducker, Darren McGranaghan and Peter Sinclair.

That’s the clear message from a range of intricate and innovative ‘design and build’ projects that Mechanical Engineering students have been showcasing at the Institute of Technology as part of their final year degree studies.

Renewable energy is an unmistakable theme in them. And, like many of her classmates, undergraduate Aoife Hegarty is looking forward to working in the sector.

‘After graduation, I would like a career in ocean energy’, says Aoife, who is from Mullaghmore, Co Sligo.

Twenty-three students, working in seven teams, designed, built and tested innovative machines and products – some of which may be further researched and turned into commercial products in the future.

The exhibits included a pioneering Wave Energy Converter, a Compactor which makes briquettes from waste paper, and a Portable Power System which utilises the combined benefits of a wind and solar energy. 

One group designed and built an industrial standard CNC Plasma Cutter, for use in metal fabrication industries, at a fraction of the price of those currently commercial available.  Another team automated the assembly and testing of a car light bulb unit.

Two hydraulically operated projects were built, one which solves a problem encountered when trying to repair tractor PTO shafts, along with a very efficient, large scale Log Splitter.

Undergraduates Stephen Gibbons, David Healy and Aoife Hegarty worked on the Wave Energy Convertor project.

Aoife says: ‘There is quite an amount of research going on at the moment into wave energy because of the need for renewable energy resources. After all, we have the ‘raw material’ here in abundance – our whole west coast lends itself to wave energy possibilities.’

All students said that, in addition to the opportunity to put into practice skills they had acquired at IT Sligo, each had seen in action the key workplace importance of strategically managing projects and working together as a team.

Lecturer Michael Moffatt, who chairs the Mechanical Engineering programme at IT Sligo, says: ‘On their course here, the students study design, analysis, materials and mechanical systems, while also undertaking a significant amount of practical project work.  These applied projects are essential elements that ensure our graduates are equipped with the core skills required in modern advanced engineering companies in industry.’

‘In each of the past three years, students from the Mechanical Programme at IT Sligo have been finalists in the Engineers Ireland ‘Innovative Student Engineer Awards’ competition, based on final year projects, and won the competition outright in 2010.’

‘The class of 2013 has certainly lived up to the high standards set in previous years with the high calibre projects on display at this year’s Showcase.’

Caption for photo above: 

Pulp Compactor: Declan Davey, Ballymote Co. Sligo; David Callanan, Sligo; Alan Cawley, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo; David Duffy, Sligo.

Photos of all other teams below:

Bulb Assembly & Test Device: Owen McGinley, Glencolmcille Co. Donegal; Cathal Philbin, Barnatra Co. Mayo; Courage Okundia, Sligo and Joey Tuffy, Enniscrone Co. Sligo.	Portable Power System: Peter Conlon, Woodtown Lodge, Sligo; Colm Byrne, Tuam, Co. Galway; David Dolan, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway; Robert Cregg, Ballinlough, Co. Roscommon.
Wave Energy Converter: Stephen Gibbons, Claremorris, Co. Mayo; Aoife Hegarty, Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo; David Healy, Templeboy, Co. Sligo.	CNC Plasma Cutter: Conrad Sullivan, Shercock, Co. Cavan; Christian McLeod, Grange Co. Sligo; Patrick Lawrence, Coolaney, Co. Sligo; Niall Rooney, Glencar, Co. Leitrim
Log Splitter: Feargal Coyle, Arva, Co. Cavan; Stephen Kilroy, Ballinagh, Co. Cavan; Shane Gordon, Dromore West, Co.Sligo; Michael Feeney, Easkey, Co. Sligo.	PTO Shaft Splitter: Declan Davey, Ballymote, Co. Sligo; David Callanan, Sligo; Alan Cawley, Ennicrone, Co. Sligo and David Duffy, Sligo.

A marathon cycle ride at IT Sligo has raised more than €800 for three North West mental health charities – and all without an inch being travelled.

People of all ages took part in the indoor “Cycle for Positive Mental Health” - from teenagers to an 85-year-old woman - and the organisers say that “there wasn’t a minute during the entire 12 hour long event when pedals weren’t spinning.”

The project, which was well supported by a host of firms who provided lots of give-aways, clothing, free passes and donations, took place at Hume Hall at the Institute of Technology. 

Friends and families affected by suicide attended and the charities – Living Links Donegal, Stop Suicide and Grasp Life foundation – had stands and counsellors there to answer questions and give out information leaflets.

IT Sligo lecturer Paula Roddy, who teaches a Health Promotion in Practice module to Bachelor of Business in Recreation and Leisure undergraduates who were joint-organisers of the event, said that as well as raising money the aim was to heighten public consciousness that physical activity eases stress and is good for mental health.

“The amount raised so far is €800,” she said. “The money in itself is very important but the real advance has been in raising awareness generally about the charities’ work, getting high-level exposure on Ocean FM about the physical activity/mental health link and the fact that we got people talking about mental health.”

All 10 stationary bikes and six turbo trainers, for those who brought their own bikes, were kept on the go by a steady stream of people, who included IT Sligo students and staff, charity group supporters, general public, and Sligo Rovers players and manager Ian Baraclough also threw their weight behind the project.

The event was an initiative of students in 4th Year Bachelor of Business (Honours) specialising in Sport and Wellness, and Ocean FM. The radio nominated the organisations – and in the run-up to the event broadcast a series of interviews with them which highlighted the services that the three organisations provide.

IT Sligo students involved in sport were also interviewed on the positive effects of physical activity on mental health.

More than 100 second-level students from Sligo and Ballisodare took part in the 10am-10pm event and the Ocean FM team joined in too when their live broadcast had been completed.

Heavy mileage stars of the day included IT Sligo 1st year Recreation and Leisure students, Brendan Fergus, who did 2.5 hours on a bike, Lani Gregory, who cycled for 1.5 hours, while Callum Keavney and Patricia Hughes put in a big effort right up to the 10pm finish.

Caption for photo above: The organisers, Darragh Healy and Thelma Keenan (4th Year BB Health and Wellness students), with lecturer Paula Roddy.

Transition Year students from Sligo Grammar Sligo take a breather.	Mannion and Michael McMahon, 1st year Recreation and Leisure students.
You gotta hand it to them - Cian Ryan and Deirdre Regan, 1st year Recreation and Leisure students.	Transition Year students from Sligo Grammar School put in the miles.

Around 300 second-level students – the brains behind more than 130 exhibits — packed the Knocknarea Arena for the annual scientific showcase.

Schools from Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Donegal and Cavan took part. Numbers of participants and exhibits increase each year as it becomes embedded as a highlight of the scientific school year.

And the quality and diversity of the exhibits at the sixth SciFest@IT Sligo drew warm praise from judges and event organisers.

MacDara Bodeker, Chairperson of Judging Committee who lectures in Life Sciences at IT Sligo, said: ‘SciFest is a great way for the Institute to develop an interest in science with young people in the community. The standard of projects entered in our SciFest competition is consistently high, which gives me great hope for the development of the industry’.

The top prize was won by Eamonn Sweeney of Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone, Co Sligo, with a novel project that explored how CPR (heart massage) could be applied at the correct frequency by using metronomic beats delivered through a mobile phone on loud speaker as a guide. He was awarded the SFI/Discover Science and Engineering Best Project Award.

Runners-up, who won the Abbot Award for their study of granular materials, were Nathan Cook, Kelvin Connell and Francis McElroy, from Castlerea Community School, Co Roscommon.

The Intel Award for the Best Physical Science or Technology project went to Chloe Sweeney, Emma O’Beirne and Aisling Sweeney of Abbey Community College, Boyle, Co Roscommon, who investigated how the volume of water in a rocket affects the distance it can travel.

Darren Finnerty and Niall Caden from St Tiernan’s College, Crossmolina, Co Mayo, won the IT Sligo Business Innovation Award for a project about factors that affect hens hatching eggs.

SciFest is an all-inclusive, all-island science competition in which second-level students showcase science, technology and maths projects at a series of one day science fairs held in the 14 regional Institutes of Technology and the University of Ulster, Magee Campus, Derry.

The winners from each science fair go on to compete at the national SciFest final competition in November. The SciFest programme is primarily sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) Discover Science & Engineering Programme and Intel Ireland. It is also supported by a number of other companies and organisations.

Sheila Porter, SciFest CEO, said; ‘SciFest is a fun and exciting way to encourage an interest in science at school level, providing not only an occasion to celebrate achievement and a job well done but also an opportunity to encourage active and collaborative learning. The rapid increase in participation in the competition is a clear indication of the interest and enthusiasm among students and teachers in the investigative approach to teaching and learning science.’

Run as a ‘mini Young Scientist’ exhibition, its prize categories are mainly based on age group and project type, which includes physical sciences, life sciences and technology.

It is smaller and less formal than the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition but serious scientific quality remains the chief criterion on which each project is judged.

Bill Crowe, a lecturer in Environmental Science at IT Sligo and chief organiser of the North West regional SciFest, says ‘The aim is to encourage a love of science through enquiry-based learning and to give students an opportunity to display their projects and possibly win prizes’.

Jerry Bird, Head of School of Science at IT Sligo, said the Institute is committed to developing the demonstrably innovative scientific skills of the young people of the region.

‘Here at Institute of Technology Sligo, we offer a great diversity of programmes in our School of Science from Level 6 to level 9, ranging from Environmental Science to Pharmaceutical Science, which offer our students excellent career opportunities and further education development’.

For further information go to www.scifest.ie.

Caption for photo above: Eamonn Sweeney from Jesus and Mary Secondary School Enniscrone, Co Sligo with Aoibhean Bird from Science Foundation Ireland. Eamonn won the SFI/ Discover Science and Engineering Best Project Award at SciFest2013@ITSligo with his project ‘Project Investigating the effects of a metronome, delivered by a mobile phone speaker on CPR quality, and attitudes towards delivering CPR in untrained bystanders’.
 

David Carroll, Arron Cribbon and Daithi Kennedy from Roscommon Community College who won the 3rd Prize in the Intermediate Life Science category in the SciFest 2013 competition at IT Sligo with their project ‘A quantitative and qualitative study of the effects of different diets on pheasant chicks’.	Fatima Ahmed, Faiz Raja and Muireann O'Connor from Urusline College Finisklin, Sligo pictured with Sheila Porter, SciFest CEO. Fatima, Faiz and Muireann won the Newstalk Best Communicator Award and 1st Place in the Highly Commended Senior Group Physical Sciences category at SciFest2013@ITSligo with their project 'World Record...... Really?'
Nathan Cook, Kelvin Connell and Francis McElroy pictured fromCastlerea Community School, Castlerea, Co Roscommon with Ross McManus from Abbott. Nathan, Kelvin and Francis won the Abbott Best Runner Up award at SciFest2013@ITSligo with their project 'The study of granular materials'.	Anthony Foley, Ben Owens and Daniel Fay from Breifne College, Cavan who won 1st Prize in the Intermediate Technology category demonstrating their project ‘The Waste Water Electricity Generator’ to Bill Crowe, SciFest coordinator at IT Sligo.

In And All That Jazz, ten 4^th Year Performing Arts undergraduates take to the stage in a variety of familiar hit sequences from shows such as Cabaret, Chorus Line, The Producers, Mamma Mia and Chicago, and many others.

“There’s high-kicking dance numbers and show-stopping solo pieces from musicals that are crowd-pullers the world over,” says Director Agnes Pallai, who lectures in Performing Arts at IT Sligo.

The show is choreographed by Sligo dancer, Killian Oates, and the musical director is the popular Sligo musician, Kieran Quinn.

Agnes says: “It’s a great opportunity for our friends and colleagues in the wider community and also in IT Sligo to see in action the talent that we have here in Performing Arts.

“For the students, this is their end-of-year practical exam in Acting but it is more than that to them. It is their opportunity to look the audience straight in the eye and communicate with verve and fun the skills they have honed through practice, learning and commitment.”

Behind the scenes is all IT Sligo Performing Arts, too. Production manager and lighting designer is Paul McDonnell, who graduated in Theatre Design last year, costume design is by Sonia Norris, who is in 3^rd year Theatre Design, and the technical and costume crew consists of 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd year Performing Arts students.

The show starts at 8.00pm and runs for two hours, with a 15 minute interval.

Caption for photo above:  And All That Jazz actors and dancers go through their paces at the Hawk’s Well Theatre.

Dr James Hanrahan, a lecturer in tourism at the Institute, says results from a survey that he conducted into tourist guide usage shows modern communications technology is rapidly expanding the ways tourists get information and creating new social media expectations.

Glossy guide books remain important for most tourists and continue to showcase which tourism providers they should interact with, but the market is changing.

“Visitors in our survey were using the Tripadvisor website and their Smartphones devices to check out where they were going to go,” he says.  “Social media allows tourists to put up a picture of where they are. It’s the new post card. They are posting where they are and talking about their experience.”

He advises tourism providers to ensure that their business websites are compatible with Smartphones and internet facilities are fully compatible with the new technology needs of the modern tourist.

And he says it is time to update the traditional mantra of tourist demands to: “A Loo, a View and a Brew — and free Wi-Fi too.”

His survey found that guide books, while often costly, continue to dominate but devices such downloadable travel applications -“travel apps” – , which are often free, are also being used and that their popularity will inevitably increase extensively.

The survey was entitled “An Assessment of Tourist Demand and Use for travel guides: A focus on the use of new technology such as Smartphones and downloadable ‘apps’”.

 It was conducted and funded under the Fáilte Ireland Applied Research Scheme. Among many results, the survey found that some visitors found a lack of free Wi-Fi zones in urban Ireland frustrating.

Fáilte Ireland’s director of Marketing, John Concannon, pointed out that the research chimed with current developments on the ground, adding: “When it comes to recommending Ireland as a holiday destination, ‘word of mouse’ is increasingly vying with word of mouth as a principle source of information for overseas visitors as they choose their holiday destination.

“Additionally when here, the 21st century tourist is more hands-on and digitally interactive and has high expectations that they will be able to navigate this country online. With free wifi now available in all 16 of our main regional Tourism Information Offices, we’ve now made it easier for them.

“We have now also just launched a new ‘Discover Ireland’ app that will further enhance that experience. The challenge for us is to continually keep up with all the latest research and ahead of the curve as we compete to attract visitors to these shores.”

In a key recommendation, Dr Hanrahan says: “Key tourist towns should consider creating a social and tourist hub within the community, such as within a mixed commercial residential neighbourhood. Individual businesses with free Wi-Fi zones also stand to benefit.”

Smartphones, mobile phones, downloadable apps, tablets and the latest data game changer, “augmented reality”, are enhancing the tourist experience and adding new layers of information source, he says. “While this rapidly evolving field of next generation travel and tourism related technology is in its infancy, we do know that it is the future of tech travel.”

Dr Hanrahan’s advice is:

‘If you are a tourism operator, put in free Wi-Fi, promote it and let the visitors to your town or premises know that you have it. Create a comfortable dedicated space for visitors to sit down to use because they will want to update their Facebook or send photographs. They might be sending their friends a photo of where they are or even writing a review of their meal. People want to read other people’s reviews and that’s what Facebook messages often are, in effect. They want to do all this and they want to do it in a pleasant environment.  Sell your Wi-Fi zone as a tourist attraction and encourage them to use it. If someone sits down in a nice space to get on their iPad or their mobile, they are spending time on your premises and that means they’ll spend money. The longer you can get them to sit in one place, the more opportunity they’ll have to spend money with you.’

 Caption for photo above: Dr James Hanrahan.

No, not WB Yeats, but Bram Stoker and his iconic Dracula.

The students are appealing for a record number of ‘Draculas’ to gather in Sligo at the Halloween weekend as the centrepiece of a ‘Bram Stoker Experience’ celebrating the creator of the blood-sucking Transylvanian count who first saw light of day, so to speak, in 1897.

Linking up with Stoker/Dracula aficionado Dennis McIntyre, a former teacher now living in Clontarf, Dublin, they say Stoker’s links with Sligo – his mother lived in ‘Correction Street’, which is now Teeling St – could become a lucrative tourism niche for the town and surrounding counties.

Dennis, who is originally from Cloonacool, near Tubbercurry, Co Sligo, said: “I have come to the conclusion from my research that ‘Dracula’ is a totally Irish story and that it has huge west of Ireland and, especially Sligo connections, because Bram Stoker’s mother, Charlotte, was born in Sligo.”

According to Dennis, author of a new book, Bram Stoker and The Irishness of Dracula, Charlotte also worked in a local ‘big house’, Longford House, at Beltra, near Ballisadare, possibly as a governess or manager, and in later life became a supporter of social reform.

Charlotte’s maiden name was Thornley-Blake, the Thornleys being an army family from Ballyshannon, and the Blakes, who long ago were Sheriffs in Galway.

Dennis believes the genesis of the story and the image of “the undead” lies in  heart-rending stories that Charlotte recounted to Bram when he was a sickly child about cholera victims being put in pits during an epidemic that swept Sligo in 1832.

And he is also confident that the character of Count Dracula is a horror-laden metaphor for the iniquities of “blood-sucking” landlordism in the west of Ireland at that time.

Given the year that’s in it, the students are hoping to bring together 2013 participants on October 26, each suitably attired , in an effort to enter the Guinness Book of Records by breaking the current record for a single Dracula assembly, which stands at 1300.

Dennis said: “Dracula is one of the world’s biggest literary phenomena. It is still the biggest selling novel ever written in any language. It is an international byword for spine-chilling horror fiction. The name alone is one of the enduring greats of popular modern fiction.”

The ’ Bram Stoker Experience’ is being planned as one of the end-of-year highlights of ‘The Gathering’ in Sligo, the nationwide celebrations which are promoting Ireland as a must-see destination to people across the globe who have Irish roots. The organisers, who are studying Tourism and Event Management, have received funding and marketing supporting from Fáilte Ireland for their project.

Tourism and Event Management lecturer Joanna Sweeney, who is co-ordinating the project team’s initiative, said: “We’re hoping that this will become an annual event and that Sligo will become synonymous with Stoker as it is with W.B. Yeats.”

Signing copies of his book and meeting up with the student organisers at the Institute of Technology, Dennis said the tourism potential of well marketed Stoker-Sligo link must be enormous.

He became particularly interested in Bram Stoker when, researching a book he was writing about the history of Clontarf, he discovered that Stoker was born there.                    

He and fellow-enthusiasts have established the Stoker Dracula International Museum in Clontarf.  He said: “We run summer schools and conferences to promote Stoker with a view to helping tourism and spreading the word about this world-renowned trail-blazing writer.”                      

For more information on the Halloween events, email bramstokerball@gmail.com  or follow on twitter @BramStokerSligo.

Caption for photo above: ‘Dracula’ about to pounce on Joanna Sweeney (left), IT Sligo Lecturer Tourism and Event Management, and Tourism student Michelle Henry, as ‘Bram Stoker’ wonders what horror he has created, at the launch of  Bram Stoker and the Irishness of Dracula and Halloween’s ‘Bram Stoker Experience’.

At the IT Sligo ‘Bram Stoker- Dracula’ evening, were (front) Mary Moran, author Dennis McIntyre, Lorraine Moran, Sheila Hegarty and (back row) Emma Wright, Catherine Timoney, Marian Nugent, Niall Soden, Marian Smith, Laura Cunningham, Oran Flaherty, Caroline Lawrence and Hannah Doherty.	‘Dracula’ creeps up on Ann Higgins, Head of the Department of Marketing, Tourism and Sport of Tourism, and her lecturer colleague Joanna Sweeney. Pictured also are Tourism student Michelle Henry, 'Bram Stoker', author Dennis McIntyre and Paul Keyes, CEO, Sligo Chamber of Commerce.
IT Sligo 4th Year Tourism students, Laura Cunningham, Lorraine Moran and Orna Flannagan	‘Dracula’gets up close with Pat and Chris McNulty, of Swinford, Co Mayo, while 'Bram Stoker' sits out the mayhem
Oonagh Doherty and author Dennis McIntyre

They won the WSCAI Intervarsities Futsal tournament for the first time, a great victory in a tournament that has seen them as beaten finalists in 2008, 2011 and 2012.

In an exciting tussle in which Carlow IT were in front twice, IT Sligo came back strongly to take a 4-2 lead and withstood a final push when Carlow scored a third.

Geraldine McLaughlin was outstanding, finding the back of the net three times. Sligo’s other scorer was Amy Roddy.

The team was Roisin McCafferty (captain), Amy Roddy, Nicole Fowley, Emma Hansberry, Deirdre Doherty, Maria Harrington, Aoife Brenna, Geraldine McLaughlin and Ina Butler; manager, Emma Mullin.

The win was a particular triumph for Roisin McCafferty and Emma Mullin as it capped a very successful season for IT Sligo women’s soccer by ensuring a second piece of silver — a just reward show for all the effort, energy and expertise they have all demonstrated.

In February, IT Sligo won the National Premier League for the fifth time.

The WSCAI National Futsal finals were held at Gormanston College, Co Meath and involved eight teams with two groups of four playing off and the top two in each group advancing to the semi-finals. The other teams were Athlone IT, Cork IT, Mary Immaculate College, NUI Maynooth, UCD and UCC.

The win means that IT Sligo will travel to Malaga, Spain, to represent Ireland in the European Futsal Championships.

Futsal is a fast paced indoor game played with a special ball that is a little smaller and heavier than a standard ball. Games are 5-a-side, with unlimited substitutions among a squad of 10 players.  

It is popular in Brazil and a few years ago the FAI began promoting it because of its benefits in improving players’ soccer skills.

Photo caption: IT Sligo players celebrate after winning the WSCAI Intervarsities Futsal finals. (Photo by Paul Mohan/SPORTSFILE)

Matched against 15 submissions from 10 other colleges and universities, the IT Sligo team was just pipped at the post in the prestigious “Third Level Challenge”, sponsored by Mainstream Renewable Power.

The IT Sligo Engineering team comprised: Neville Farrell – Computing: Frank Ngenzi – Civil Engineering; Liam Sweeney – Civil Engineering; Niall Costello – Civil Engineering; Simon Mitchell – Civil Engineering; Timur Sipilins – Civil Engineering; Louise Flynn – Environmental Engineering; Robert Phillips – Environmental Engineering; Roisin Mc Manus – Environmental Engineering; Daniel Ryan – Industrial Design; John McDonagh – Industrial Design; Lorcan Martin – Industrial Design; Padraig O’Dowd – Industrial Design.

Teams were asked to come up with ideas for ensuring Ireland’s future economic competitiveness. In particular, under the heading ‘Sustainable Cloud – Ireland’s Opportunity’, they had to devise proposals about how the nation should harness its natural advantages and the infrastructure required to attract companies to locate their data centres here.

In the end, only one point separated IT Sligo from the winning team – UCC “Energy 4 Life” In third place was UCC “Gaussian”, fourth was IT Carlow and joint fifth were Athlone IT and NUI Maynooth.

The 13 IT Sligo representatives ranged from 1^st year Level 7 to final year Level 8 undergraduates in civil, industrial and environmental engineering, as well as computing and industrial design.

Dr Tomas O Flaherty, joint co-ordinator of Engineers Week at IT Sligo, said: “This was IT Sligo’s first major participation in Engineers Week and it proved to be a marvellous shop window for the students’ abilities in multi-disciplinary team working and innovative thinking.

“They had just four hours in which to research, correlate, plan and translate their ideas into a cohesive and imaginative PowerPoint presentation. In fact, IT Sligo came out with top marks in the Presentation sub-category of the competition.

“The team demonstrated the vibrancy of the IoT sector in Engineering and, in particular, IT Sligo’s expertise in the discipline.”

Photo Caption: Staff with some of the IT Sligo team who came a close runner-up in the ‘Third Level Challenge’ during Engineers Week 2013. Left to right are Dr. Tomas O’Flaherty (Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering & Construction): Shane Fanning (Head of School of Engineering & Design): Anthony Skeffington, Chairman Northwest Branch of Engineers Ireland) , Padraig O’Dowd (Creative Design), Daniel Ryan (Creative Design), Timur Shiplin (Civil Engineering), Frank Ngenzi (Civil Engineering), Neville Farrell (Computing) Niall Costello (Civil Engineering), John McDonagh (Creative Design) and Lorcan Martin (Creative Design).