2006 Graduates Association - Institute of Technology Tallaght

Alumni & Friends
Association Gala
Ball
ITT Dublin Graduates
Working Abroad
Boston, Vienna &
Johannesburg
Eyebrowy TV Success
AV Graduates Interviewed
Engineering
Students go to
NASA
Application for
Delegated Authority
Contents
Introduction from the Alumni Chairman
1
A word from the Director Tim Creedon
2
Article from Alumni Officer Gareth Ebbs
2
Application for Delegated Authority
3
Alumni Launch - Gala Ball
4
ITT Dublin GAA Team
24
ITT Dublin Rugby Team
25
Eyebrowy
Creators
Interview
p16.
Cormac Smyth Website Development
26
News from Minister Hanafin
27
Stellar Students - (NASA)
6
Distributed & Mobile Computing
8
Speaking Japanese in Austria
28
'I've looked at life from both sides now'
9
Irish Newsletter
29
Working in USA
30
Fusion Program
31
Careers Office
31
Lecturer Pat Mansfield
Accounting Article
10
Research & Development in ITT Dublin
11
Living & Working in Johannesburg
13
Tourism in Dubai
14
Eyebrowy Creators Interview
16
Engineering Corner
18
Eddie Collins Retires
21
Sports Clubs & Societies
22
Special thanks to John Vickery (Registrar, ITT Dublin) for his
considerable support in the publication of this newsletter.
Gareth Ebbs - Alumni Officer
Contact: [email protected] / Ph: (01) 404 2107
Co-ordinator: Gareth Ebbs
Co-editors: Gareth Ebbs & Marie Kielty
Cover photgraph: Pearl Phelan
ITT Dublin Alumni & Friends Association would like to thank our sponsors:
It gives me great pleasure and pride to introduce the
first Alumni Newsletter for ITT Dublin.
intentions after the final exams people loose contact
with the classmates, people move on, life changes.
For anybody that falls into that category I cannot
recommend enough for you to use the Alumni
Association as a chance to re-kindle your relationship
with the college or contact former classmates. Once
you are a registered member you will receive information on everything from discounts in local gyms to
invites to class re-unions and college balls. It will cost
you nothing but a little time to contact Gareth in the
Alumni Office. Trust me it is time well spent.
When the college first opened its doors, all the
students were welcomed by the then director, Dr
Columb Collins. As part of his opening speech,
Columb assured every student that they would be
welcome in the college for the rest of their lives. He
claimed that Tallaght would willingly play a part in
your career far beyond your first job. As one of the
first science graduates from the college, I can
confidently state that the college has lived up to his
promise.
Hoping to hear from you soon
The college was a lot different then than it is now,
with a little over 600 students in total. The building
was only half the size it is now and the semester
exams were all held in the library, which had a much
smaller selection of books. The timetable was
structured so every student had Wednesday and
Friday afternoons off to “experience student life to
the full”. Believe me we all took full advantage of that
time. “School days are the best days of your life” according to most of the grandparents of Ireland. I
would argue that the majority of graduates from ITT
Dublin would say that the phrase should be changed
to “college days”.
Kind regards,
Mark Glynn
Science Graduate
Chairman of Alumni and Friends Association
I acknowledge that there are plenty of graduates who
have left the college and memories of Tallaght are
now in the distant past. Despite all of the best
Alumni Committee:
Cormac Smyth (Graduate & PRO Officer), Gareth Ebbs (Alumni Officer), Mark Glynn
(Graduate & Chairman) Marie Kielty (Careers and Appointments Officer), John Vickery
(Registrar), Fiona Cranley (Graduate and Mechanical Engineering Lecturer)
1
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
accommodation. A lack of space has been limiting our
ability to offer the wide diversity of courses which are
needed in the region.
On behalf of the Governing Body,
the Management Team and staff
of the Institute of Technology
Tallaght, it is with great pleasure
that I greet you with the first
edition of the Alumni and
Friends Association Newsletter.
For those of you with an entrepreneurial spirit we are
opening an Incubation Centre for new start-ups in the
Autumn. We would also be very happy to develop research
or development projects in conjunction with Enterprise
Ireland.
It is just over ten years since our first Diploma graduates left
the Institute. There are now over 8,000 graduates who by
now are well on the way to being a success both professionally and personally. We believe that, you, the graduate
should celebrate your achievements and your successes are
a constant motivatation to current students.
Finally, we have an excellent range of part-time
programmes for those of you who still have the urge to
study.
We hope that the newsletter keeps you up to date with
many developments in and around the Institute. It will also
inform you about the progress of your former classmates as
well as news on current and forthcoming events.
The next few years will see some significant changes in the
Institute. We are currently seeking Delegated Authority to
validate our programmes and make awards for taught
programmes to Masters level and also on the research side
to PhD.
Tim Creedon
Director
The recent review of Capital Investment in Third level has
recommended a major investment in buildings on the ITT
Dublin site. We look forward to the additional
A word from the Alumni Officer,
It's strange how things work out sometimes. After
graduating from Commerce in UCD and four years in financial services, I'm now running the Alumni and Friends
Association of my local Institute of Technology. With the
welcome change of work atmosphere and the vibrancy of
the students and staff alike it has been good time so far in
the Institute.
Our main priority at this stage is to try to maximise awareness of the Association - your assistance in this as members
is invaluable. The first big challenge is this newsletter and in
our new database, we hope to provide an excellent platform
for communication between ourselves and graduates as
well as between the graduates themselves. Other items on
the agenda include building a list of enterprises to provide
discounted goods and services to our members and
providing as much assistance as possible to those graduates
organising reunions and events.
I thoroughly enjoyed my UCD days but being one of nearly
20,000 students in a sprawling campus can prevent the
sense of community very evident here in Tallaght. On any
given day you see lecturers and students sitting together in
the corridor before and after lectures giving the time and
attention they deserve (in most cases!). It doesn't go
unnoticed by students who are in an important stage
personally and professionally. I have many friends who are
Tallaght graduates and I know the sense of camaraderie
there was between students and staff alike while they
attended. Many firmly hold onto this after leaving the
Institute. It's this sense of community, as well as the idea of
'life-long-learning' which we hope to tap into with the
Alumni Association and long may it continue.
Considerable effort has gone into this newsletter and
hopefully it has a little something for everyone. I would like
to thank graduates and staff alike for their contributions
and I apologise if anything did not make it in due to the
space restrictions we had.
Thanks for the support. Take care.
Gareth Ebbs
Alumni Officer ([email protected]), Ph: (01) 404 2107
To join the Association online go to:
We are still at an early stage and since the successful launch
in Jury's Hotel in October 2005 (see article inside) we have
established an executive graduate committee which will
bring the Association to the next level over the coming year.
www.ittdublin.ie > about > alumniandfriends > howtojoin
2
ITT DUBLIN AND THE APPLICATION FOR
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY FROM HETAC
important role in supervising the operation and
management of the Institute's academic
activities. It will conduct a review of the
Institute, at least once every five years, in which
the Institute's governance, management and
quality assurance procedures are reviewed and
reassessed. Extension of delegated authority
status will be conditional on the Institute
meeting the criteria defined by HETAC and
agreed with the National Qualifications
Authority of Ireland (NQAI).
In February 2006, the Institute made a formal
application to HETAC (the awarding body for
the Institutes of Technology) for delegation of
authority to make awards. Delegation of
authority to accredit and make awards is an
important step in the growth of the Institute
and will make a positive contribution to
ensuring the continuing high standards of our
courses and awards.
The initial application for delegation of authority is to Level 9 (taught Masters). A second application will be made for delegation of authority
up to Level 10 (PhD level), initially in selected
areas.
Economic Audit of South
Dublin County
Dr. Phil Mulvaney and Mr. Nigel Donnelly,
two economics lecturers in the
Department of
Accountancy and
Professional
S t u d i e s ,
conducted
an
Economic Audit
of South Dublin
County on behalf
of South Dublin
County Council.
Dr. Phil Mulvaney
The
economic
audit provides an
overview of South Dublin County and was
published in 2005. It provides an analysis
of the sectoral breakdown of industry, the
role and composition of FDI, policies/
initiatives to promote job creation and
enterprise, and patterns of growth and
development within the County.
Most of the other Institutes of Technology have
already acquired delegated authority status
and the remainder are in the process. With
delegated authority status, graduates will
receive an Institute of Technology Tallaght
award, conferred by the Institute, by virtue of
the authority delegated to it by HETAC under
Section 29 of the Qualifications Act, 1999. All
Institutes should attain delegated authority
during 2006. Professional and other external
bodies will continue to recognise awards in line
with current arrangements and all awards
made by the Institute on behalf of HETAC will
have national recognition, within the National
Qualifications Framework.
With delegated authority status, the Institute
will have greater independence and responsibility for quality assurance. It will be able to
independently
validate
and
review
programmes, which will allow the Institute to
develop new education and training
programmes in response to the needs of
students, employers, the economy and the
community. HETAC will continue to play an
For the full audit and more information
please see:
www.sdublincoco.ie/index.aspx?
pageid=863
and find under 'economic development'.
3
Let’s Party!
DJ Gerry Proudfoot
Alumni and Friends Association
Launch Night - Gala Ball
On Wednesday 19th of October the Association was officially launched by An Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, TD at
a Gala Ball in Jurys Hotel, Ballsbridge. The venue looked incredible and the music (from the Camembert Quartet
and later DJ Gerry Proudfoot) provided an excellent soundtrack to the festivities. No extravagance was spared
and a thoroughly good night was had by all. Over three hundred graduates and Institute staff attended. The
formal dress aspect seemed particularly popular and all who attended must be commended for the effort they
made! It was immediately suggested by many that perhaps future events in this vain be formal dress also.
Conor Lenihan (TD), Stella Browne (Marketing and Public Afffairs Manager ITT Dublin), Tim Creedon
(Director ITT Dublin), An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (TD), Tom Clarke (Chairman of The Governing Body),
Charlie O'Connor (TD).
4
Aine Allen, Maureen Walsh, Maeve Scott
Ken Kinsella, Pauline O'Reilly, Gavin Gannon,
Pearl Phelan, Brendan Ferron
Mick O'Farrell, Amanda O'Farrell, Paul Butler
Gillian Kerins, Teresa Proudfoot, Gerry Proudfoot
A huge thanks to the Alumni and Friends Association Steering Committee who worked extremely hard to ensure
the success of the night and of course to those who attended and made the evening what it was. It seems the
only major complaint was that many had to be at their desks the following morning - we promise this will be
addressed at any future events!
Gareth Ebbs, Gerry Proudfoot, Cormac Smyth, Patrick Brennan
Siobhan Jacob, Alison Hawkins, Teresa Proudfoot
Tom Murray, Eoin Gorman, Chris Keogh
Niamh Kavanagh and Jennifer Heffernan
5
Eddie Collins, Mary McKiernan, Vicent Lennon
Lynn Kelly & Aidan Fagan-Murphy applied for the FAS Science
Challenge Program last year with a letter of nomination from their
respective Head of Department, Mr James Wright & Dr Ken Carroll.
In late April each received a phone call from John Cahill, the Science
Challenge Manager in FAS which was essentially a phone interview. About a week later in early May they each received a
letter informing them that they had been accepted and there it
began.
Lynn Kelly
Bachelor of Engineering
(Honours)
Electronic Engineering (2005)
Aidan Fagan-Murphy
Bachelor of Science Chemical
Analysis (2005)
A group of 18 Irish students from different Institutes (2 were from
IT Tallaght) and Universities all over Ireland were chosen and flew
to Florida on July 5th to start the six week program. There they
covered a wide range of space, science and engineering related
topics. Lynn tells us “We took lectures in Florida Institute of
Technology (FIT) on a broad range of subjects from telemetry and
optics to spacecraft material manufacturing and testing. We were
also given lectures
from two NASA
“The roar of the shuttle
astronauts on life
in space and
launch from even three
listened to their
views on what the
miles away was still
future held in
store for space
enough to feel it
travel. The astronauts
were
throughout your body”
Captain Winston
Scott (Head of the
Florida Space Authority) and Dr Sam Durrance. We took many
tours, one of which was to NASA headquarters applied physics
laboratory”
Aidan tells us “that the area that NASA occupies is quite large in
order to accommodate the number of facilities that are
necessary. People often forget the extensive numbers of people
working on the ground who allow such an undertaking as space
travel” On numerous tours around the NASA complexes the
students were able to see such things as hydroponics for possible
long term space flights, the construction of the module systems
which are all constructed by hand, the launch pads and the orbitor
servicing building which is basically a hollow building where the
orbitor is suspended hanging downwards so that workers can
access every part of it.
The NASA visit was amazing because they got to see closely the
engineers and scientists solving various problems that arise during
modern spaceflight. Another highlight of the trip was that the
students got to view the space-shuttle Discovery (STS114) launch.
A significant event in that it was a return to flight launch the first
one since the Columbia disaster. Both Aidan & Lynn viewed the
launch from the closest point possible which was breathtaking.
(Read more at www.nasa.gov > returntoflight > crew.
The breathtaking launch occurred on a roasting summers day
in Florida with the heat from the shuttle exceeding 400oC. The
students sat in the VIP stand of the NASA viewing area, normally
restricted to employees and their families. Three miles across a
lake, bright with the above sun, they could clearly see the launch
platform for the shuttle. This was the closest that people are
allowed to the launch site. Aidan said that “the roar of the shuttle
launch from even three miles away was still enough to feel it
throughout your body”
6
positioning system team (GPS)” Lynn felt that one
particularly interesting lecture in FIT was on 'MagLev'
or magnetic levitation with Dr Hector Gutierrez. “this
is a very new area of research and is basically a new
way of launching rockets into space. All of the
students were really interested and stayed back after
to talk to the lecturer. He told us he was looking for
graduates to come over and help him in his research.
Interviews were held and I was once again lucky
enough along with two other Irish graduates to be
offered a place to come back on a research scholarship.
So basically I arrived home from the FAS Science
Challenge on August 20th and flew back out to Florida
on August 30th! On arrival I returned to FIT and
worked on NASA's EDS subscale launch track. My job
was to help develop a wireless system for the track
and conduct research into getting the track working
properly. The wireless system has to measure the
degrees of freedom on the sled as it is launched down
the track. A lot of work has to still be done in order to
get this system working correctly. Unfortunately I only
had four months to work on it. Even when the
subscale track does work correctly it will be years and
years before it will ever be built or put into use for
launching.
Lynn noted that there was plenty of entertainment as
well as serious projects to work on. “We each took flying lessons and flew planes by ourselves which was
great fun! We also built and launched our own rockets
during group projects. Our project was a video
transmission payload which involved launching a
camera into the earth's atmosphere to capture
footage of the curvature of the earth. Many design
plans and considerations had to go into this project,
for example the higher up you go the colder it gets
(every 1000 feet up it gets 2 degrees colder) so we
needed materials that would not freeze including the
payload box material and its windows and
batteries. We also had to consider the wind force, so
we needed to design for maximum stability. There
were plenty more problems to overcome but these
examples give a flavour of how we became professional engineers - thinking, problem solving and working
as a group. Our project was very successful, our
payload reached 100,000 feet and we got to clearly
see the curvature of the earth. Other projects included
a life sciences team, a robotics team and a global
This was a fantastic experience for me and I hope it
will not be the last time I work with Magnetic
Levitation launch research. The whole experience has
been invaluable and it has shown me how to look at a
problem, think about it and to derive a solution one
step at a time.
- in other words to think like an engineer!”
7
ITT DUBLIN LAUNCHES NEW PART-TIME TAUGHT MASTERS PROGRAMME IN
DISTRIBUTED & MOBILE COMPUTING
design and development of large scale distributed and
mobile computer systems', 'the design of a network
infrastructure to support them', and, 'how scalable systems
can be designed which exploit distributed hardware
architectures'.
More specifically the technical focus of the M.Sc. is on;
'distributed software development for enterprise software
platforms', 'the development of software and services for
mobile devices', 'network management and design',
'network security and forensics', 'building scalable computer
systems using grid and cluster solutions', 'agile software
development methodologies', the semantic web, and
non-linear computing techniques.
The M.Sc. in Distributed and Mobile Computing has been
developed by the Department of Computing following
extensive consultation with senior industry representatives
in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
sector in Dublin. The programme is aimed at those in
employment in the IT sector and started in February 2006.
There will be a further intake in September 2006,
(Applications should be made by June 2006).
The programme also has topics in the areas of technology
law, intellectual property rights, strategic management and
finance. This mix of topics allows a student to follow various
career paths such as technical architecture, project manager,
network engineer, information officer, and R&D engineer.
The programme has been developed following a skills
requirements analysis of ICT sector and is supported by FAS
as part of the National Development Plan.
According to programme leader, Gary Clynch: “We are living
in an age where technology is all pervasive, computers,
the Internet, mobile phones etc. are part and parcel of e
veryday life. Technology is constantly changing, and IT
graduates need to keep abreast of developments to enjoy
successful and rewarding careers”. Recent times have seen
a shift towards complex large scale distributed systems, and
the delivery of systems to users via mobile devices.
Innovations such as the mobile Internet, 3G networks,
mobile services/applications, and grid and cluster hardware
platforms, are based on distributed and mobile technologies. This M.Sc. programme focuses on these distributed and
mobile computing technologies and has as its themes; 'the
For more information please contact:
• Gary Clynch, Programme Leader
([email protected]),
• Dr. Barry Feeney, Head of Computing at ITT Dublin
([email protected])
or visit www.ittdublin.ie/computing.
Vacancies at Rigney Dolphin Group
1) Part-time Technical Support Personnel required for immediate start.
Previous technical troubleshooting experience in a customer service environment essential - combined with strong
PC skills ( a technical qualification an advantage). Ability to learn quickly and use his/her initative in a busy
call-centre environment. A good team-player with excellent communication skills. Training will be provided and
competitive pay rates will apply.
(2) Full-time Business Support Executives required
Applicants should have previous customer service experience preferably in a call centre environment. Experienced
team player with the ability to use his/her initiative in a busy environment. Ability to build strong working relationships both internally with colleagues and externally with customers. Traning will be provided and competitive pay
rates will apply.
Replies for all of the above positions to [email protected] specificing the particular position that interests
you or call Una on 0872660426 for more info.
Rigney Dolphin Group
Accounts Department, Unit 1C, IOTA Call Centre, IDA Industrial Estate, Cork Road, Waterford
8
I’VELOOKED
AT
LIFE
FROM BOTH SIDES NOW.....
Pat Mansfield (Lecturer, Computing, ITT Dublin)
As Joni Mitchell might have sang in the 70's: I've
looked at (student) life from both sides now, from give
and take, and still somehow, it's student life's
illusions I recall. I really don't know student life, at
all.
the door, so to speak) which led to me obtaining one
of the Assistant Lecturer positions three years later.
Certainly, I could look at life from both sides now.
Now, when I leave a lecture theatre I sometimes
reflect Joni's words:
During the recession in the late 80's I found myself
unemployed, and apparently unemployable, at the
age of 43. With the advent of the computing era my
career was greatly thwarted. Since there were no
opportunities for an “old” Financial Accountant with
no PC skills - employers could select from a large pool
of young, highly-skilled Accountants - I took the long
road
to
re-education.
A
VTOS
return-toeducation/return-to-work course gave me a great
foundation in basic PC skills and a flavour for what I
would like to do. The idea for a career change
emerged. The VTOS administrators were exceptional
when IT advice was requested and suggested that I
apply through the CAO for a course in the soon-to-beopened RTC in Tallaght.
But now it's just another show,
You leave 'em laughing when you go.
And if you care, don't let them know,
Don't give yourself away.
It was indeed providence that the RTC opened in
Tallaght in 1992. I was one of two mature students
registered for the Computing course although I really
had no idea what to expect or what would be
required. Even though I entered the gleaming, new,
beautiful, white building with fear and trepidation, it
was all made easier by the considerate staff on the
course. Because it was almost 30 years since I was in
secondary school, a greater effort was called for in
order to keep abreast of the seemingly large amount
of assessments and juggle family life with student
life.
The lyrics are from Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now.
Have a look at the full version and take some time to
absorb the lyrics - maybe YOU can look at life from
both sides and, in the process, surrender to the
wonder of it all.
Being a “poacher turned gamekeeper” gives me, I
believe, added abilities. I can empathise when the
student has difficulty understanding particular new
concepts while at the same time detect when the
student tries to bluff - particularly when an
assessment date nears. Looking at life from both
sides means we stand back and observe the
observable, hopefully in a non-judgmental fashion.
At the end of the day can I say “I really don't know
student life, at all”?
Westpark Gym
A €200 discount in your first year!
Westpark Gym are offering Alumni members and Staff a
full €200 discount on new annual memberships of their
new €10 million gym on the Greenhills Road, Tallaght.
But the four years passed with alarming speed. On
reflection, once the first year was completed it was
not that difficult to adjust to the requirements and
the support received from my wife and five children
was incredible. I now had a parchment to verify that I
was a genuine B.Sc. (Computing) - but what do I do
with it?
Alumni members and Staff will pay an exclusive annual
membership fee of €550 (normally €675) with NO joining
fee! (normally €75). Our other Alumni / Staff offer is
Direct Debit payment of €53 per month (€75 joining fee
payable).
The obvious option was to set up a consultancy from
home which provided sufficient revenue to include,
once again, such luxuries as jam and cream cakes on
the shopping list! But I really wanted to teach.
I eventually got some part-time hours (got the foot in
Contact:
Westpark and speak to Alison or Kevin at (01) 462 6911
and visit the website www.westpark.ie for further details and
virtual tours of the gym.
9
Christine Kavanagh
BBS Accounting, (2001), ACA
Attention
Accountancy
Graduates!!
I joined The Institute of
Technology Tallaght in 1997,
with the intention of completing a National Certificate in
Business Studies (Accounting). I
obtained that cert-ificate two
years later and from this I was
encouraged to continue my
studies and obtain an honours
degree in accounting.
The Department of Accountancy &
Professional Studies is delighted to
announce the Inaugural Alumni and
Friends Association Social Event which will
be held at the Davenport Hotel on
Thursday 27th April 2006 at 8pm
Tickets are priced at €25 and can be
purchased at the door. To book tickets by
email and for further information contact:
From early on in Tallaght the so called “Milk Round”
was discussed and the minimum requirements of each
of the professional accounting bodies were made
known. We were all encouraged to apply to the then
big 5 firms of accountants. I decided to join the “Milk
Round” process and I was offered a place with three of
the top five firms, of which I chose Deloitte & Touche.
I received excellent training with Deloitte's. From a
combination of the quality of the Business and
Accounting Degree received from IT Tallaght and the
level of training offered by Deloitte's, I passed the
Final Admitting Exam (FAE) of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants in Ireland, on my first attempt,
in 2003. I completed my Training Contract with
Deloitte's in March, 2005 and decided I would leave to
build on my experience and move to industry.
• Martin Nolan ph. 4042880
[email protected]
• Patricia Morris ph. 4042878
[email protected]
Places are limited so book as soon as
possible and please spread the word to any
Accounting graduates you may know so
they can register with us and we can keep
them up to date with Alumni related
events.
Join the association at:
www.it-tallaght.ie/search/RegistrationForm.jsp.
Initially, believing that the finance field was where I
wanted to be, I joined Greenstar Recycling in the role
of Financial Accountant. However, I quickly realised
that my interest lay with auditing, and after six very
interesting months with Greenstar I moved into the
internal audit field with Coca Cola, where I remain
today. I currently hold the role of All Ireland Internal
Audit Manager and the position is very challenging
and rewarding. To date, in my career, there hasn't
been a move that hasn't been influenced and
discussed with the dedicated team of lecturers that
Tallaght has to offer. In Tallaght, I not only obtained
an education but the life skills, the drive and the
support to build a successful career. I'm looking
forward to meeting my class mates from IT Tallaght at
the Department of Accountancy & Professional
Studies Inaugural Alumni and Friends Association
Social Event.
Back In The Day!
In the first year of RTC Tallaght
there were 589 full-time students
and 380 part-time students.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Now there are approximately
2,300 full-time students and 1,000
part-time students
Keith Darragh, Graduate
2000, is the new proprietor
of The Rathfarnham House,
in Rathfarnham Village. Drop
in for a pint and a chat, or
some great food. You can
catch regular gigs in The
Venue, or matches on our 4
plasma screens.
Ph: 490 5481
10
PUSHING
THE ENVELOPE
Research
and
Innovation
in ITT
Dublin
Research is a very significant
activity in the Institute, amongst
the highest in the Institute of
Technology Sector. ITT Dublin has
consistently punched above it's
weight in terms of the level of
funding it has secured for research
since 2000, the total funding
obtained
from
competitive
programmes for research and
innovation support is in excess of
€9M, across many disciplines
including Science, Electronic
Engineering,Mechanical
Engineering, Humanities and
Computing.
Applied Research was very important in the first decade of the Institute. As the
undergraduate programmes of the Institute matured in the mid-90s with the
coming 'on-stream' of the first bachelor degree graduates, fundamental
research also began to grow strongly. Biology and Chemistry emerged as
particularly strong areas during this period.
The Institute was one of the first in the sector to provide funding for the
development of research from it's own resources. The first initiative in this
regard was the Seed Fund, which supported minor projects of up to a years
duration. As the number of masters students grew, the need for a
mechanism to support students in continuing to PhD was recognised, and
the PhD Continuation Fund was born. A new initiative for this academic year is
the Internal Masters Programme. Three Masters studentships are on offer, and
the results of this competition will be available shortly.
Applied research continues to grow. A grant of €1.25M over 5 years has been
won by Dr. Eithne Dempsey and Dr. Tim McCormac of the CREATE IRC
(Electroanalytical Technology), to add to a list of current and recent Innovation
Partnerships in Computing, Engineering and Science. Innovation Partnerships
are applied research projects involving an industrial partner. For more
information on Institute research in all fields.
see: www.ittdublin.ie > researchinnovation > research & follow the
relevant links.
Establishment of Institute Research Centres (IRCs)
The Institute has adopted the concept of Institute Research Centres. An IRC is
a sustainable research group, in one of the prioritised areas of research listed
in the Institute's strategic plan. It may exist within and across disciplines and
should have sufficient size to be capable of attracting funding from the most
competitive schemes of the funding agencies, participating in research
collaborations and alliances with research groupings of substantial size from
other institutions and raising the profile of research within the Institute.
Researchers within discipline areas and across different disciplines are
encouraged to explore areas of common interest and to consider working
together. A clear development path is mapped from initial collaboration to IRC
status. Collaborations with other institutions and with industry are also
encouraged.
Designation as an IRC represents endorsement by the Institute, and will add
credibility to such a research group in the eyes of external agencies and
researchers. Additional resources will also be provided to assist in sustaining
and growing the research activity. A call was made in 2004 for applications for
IRC status. After an extensive external evaluation process of the
submitted applications, three centres were established:
•
Centre for Research in Electroanalytical Technology (CREATE)
•
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Institute Centre for Spectroscopy
(NMRics)
•
Bio-Pharmaceutical and Neutraceuticals Research Centre (BPNR)
A second call for applications from established research groups for IRC status
was issued before Christmas and is due to close in March 2006. Slightly
different criteria have been agreed for IRCs in Business and Humanities from
those for Science and Engineering in this call, reflecting the different culture
and environment in which research is carried out in these disciplines. Read
more about these Institute Research Centres by following the links at:
www.ittdublin.ie > researchinnovation > research > researchcentres
11
SYNERGY Technology Incubation Centre
'Giving Life to New Ideas'
IT Tallaght has been awarded funding to design, construct and manage an Incubation Centre on Campus,
through the Enterprise Ireland scheme for Regional Innovation Strategies funded under the National
Development Plan. The centre is named SYNERGY to symbolise the exciting synergy potential that the new
Technology Incubation Centre will bring to the Institute, its research and teaching and the South Dublin
Region. See the link below to find out more about the vision of the Centre, its target clients,
management structure and design specifications.
www.ittdublin.ie > researchinnovation > enterprisedevelopment > synergyincubationcentre
Construction began in September 2005 and the Centre will be open for business in September 2006.
M50 Enterprise Programme
The M50 Enterprise Platform Programme (EPP) is an innovative enterprise support programme targeted at
graduates wishing to start knowledge-intensive businesses that have the potential to grow and make a
significant contribution to the economic and social interests of the M50 region in Dublin and of Ireland. The
programme provides incubation facilities, training, business coaching and mentoring, networking and peer
learning opportunities, and financial support to entrepreneurs over a 12-month timespan.
Developed in 2000 by IT Tallaght (lead partner), IT Blanchardstown and Dublin City University / Invent, 84
entrepreneurs from education, research, multinational and indigenous industry, in areas such as bioinformatics, environmental management, telecoms, multimedia, engineering, software development, and
services have participated on the M50 EPP. In 2004, University College Dublin became involved through its
NovaUCD incubation facility.
The M50 EPP has recently been recognized by Enterprise Ireland as being one of the top sources for the
production of High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) companies. Of the 85 entrepreneurs supported, over 20 have
gone on to secure significant levels of external funding from a mixture of private investors, Enterprise Ireland
and Venture Capitalists. The companies employ from a few to in excess of 40 employees. Many others are
waiting in the wings to follow suit.
For more info see: www.ittdublin.ie > researchinnovation > enterprisedevelopment.
12
SOUTH AFRICA
the growth and success of an organisation by
designing its systems.
South Africa is an amazing country. The weather is
fantastic although the winters can be extremely
cold, even by Irish standards. When I moved here I
couldn't believe the number of people from Ireland
living here, and the funny thing was when they said
“do you know… from Dublin”, I actually did!
Crime is an issue here, however I find that I take the
same precautions that I did in Ireland. The people
here are warm and welcoming, and the Irish accent
appears to be very appealing to the South African's.
Living here has helped me realise a passion for scuba
diving. A few hours drive and I am on the golden
beaches of Mozambique diving a few of the best 10
dive sites in the world. The Kruger National Park is a
mere four hours away and getting close to lions and
elephants is an amazing experience.
Catherine Gabbott
National Certificate in Computing
(Information Technology) ITT Dublin 1994
I was part of the first intake of students when the
doors of RTC Tallaght (as it was known then) opened
in 1992, and I remember everyone gathering in the
library and meeting for the first time. If only I knew
then what Tallaght had in store for me! Graduating
in 1994 with a Certificate in Information Technology.
I worked in Intel for a while and then moved to The
Bank of Ireland and Kindle Banking Systems while I
completed my degree part-time. The travel bug bit
and in 1998 I moved to Johannesburg “Jozi”, South
Africa. The plan was to stay for a year and then go to
Australia. However 7 years later I am still in the city
of gold.
When I started working here I was very surprised to
find that IT was more advanced in South Africa than
in Ireland. Hard to imagine, but true. For example,
Internet banking had been around for a while
although I had not even heard of it in Ireland.
One thing I do miss about home is the real Irish pub
and the chippers. There is an “Irish” pub here called
O'Hagans, but it has an “American” feel to it.
Over the last 7 years I have been mostly employed as
a Business Analyst within the Banking Industry. I
currently specialise in the Credit Department in the
largest bank in South Africa. My days at Tallaght
gave me a good foundation for the world of IT and
obviously experience has helped me build upon it. IT
in South Africa has come a long way over the last 7
years. Opportunities to learn and grow within
industry are vast, and there never seems to be a
shortage of Business Analyst or developer positions.
The one constant within IT is change and it is
exciting and challenging to be able to contribute to
When asked if I would ever move back to Dublin the
answer is no. The lifestyle here is too good. I have
fond memories of my days at Tallaght; the curry
chips, snow ball fights, water balloon fights, the
socials at Vixens and Club Sarah, Jerry Murphy (our
maths teacher) with his crazy dress sense, and Rotan
Hanrahan.
……did they ever get around to plastering the walls?
13
Raymond Keaney & John Sutton - Academic Dean.
Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management
concentration of luxurious 5 star hotels
per square kilometre and has the most
superlative and opulent hotels in the
world.
Raymond Keaney, Lecturer in Tourism & Hospitality Studies
According to Raymond Keaney, Lecturer
in Tourism & Hospitality Studies,
tourism is the world's most exciting
industry. He considers Dubai to be 'the
most happening tourism destination
worldwide' & undertook a research trip
there recently to witness on the
ground the extent of development
currently underway. His research focus
is practical and applied to ensure that
his students have the most up-to-date
learning experiences possible. He has
previously spent time on research
assignments with Southwest Airlines
in
Dallas
and
with
Disney
Corp-oration in Burbank, California,
USA.
The tourism sector is particularly
important to Dubai as its oil reserves
will run out within the next decade.
Accordingly, the importance of tourism
to Dubai's future is such that tourism
has been tagged 'Dubai's 21st century
oil'.
Tourism
has
been
tagged 'Dubai's 21st
century oil'.
Dubai is well ahead of many
other cities in terms of travel
and tourism. Dubai has the highest
14
Dubai's hotels and hotel apartments
accommodated 5.42 million guests in
2004, an increase of 37% on 2003.
Occupancy rates have soared in the past
few years and there are certain times of
the year when it is impossible to get
one of Dubai's 27,000 hotel bedrooms!
The mix of visitors at the moment is
roughly 40% business traveller and 60%
leisure traveller, but the ratio of leisure
travellers is set to dramatically increase.
The government there aims to attract
15 million visitors a year by 2010 and a
massive 40 million visitors a year by
2015.
Perhaps
the
most
obvious
example of Dubai's ongoing
growth is the staggering amount
of construction that can be
seen
throughout
the
city.
Undoubtedly, the biggest project
currently under way is 'Dubailand'.
Occupying a huge area of desert to
the south-east of the city,
'Dubailand' will comprise six
separate
themed
worlds
Attractions and Experience World,
Retail & Entertainment World,
Themed Leisure and Vacation
World, Eco Tourism World, Sports
and Outdoor World and the
'Downtown' area. Among the many
attractions, the project will feature
3 full-size sports stadiums, a ski
resort with real snow, 55 hotels,
the world's largest shopping mall,
a nature reserve and the already
completed Dubai Autodrome. The
scale is actually difficult to
comprehend but, put simply, when
completed this will be the biggest
leisure, entertainment and retail
destination on the planet.
Only Royal Mirage and Spa,
Grosvenor House, Emirates Towers,
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Bab Al
Shams Desert Resort and Spa, The
Montgomerie Golf Academy and
Right now, the regions airlines are
in the early stages of an aggressive
expansion strategy that will see
them among the biggest in the
world within the next few years.
Emirates is already among the top
operators, second by revenue and
fifth by size. Emirates order
book alone is around $40 billion
while Qatar Airways has nearly 100
aircraft on order costing under $11
billion. Abu Dhabi based Etihad,
which has only been operating for
around 20 months also has an
ambitious strategy which includes
a $9billion expansion plan. The
combined spending of Emirates
and Etihad ($50 billion) makes the
UAE
the
largest
buyer
of
passenger jets in the world.
It is estimated that by
2020, the metro will
handle 1.85 million
passengers a day.
To keep pace with the huge growth
in visitor numbers, the city is also
embarking on a major scheme to
improve its transport network.
Dubai International Airport has
seen massive expansion in recent
years, including the current
development
of
Terminal
3
exclusively for Emirates Airlines.
When completed next year, it will
increase existing capacity from
22 million to a whopping 70
million.
An
additional
new
airport
at
Jebel
Ali
will
provide
further
options
for
travellers.
To alleviate the pressure on
Dubai's roads, an ambitious metro
project will link various areas of
the city by a modern rail network.
Underground and overground, this
light rail network will feature two
separate lines with over 100
'driverless' trains. The total length
will be 70 kilometres and the first
trains will run by Summer 2008.
The whole network will be
completed by 2011. It is estimated
that by 2020, the metro will handle
1.85 million passengers a day.
Raymond's
trip
included
inspection visits to the following
sites: The 7* Burj Al Arab, The
Madinat Jumeirah, The One and
15
The Dubai Racing Club. In addition,
he met and created links with the
'Emirates Academy of Hospitality
Management'where International
Degree Programmes are on offer in
Tourism
and
Hospitality
Management.
His experience in Dubai has given
him a unique insight into tourism
destination planning, infrastructural provision and the delivery of
exceptional quality service. He
plans to return to Dubai as existing
projects near completion.
rad 20
n Russell (g
a
d
n
re
B
re
a
Eyebrowy
05), Mick
(gra
McGovern
ssell (gra
d Colm Ru
d 2005) an
d 2004)
Anyone familiar with the Irish music scene or any other performance areas is
well aware of the characteristically big egos and obscurity that can exist on
the circuit here (and any other scene). These stellar personalities are essential
to the business and a lot of fun it must be said, but that doesn't mean they
can't be poked fun at from time to time and eyebrowy certainly know how to
go about it! Beginning in 2004 they set up eyebrowy as part of an IT Tallaght
audio/visual course to showcase some 'in-jokey' cartoons about Irish
musicians. People regularly featured include Frames lead singer Glen
Hansard, Turn lead singer Ollie Cole, Damien Dempsey, Paddy Casey, The
Thrills among many, many others. They had a fantastic year in 2005
culminating in a regular slot on renowned critic Dave Fanning's TV music
show 'The Last Broadcast'. Excellently tapping into the big personalities on
the Irish scene with quirky animations and impressions they have become
somewhat of a cult phenomenon in recent times. So all you rising stars
beware - where there's an ego or quirkiness - eyebrowy will never be far
behind!
So how on earth did you end up on Dave Fanning's show 'The Last Broadcast'?
Well funnily enough, eyebrowy began as a college project. We all did 4 years of Audio Visual media. Myself, (Brendan) and Mick
started eyebrowy when we were in 2nd year and eventually Colm, who was a year ahead of us started helping with voices and then
got involved in the script writing. Colm wrote and directed IT Tallaght's most successful piece of audio/visual work - "Behind the
music with Stephen Heneghan" which won an Oxygen Student Media Award in 2005 for best short film and was nominated for an
award in the Galway Film Festival. I also co-established ITT's first radio society and ITT FM in 2005. All 3 of us would speak very
highly of the course. You get a little bit of every media aspect and then get the chance to specialise. We would also speak highly of
many of our lecturers who were very approachable and who we were even able to get advice and help from when we joined The Last
Broadcast. For the course, we had to make a 5 minute flash animation so we came up with a script about God on Dublin bus and we
called ourselves eyebrowy productions, which was a bit of an in-joke in our class. The animation had nothing to do with music but
people were saying that the main character looked like Glen Hansard from the Frames, so we just began to think "ha, imagine Glen in
a cartoon" and it just sort of snowballed from that. We started doing animations about Irish musicians, and with each one, people
would say "can't wait for the next one". We also won over a few DJ's such as Ian Dempsey, Jenny Huston, Tom Dunne and Dave Fanning
and Hotpress really got behind us with a campaign to get Eyebrowy on TV. As The Last Broadcast was the only music show on Irish TV
we got in touch with Dave Fanning to see if he'd be interested in giving us a 5 minute slot and he was all for it without question.
It looks like a lot of fun to make but no doubt a lot of work goes into the animations?
When we were just doing them for our website it was something we never took seriously, we did it for the craic whenever we had a
bit of time on our hands and it was just a hobby. Its a lot of work alright but at the same time, its great to have something to show
for all the hard work and its great that people react to it so positively.
16
Eyebrowy went from strength to strength in 2005.
What have been the highlights?
Highlight would have to be doing animations for the Electric Picnic
festival. It's such a quality festival, from the bands they get to the
organisers and everything in between. It's a real pleasure for us to say
that we were involved and we're doing more animations for them this year. Maybe another highlight was when the evening
herald included us in a "what's hot" league where we were next to bosco!
What work are you most proud of?
It's too hard to praise your own work, the ones that have gone down the best with people have been the "I heard arcade fire
before you" sketch, which was part of our shorts for the electric picnic, also the scene with Damien Dempsey singing,
Van Morrison and Brian Kennedy as Lou and Andy from 'Little Britain', and the Bob Dylan covers album where he sings TV
Theme Tunes.
Have you met many of the real life characters that you parody recently and how have they
reacted to eyebrowy?
Yeah we've met a few of them. The Frames used some of our animations as a backdrop during their gig in the point depot and
Turn showed one before a gig they played in the music centre. The ones we've met absolutely love it, a lot of them mention it in
interviews and Bell X1 even dedicated a song to us. It's nice that they can see the funny side because after all it's not meant to be
spiteful or offensive.
Any animations of IT Tallaght staff?
There's a few of the IT Tallaght staff that would make fantastic cartoon characters! We would love to make a cartoon about them,
only a small audience would get it but it'd be good. Watch this space.
Without giving anything away, are there any Eyebrowy aspirations in the near future?
No aspirations really, we'll try and keep it going as long as we think it can last without getting to an
annoying stage. The Last Broadcast run is just about over now and we've learned a lot from it. We'll just see what happens next
I suppose, if something else develops then great and if not we'll find our way in other areas.
Eyebrowy's run on the The Last Broadcast ended on the 16th of January 2006 and we look forward to future appearances
whenever and wherever they happen. Regardless of which direction they take, there is no doubt that the future is bright for
this talented trio.
Check out www.eyebrowy.com. Enjoy!
17
ENGINEERING CORNER
Celt Net is a project focused on helping Irish industry improve their product and process development capability by using
the facilities based in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the ITT Dublin with particular emphasis on the needs
of Irish SMEs.
Over the past seven years it has enhanced its initial expertise in product design and development particularly in the areas
of rapid design and rapid prototyping. Celt Net is a funded project by Interreg III in partnership with a Welsh third level
institution Coleg Menai. It has also invested in leading edge Rapid Prototyping and model making resources that now form
an essential step in the product design and development process. These resources may be deployed for
example to demonstrate form, function or manufacturability. The current capability in this domain includes:
o
o
o
Selective Laser Sinter Station - Plastics and Metals (3D-System)
CNC machining (vertical machining centre and mill-turn centre)
Reverse Engineering (using CMM techniques)
We can assist a company who have a product idea and may not have the resources to develop it. We will help them
through with our product design, rapid prototype and reverse engineering facilities. The dual deployment of both the
design and development resources help ensure that clients, designers and all development partners have a clear
understanding of the design intent. In addition it allows all stakeholders in a project effectively contribute in design
validation by discussion centered on physical artifacts, not just drawings. Celt Net is a service available to industry and we
will respond in a business like manner. Companies can tap into the level of equipment and the vast experience of staff we
have here.
Further information contact: [email protected]
MENTORLINK
MENTORING FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT
Mentorlink is an innovative project funded by the Equality for Women Measure under the Regional Operational
Programmes of the National Development Plan, 2000 - 2006 and is an initiative of the School of Engineering in ITT Dublin.
A structured mentoring programme for female engineers and technicians in the workplace has been implemented, with
training (recognised through Engineers Ireland CPD programme) provided for both mentors and mentees.
A network for female engineering students - Minerva - has been established and members have participated in three
national career days at ITT Dublin, and the Mentorlink prize work experience competition which offers summer work
placements to female students. Information on Minerva is available on the website www.mentorlink.ie. Mentorlink
conducted a survey of all the female membership of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland and a
similar sample of male members which has yielded a rich database of information. A preliminary report is
available at www.mentorlink.ie
Partners in Mentorlink include DCU, Ascon-Rohcon, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel Ireland, Horganlynch and two
professional groups, the Institution of Engineers Ireland (IEI) and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).
For further information on Mentorlink contact:
Lucy McAuley
Institute of Technology Tallaght Dublin
Ph. 4042848, fax 4042504
Email: [email protected]
Martha Burton
Institute of Technology Tallaght Dublin
Ph. 4042839, fax 4042504
Email: [email protected]
18
ITT Dublin's International
Partners
ITT Dublin has always encouraged collaboration with
international partners on a wide range of projects. One
such partnership involves the Institute working with
partners in Italy to develop a pilot programme for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Rome.
What is the Kyoto protocol?
What is the project about?
As outlined by the Irish Department of Environment,
Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG), under the
Kyoto Protocol Ireland has agreed to a target of limiting its greenhouse gas emissions to 13% above 1990
levels over a four-year period 2008-2012. This target
is as part of an overall EU target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland ratified the Kyoto
Protocol on the 31 May 2002, along with the EU and
all other Member States. It is internationally legal
and binding to meet the reduction targets as agreed
under the Kyoto Protocol.
The project “Roma per Kyoto” examines the potential
costs of cutting GHG emissions without sacrificing
economic growth. Specific interventions in the
energy, transport, waste, built environment,
commercial or residential sectors will be identified to
allow for definition of the best environmental policy
performance.
In order to achieve successful implementation of
environmental policy, the Roma per Kyoto project
addresses social and political issues when choosing
methodologies for cost and benefit analysis. In order
to address Kyoto compliance, the project must
endeavour to ensure citizens, consumers, business
and economic sectors make daily environmentally
conscious choices to ensure that each country’s
commitment target is successfully achieved. The
economic evaluation of environmental policies will
include the natural costs of damaging the
environment, the social costs of damaging human
well-being and the benefits to current and future
generations. Under these assumptions, cost and
benefit analysis becomes a measure of sustainable
development and a progress and prosperity indicator.
What are Greenhouse Gas emissions
(GHGs)?
Humans are contributing to the most serious and
threatening global environmental problem through
the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gas
emissions through running cars, heating homes,
businesses and industries. Fossil fuels such as petrol,
diesel, oil, coal, peat and gas are burned for these
purposes. This leads to emissions of carbon dioxide
being released into the atmosphere. The complete
inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comprises of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4)
nitrous
oxide
(N2O)
and
flourinated
or
F-gases (HFCs, PFCs and SF6). All economic activity,
as well as certain non-energy activities, in particular
agriculture, require energy consumption which produces GHGs. There are specific policies and measures
to address greenhouse emissions within each sector
of the economy.
Establishing a framework which will enable countries
to fulfil their commitments in delivering a more
sustainable energy economy is a critical element of
the project. Some examples of successful projects in
GHG abatement include focusing on housing and
building materials and legislation.
GHGs released into the atmosphere build up and trap
extra heat in the atmosphere resulting in a rise in the
Earth's temperature. Inevitably this also leads to
more extreme and unstable weather conditions,
more storms, floods, droughts and coastal erosion,
sometimes catastrophic.
19
Ireland, along with many other countries worldwide has now committed to achieving targets determined by
the Kyoto protocol. The ITT Dublin project collaborators are the Institute Registrar Mr. John Vickery, Dr. Gloria
Crispino O'Connell lecturer in the Mathematics and Statistics and Ms. Fiona Cranley lecturer in Mechanical
Engineering.
ENFO, Ireland's public information service on environmental issues has devised ten steps that you can carry out
in your daily life to provide a positive impact on climate change through promoting greater efficiency in our
daily lives.
Through collaborating with our partners in Rome, it is hoped to identify specific GHG emission interventions and their
methodologies, but also to develop an estimation of the cost and benefit of such interventions. Any effort to significantly
limit GHG emissions will require changes in behaviour of the economy and investments in technology. This change in
economic activity will impose costs on society. Comparing cost benefits for different options will allow for definition of the
best environmental policy performance.
Can I help reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions?
1•
Shop for the Environment by not buying over-packaged products and by looking for
products with Eco-label which guarantees less impact on the environment.
2•
Say “No” to Plastic Bags.
3•
Don’t litter and don’t tolerate those that do.
4•
Dispose of Waste Liquids Correctly to keep our Rivers, Lakes and Seas clean and safe.
5•
Turn Down and switch off lights when you leave a room and switch TV off at socket as
stand-by mode can use as mush as half the amount of electricity.
6•
Start Recycling Glass, Cans, Paper, Cardboard, Clothing locally
7•
Compost your kitchen waste and old newspapers to improve your garden.
8•
Use Water Wisely as showers use less than half the water that baths do and dripping
taps lose hundreds of litres of Water a year.
Rainwater collected in a barrel can be used for your gardening instead of hosing.
9•
Do Short Journeys in Short Time.
10•
Look for Energy Saving Label when buying Electrical Appliances.
Did you know?
EVERY DAY IN IRELAND 48 Kg of greenhouse
gas emissions are produced per person.
CONTACTS
John Vickery
Dr. Gloria Crispino
Fiona Cranley
IT Tallaght Dublin
Ph. 404 2222 Fax 404 2223
Email: [email protected]
IT Tallaght Dublin
Ph. 404 2758
Email: [email protected]
IT Tallaght Dublin
Ph. 404 2518 Fax. 404 2504
Email: [email protected]
20
EDDIE
COLLINS
RETIRES
Those who have graduated from the Institute and who
are working here may or may not know that this
August will see the retirement of one of the best
known members of the Institute staff, Eddie Collins.
Eddie has run the Department of Management since
the Institute opened in 1992 and in that time has
graduated thousands of students. This brief piece
pays tribute to his achievements in that role and will
give you, if you don't know him well, a sense of who
he is and what he did.
began lecturing in the then Waterford RTC. With a
masters degree in economics from UCD and
significant ministerial experience Eddie brought a
great deal of theory and real world experience to his
duties in Waterford and Tallaght.
When the Institute opened in 1992 it was the first
such opening of a, then, RTC since the early 1970s. The
college had the task of preparing and delivering
courses from scratch and this was a particular
challenge in the, then, largest of all the departments
in the college, the Department of Management.
This real world experience had included running a
leading Irish agricultural export company and being a
Minister of State in the Departments of Education and
of Industry and Commerce. While working as a
Minister he served in Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave's
government and worked with Tom O'Higgins, who
went on to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
There are few members of Dáil Eireann, past or
present, with whom Eddie is not on first name terms.
Students particularly have been
to the forefront of Eddie's concern
since he began in the Institute.
With inimitable style, and no shortage of charm and
coaxing, Eddie made sure that not only were National
Certificate courses ready to run in that first year, but
that they were soon followed by National Diplomas
and Bachelors in Business. This was no mean feat
considering the fact that each of these were run in
Management, Marketing and Accountancy, and to the
very large number of students therein.
Eddie brought a great deal of theory
and real world experience to his
duties in Waterford and Tallaght.
Nevertheless he did not rest on his laurels and has
brought the Department of Management to what it is
today- a thriving, successful department that has produced many of the Institute's finest graduates. His
good humour and abilities as a raconteur have always
been at hand when his colleagues needed some
perspective or when a situation needed to be defused.
Students particularly have been to the forefront of
Eddie's concern since he began in the Institute. While
not unconcerned about his administrative, support
and academic colleagues, Eddie has always believed
that students are at the very centre of what we do and
he has continually been willing to go beyond the call
of duty to help a student in difficulty. As a lecturer,
particularly of Business Policy, he was always keen to
know if students were experiencing personal
problems so that he could do all he could to help
them. Students of his will know that he used a lively,
engaging and imaginative style that made all of his
lectures extremely memorable. This tendency to
helping others came from his time as a public
representative, before he came to Tallaght. Eddie
served variously as T.D., Lord Mayor and councillor
for Waterford from the 1960s until 1987 when he
A firm believer in the maxim of mens sano in
corpore sana, Eddie is a keen golfer who has never
been found wanting when it came to supporting golf
outings in the Institute nor anywhere where there
was the chance of a fine game on a good course with
a well stocked 19th hole - with whiskey preferably.
Facts can be forgotten but what will be
remembered about Eddie when he retires is his good
company, generosity and kindness towards others. He
has made a difference in all of our lives and we all
wish him the very best in his forthcoming retirement.
21
SPORTS
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Division 2 group. The highlight of the season so far
has been the appointment of Pat Scully as manager
and the reestablishment of the partnership with local
club Shamrock Rovers FC. This partnership was
officially launched on January 25 th when ITT Dublin
hosted Rovers in an Eircom League pre season fixture
with ITT captained by Tommy Kenny winning 2-1 and
goals coming from Alan Mulcahy (Kildare County) and
Dave O'Connor (Shamrock Rovers). In total ITT Dublin
had 5 Rovers players on the field including Youths
players of the year Shane Kelly and U21 player of the
year Ian Ryan. Tommy and Alan will be joined by
Fresher Rob O'Neill on the Irish Colleges panel to
travel to North Carolina at the end of March for their
annual trip. Basketball continues to flourish with the
Mens Team reaching the A League Final and Cup semi
final last year having won the B League the previous
year. Under a new structure they now play in Division
1 and continue to improve while the Ladies compete
in the Division 3 final at the end of the month.
Sports & recreation plays a vital role in the Institute's
dedication to the personal development of our
students. At present there are over 45 clubs and
societies here catering for many diverse interests
from physical pursuits to drama and debating. Read
more about our clubs and societies on the comprehensive list at:
www.ittdublin.ie > current > studentservicesfacilities
> sportsrecreationservice > clubsandsocieties >
atozofclubsandsocieties
ICBA League Final 2005
Great strides have been made in recent years with all
Sports in ITT and already this year has seen the
Hockey Club win the ICHA Cup for the very first time
on Feb 8th by beating DIT and also reached the League
Final back in November losing by the narrowest of
margins to CIT. This was ITT Dublin sixth final in five
years between the League and Cup competitions and
was a joyous occasions especially as much of the Team
will be graduates next year. The Team was bolstered
by five Irish Colleges players, namely Kevin O'Malley,
Kevin O'Brien, Eilish Smith, Susan Moran and Louise
O'Dwyer who will travel to Belgium next month on the
Annual Tour.
David Kelly ITT Dublin graduate, Winner National 800m Champion 2004
On the Individual front International athletes Niall
Davis (Mountainbike) and Trevor Dunne (CP Athletics)
are dominating their events on the National scene
and were this week named on the Irish Sports
Councils list of International class carded athletes.
Niall is also funded throught the ITT Dublin
Scholarship scheme and is current Intervarsity
Champion. Troy Prendergast relinquished his
Intervarsity Pool Champion title he won last February
but continues to do well on the semi pro circuit.
The Soccer Club has continued to make massive
strides by reaching the CFAI Cup Final and winning
Division 1 without losing a game last year. At the time
of print thy have once again reached the CFAI cup
final after beating a highly fancied Athlone IT team in
the semi-finals. They will face either UL or Cork City
Academy in the final on the 8th of March. This year
sees them holding their own near the top of the
Premier Division while the Freshers also top their
Further information available from Tim O’Connor, Sports & Recreation
Officer, Telephone 01 4042550 or 086 6056750.
Email: [email protected]
22
23
ITT DUBLIN GAA TEAM
Senior Football Team 2005 Division 2 League Champions
Niall Clarke, Siobhan Mc Grath, Eddie Condron, Mayor – Theresa Ridge, Conal Keaney,
Claire Walsh, Simon Daly, Noel Sweeney) GAA Sports Scholarship Recipients
The GAA club fielded 6 teams this year in Senior Football, Senior Hurling, Intermediate Football, Freshers
Football, Camogie and Ladies Football. The club currently boasts a healthy membership of 140 players. A
milestone was reached this year when our senior football team competed for the very first time in the Sigerson
Cup where they produced a very commendable performance against a highly rated St.Mary's of Belfast but
were narrowly beaten by three points. They will continue to contest in league division one. The senior hurling
team lost out in tough league final of division three to Trinity College and are due to face the first round
championship of the Fergal Maher Cup in the coming weeks with the prospect of the finals weekend in Cork in
March. Intermediate Football is our social football team, which affords students who wish to take a more
casual approach to the game (and who don't like training too much!) the opportunity to represent the Institute
in GAA.
Ladies Footballers fielded a team this year for the first time and they are currently competing in division three,
we look forward to building on this achievement in the future. The Camogie team have amalgamated with DIT
given the scarcity of players at present and we have seven ITT Dublin players who are working with the DIT
ladies and proudly representing the Institute. Freshers Football is an introduction to college football for our
first year students, and this team is key to identifying the talent for our future Sigerson teams.
Three of our teams are sponsored at the moment - Senior football (Bank of Ireland), Senior hurling (Maplewood
Homes), Fresher football (Dixons) and I am very happy to report that GAA is thriving at the Institute. We are
always on the look out for helpers for our teams so if interested please contact us any time,
Gerry Anderson
GAA Development Officer
087-7988347
ITT Dublin
Hurling
Team
League & Fergal
Maher Cup
Finalists 2006
24
ITT DUBLIN RUGBY TEAM
ITT Dublin Senior Rugby Team 2004/2005 Division 2 Champions 2005
Rugby has been an integral part in the Sports and
Recreation programme of the College particularly since
2002 when the college brought in IRFU Development
Officer Eoin Hogan on a part time basis to organise their
Rugby Club. A landmark was reached that year when for
the first time ITT Dublin entered a team in the O'Boyle
(Freshers) Cup and won an Intervarsity 7's tournament
hosted by Carlow IT. The big breakthrough came even
sooner than expected when in 2004 IT Dublin captured
their first ever rugby trophy convincingly winning the
ICRU Division 2 title final with a 28-7 victory over
Dundalk IT.
Tallaght are now a competitive team in the premier division of the Irish Colleges league and the only Leinster
College in this Division. They also add an international flavour each year by representing Ireland against Loyola
University, San Diego and Colegio de Abogados de Madrid. The backbone of Leinster team for the
Interprovincial series is usually provided by the Institute and the competition was won by Leinster for the first
time in 2004.
Relationships with local clubs and organisations continue to be vital due to the lack of facilities and the
excellent work done by the Youth Development Officers in the IRFU/Irish Sports Council 'Tallaght project` must
be acknowledged. Plans are afoot to develop training and changing facilities on the campus. There are now six
schools in Tallaght competing in the Leinster Schools Development cup and the Institute is bearing the fruit.
With the new Tallaght Harlequins under 20 team there is plenty of rugby available to the young adults in
Tallaght. Significantly also, many players from some of the more established rugby schools in south Dublin like
Terenure College, Templeogue College and St.Mary's College are being educated and playing rugby for ITT
Dublin, this being assisted by sports and recreation bursary awards now available (in partnership with South
Dublin County Council) for those displaying 'exceptional talent'.
Rugby Scholarships 2005/2006 L- R Gary Byrne, David Cazabon, Mayor Theresa Ridge,
Eoin Hogan, Rugby Development Officer, ITT Dublin
Alex Dunlop on the charge
It is a testament to the sports staff of ITT
Dublin that they do so well in their respective
leagues. In terms of the rugby ITT Dublin plan
to consolidate their position in division 1 and
push for the knockout stages as well as build a
competitive freshers team in the O'Boyle Cup.
ITT Dublin Senior Rugby Team 2004/2005 Division 2 Champions 2005
25
Cormac Smyth, BBS (Management) ITT Dublin 2000,
Director of a:m web, a website development & consultancy company
How did I end up working for myself?
The smaller classes of IT Dublin and group projects
created an interdependence and team atmosphere
that I don't believe many other colleges have. This
particularly benefited my tardy and laissez faire self
as peer pressure and the knowledge that absences
were increasingly conspicuous forced me to up my
lecture attendances!
The short answer, like all these things, is that I fell
into it. Straight after college I spent a year with
Compaq, moving on to do an MBS in Ecommerce from
Smurfit Graduate Business School. On qualifying, the
'milkround' job market (consultancy companies and
large multinationals) had simply evaporated. Post 911, most US companies had hiring freezes, and the IT
industry was also still suffering a hangover from the
dot com crash. I took some contract jobs, worked for
a start up company, and then fed off the fat of the
land for a while, before a couple of opportunities
presented themselves.
The main advantage of the year at Smurfit was the
network you inadvertently develop with like-minded
people. One of these includes Tony, who's jumping
bean like excitement on returning from a trip to India
was the catalyst for the many meetings; Tom, Tony,
Sujeev and I were to have. These culminated
(eventually) in the formation of a:m web. We were
fortunate initially to secure great offices in the
fantastic Killinarden Enterprise Centre, and grew
from there.
Tony & Cormac of a:m web with Minister Michael Martin & Loman
O'Byrne (South Dublin County Enterprise Board) at the site launch in
the Mansion House, Dublin.
With the Luas, a new stadium en route, the
surrounding area of the square being redeveloped,
and the new phases of the college being approved, it
is fantastic that ITT Dublin is well positioned to
becoming one of the most important and attractive
college campuses in Ireland. As with many grads I
am still in close contact with many of my “old”
classmates. This is one of the great aspects of being
in a more intimate environment as opposed to the
larger universities. This intimacy led to the
introduction many moons ago of two IT Grads, Sara
and Gareth (Hopper), who are celebrating the birth
of their first baby, Katie! Congrats.
We are now located on Herbert Street in Dublin City,
and in India our growing team is based in a new
2,500 sq ft state of the art facility. We offer full web
development services are moving into offering
design services and pride ourselves on our complex
web solutions.
How did ITT Dublin help me?
The general business knowledge gained in college
helped to ensure that the company was set up
correctly, particularly with regards accounting
systems and marketing. The project and business
plan writing skills of course helped us to raise the
funding necessary for the company, although the
only notes I have revisited were Jim Bridgemans legal
ones!
Cormac is also the PRO for the newly established ITT
Dublin Alumni Committee.
You may contact him at [email protected].
26
EXCITING & WELCOME NEWS FROM
MINISTER HANAFIN
McLaughlin, Head of School of Engineering said. 'It
will additionally allow us be more innovative in the
delivery of our existing programmes in Mechanical,
Electromechanical, Manufacturing and Electronic
engineering via the development of new
configurations of teaching and laboratory space
where students can participate in further team
based learning activities. The money will go a long
way toward helping the school implement its
strategy for teaching , learning , research and
development for the region. We are keen to get the
building project underway as soon as possible and
will be consulting staff, students and industry as we
prepare our building specification.'
Following the budget announcement of infrastructure funding, Minister Hanafin gave the go ahead for
major building and development at ITT Dublin. The
Minister approved €45-€50 million approx in funding
for the construction of the Engineering Building, the
Catering & Tourism Building and the Multi Purpose
Centre. These buildings will be built as a public
private partnership scheme and are due to be
completed by 2009.
'I welcome this announcement by Minister Hanafin'
Dr Creedon, Director said. 'ITT Dublin is at the centre
of one of the fastest growing regions in Europe. This
investment will ensure that ITT Dublin can meet the
socio-economic needs of the region and will enable
ITT Dublin's aspiration in becoming a world class
centre in the delivery of relevant, focused education
and training for South Dublin County and its
surrounding regions'.
Dr. David Irwin, Head of Department of Humanities
said 'the Tourism and Catering Building means a
significant increase in space and facilities which will
allow ITT Dublin become a national centre for
excellence in the provision of full-time, part-time
and apprenticeship programmes in the areas of
Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism.
'The approval for the Student Development Centre is
very good news and long awaited' Vincent Lennon,
Academic Administration and Student Affairs
Manager said 'now our students will have state of
the art leisure and recreational facilities on campus'.
'This announcement by Minister Hanafin is
fundamental to the development of clubs and
societies in ITT Dublin' Tim O'Connor, Sports Officer
said 'the Multi purpose centre will house and
facilitate sports and recreation activities as well as
the building of training and playing pitches adjacent
to this for field sports. In the meantime a welcome
temporary measure has been facilitated by the
Institute and will see two training areas and one
playing pitch ready for the 2006/2007 season in
September of this year'.
Minister Mary Hanafin, TD with Charlie O'Connor, TD and Tim Creedon, Director ITT
Dublin with students on a recent visit to ITT Dublin.
'This tranche of money will allow the School of
Engineering provide a broader range of services to
the community in South Dublin County as it
facilitates the development of Civil & Environmental
Engineering in addition to apprenticeship' Pat
Where it all began
How times have changed!
The construction site in
1991
27
SPEAKING JAPANESE IN AUSTRIA
Conor Mulrooney
National Certificate in Business Studies (1994)
After working as a German to English translator for 3
years, I got a job at the Permanent Mission of Japan in
an English language/administrative support role to the
Governor and his delegation to the IAEA. My duties
include preparing and proof-reading statements that
are made at the Board of Governors meetings held at
least 6 times annually and any statements that are
made at the UN General Assembly. With the Iranian
nuclear programme already taking centre stage, there
promises to be some very lively Board of Governors
Meetings in 2006.
September 1992, just out of school and I decided to do
the National Cert in Business Studies at the spanking
new RTC just up the road from me, with the hazy notion
of eventually getting a business degree. I may have
missed out on the biggest gravy train in the history of
the State, (It seems all so obvious now; a housing shortage, a young population with a pathological desire to
own their own house, and an economy about to
explode). Nevertheless, IT Tallaght was a life-changing
experience in ways that I could never have imagined
and I have absolutely no regrets.
This is also a significant year for Vienna. Capital city of
the EU Presidency until June, and celebrating the 250 th
and 150 th birthdays of Mozart and Sigmund Freud. It's a
great city to live in and with a fantastic public transport
system, an ideal city to spend a long weekend in with its
historical buildings, excellent museums, galleries, and
colourful nightlife. Aer Lingus fly directly into Vienna
with Ryanair flying into nearby Bratislava. Vienna used
to be considered an expensive city to live in, but
everywhere is cheaper than Dublin these days (the price
of a pint is around 3 euros).
Vienna has many different nationalities and the Irish
community has a visible presence, complete with our
own GAA team "Vienna Gaels", sponsored by Charlie P's
Irish pub, a great spot on a Saturday night. I'm hopeful
that my little baby son Cian, will one day play at Croke
Park with the Vienna Gaels against London in the 1 st
round of the All-Ireland!
From the 3 streams on offer, I went for marketing.
I wasn't sure about many things at the time, but one
thing I knew was that I could not stomach another 2-4
years of intensive French. Fascinated by U2's early
nineties Berlin experiences, and always wanting to
learn it, I decided to pick German. In 2nd year, I chose
Japanese as my minor language, which looked
interesting and fun. 13 years later, I'm working with the
Japanese delegation to the International Atomic Energy
Agency here in German speaking Vienna. The head of
our delegation, Mr. Yukiya Amano, recently accepted the
Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IAEA, and is also the
Chairman of the IAEA Board of Governors.
You might expect to hear how I spent a few years in
Japan teaching English and perfecting the language,
and that I got into conference interpretation and
translation. The truth is however that I crashed out of
the college at the end of the certificate stage after
flunking Japanese and every other subject, except
German! To cut a long story short, eventually I got back
into IT Tallaght, never took another lesson in Japanese,
got my degree and completed an MBS in DCU. In
between all that, I met my future wife in Vienna, and
eventually settled in Austria in 2001.
IT Tallaght and the seemingly innocuous choices I made
in 1992 have left an indelible mark on my life, and I can
trace everything back to that day in 1992 when posed
the question "French or German?" I think it is testament
to the quality of Language learning at IT Tallaght, that I
was able to start a new language from scratch, achieve
fluency and go onto using the language successfully in
a professional environment. Now if only I had done my
Japanese assignments!
Hungry Alumni Members Take Note!
San Giovannis Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria in Tallaght has offered an exclusive ‘2 main
courses for the price of one’ to signed up Alumni members. Membership will be checked
and restrictions may apply!
See http://www.tallaght.net/sangiovannis/
28
AN GHAEILGE BEO BEATHAÍOCH IN
INSTITÚID TEICNEOLAÍOCHTA TAMHLACHT !
Córa de Paor
Cultúr na hInstitúide a dhéanamh
dátheangach.
thairiscint againn ar an gcúrsa Staidéar Eorpach i
Meán Fomhair 2006. Beidh Staidéar Aistriúcháin
mar chuid riachtanach den chúrsa sin.
Táim an-sásta bheith in ann sibh a chur ar an eolas
faoin dul chun cinn atá déanta sa Ghaeilge anseo
san Institúid. Le hAcht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003,
tá sé d'aidhm againn seirbhís dhátheangach a chur
ar fáil san Institúid. I mí Eanáir 2005 ceapadh mé
mar Oifigeach Gaeilge don Institúid. Táimid ag
ullmhú dréacht scéim chun forálacha an Achta a chur
i bhfeidhm anseo. Is léir gur tionscadal fadthéarmach é seo. Is deis é do Ghaeilgeoirí na hInstitúide
cultúr na hInstitúide a “ghaelú” ionas nach gcaillfí ár
n-oidhreacht . Chuige sin thosaíomar an “Bord
Gaeilge” anseo sa cheaintín ar an Aoine.Tháinig
daoine le chéile am lóin chun comhrá a dhéanamh
agus ba mhór an spraoi é. Chun oiliúint fhoirmeálte
a thabhairt, d'eagraíodh dhá rang teanga ar an
Deardaoin d' fhoireann na hInstitúide. Bhaineamar
go léir taithneamh as na ranganna, phléamar na
sobaldhramaí, saol na hoibre agus iarradh orm
roinnt gramadaí a dhéanamh. Daltaí díograiseacha a
bhí agam ar ndóigh!
An Ghaeilge agus Gaidhlig na hAlban.
I mbliana tá ceann scríbe nua againn ar an Oileán
Sgitheanach (Skye). San Ollscoil (University of the
Highlands and the Islands) ansin, Sabhal Mór
Ostaig ( Big Barn) déantar na cúrsaí, staidéar
teilifíse, meáin chumarsáide, staidéar gnó srl. tré
mheán na Gaidhlig. Tá sé ar intinn againn 6 lá a
chaitheamh ann roimh Cháisc ag foghlaim Gaighlig
na hAlban, agus ag cothú nascanna idir an dá
choláiste. Ceapaim go bhfuil sé thar a bheith
tábhachtach agus sinn i mbun athbheochan na
teanga, a bheith i dteagmháil le daoine a bhfuil an
fhís chéanna acu. Tuigimid go bhfuil an pobal
Gaelach níos leithne ná ár n-oileán féin. Chaith mé
seachtain ar oileán Sgitheanach i mí Lúnasa agus ba
oscailt súl dom é an t-éacht atá déanta thall ansin
chun an Ghaidhlig a chur ar a bonnaibh arís. Is
teanga í an Ghaidhlig a d'eascair as Gaeilge na
hÉireann. Sa 5ú agus 6ú aois chuaigh na
hÉireannaigh go hAlba, chuir siad an ruaig ar na
Pioctaigh a bhí lonnaithe ann ag an am sin.Le
himeacht aimsire tháinig athruithe sa Ghaeilge a
thug siad leo go dtí go raibh sí mar theanga nua,
Gaidhlig. Tá aitheantas faighte ag an nGaighlig mar
theanga oifigiúil in Albain anois. Tá roinnt mhaith
leabhar, úrscéalta agus gearrscéalta ag teacht amach
i nGaidhlig , comhartha go bhfuil borradh faoin
teanga arís!
Casadh na Taoide
Le hAcht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla agus Stádas mar
Theanga Oifigiúil san Aontas Eorpach, is léir go
bhfuil casadh na taoide ag teacht ó thaobh
Athbheochan na Gaeilge de. Le cúpla bliain anuas
castar daoine orm idir fhoireann agus mhic léinn a
dteastaíonn uathu snas a chur ar a gcuid Ghaeilge.
Mar a dúirt duine acu “Teastaíonn uaim í a labhairt
tar éis an méid ama a bhíos ag gabháil di ar scoil” Tá
go leor ranganna ar fáil, anseo san Institúid agus ar
fud na cathrach, mar sin tapaigh an deis…Beatha
teanga í a labhairt!
Gaeilge ar an gCúrsa Closamhairc.
Le cúig bliana anuas tá Gaeilge mar ábhar roghnach
ar an gcúrsa Closamharc. Is Gaeilge fheidhmeach atá
ann nó Gaeilge do shaol na hoibre. Tá an bhéim ar an
teanga labhartha do na Meáin Chumarsáide, do
Chursaí Gnó agus don Turasóireacht. Mar chuid den
chúrsa sin, tá deis ag na mic léinn deireadh
seachtaine a chaitheamh ar an gCeathrú Rua le
hurraíocht ó Fhoras na Gaeilge. Bhí na turasanna sin
thar a bheith oiriúnach do na mic léinn Closamhairc.
Bhíodh ranganna teanga acu ar maidin
agus
thugaidís cuairt ar Ráidió na Gaeltachta san iarnóin.
Mhíníodh an fhoireann úsáid an treallaimh go léir
dóibh agus bhí siad an-sásta le sin. Ansin thugaidís
cuairt ar sheit Ros na Rún agus théimís go dtí an
Chistin le haghaidh ceoil agus craic istoíche!
www.Irelandforvisitors.com/articles/connemara
FILM SUCCESS
An Ghaeilge ar an gCúrsa Staidéir Eorpaigh
I mí Iúil 2004, fuair an Ghaeilge Stadas mar Theanga
Oifigiúil san Aontas Eorpach . Ciallaíonn sé sin go
mbeidh gá le daoine chun aistriúchán a dhéanamh
ón mBéarla, ón bhFraincis agus teangacha eile, go
Gaeilge i bPairlimint na hEorpa. Is léir go bhfuil an
Gaeilge i lár an aonaigh mar ábhar inmharthana arís!
Chun freastal ar an éileamh seo tá an Ghaeilge a
Congratulations to the AV students who’s film
‘Waves of Conscience’ was nominated
in the ‘Best Film’ category at the Fourth
Annual Digital Media Awards 2006.
29
’Back to Massachusetts’
Two ITT Dublin graduates flying the flag in Boston
Steve Tolan, Class of 1998 National Certificate in
Business.
Brian Kelly, class of 1995 National Certificate in
Computing, currently Principal Engineer at IONA
Technologies, Boston.
After leaving college, I began working for IONA
Technologies in Dublin. My first job was in our
Professional Services division, as a customer-facing
consultant. Having never even been on a plane before
that point, I was suddenly being sent all over the USA
and Europe to teach our customers how to use our
products and solve problems that they were having
with them in their own systems. Since this was during
the “dot-com” era, business was booming and I spent
most of my time flying back-and-forth to the USA.
I am originally from Tallaght. I left Old Bawn Community
school after my Leaving Cert back in 1988. I knew of the
plans to build the college in Tallaght and always had it in
the back of my mind to attend there if and when it might
be built. I did a lot of working and travelling around Europe
(and a little further) after my Leaving Cert. and I
eventually applied in 1992 for IT Tallaght. I was not
successful the first year but in 1993 I was accepted.
I had also been applying for a Greencard to the U.S through
the Morrison "lottery" visa program. Lucky enough I got
one and had to arrive in the U.S by September 1994. That
meant I would have to take a break from college for a year
at least. I took off after the World cup - I had decided to
stay in Dublin for that as I had been in Italy in 1990 and
even though I had a great time I knew being at home was
going to be a great experience. And it was, I remember the
mad rush to the pub for 3 o'clock and my boss driving me
home from work on the footpath through Finglas village in
order to watch the games!
In early 1999, I decided to move to the USA since I was
already flying there many times every month. So, I
transferred to Boston and began working in IONA's
offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I kept up the
frantic pace of customer consultancy for another 2
years, but in late 2001 I had become tired from over 3
years of constant traveling. I decided to move into our
Engineering department and help build the same
products which I had been teaching and using.
I've been working in the Engineering department since
that point, and I now lead a team of engineers responsible for the core of IONA's flagship product, Artix. The
work is quite challenging and demanding, but very
fulfilling. The other engineers here are all extremely
good at what they do, and I've learned a huge amount
from them.
Anyway I spent a year in New York and decided to go back
home and finish the final 3 years of my degree. At the
same time every holiday I got I spent over in Boston trying
to keep my Greencard valid - which if you know anything of
U.S security, was not an easy task.
Life in the Boston area is great . I live with my
wonderful wife (who is from Illinois) just north of the
Massachusetts border in New Hampshire, and drive 30
miles down to IONA's offices in the Boston suburbs
every day. The trip usually takes about 30 minutes, but
it can take up to an hour if it's snowing (which it does
for most of the winter here!). The good thing about the
snow is that myself, my wife and almost all of our
friends are snowboarding addicts, and so we regularly
make the 2 hour drive up to the mountains during the
winter weekends. Its one of the many reasons I can't
see us leaving this region for a while yet!
I am now married to a local girl and I have a son Patrick,
who is just 5 months old. I own a construction company
north of Boston which pays the bills. I am lucky enough to
have had some family come over to visit, I have 2 brothers
and 2 sisters who came to visit and now live here. I used to
think often of moving back but less so now, every time I go
back it has changed so much and prices keep increasing. I
know people who went back from here but had to settle 50
miles outside Dublin as the prices were just too high.
30
I graduated in 1998 from IT Tallaght with a Business degree
which I got by attending college in the evenings and
working during the day.
Steve Tolan, phone in Boston 781 592 5564
FUSION PROGRAM WON
by Department of Mechanical Engineering
application. Focus will be on developing the project
and the graduate will understand heat treatment
procedures, research more efficient methods
/machinery, and report to senior management
regarding necessary changes to be made. The project
offers the graduate the opportunity to develop skills
in
project
management,
leadership
and
communication at all levels in the company.
James Dwan, Dept of
Mechanical Engineering,
in
partnership
with
Limavady Gear Co. Derry
have won a 24-month
FUSION
Programme
funding. Limavady Gear
Co. Ltd. is a precision
engineering
company
with a separate department for gear cutting
currently servicing all
Pictured: James Dwan
types
of
industry
including quarrying, printing, food processing and
marine.
All FUSION Graduates are expected to attend training
which is specifically designed for FUSION Graduates
and delivered by Smurfit Graduate School of Business
in UCD. Its aims are to enhance Graduates' personal,
professional and managerial capabilities so that they
can complete their FUSION Projects successfully and
to equip them for leadership roles in business. There
will be a series of five, two-day workshops, however,
a substantial part of the qualification will be work
based. In addition, on successful completion of their
training, each Graduate will obtain an Advanced
Management Diploma accredited by UCD.
FUSION was launched in 2001 as the first all-island
technology
transfer
initiative
facilitating
cross-border tri-partite partnerships and projects
between companies with technology based
development needs, academic institutes with specific
technological expertise and high calibre graduates
with the ability to manage the project. The aim is to
research alternative types of heat treatment and
identify materials best suited for each process/
For further information please contact:
[email protected]
www.ittdublin.ie
31
PART-TIME COURSES
AT ITT DUBLIN
OVERSEAS CONTACTS
Name: Grainne Clancy
Location: Varna, Bulgaria
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +359 88 775 3191
Name: Eamon Bermingham
Location: Ashburton, Jersey
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +01 534 512282
Fax: + 01 534 512277
Website: www.ashburton.com
I’ve been working with in Ashburton
(investment managers) for about 2 years.
Prior to that I was working here in Jersey
for Bank of Ireland Asset Management. I
did my final exam on 31st May 1997 and
left the following day to come and work
for Barclays international Funds in Jersey
on a graduate programme. I still cannot
believe I am here this long!! Not sure if
there are any other I.T Tallaght graduates
in Jersey but this is one way to find out!
Cheers!
Name: Rory McEntee
Graduated: 2003
Course: Marketing Management
Working as: Advertising executive,
Creative Solutions
Mobile: 0868816127
Email: [email protected]
www.ittdublin.ie/courses/part-time/
Name: Stephen G. Maher, Ph.D.
Cellular and Molecular Immunology
Section, Laboratory of Experimental
Immunology,
National Cancer Institute - Frederick,
National Institutes of Health,
Bldg 560, Rm 31-28,
Frederick, MD 21702,
USA.
Tel: 301-846-1436
Fax: 301-846-1673
Email: [email protected]
SPREAD THE WORD!
The Alumni Office would like to sincerely thank all those who have signed up to the Alumni Association so
far. At this early stage we are very dependant on word of mouth in order to acquire new members so we
are relying on many of you to spread the word far and wide. Why not drop an email to someone you know
who may not have signed up and forward the link to our online registration page:
www.ittdublin.ie/about/alumniandfriends/howtojoin