Hi everyone!
My name is Darren and this year I’ll be taking over as Editor of An Focal.
Ever since I started in UL I’ve always been passionate about student media, be it with An Focal or in my role as Station Manager of ULFM. I take a great amount of pride in being able to give students a voice and an outlet for all their creative talents, whether it’s a review of some indie, underground game you discovered or a hard-hitting political piece, it is my firm belief that every story is worth telling.
Those of you who know me will know that I’m currently in my third year of studying Journalism in New Media. The reason that I decided to give running the paper a shot is that while I may not have the experience of a graduate, I do have the experience of a student and I think for a student newspaper that’s what matters most.
Being given the chance to run the paper and hopefully bring it back to its former glory is something that I can’t do alone, so I’d like to take a minute to introduce the rest of the An Focal team. Aimee, our designer, will be in charge of making the paper look amazing, Caitlín will be handling the online side of things making sure that your newsfeeds are up to date with all the recent events and stories happening on campus and Nicole, our News editor, will be making sure that the important topics and keeping you informed with all the news from UL and the wider Student world.
Make no mistake, even though we’re running it, An Focal is YOUR newspaper which is why I really hope that those who are interested in joining as a contributor, section editor or just to give a helping hand do so.
If you’re interested in contributing you can either get in contact with me at Darren.Faul@ul.ie or at AnFocal@ul.ie, and remember there is no topic too quirky or too niche. Whatever you’re writing, there will always be a space in An Focal!
Best of luck with the new year and I hope to see some of ye soon!
All the best,
Darren Faul,
Editor-in-Chief,
An Focal
Molly Cantwell 
Daragh De Klein