On April 13th, the University of Limerick Archery Club hosted the finals of the Irish Student Archery Association’s Intervarsity League. The event was held in the UL Arena, making it the biggest intervarsity ever held. The success of the day was largely due to the hard work of all the members of the club contributing towards the set-up, organisation and running of the event.

The day saw the arrival of student archers from all over Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The finals of the intervarsity league involves presentations of awards from the categories of the intervarsity and the awards for the winners of the overall I.S.A.A. league categories, making it a tense and exciting event.

This year the presentations were held in the Pavillion in UL. Every UL archer had been on top form on the day and this was proven by the awards that we earned. For the UL Intervarsity, the club won eleven awards in individual and team categories. Following this, the I.S.A.A. league awards were presented. Trophies were awarded to six talented individuals; Lorcan Crean in Advanced Male Compound, Sarah O’Sullivan in Beginner Recurve Female, Eamon Mallon in Beginner Recurve Male, Jeffrey McMahon in Advanced Male Barebow and Amber Patton in Advanced Female Barebow from the UL Archery Club for their individual performance.

The most anticipated awards of the year are the overall team leagues and to the clubs delight UL Archery Club came 1^st in the Compound and Barebow Leagues and 2^nd in the Mixed. This proved to be one of the most successful years in the UL Archery Club.

The UL Archery Club would like to thank the UL Photo Soc for documenting the occasion. Each club that attended the event was hugely impressed with the photos, and it has given us a huge amount of publicity. We would also like to thank the UL Arena for allowing us to host this event on their courts, everybody praised the magnificent venue and set up, and we hope to be able to continue this event for years to come.
The club also wishes to congratulate Michael Curtin and Margaret Carey on completing their final student archery competition. Michael shot for UL Archery for five years, attending 29 Intervarsity’s and held the position of chairperson of the I.S.A.A. over the past year. Margaret has been with UL Archery for just under a decade and has watched it grow into the club it is today throughout the years. Both of these members have played a huge part in the success of the club and we would like to thank them for their contribution over the years.
Also, we would like to say a final thank you and farewell to our coach, Emmanuel O’Dea who has been a member and subsequently coach of the club since 2000. Emmanuel is the reason why our club today is where it is. 13 years ago he had the initiative and motivation to set up the club and strived for the club to be a success. He has tireless put many hours into the club but unfortunately Emmanuel will retire from his role as coach at the end of this semester. His immense knowledge and experience will be sorely missed.

This year has been a great year for the University of Limerick Archery Club. We have brought home awards from every intervarsity held in the country this year and hope to continue this success in following years.

By Sarah O’sullivan

The End of the semester came around far too quickly for the members of Dance UL, but as always Dance UL went out with a bang. On Wednesday the 17^th of April, Dance UL hosted a showcase that demonstrated all of the amazing talent that Dance UL is bursting with. The Night was hosted by the lovely Jodi Jane and Paddy Rockett, and it was an immense success. The members of Dance UL danced their absolute hearts out, as they performed routines that had been learnt in class, as well as award winning all-Ireland Intervarsity routines. Not only were there group performances but we also had solo and duet performances from Dale Halvey, Carmen Lurn, Rita McDonnell, Olivia Hogan and Stephan Sherry, Karly Ziegler, David Billy Tidswell, Conor O’Brien and Robyn Cuneen. Evelyn Finnerty and Jodi Jane also managed to wow the audience with their powerful voices.

This showcase was the biggest Showcase that Dance UL has ever hosted, and this was largely due t

o the fact that it was being done in the name of Charity. This year, every single cent raised went to the Adult learning Centre for Enable Ireland in Quinns Cross. The Integrated Dancers of Enable Ireland also performed a very special routine. Enable Ireland’s mission is to work in partnership with those who use their services to achieve maximum independence, choice and inclusion in their communities. The centre provides Rehabilitative training for adults with physical and sensory disabilities. This gives trainees an opportunity to develop a broad range of skills as well as fostering greater independence, personal effectiveness and self-advocacy. The programme also aims to facilitate and encourage trainees to become more involved and included in their local community. Trainees have been involved in a community radio station and strong links have been developed with the University of Limerick, allowing access to third level education. It is a very worthwhile cause that relies mostly on fundraising, and Dance UL is delighted to announce that we raised a staggering 442.74 Euro.

The Dance UL committee would like to give a huge thank you to Disability services and Buildings ma

intenance here in UL who worked so hard to put the ramp into the Jonathan Swift theatre that allowed the Integrated Dancers to perform. We would also like to thank Scott Robinson and Jack Deacon for providing the music as well as recording the event. A huge thank you is also in order for Jodi Jane, Paddy Rockett, those who came and supported us, as well as those who took part. It’s thanks to you the night was such a success. I would also like to thank the other members of the Dance UL committee, in particular our President Olivia Hogan; hard work really does pay off. The videos of the showcase will be up of the Official Dance UL YouTube channel shortly. If you like what you see, then come and join us in September, and be in the next showcase.

by Carol-Jane Shanley

It was an early start for UL1 with their first game against DIT. They got off to a great start scoring the opening points of the games and gradually improved as the game progressed. UL1 kept up the intensity and closed out the game for a final score of 13 – 2 in their favor.

UL2 first game of the day followed swiftly seeing them up against a very strong Trinity team. Trinity dominated the game, continually getting points on the board but UL2 forced them to work for their points. The game unfortunately ended in a loss for UL2.

UL1 next group game saw them pitted against UCC3. Once again the team got off to a solid start and witnessed them take an early lead through some great handler movement up the field. They built on this and the final score ended 13 -1 in UL1’s favor.

UL2’s next group game saw them against the hosts of the tournament NUIM1. Maynooth came out strong taking some of us by surprise but were focused and tried to put a score on the board. Unluckily Maynooth took the victory on score line of 13 – 0. Not harrowed by their defeat UL2 kept their spirits high in anticipation for their finally group game.

For UL1 their last group game saw them against DCU1. Once again UL were surprised by how strong and intense this Dublin team was. The opening points were scored by DCU but UL1 came back and soon the teams were trading points. A tough and intense game unfortunately saw UL1 lose on universe point to DCU. The final score was 8-7 to DCU.

UL2’s last group game saw them come up against the Pick Up team. It was a fun spirited game and saw UL2 finally get some points on the board even with the harsh wind and rain. In the end UL2 got the victory and moved onto their crossover.

After losing to DCU, UL1 now faced a crossover to get into the quarter – finals on the Sunday. Their game was against DCU2. UL1 regrouped after their defeat and focused on their crossover. They got off to a great start taking the opening points and continuing to build on this through some great offensive plays. The final score was a great win for UL1 13 – 1, seeing them into the quarterfinals.

For UL2 their crossover saw them pitted against a very strong UCC2 team. Not allowing themselves to be intimidated UL2 played some great ultimate, their movement improving after a day of playing together. Unfortunately due to turn over’s it saw UCC2 taking an early lead. We finally managed to capitalize on our hard work scoring two points but at that stage UCC2 had closed out the game. The final score was 13 – 2 to UCC2.

Sunday saw an early start once again for the teams with UL2 facing DIT. DIT used their players wisely and it witnessed them take an early lead. UL2 soon brought out a zone in an attempt to thwart them, which proved to slow them down, and saw us make our way back into the game. Unfortunately DIT’s early lead saw them winning the game in the end.

UL1 started off the day against second seeds Trinity in the quarterfinals. Trinity took the opening points playing the wind to their advantage. UL1 regrouped though and broke out their defensive zone forcing Trinity to drop the disc. UL1 started to get back into the game but unfortunately time was against them and Trinity took the game on a score – line of 10-4.

Our next game saw us against ITB, a relatively new team. We went into this game feeling confident in getting our first victory of the tournament. We started out well scoring the opening two points but ITB soon scored forcing UL2 to start playing smartly, using our defensive zone and handlers. This saw us continue to extend our lead. The final score was 8 – 3 in UL2’s favor.

UL1 now saw themselves against UCC2 in a battle to get into the 5^th/6^th play-off. Just like their game the previous day against UCC3, UL1 came out strong not letting their loss distract them and they were rewarded by taking a great win through some great grabs in the end-zone with a final score of 13 – 2, seeing them progress to the 5^th/6^th play-off against NUIG.

UL2’s final game saw them against the host college second team NUIM2. We got off to a slow start giving NUIM2 an early lead but were grouped and brought out our defensive zone once more forcing Maynooth into errors. We capitalized on these and came back into the game, taking the lead but Maynooth forced the game back to tie. In the end it came down to universe point. UL2 started on offense but dropped the disc forcing us into defense. But through some intense work we turned once more and through some great movement and grab in the end zone we took the victory. After an intense game the result was 8 -7 to UL2.

For UL1 their game against NUIG got off to a strong start with UL1 converting their defensive plays into hard earned points. NUIG started to get back into the game but UL1 shut down their attempts through some great plays on both offense and defense seeing them close out the game on a final score of 11 – 6.

For UL1 their MVP was Conor Carey, their MSP (Most Spirited Player) went to Corn Sheehan and finally their A Game award went to Eimhin Daly. The second team awarded their MVP to Sarah Melvin; their MSP was Hannah McDonald, while in a once off happening their A Game went to Caoimhe O’ Sullivan, Andy Clary, Barbara Harding, Hannah McDonald and Chris Tinkler. Congratulations to both teams on a great weekend! In the end UL1 finished in strongly in 5^th while UL2 finished in a positive 13^th. We would just like to say a big thank you to NUIM for hosting the tournament; it was a brilliant weekend for all! Finally congratulations to UCC on winning Intervarisites for the fourth year in a row!

by Caoimhe O’ Sullivan

Ireland’s motorsport pedigree has been a wave of inconsistency over the past century. From early days, high calibre events such as the Gordon Bennett race and the Circuit of Ireland have attracted an international crowd and aesthetically, Ireland has proved to be a majestic location for the setting of road rallies. The major drawback that the industry here faces, however, is the lack of development programmes for younger drivers. Irish names gracing the world stage kicked off with rally aces like Paddy Hopkirk and Billy Coleman, motorbike legends such as Joey Dunlop and, more recently, circuit racers Eddie Irvine (Formula 1) and Colin Turkington (British Touring Car Championship).

Despite these “flashes in the pan”, many Irish drivers have competed (and continue to compete) at national level with the younger crowd generally aspiring to move onto an international level. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the economic boom led to a healthy sum of entrants on the Irish rally calendar including an array of WRC machinery and promising young drivers who constantly struggled to match their budget with their talent. Kris Meeke and Niall McShea are prime examples of this but it was not alone the rally drivers. The predicament stretched to circuit racers, most notably Adam Carroll (who raced for the Irish A1 GP team in their winning year) and Michael Devaney (A1 GP and Formula 3).

A few weeks ago, I took a trip to Mondello Park with members of UL’s Racing & Motorsport society to spend a day as spectator of our very own national racing championships. It turned out to be a very enjoyable day and showcased the wealth of entertainment from our minnows very well. When we arrived in the morning, the historic class were racing and some beautiful machinery was on display including a Lotus Europa and Crossle Light. This was only a taster though as the Formula Libre championship was underway soon after and this surely was a treat. Formula Libre is an interesting league which is open to all single-seater models from any class. In that respect, cars from Formula 3, Formula Nippon, ex-F1 cars and even a Mission T5 took part in the event. Although performance parity may not have been a top priority for the championship organisers, watching them scream past while sitting at the pit wall was astounding. The noise was enough to excite any petrol-head and all of this was right on our doorstep. Granted, so far the driving talent was made up of amateur drivers with a bit of money, out for their weekend of fun away from the day-job. But such was not the case when the Formula Vee cars left parc ferme and lined up on the grid.

In the field of Vee machinery was promising teenager Jack Byrne. At just 16 years of age, Byrne was the most infantile entrant and is currently battling with Justin Costello for the lead of the VW Spares Rookie Championship. Although works outfits possessed an advantage, the racing remained very close and the competition was fairly even at the front providing tight racing and great entertainment for the fans. Ballyfermot man, Colm Blackburn, took the overall win in race 1 and won Class B in race 2. Ger Moore reaped the rewards for top honours in the main national championship in both races. Without a  structure in place to nurture these aspiring racers,  the very self-contained and weak Irish motorsport industry will probably push these drivers abroad to greener pastures in the not-too-distant future.

Entry into motorsport, even at base level, is usually too expensive for working-class people but our new tin-top feeder series, the Ford Fiesta Championship, couldn’t be more affordable. The Fiestas used are mostly stock cars, save for a few safety measures installed and other minor adjustments and can be built to race-standard for about 2000 euro. A field of almost thirty Fiestas took to the grid in the afternoon to battle it out in the spec-series and the race provided great side-by-side action and plenty of paintwork swapping. To demonstrate the closeness of the action, the top 3 in both races were covered by a second!  Natural progression from the Fiesta championship leads into the Irish Touring Car Championship (ITCC) and here, an interesting mix of touring cars exist in three different classes. At the bottom is the stock-hatch class and it’s fulfilled by hot hatchbacks like Andrew Twomey’s Citroen Saxo. Step up then to the Production class where you’ll find a collection of Honda Integras and Civics. Mark Keane, winner of the Race2Race competition last year, was present in his Integra. At the top is the Super Touring class where we find higher-spec Integras of Erick Carroll and Rob Savage as well as the beautiful BMW M3 piloted by Erik Holstein.

At Mondello, Holstein was the class of the field and was untouchable but Savage and Carroll had a very good tustle in their identical Hondas. The Production class was a lot tighter at the top with Mark Keane proving to be wise beyond his years, taking a maximum points haul from the weekend and in stockhatch, Twomey benefited after class rivals fell into various difficulties.

Myself and the UL Racing & Motorsport society had a very eventful day out at the races and we all agreed that the extent of enjoyment had at these national events was not a million miles away from the quality of national events in the UK. With some more funding, exposure and development these series would grow and attract more lucrative sponsorship deals, works teams and international drivers. Britain has the monopoly on national circuit racing with the British Formula 3 series, Clio Cup UK, Porsche Carrera Cup UK and British Touring Car Championship held in high regard around the globe. Their sheer volume of good circuits puts them rungs above Ireland’s efforts and, unfortunately, the few Irish drivers who muster up the funding to develop a career in motorsport have to make an impact abroad to progress substantially. I hope that more Irish people (particularly motor racing fans) will get behind our own drivers and support their journey through racing. Shamefully, higher authorities in this country make no effort to provide substantial grounding for a keen driver but I’m confident that the current lull in activity will springboard over the coming years and, if we play our cards right, it might  extend to reclaiming a British Touring Car round at Mondello or the World Rally Championship in Sligo. Nurturing starts at home though so go take a weekend off and get down to your local race-track.

ULRM members browsing the paddock. Here they scrutinise one of the Formula Libre entries.”

By Paddy Cummins

ITS NOT often I would want to write something myself in An Focal, I like to leave the Life & Style pages as a canvas for all of you to voice your opinions on everything from fashion to sex, cookery to relationships. But my two years as an editor for An Focal have come to an end and it wouldn’t feel right without saying a few words of praise and thanks to everyone that has contributed.

Over the last two years I’ve been both Fashion Editor and then Life & Style Editor. I really appreciate Kelly O’Brien and Darragh Roche giving me these opportunities for the last two years and in turn, helping me create a fashion and lifestyle section that I hope you like to read! Thanks a million to everyone that has contributed, I’ve had some die-hard fashion and lifestyle journalists that the section might have flopped without and it’s been fantastic to work with people with such drive and enthusiasm.

It’s been a privilege to be a part of An Focal for the last two years and if you’re reading this and haven’t gotten involved yet, I strongly advise you too. Not only is An Focal informative and interesting but also it’s a place where everyone’s opinions are valid. Thank you once again to Lorna, Darragh and Kelly and all the other fantastic editors that I’ve worked with the past few years. Thanks to the other sub-editors and most of all to all of you for writing and reading the Life & Style section!

Emily Maree, Life & Style Editor

DESPITE the current year we live in, and the medical marvels that have come our way, the majority of womankind is still skeptical of birth control pills and the side effects that come with them.

They hesitate before going on specific forms of contraception, weighing up the possible side effects that are usually heard through word of mouth. They base their decision on which seems the least extreme, whether it’s trying to avoid gaining weight, developing bad acne, suffering intense mood swings or having irregular periods. Yet these are all symptoms that have become case specific and most of us are willing to live with them for the sake of being in control of our future. However once they become life threatening, shouldn’t they become illegal?

Dianette is a female contraceptive pill with its first purpose serving as acne medication but consequently providing birth control. Over the past two years it has come under intense scrutiny and has been linked to the death of a 17-year-old student in the UK in 2010, due to undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis (DVT), because she was on Dianette.

However this is not the only case when an unexplained death leads fingers pointing to the pill, it’s merely the most recent. Since its release in 1987, over seven deaths worldwide have been linked to the pill, all in relation to blood clotting and DVT.

Medical agencies have already launched into action. The pill is already banned in France after an investigation went under way when four women on the contraception died. The drug cannot be directly related to these deaths and side effects, but have been “yellow carded” by doctors in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), a system in which they suspect that a certain drug may be the cause of the death. The European Medicines Agency has also launched a review of its safety.

Contraception is becoming more available to young teenage girls, a social development which can be debated on being for the greater good or bad for hours on end. It gives them protection and safety, but such a safety net can give them too much license to act how they want without considering the consequences. But regardless of the implications young girls on contraception have and the moral issues concerned, they should not be put in danger.

Blood clots are a common fear and a possible health risk when on such contraception. Compared to the more common variations of the Pill, Dianette is seven times more likely to increase the risk of blood clotting. When it comes to DVT, Dianette is the most likely Pill in effect to cause this symptom. DVT blood clots develop in the leg area after long periods of inactivity.

If you are taking Dianette or know someone who is and are feeling uncomfortable with it, it might be a good idea to go to your GP and speak about the implications of Dianette.

Roisin Curran

THE ISSUE of sweatshops being run by large global companies such as Zara and Nike isn’t as black and white as you may think. The first image that comes to mind when the sweatshop topic is brought into conversation is workers cramped into a small factory with no heating or air conditioning and working 12 hour long shifts. This is obviously a sad and depressing image to have and unfortunately, is as close to the reality of it as you can get without having been to one.

These workers are denied their basic working rights and work ridiculously long hours for less pay than you’d get for a night of babysitting the neighbour’s kids. The company then reaps in all the extra profit as they have significantly reduced their costs and these sweatshops workers see none of it. It’s hardly the dream job we all hope for but unfortunately, for some people, it’s the only option they have.

The saddest fact about these sweatshops is that these workers are grateful for the little income and they do it with little to no complaints because they have to feed themselves and feed their families. For many teenagers as young as 14, being a sweatshop worker is a necessity in order to ensure that their family can survive each week.

This is where the conflict of interest comes in for many people. Isn’t it true that maybe these workers would be in a worse position or jobs had Zara not hired them for less than minimum wage? Aren’t there more dangerous jobs they would have to resort to, such as prostitution and crime, to put food on the table? The answer is yes to both these questions. If it wasn’t for sweatshops then there would be many more unemployed people hitting rock bottom to feed their children or siblings. If sweatshops were banned completely, a lot of people would have their only route out of poverty taken away from them.  Not as black and white as it was five minutes ago, is it? Sweatshops can be a lifesaving income for the workers, it’s just that the organisation itself reaps the most profit.

I have to say, I was completely against the idea of sweatshops, especially when it comes to multi-million global companies that can afford to increase their costs to fund the appropriate wages and maybe shorten the working hours. I understand that sweatshops may seem like the most horrendous ways to earn money at the expense of people’s health but sometimes it’s their only hope. For this reason alone, I believe that if sweatshops were banned in some of the poorest regions of the world then what would become of the poor workers and their families? What if the factory can’t afford to keep up production costs if forced to pay the minimum wage, wouldn’t that mean that even more people would lose their jobs?

An issue as controversial and emotive as this can never be black and white, it always has its pros and its cons.

Sophie McDermott

THE MEDIA attention surrounding two Ohio high-school football players, who were found guilty in juvenile court of raping a 16-year-old girl, has caused immense debate in the last number of weeks.

While they were found guilty of rape the media treated the Steubenville case as though they were the victims, not the girl, who was forced to confront her experience in public after photos and a video of her on the night in question were circulated on social media.

Two girls made online threats to the victim via Twitter, menacing her with homicide and bodily harm for coming forward and launching the trial that led to the guilty verdicts for Ma’lik Richmond, 16, and Trent Mays, 17. The girls were arrested and taken to juvenile detention.

Both Mays and Richmond face at least one year in juvenile detention, with Mays potentially serving an extra year for taking and distributing images of the girl while she was naked. They can be held until they turn 21. With so much attention focused on the lasting legacy the convictions will have on the boys and their now ruined lives, there seemingly hasn’t been as much concern for the victim.

No one asks to be raped and although it was highlighted again and again in the trial that the victim was drunk, this is not an excuse for her to be violated. If she was too drunk to say no – then she was certainly too drunk to say yes.

Rape victims often feel shame and guilt over the experience and blame themselves for what happened. Evidence of the night’s events was widely distributed, including a 12-minute video that mocked her inebriated and unconscious state.

It was her mother who, along with other relatives, took her to the police with a flash drive containing the images and social-media evidence they hoped would be enough to find and charge the perpetrators.

The crime, which took place after a party last summer, shocked many in Steubenville because of the seeming callousness with which other students took out their mobile phones to record the attack and gossiped about it online.

After the arrests, the case was furiously debated on blogs and social media, with some people warning of conspiracies and conflicts of interest.

The team coach has been accused of failing to report the incident and there are talks of a cover-up by the school but throughout this case there has been an over-whelming sympathy for the perpetrators.

The victim has been threatened, accused of lying and been blamed for the rape herself. There is no reasoning behind a rape. It doesn’t matter what someone wears, the way they act or how drunk they are. This crime is often ignored but this has to change.

Victims deserve justice for the traumatising ordeal that they have endured and the perpetrators deserve to be caught and tried, not only for justice but to prevent future attacks.

No means no.

Barbara Ross

THE FASHION industry is that intersection where the subtle meets the extreme and the innovative meets the downright crazy. Each season, designers have to come up with new ways to stay on top of the game, making their collections and catwalk shows as theatrical as possible, ensuring their show sticks in your mind. But when does the crazy become too crazy?

There has been uproar in the fashion industry the last six months over the infamous brand Yves Saint Laurent. A fashion house that has been at the forefront of the industry, YSL was taken over by a new creative director last year called Hedi Slimane to shake things up, and by god he did. When taking over a company that is so established, it is usually a risk changing anything but Slimane went one step further and changed the brand name to Saint Laurent, a move that had many critics speechless.

Since his time in the newly named Saint Laurent, Slimane has pushed the boat out on a number of projects. For the new menswear line, he chose a very unlikely candidate to front the campaign – Marilyn Manson. As part of the latest series of ads being debuted this month – titled the Music Project – Manson and other musicians such as Courtney Love will be featured in a move that is set to ‘cement the ties with the music industry’. But why?

The fashion industry loves a challenge. It loves having something to analyse and ponder about. But did Slimane push it a bit too far? With only a year in charge of one of the biggest fashion houses on the planet, he has altered everything he can about its original form, including its name. When John Galliano took the helm at Christian Dior all those years ago, he made it his own but he still stayed respectful and truthful to its original designer, who made the line as successful as it was. So why can’t Slimane do this?

Of course, he is not the first designer to try the shock factor to get the critics talking. Back in 2012, Tom Ford edited an issue of Vogue Paris and used young girls in his Cadeaux editorial, including 10-year-old Thylane Blondeau. Many were up in arms about the way these young girls were posing and the make-up and clothing they had on. This led to a huge controversy about the use of young models and led in part to the setting up of the Vogue Health Initiative.

In a piece entitled, “Why Tom Ford was right to photograph vamped up six-year-olds,” Libby Banks of MyDaily UK wrote: “Ford has created a dialogue about the fashion industry’s attitude to age; in an industry where teenage models are encouraged to have the physique of a small child in order to promote women’s clothing, surely the next ‘logical’ step is to use a small child to model grownup fashion. It’s meant to be absurd and offensive.”

It appears that the fashion industry has bowed down to this shock factor need. No collection or show is enough without the prospect of it blowing you out of your seat and that means a bleak future for some in the industry. It will be interesting to see how critics react when the Music Project is unveiled later this month and for Slimane’s sake, hope it doesn’t go down like a lead balloon!

Emily Maree, Life & Style Editor

SPRING is finally here and in true student style the shorts are out at the first hint of Mr Sun peeping through the clouds.

There may still be a chill in the air but the sky is clear and the cone machines are in full swing. If a 99 isn’t your cup of tea then try your hand at making this easy and delicious ice cream.

This honeycomb ice cream is sweet and creamy and is a great accompaniment to some of the other recipes given throughout the last couple of issues of An Focal. It’s not as complicated as it sounds to make but of course you don’t need to tell anyone else that!

Ingredients

Honeycomb:

8oz granulated sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

1 tbsp water

½ tbsp bread soda

Knob of butter

Ice cream:

3 medium eggs (separated)

4oz castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ pint cream (semi-whipped)

Method

Start by making the honeycomb.

Add the sugar, golden syrup, water and butter to a saucepan and bring to the boil without stirring until the mixture changes colour to a light brown, this takes approximately 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn this mixture or yourself. Boiled sugar is extremely hot!

Remove from the heat and whisk in the bread soda, then turn the mixture out onto a baking sheet and allow to harden. When set, break into small pieces to use in the ice cream.

For the ice cream whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Whisk the egg yolks, vanilla extract and sugar in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

Fold the semi-whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture then gently fold in the egg whites, keeping as much air as possible in the mixture.

Finally gently fold in the broken pieces of honeycomb, pour into a 2lb loaf tin that is lined with cling film and freeze overnight.

Once frozen, the cling film will make it easier to remove from the tin and enjoy with any dessert or simply on it’s own.

Take advantage of the sunshine and make this delicious summery ice cream.

Barbara Ross