Trinity News Volume 70 Issue 8

NEWS

The

Irish colleges and public facilities failing to treat eating disorders

Features: Comment: Metrolink and Ireland’s inability to fight for progress

Ireland’s Oldest Student Newspaper

From Mount Street to the Dublin mountains

Homeless asylum seekers that were living in tents on Mount Street outside the International Protection Office in a “rapidly detiorating” situation were moved to state-owned land near the Dublin mountains and told to pitch tents in what has been called an “irresponsible ploy by the government” on St Patrick’s Day weekend

Full

story on pages

OC: Constitutional breaches by TCDSU president “undermines trust in the union”

Molnárfi defended his breaches of chapter 1.4, describing it as “ineffective and out-of-touch”

Charlotte Kent News Co-Editor

The Oversight Commision (OC) has ruled that the multiple constitutional breaches by Trinity College

Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU)

President László Molnárfi

“undermines trust in the union and constitution”.

In a report circulated among union council members seen by Trinity News, the OC, the union body responsible for policy interpretation and investigating constitutional breaches, ruled that Molnárfi has acted both in breach of the constitution and of his duties as president.

The OC has therefore recommended a motion of censure against the president at TCDSU council tomorrow evening, the strongest reprimand that council can give an officer without calling for an impeachment of that officer.

Earlier in the year, the OC ruled that a voter registration campaign launched by Molnárfi and Citizenship Officer Ella

MacLennan urging students to vote against the current government violated section 1.4 of the constitution which requires the union to act “independent of any political, racial or religious ideology”.

The OC report noted that Molnárfi has received “several warnings” throughout the year and outlined a number of previous violations made by Molnárfi throughout the year.

The report said Molnárfi breached the constitution “most significantly” in an interview with Manchester-based student publication the Mancurion in which he admitted that his breaches of chapter 1.4 are “grounds for impeachment” but said “no one will do it because our faction has a lot of support”.

The OC said this statement was

a breach of chapter section 3.4.2(a) that sabbatical officers must “act in the furtherance of the aims and principles of this constitution”.

“The president is a servant of the union and is required to represent every student. Claiming that you are a member of a faction is incompatible with both the president’s contractual and constitutional duties to do so.”

“Saying the constitution does not apply to you and implying that you will violate the constitution undermines trust in the union and the constitution. This has serious consequences for the union ranging from decreased engagement in the mildest case to the loss of funding from the capitations committee in the most extreme case.”

Trinity Hall JCR sees highest number of election candidates since 2019

Gabriela Gazaniga Deputy Analysis Editor

THE 2024 TRINITY HALL JUNIOR COMMON ROOM (JCR) ELECTION WILL HAVE THE highest number of candidates running in five years, with 39 candidates campaigning across 11 positions.

This is the highest number of JCR candidates since 2019 where 51 students campaigned and all 11 were contested.

Only the entertainment (Ents) officer election is uncontested, with Freddy Offereins running as the sole candidate. Two students, Eliska Pinterova and Faye Prendergast, are running for two positions, communications and marketing officer and publications officer.

News

TCDSU #YesNo referendums stance “unconstitutional”

Analysis: The defeat of the family and care referendums

Features

Back home early: When Erasmus goes wrong

Tackling microplastics in period products A Six Nations victory for Ireland

TRINITY NEWS EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor

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Managing Editor Online Editor

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Deputy Life Editor

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News Editors

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Features Editor

Comment Editor

Scitech Editor

Sport Co-Editors

Kate Henshaw

Ellen Kenny

Ella Sloane

David Wolfe

Eve Conway

Kay Williams

Abby Cleaver

Lara Monahan

Aidan Cusack

Evan Skidmore O-Reilly

Charlotte Kent

Alan Nolan Wilson

Ruby Topalian

Nina Crofts

Sebastien Laymond

Séaghan Ó

Domhnalláin

Jane Prendergast

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>> Continued from front page

OC: Constitutional breaches by TCDSU president “undermines trust in the union”

Molnárfi noted later in his interview with the Mancunion that his “faction” was the far-left and “students definitely support our faction over the hacks, the bureaucrats, and the moderates”.

The OC also received a complaint last month regarding a social media post from Molnárfi which promised to “keep being political in defiance of 1.4” after a motion to hold a referendum on 1.4 failed to pass at council.

“The president has a duty to uphold the constitution. Stating publicly that you intend to defy section 1.4, whilst not a breach of the section 1.4 itself, is still a serious breach of the constitution”, the OC report said.

The OC noted its recommendation of censure against Molnárfi is “not a reflection on the policies but on the important recognition of knowing and intentional breach by an elected and salaried official, who is obligated to uphold the democratically enacted

>> Continued from front page

constitution”.

In a statement to Trinity News Molnárfi defended his decision to act against chapter 1.4 of the constitution: “Why should a

“ [This] is not a reflection on the policies but on the important recognition [of] breachintentional by an elected official

student union not be able to call out right-wing conservatives, who are actively destroying the country and who hate students, staff and the ordinary people of Ireland?”

“In this way, this is a prime example of why 1.4 should be changed, because what we have currently is not working. It is outdated, ineffective and out-oftouch with the student population.”

“We need to abolish 1.4, abolish bureaucracy and install grassroots governance structures throughout the union. The grassroots, radical and a political approach this year in the union has delivered us many successes, as well as a more engaged student population, because we are creating a strong student movement that can stand up to the College, as well as to the state, and challenge the authorities.”

Posting from the TCDSU president X account, Molnárfi said he and others “are coordinating a response against” the OC report and recommendation and invited people to join their group.

Trinity Hall JCR sees highest number of election candidates since 2019

Three positions, publications officer, communications and marketing officer and tech officer, are chosen by interviews with the current JCR and the Electoral Commission (EC).

Speaking to Trinity News on the upcoming election, current JCR President James Carey shared: “We are thrilled with the significant rise in candidate nominations for this year’s election.

“This increase reflects the relentless work by the committee to drive resident engagement throughout the year”.

Campaigning for the JCR elections will begin on March 25 at 9am, with a husting taking place the following evening where candidates will be questioned by residents and the current JCR committee.

Niko Evans

Alice Gogarty

Ruby Tyson

Meave Hopkins

Lindsey Brown

According to Carey, candidates will also have the opportunity to campaign at the annual “JCR Birthday” in Doyle’s.

Voting will take place on March 28 in Halls between 9am and 12pm and then again from 6pm to 9pm.

Results will be announced that same night at 11pm in Mother Reilly’s.

The positions of publications officer, communications & marketing officer and tech officer, candidates will be interviewed and their portfolios assessed by the EC and the sitting JCR.

President

Four students will contest JCR

president, compared to last year’s three candidates. PJ Cronin, Aibhe McBride, Gráinne Ní Ailín, and Amir Sallachi are running for the position. Carey, a second year mathematics and economics student, currently holds the position.

Vice-President (VP & Treasurer)

The vice-president/treasurer race will also see four candidates running: Isabelle Janssen, Maria Kopyeva, Remi Laloy, and Lila McNamee. Last year, Leah Malone ran uncontested for this position and was elected on the first count.

Secretary

Agathe Seiler and Mia Taylor will run for the role of secretary. Paul McConkey was elected secretary last year on the second count.

Welfare Officer

Doubling the number of candidates from last year, this year will see four candidates contest the welfare race: Finn Baneham, Mirian Greenwood, Maëla HanotRenvoize, and Abhainn ObaoillCoyle.

Ents Officer

Similarly to last year when current ents officer Peader Walsh ran uncontested, Freddy Offereins is the sole Ents candidate in this election.

International Officer

Elena Byrne, Tianyi Huang, Jess O’Donnell, and Alisha Shivnani will run for international officer.

Caroline Sander ran uncontested last year.

Sports Officer

The race for sports officer will have Finn Connolly, Rian Gallagher, and Scott Lawrence vying for the position. James McDermott ran uncontested last year.

Music Officer

Only two candidates are running for music officer: Kevin Clark and Sean Power. Four candidates contested this race last year.

Communications (Comms) & Marketing Officer

Six candidates will contest the comms & marketing race: Conor Brennan Batory, Gordii Kodubovsktyi, Katie McGee, Eliska Pinterova, Faye Prendergast, and Vadim Rudic. Five candidates ran for this position last year.

Publications Officer

Carmen García Barajas, Eilidh O’Connor, Eliska Pinterova, and Faye Prendergast are the four publications candidates this year. Five students contested this role last year.

Tech Officer

In a major shift from previous years, seven students will run for tech officer this year, a major increase from last year where only two students ran. This year’s candidates are Lukas Anderson, Liam Connolly, James Fallon, Noel Friedrich, Lucy Garrett, Finnian Grace, and Joseph McKeon.

Poll: Social Democrats most popular party among Trinity students for fourth consecutive year

Polling also found students are divided on the union’s stance on Irish unity and the “apolitical” clause of the union’s constitution

Tom Comer Statistics Editor

APOLL CONDUCTED

BY TRINITY NEWS FOUND THE SOCIAL

DEMOCRATS ARE

the most popular Irish political party among Trinity Students for the fourth consecutive year.

Nearly a quarter of all students (24.6%) said that if a general election were held tomorrow, they would give the Social Democrats their first preference vote. Sinn Féin reclaimed the second spot with a 17.1% share, having fallen behind People Before ProfitSolidarity (PBP) in last year’s poll.

PBP was the third most popular party at 15.3%.

Although both remain popular amongst students, Sinn Féin’s and PBP-Solidarity’s respective shares of the vote have fallen since last year, when Sinn Féin received 17.9% of the vote, and PBPsolidarity received 16.9%, a near 2% decrease in support for the party.

Polling was conducted in person as well as online, with a sample size of 642 for this question, larger than in the previous three years.

Those who supported current government parties represented 21.2% of the respondents, versus 67% of students who supported parties not involved in the current coalition.

Of the governmental parties, Fine Gael received the highest percentage of support with 10.4%, followed by the Green party at 8.9% with Fianna Fáil proving least popular, polling at just 2.8%.

Nearly 9% of students said they would not vote in the next election or spoil their ballot (8.7%), and 6.23% indicated that they would vote for an independent candidate.

The rise in Social Democrat support on campus could be explained by the stewardship of Holly Cairns. Last year the poll was conducted prior to her appointment as leader, and

indicated a support of 20.1%.

A significant 4% swing in favour of the Social democrats likely indicates a combination of increased disdain towards government, and apathy towards Sinn Fein among students, with Cairns’ clear messaging providing an appealing alternative.

Political stances in TCDSU

Trinity News polling also found that students are divided on the proposed “politicisation” of the students’ union.

On the question of whether Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) “should be able to take explicit political stances” 44.3% of voters were in favour, while 38.36% were against.

Some advocates within the union, notably President László Molnarfi, have campaigned to amend its constitution to allow the explicit politicisation of TCDSU. Put simply, this means the union would be able to constitutionally adopt anti-government stances or support certain parties.

There have been ongoing conflicts between the Electoral Commission (EC) and TCDSU itself this year, notably over the anti-government voting campaign which was deemed unconstitutional.

There was no variation regarding faculty or year group over support for the policy. However a much more significant divide is present in political affiliation; unsurprisingly, governmentsupporting voters were much less likely to be in favour of this stance with only 24.65% in favour, whereas anti-government voters were in favour by a slim majority of 52.24%.

There was a distinct difference in support for the constitutional amendment along party lines. Overall, 75% of People Before Profit voters were in favour, alongside 59% of SF and 48% of labour voters respectively.

In contrast, only 19.4% of Fine Gael voters were in favour of the policy, along with 16.67% of Fanna Fáil voters.

Notably, despite being a government party, 33.3% of Green party voters approved of the constitutional amendment despite an ongoing campaign to remove them from government.

It is worth noting this is one of the more controversial stances of TCDSU, with the proposed rewording of the constitution causing much dismay among the union.

Despite this, we see majority support for the policy among those who have held a position in TCDSU with 55% of these students being in favour of the policy.

It is unclear whether the adoption of this policy will be brought to the student body this

term, a planned referendum having previously been struck down over legal concerns. Our polling shows that it may be capable of achieving the necessary support (50%) to pass at referendum, but it would be a contentious campaign.

Those in favour of the proposed amendment would need to deliver a clear and consistent message as to the implications of the proposed policy to convince those as yet undecided.

TCDSU and Irish unity

Polls also suggested support for the students’ union taking an official stance on Irish unity would not be enough to pass in a studentwide referendum.

Overall, 40.9% of students would be in favour of the union adopting an official stance on Irish unity, while 29.3% of voters “neither agree nor disagree” with the proposition.

In recent months, student campaigners have called for Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) to take an official stance in support of reunification, circulating a petition which reached over 200 signatures last month.

Their proposal states: “TCDSU expresses its support for the reunification of Ireland, and will actively and inclusively campaign for Irish unity with recognition for all communities on this island.”

A student-body-wide referendum on the proposed policy would be automatically triggered if the petition reaches 250 signatures.

There was no significant variation in support between year group or faculty. A higher percentage of “anti-government” voters were in favour of the policy, with 43.5% of this group agreeing in comparison to 33.3% of government voters – respondents who indicated support for one of the three coalition parties in the poll.

The policy needs a qualified majority of 60% to officially adopt the stance, and with nearly a third of all voters currently undecided, the campaigners would require a concerted and effective communication strategy to convince those in the middle ground.

The divide among parties followed somewhat predictable trends; support for the proposal was highest among Sinn Féin voters, with 68.2% in favour of its adoption.

The next-highest support came from People Before Profit voters (44.9%), followed by Fianna Fáil (44.44%).

The party least in favour was Labour, with 48.5% of voters being against the policy, however the small sample size of Labour voters should be noted (33).

“TCDSU should be able to take explicit political stances”

“TCDSU should take an official stances in favour of Irish unity”

EC: TCDSU #YesNo referendums stance unconstitutional

The EC ruled union policies and stances must be decided at council or by a college-wide referendum

Ellen Kenny Deputy Editor

THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION (EC) HAS RULED THAT AN ENDORSEMENT OF A YES-NO VOTE regarding March 8 referendums by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) was unconstitutional as it was not approved by council or the student body.

A question was brought to the EC, the body responsible for interpreting the TCDSU constitution, on whether it is “unconstitutional for Union Forum, or any individual officers of the union, to unilaterally dictate the position of TCDSU with respect to a national referendum”.

In a report to be read at council,

the EC noted TCDSU President László Molnárfi posted on X on March 3: “Our student union @ tcdsu, representing a diverse body of students, including those with disabilities and carers, is calling for a YES vote in the family referendum and a NO vote in the care referendum. The state’s utter disregard for disabled people must stop.

A letter attached to the post outlined the union’s stance on the referendums to change the definitions of family and care in the constitution, which was co-signed by Molnárfi, Citizenship Officer Ella MacLennan, Disabilities Officer Keeley Jenkinson and Mature Students Officer Ailish Smith.

The EC ruled this stance was unconstitutional, referring to chapter 4.2 of the constitution that union policy must be decided at council. It also said that union forum (UF), made up of TCDSU’s part-time officers (PTOs), must bring proposed union policies to council before they are officially decided.

The report also noted that council decisions are “second only to the ability of Council to put such issues to referendum” with the entire student body.

A second question to the EC asked whether “general governance regulations” of UF were followed when reaching the decision to take

a stance on the referendums on March 3.

In its response, the EC released messages from UF’s Slack in which Molnárfi told members he, MacLennan and Jenkinson “are leaning towards a yes-no vote” and asked for further opinions.

Following a discussion on the union’s stance, EC Chair Conor Casey messaged: “Union Forum does not have the authority to make this decision itself.”

“The best we could do is maybe we could encourage members to become more informed on the referendum,” he wrote.

The EC ruled the decision to publish a union stance on the referendum breached UF regulations as no formal vote or consensus was agreed upon.

“The Union Forum Slack Channel is not an appropriate channel for the reaching of decisions of this nature, nor is there any indication that there was consensus as to the decision to be taken, or that a vote was held on the matter,” it said.

The report also noted: “The statement at issue was published without the prior approval of the union’s communications & marketing officer.”

In a statement to Trinity News, Molnárfi said: “If structures hamper instead of facilitating our solidarity with vulnerable groups, then those structures are not fit for

purpose and must be abolished.”

“Bureaucracy is the bane of all progress. We need to abolish bureaucracy and install grassroots governance structures throughout the union.”

“ Molnárfi said “we need to abolish bureaucracy and install grassroots governance structures throughout the union”

In a statement to Trinity News, Smith said: “I am not one bit surprised that the EC are taking this course of action. In my personal opinion I think that they

have been extremely biased this year and only take action against certain people who they think are in breach of the constitution.”

She has claimed that “other members of UF have acted in a manner that is unconstitutional and there was no action taken against them” and that she has previously “contacted the EC about an issue that [she] had with a couple of instances during the [sabbatical] election”.

She also claimed that “a Vote Yes/Yes post was placed on social media without a council vote yet the EC declined on that occasion to rule that this was unconstitutional”. There is currently no post on the TCDSU instagram that advocates for a yes-yes vote.

She highlighted Section 1.4.a and 1.4c of the constitution that state “the primary objective of the union shall be to provide for and promote and defend the interests of its members” and “the union shall provide for the welfare of its members”. She says that “the stance taken by the union in the referendum statement is vindicated by these sections”.

She concluded: “All members of UF must be treated the same and the rules apply to all members. No union should have a golden circle that can act with impunity while others are consistently monitored.”

MacLennan and Jenkinson have been contacted for comment.

TCDSU environmental officer criticises College’s complicity in greenwashing in Green Week campaign

The campaign week organiser Nathan Hutchinson criticised College’s “empty posturing’ on sustainability”

Kate Henshaw Editor-in-Chief

TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS’ UNION (TCDSU) ENVIRONENTAL OFFICER NATHAN

Hutchinson has criticised Trinity’s complicity in greenwashing in his Green Week campaign.

As part of the College-wide Green Week activists also poured red paint on the Green Week sign highlighting College’s involvement

with companies such as companies such as Ryanair, Coca-Cola and CRH.

Hutchinson also published a letter calling on Trinity to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT). He highlighted College’s “empty posturing on sustainability”.

In the letter Hutchinson said: “Trinity’s new sustainability strategy (2023-2030) purports to commit Trinity to being “Leaders and Advocates” in achieving sustainability. If this is the case, why is it that Trinity is so afraid to take any stance on the practical steps needed to keep warming within planetary boundaries?”

Discussing the FFNPT, Hutchinson said: “This treaty, endorsed by thousands of organisations worldwide, along with several pacific island nations, would see a proper international mechanism to ensure the end of fossil fuel extraction.”

“The science is unequivocal that this is needed. It would only seem natural that our self-proclaimed “leader” university would support such an initiative.”

He noted that Trinity has failed

to endorse the FFNPT and “their track record in failing to do so paints another picture of the College’s sincerity when it comes

to sustainability”. He also highlighted that environmental activists a petition supporting FFNPT was sent to

Provost

Linda Doyle in May 2023. He said that College “failed to respond in any adequate way to these demands”.

Through the Centuries: A history of Trinity’s architecture

Final year student Misha Vaganov released his documentary film on Trinity College Dublin’s 432nd birthday

Aoibhínn Clancy Deputy News Editor

TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN THROUGH

THE CENTURIES WAS WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND produced by mechanical engineering student Misha Vaganov, and released on March 3.

When asked what drew him to the project, Vaganov said: “This is just the kind of side project that interests me in general and I like living two lives as a mechanical engineer and as a more artistic person”.

In his own words, Vaganov hails from “quite an artistic family”: “I’ve always had an interest in architecture, but then coming to Trinity personally we have you know, yourself so many, so many buildings and more”.

“Each building itself represents its own unique, historic period,” he continued.

“We have such an old university and 432 years of it is standing here, and even though the earliest buildings... didn’t survive, we still have buildings such as the Rubrics which represent the 18th century”.

Vaganov said that Colleges campus contains buildings which can “teach you a lot about the story period”.

Vaganov also cited

both the accumulation of loss and love as inspiration for embarking on this project: “At the start of last summer, I lost the most important person I had in my life. The loss which I did not know how to cope with. This in majority has led me to film this documentary.”

He continued saying: “I wanted to create something which is filled with love. Every shot in the film, every music note written, is filled with that love. I hope that while watching this documentary, people could sense those true emotions. This documentary became the culmination of my journey with Trinity. A journey which has shaped me into the person I am today”.

The documentary uses architecture as a window into the College’s past, reflecting Vaganov’s belief in the importance of architecture in relaying historical events.

“You can learn about Dublin through looking at for

example, statues beside the GPO and having a look at the bullets, the bullet holes in those statues just as you walk to O’Connell Bridge,” he said.

“Then when you walk into Trinity, it’s not just one period, it’s five centuries of Dublin’s history.”

He set out to show both College and its buildings “through the centuries” by talking about each building and its respective history:

“For example, the Rubrics. I’ve tried to not only talk about when it was built, for example, because even though that’s what’s important, but to [also] talk about what events happened during that period”.

Vaganov also wanted to make information about Colleges architectural history more accessible saying how the books on the subject matter are “quite heavy to read”. He says “here’s a lot of details and you have to really dive into the period when the building was built to really understand it because now we walk past all those buildings and we take it for granted”.

Acknowledging how this “takes time for students” Vaganov said “we’ve lived through turbulent centuries here in Dublin and it takes time, you know. I don’t think a lot of people will have the time to just take out five, six books from the library about Trinity and its architecture and just read through all of them”.

Vaganov himself details how before embarking on this project he “just really wanted to learn more about the university just from my own interest about architecture and the university which we study in but there was nothing there”.

“There’s just nothing easily accessible in the internet rather than just taking out books which is not too convenient”.

Vaganov said that a significant challenge of the production was having to get permission to film in campus locations.

“Every single caretaker for every single building was of enormous help”, Vaganov said.

”Without them. I don’t think it would have happened.”

Vaganov notes the most difficult aspect of the filming process was attempting to get permission to fly his drone in order to capture details of campus’ buildings: “I really wanted to fly my drone and I really wanted to fly over buildings”.

“They wanted me to create fly maps [but] just didn’t have time just because I really want to get it done before students are both on campus.”

As a final year student, Vaganov said that “I didn’t have too much time to edit everything. I used to just edit everything late in the evenings and at nights”.

Vaganov also scored the film’s music himself saying “I have a small, small keyboard”.

Vaganov told Trinity News that his favourite discovery from his

research was that the Old Library “didn’t look like that when it was initially built”.

Vaganov also noted how “the Museum Building has so much to talk about….that building could have a documentary itself”.

When asked by Trinity News if he had plans to make further film documentaries Vaganov said he has “definitely thought about it” but is unsure on what area.

“

Each building itself represents its own unique,historic period... the Museum Building could have a documentary itself

“I’m just not sure where I’m gonna find myself after finishing college in Trinity”, he said.

“I thought so many things came together at the right time and the right place just because I’m a student here it would have been very, very difficult if I wasn’t the student that I wanted to show a documentary here”.

PHOTO BY NIKO EVANS FOR TRINITY NEWS

Asylum seeker tents “slashed” by a “hooded and masked” man at IPO

Homeless asylum seekers at the IPO were moved to alternative shelter

Kate Henshaw Editor-in-Chief

TENTS OF HOMELESS ASYLUM SEEKERS OUTSIDE THE INTERNATIONAL Protection Office (IPO) were “slashed” by a “hooded and masked” man, according to witnesses on the scene.

Volunteers present at the IPO told Trinity News that the man “threatened” and “pushed” them.

Hundreds of asylum seekers were sleeping rough outside the

IPO over the past several weeks. On March 16, volunteers received reports that they were being moved to a facility in Saggart. Volunteers then received reports that tents were being “slashed” and disposed of.

Volunteer Roisín McAleer told Trinity News that she witnessed a “hooded and masked” man slashing the asylum seekers tents. She received information that morning that they were being moved and “a picture of a coach”.

She then arrived on the scene to “collect the tents and start doing a bit of salvage cleanup”. She then stated that when she arrived “a man was slashing, hooded and masked, was slashing the tents and [she] asked him to stop”.

Two other men were “hoarding the tents onto a trailer that was hooked to a big jeep”. She asked the men “why” and “who were they” and “they wouldn’t answer”. She said she “begged and pleaded” with the men to allow volunteers to

“take out the belongings out of the tents even though they’re slashed”. She also said she had “supplies in one of the tents”.

She said the men loading the tents eventually identified themselves to her saying they were “only carrying out orders”. The man then told McAleer that they were “private contractors for Dublin City Council”.

She also said that she was “physically pushed” and “threatened”. She said she was “asked for [her] name”, they “took photographs of [her]” and “they said they know where [she lives] and [she] should stop now”.

Photo by Niko Evans for Trinity News

Another volunteer, Sean O’Connor told Trinity News “it would appear that the Council, or whoever is in charge, doesn’t want the Paddy’s Day tourists seeing that”.

A statement from the department Children, Equality,

Disability, Integration and Youth said: “This morning, the department has offered alternative shelter to all international protection applicants camped at Mount Street.”

“All those who accepted the offer will be provided tented accommodation at a site in Crooksling, where food, personal toiletries, toilet and shower facilities are also available. The department will engage with HSE and health care providers in order to ensure the wellbeing of those on site.”

The department also said they “engaged closely with Dublin City Council regarding the situation at Mount Street” and “DCC has confirmed that the site at Mount Street will be cleaned following the removal of the tents currently there”.

“More broadly, the situation in relation to accommodation remains very challenging. The supply of available accommodation

is severely diminished.”

They said that “what accommodation can be opened is primarily being utilised for families in order to avoid women and children becoming homeless”.

Dr Eve Gaughan who was also at the scene and spoke to a reporter from Trinity News at the scene. She arrived after the tents were slashed.

She said she was “really pleased to hear the men were being moved to somewhere hopefully with better conditions and sanitary facilities because”.

She said she was “a little distressed to see the tents were being slashed” because they were “perfectly good tents that could be used again if we disinfected them and they’ve just been destroyed”.

Dublin City Council declined to comment. The Department of Integration has been contacted for further comment.

On scene reporting by Rory Chinn and Niko Evans.

Moving asylum seekers from Mount Street “irresponsible ploy by government”

Asylum seekers reportedly chose to walk from the alternative premise back to Mount Street on foot

Ellen Kenny Deputy Editor

MOVING ASYLUM SEEKERS FROM THE INTERNTAIONL PROTECTION

office (IPO) to west Dublin was an “irresponsible ploy by the government”, campaign group Social Rights Ireland (SRI) has said.

SRI, which has been supporting asylum seekers sleeping rough on Mount Street for the past few weeks, said moving them away this weekend was “a cynical and profoundly irresponsible ploy by the government to remove the embarrassing spectacle of a refugee encampment from the centre of the city on St Patrick’s weekend, when many tourists are visiting Dublin”.

“They have not made even a minimal attempt to resolve the problem and tend to the welfare of these men, many of whom are suffering from illnesses such as frostbite, infected wounds and scabies.

“We find it outrageous that these vulnerable men are being treated with such disdain by our government.”

The asylum seekers were taken from Mount Street by bus at roughly 9am on March 16.

Shortly after the asylum seekers left, three men “slashed most of the tents and were loading others onto the back of a trailer”.

“These tents are the property of SRI, which received them as donations from private citizens and businesses,” it said.

SRI also claimed volunteers were informed by asylum seekers that when they arrived at the premises in Crooksling, Saggart, they were given new tents and “were told they could pitch them in a field next to the building”.

“No food was offered to the men, nor were they informed about any

other services other than use of the bathroom and shower facilities at the nursing home,” it said.

“They were not informed how long this arrangement would last and whether there are plans to move them to secure indoor accommodation.”

According to SRI, some of the asylum seekers chose to walk back to the city centre, a 20km distance from Crooksling.

SFI said: “Sleeping outdoors in Saggart represents a deterioration of their condition as they would no longer have access to the support of volunteers and charities, nor to mosques (during Ramadan), shops or homeless services, and would be more vulnerable to attack by far-right anti-refugee groups.”

The department of integration said the premise in Saggart has “toilets, showers, food, security,

access to health services, and transport links to Dublin will be put in place”.

“Anyone who chooses to refuse this offer or leave the space offered by IPAS are of course entitled to make that choice,” it said.

“However, for their own safety and health, we do not recommend anyone return to Mount St as it does not have the facilities or security.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar defended the decision to move asylum seekers: “There were no showers, no toilets on Mount Street.”

“The alternative solution was to move them for health and safety reasons from a place where there were no facilities to a place where there was.”

“[It] is better than living on the streets.”

PHOTO BY RORY CHINN FOR TRINITY NEWS

PHOTO BY NIKO EVANS FOR TRINITY NEWS

Situation at asylum office refugee camp “deteriorating rapidly” say volunteers

Over a hundred asylum seekers were sleeping rough outside the IPO for weeks

David Wolfe Managing Editor

VOLUNTEER ACTIVISTS SAID THE SITUATION AT A MAKESHIFT REFUGEE CAMP outside the International Protection Office (IPO), where hundreds of asylum seekers were staying before they were moved to west Dublin, was “deteriorating rapidly” due to cramped conditions and poor weather.

While there were 50 asylum seekers crowded in the cramped space on March 4, the number later grew to approximately 270 by the time they were moved to alternative accommodation on March 16.

Independent volunteers assembled at the IPO on March 4 to provide food and other necessities to those sheltering in a growing cluster of tents and sleeping bags.

Scores of tents lined the laneway of Grattan Court, some covered over with tarpaulin to keep out the rain, while many simply stood soaked through with the rain that continued to pour all through the night. Several hands were raised as a volunteer called out to ask how many were without tents or sleeping bags.

Following unexpected snow and ice the weekend of March 1, the department of integration arranged for temporary emergency accommodation to be provided “due to the current extreme weather”. However, homeless refugees were then turned out of the temporary shelter on March 3, despite near-freezing temperatures and heavy rainfall throughout the night.

According to the government, over 1,600 “eligible” males have applied for international protection since the beginning of December. Just over a quarter of these have been offered accommodation, with 1,159 still awaiting an offer.

Eli, who was helping volunteer efforts at the camp the night of March 4, told Trinity News: “Our understanding is that people were temporarily housed in a few different locations and some people were sent back here on buses, some

people were just kicked out of their accommodation and had to make their own way back here.”

Léna, an unofficial coordinator, said that after being taken by bus to temporary accommodation in Dundrum, one group had been left to find their own way back after just one night, despite having originally been promised two.

“[The following morning], no bus arrived and they were told to find their own way back to the city

from Dundrum in 2°C, many with little clothes and no money. One man walked all the way back in that condition.”

“There’s insufficient tents, insufficient dry clothes, sleeping bags, blankets,” Eli added.

Sanitation was also a significant problem at the site, with migrants forced to urinate and defecate on the ground in broad daylight.

When Trinity News reporters arrived at the scene, volunteers

were speaking to paramedics as an asylum seeker was being put into an ambulance with apparent gunshot wounds which he had received before arriving in Ireland.

The camp included asylum seekers who have arrived from several countries, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Turkey,

“ There’s insufficient tents, insufficient dry clothes, sleeping bags, blankets

Pakistan and Palestine. Almost all were single men, with priority being given to children and families for state-provided accommodation.

As a Garda van rolled through the laneway, the crowd gathered around the open flame grill which had been set up by volunteers, fearing their only source of warmth and hot food would be ordered put out. The van proceeded after minimal interaction as refugees breathed a sigh of relief.

Police had not been as passive in other countries, according to Mary, a volunteer who had spoken to refugees about their passage to Ireland.

“When they were in Bulgaria, the police there were treating them awfully… their hands were getting broken.”

In another encounter, border police allowed guard dogs to bite the legs of the asylum seekers, Mary said.

“They came through pretty traumatic experiences to get to what they thought would be a safe place, but the government [are failing to provide that].”

Most asylum seekers themselves were reluctant to speak to journalists, even anonymously, with some saying they were “too nervous”. Nonetheless there was a social dynamic to the group as they spoke to one another in various languages, as well as conversing with volunteers.

Those who were volunteering at the scene did not belong to any official organisation. “It’s just a disparate group of activists,” Eli said. “There’s like a WhatsAppchat and stuff goes out, we come down. We’re just all trying to coordinate some type of support.”

He was direct in placing the blame for the situation on the government: “This is completely the government’s failure. The government needs to be providing these migrants and asylum seekers with places to stay. It’s not safe here and increasingly unsafe because of weather conditions.”

He added that far-right groups also pose a threat to the safety of those sheltering at the camp, recounting “a couple of times” in which a person has come to the area with an aggressive dog.

“People are facing that threat as well.”

Asylum seekers on Mount Street were later moved to alternative accommodation in Crooksling, Saggart, on March 16. However, several reportedly left on foot back to the city centre, a 20km distance, after they learned they would have to pitch tents on the premises. According to Social Rights Ireland, many chose to leave Crooksling due to its lack of proximity to amenities, particularly a mosque.

Trinity Musical Theatre lands top wins at CSC Society of the Year Awards TCDSU launches

The CSC recognised two people for Best Individual to honour VDP’s Jack O’Grady, who passed in August 2023

Kay Williams Deputy Online Editor

TRINITY MUSICAL THEATRE (TMT) SWEPT THE COMPETITION AT THE SOCIETY OF the Year awards, taking home three awards.

The society won Best Medium Society and Best Overall Society at the award ceremony in the Radisson Blu on March 12.

Carrie the Musical music director Erica O’Reilly was also awarded Best Individual.

TMT received eight nominations at this year’s Society of the Year Awards, compared to zero last year.

Chairperson Lily Kate Hearns thanked her committee for the award: “It is only because of their organisation that we have had the time to focus and achieve the goals that we set to achieve at the beginning of the year.”

“Having great friendships and being able to have the opportunity to achieve things like this with people you have great friendships with is a surreal experience.”

In the category for Best

Individual, the CSC broke tradition and awarded two winners to honour Jack O’Grady from the Vincent De Paul (VDP) society, who passed away unexpectedly in August 2023.

The Best Small Society award was taken home by Cancer Society, perhaps best-known for their annual Naked Calendar which features members of various societies to raise money to be donated to cancer research.

The Best Large Society was awarded to LawSoc.

Fashion Soc was twice commended for its visual identity, winning both Best Online Presence and Best Poster.

The Society of the Year Awards gives recognition to societies and members who were said to go above and beyond both within their society and the Trinity community.

The evening was opened by a short speech by Provost Linda Doyle who commented on the strength and teamwork of societies during the Dublin riots in November of last year in working together to help support students stuck on campus.

Doyle told Trinity News: “There is no Trinity without the societies as they are such a large part of the student experience in the most amazing way.”

“I am truly day after day impressed when I meet people from different societies and what they are doing, especially the night of the riots in what was a terrible evening for Dublin and Ireland.”

CSC Chair Samuel Isijola also commended the spirit and strength of societies, stating that society life is the most essential part of Trinity college culture, and recognised the work of the officers, executives, and staff in making the year and evening possible.

PHOTO BY JIMENA ALVAREZ FOR TRINITY NEWS

Speaking to Trinity News, Isijola commended the improvements made by CSC staff this year in improving the nomination and selection process of awards and hoped that next year’s committee will continue that same spirit.

“All that we can do and all that we will do is continue to listen to students and the societies and remember that we are there to cater for them. The CSC is here for the societies, that’s it. We are not for anyone else, and without the societies and their hard work there wouldn’t be a CSC.”

The College Historical Society (the Hist) also took home two awards Tuesday evening in the categories Best Multi-day Event, for their Guinness World Record competition and celebration week, and Best Society Trip, for their

PHOTO BY RORY CHINN FOR TRINITY NEWS

Currently higher level institutions are under no obligation to provide free period products

Aoibhínn Clancy Deputy News Editor

APETITION HAS BEEN LAUNCHED BY TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS’

400 staff and postgraduates to “move away from

journey to Belfast to debate in Stormont.

The Society’s Choice award, a recognition entirely decided by the vote of society members present at the event, was given to the AfroCaribbean Society (ACS).

President of the ACS, Yisola Amzat, said in response to their win: “It feels like our hard work has paid off to help bring awareness to ACS. It is so wholesome to be able to put ourselves out there and see that our efforts are seen by other societies.”

Full list of winners:

Best Event: Trinity College Singers – 75th Anniversary Concert

Best Multi-day Event: The Historical Society – Guinness World Record Celebration Week

Best Collaborative Event: Vincent De Paul (VDP) – Jailbreak

Sustainability Award: DUCSS –Tech Exchange Program

Best Publication: Politics Society – STANCE

Best Society Trip: The Historical Society – Belfast trip

Best Online Presence: Fashion Society

Best Individual: Erica O’Reilly –Trinity Musical Theatre AND Jack O’Grady – VDP

Best Poster: Fashion Society –Trinity Fashion Show Primavera

Best Fresher: Alissa Yeung –Japanese Society

Disability Inclusion Award: DU Neurodiversity (DUNeS)

Best Small Society: Cancer Society

Best Medium Society: Trinity Musical Theatre

Best Large Society: Law Society

Best Society Overall: Trinity Musical Theatre Society’s Choice: AfroCaribbean Society

Two members of the Trinity branch of Academia for Palestine met with the Provost Linda Doyle on March 7 to deliver the letter

Aoibhínn Clancy

Deputy News Editor

ALETTER FROM THE TRINITY BRANCH OF ACADEMIA FOR PALESTINE CALLING ON management to “move away from its policy of silence” has gained 422 signatures from staff and postgraduates.

The letter demands College and Provost Linda Doyle to “release a statement that engages with and is in line with the demands of staff and students”.

Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology Dr David Landy and Head of Nursing and Midwifery and Associate Professor Fintan Sheerin met with the Provost on March 7 to deliver the letter and discuss Colleges response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The letter finds “the lack of any engagement or statement on the part of College leadership has grown increasingly troubling”.

“In light of the recent statement issued by the President of

launches petition for free period products in all higher education institutions

Union (TCDSU) calling on the government to “tackle socioeconomic and gender inequality” on campuses by providing access to free period products to both staff and students.

The petition, launched on Uplift.ie, has reached X signatures.

An email sent out to students by current Welfare and Equality Officer Aoife Bennett called on people to sign the petition.

“There is a clear demand for these initiatives, from students and staff,” the email said. “The initiative needs to be streamlined and supported on a governmental level.

It continued: “Quality of learning and teaching is affected by menstruation - and we do not want anyone to get caught out by

not having adequate products in those moments.

“By tackling period dignity head-on, we can directly tackle stigma and shame around periods for students and staff, thus making our campuses more inclusive places for members of our academic community from all backgrounds.

“By ensuring access to free period products, especially as the housing and cost-of-living crises worsen, we can ensure that those from worse-off socioeconomic backgrounds are supported throughout their education,” it continued.

The petition also noted that the government “has piloted free period products in certain education boards”, but this has not

yet extended universally to higherlevel institutions.

A report by Bennett in November 2023 detailed how the Period Product Proposal was supported by College’s Student Life Committee, but noted the need to lobby College in order to obtain funding and facilitate the implementation of this proposal.

According to the government’s Period Poverty in Ireland Discussion Paper, period poverty is “inadequate access to menstrual hygiene, including period products (e.g. sanitary towels and tampons), washing and waste management facilities and education”.

“Adverse consequences include recurrent exclusion from activities of daily life during menstruation and health impacts resulting from

postgraduates sign letter calling on College from its policy of silence” on Palestine

University of Galway, we urge you to respond to our concerns publicly and to assure the College community that Trinity opposes this genocide and will take meaningful action accordingly,” the letter said.

University of Galway President Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said in February the university would review its relationship with Israeli institutions.

“As a university community, we have a particular responsibility to oppose the deliberate destruction of facilities of higher learning and the targeting of academics and we do so here. We call for accountability for such crimes, and an end to the killing,” he said.

The letter also noted the situation is Gaza “is past the point of crisis, with the Israeli state having committed numerous war crimes which international legal experts have argued amounts to genocide.”

It said: “The level of destruction and slaughter has reached a level that is truly apocalyptic, with the humanitarian situation deteriorating by the day, massacre succeeding massacre, both in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Even if a ceasefire happens, the system of permanent violence and oppression through which Israel rules Palestinians, in which the silence of academia plays a crucial role, will continue.”

The letter notes its concerns regarding the ongoing ties College has with Israeli institutions saying “these relationships help maintain the legitimacy of the Israeli state’s actions and make our College community complicit in their crimes”.

“The targeted destruction of the Palestinian third level education system should be of particular concern to Trinity College

“ The destructiontargetedof the Palestinian third level education system should be of particular concern to Trinity College

given the renewal of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2023 between Trinity College Dublin’s School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies and Al Quds University’s Human Rights Clinic.”

Academia for Palestine are cAcademia for Palestine are calling on College to issue a statement condemning the “the destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure”, “the deliberate attacks against Palestinians”, and to join “other institutions, including University of Galway, in their demand for an immediate ceasefire”.

The letter also demands that College “supports the safety and well-being of all individuals affected by the current conflict, students and faculty alike, within Trinity, recognises the ICJ’s interim ruling of there being a

exclusion and use of unsuitable products.”

College received a once-off fund of €7,000 last year from Trinity Trust, which saw period products made available in 10 bathrooms across campus and offcampus locations. The products were supplied by Irish brand We Are Riley, whose products contain no harmful chemicals and are biodegradable.

TCDSU launched a similar petition at the time to expand the free period product scheme across more locations across College, arguing “it is vital that the College steps in to ensure that every bathroom across our campuses has a dispenser for free tampons and pads”.

Bennett’s current proposal for

College to fund period products in college bathrooms details how the stock of period products provided by We Are Riley depleted within a month.

In the proposal Bennett said that the pilot scheme “highlighted the demand for such an initiative in Trinity”.

“It is not feasible for the Union to continue running this scheme due to funding issues. Yet, it is crucial that we keep offering this support to the community,” Bennett continued.

At present University College Dublin (UCD), University of Limerick (UL) and Galway University are the only third level institutions across Ireland which fund the provision of free period products across their campuses.

On-campus vaccination clinic to open in response to global measles outbreak

“plausible case for genocide”, [and] commits to reviewing Trinity’s ties with Israeli institutions and organisations and eliminates any potential complicity in genocidal actions, support for genocide, or incitement to genocide”.

The organisation said it previously tried to organise a meeting with the Provost in December 2023 to deliver the letter, although it noted it is “optimistic” that its concerns “will be heard”.

In a letter to the editor of Trinity News in February, Sheerin called on “all members of the College community to speak out as lives are lost in catastrophic numbers” noting that “silence is not an option”.

“As an associate professor in Trinity College Dublin, and a senior member of the College community, I am bound to ‘courageously advance the cause’ of a just society (Strategy 2020-25). I will not stand by in silence in the face of ongoing injustice; injustice that dates back many decades,” he wrote.

“As a human being, and a dutybearer, I have the obligation to respect, protect, promote, and fulfil human rights of rightsholders (UNSDG). I will not stand by in silence and derelict my duty to fellow human beings.”

“I encourage all members of the College community to speak out as lives are lost in catastrophic numbers. Despite what others have said, our voices and solidarity can make a change. As the murdered Jesuit philosopher, Ignacio Ellacuría, said, we can ‘…reverse history, subvert it, and move it in a difference direction.’”

Since the invasion of Gaza by Israeli forces on October 7, it is reported that over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed.

The HSE is urging staff and students to receive the MMR vaccine

Gabriela Gazaniga Deputy Analysis Editor

THIS THURSDAY, MARCH 21, THE HEALTH SERVICE EXECUTIVE (HSE) will open a catch-up vaccination clinic on campus in response to the recent global measles outbreak.

The vaccination clinic is available to staff and students born after 1978 who did not receive a previous measles vaccine. However, College encourages those who are unsure about their status to nonetheless receive the measles vaccination, which consists of two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.

Staff and students are advised to bring their Trinity card and PPS number to the clinic.

Dr David McGrath, Medical Director of the College Health Service stated: “Measles is a highly infectious disease that can cause serious complications, such as seizures, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, and even death and the MMR vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and others from measles.”

“The HSE vaccination team

will be available at the Exam Hall on [Thursday], to answer any questions you may have”, he continued.

Professor of Experimental Immunology Kingston Mills told RTÉ the MMR vaccine has 97% efficacy, making it one of the most effective vaccines.

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) shared that in 2023, “more than 58,000 people in 41 of the 53 [European] Member States … were infected with measles”.

The WHO continued: “The [2023] numbers represent a rapid increase compared to the previous 3 years, and a risk for anyone in the region who is not protected. Sustained efforts are clearly needed to prevent measles cases from continuing to rise in 2024.”

“Unvaccinated young children and pregnant women are at highest risk of severe measles complications.”

“Measles infection also weakens the immune system and can make it “forget” how to protect itself against other common infections, leaving children in particular extremely vulnerable,” the WHO explained.

Already in 2024, five cases of measles and one death directly correlated to the virus have been reported in Ireland. Two or more cases of measles are regarded as an outbreak.

The sharp increase in globally reported measles cases has led the HSE to issue a health alert to travellers, notably to passengers from an Abu Dhabi to Dublin flight that carried one confirmed case.

The HSE is reviewing several other suspected cases of measles across Ireland.

TCDSU members stage sit-in at junior dean offices for housing rights

Union members claimed security tried to forcefully remove banners, which College denies

Ellen Kenny Deputy Editor

MEMBERS OF TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS’ union (TCDSU) staged a sit-in at the office of the junior dean and other senior management today in protest of high rents and College’s overnight guest policy.

At 11am on March 14, roughly 20 protestors entered the East Theatre and hung banners from its windows reading “cut the rents” and “Trinity is pricing students out of education”.

Protestors demand a 30% rent reduction and that students with disabilities do not have to pay higher rent “simply because the accessible rooms are more expensive”. They also demand College abolish the overnight guest policy that campus residents must register guests before midnight.

College security quickly came to the scene, blocking other students

from entering the building.

TCDSU President László Molnárfi claimed security also attempted to take the banners from the windows “on command from senior management”.

TCDSU President-elect Jenny Maguire also said staff “physically attempted to move students away from their banners and flags”.

College denied security tried to remove any banners from the East Theatre and declined to comment on claims that staff attempted to physically move protestors.

A member of Trinity Sport entered the building to meet with protestors, claiming that some were due to participate in the

“ Maguire also said staff “physically attempted to move students away from their banners and flags”

Trinity on the Move fundraiser for the student hardship fund.

He asked protestors that they not stage a sit-in while the fundraiser is happening on campus.

In response, Maguire said: “Multiple things can happen at once. If we all are for supporting students within a broader level, then one way isn’t the only way, we must do it comprehensively.”

Molnárfi said that, despite promises, the union still has

not received engagement from the junior dean regarding the overnight guest policy on campus.

Maguire also noted: “If we are only engaged with if we cause a disruption and pull resources, then it speaks to the broader issue that we just need to be taken seriously.”

Molnárfi told Trinity News members of TCDSU were taking part in Trinity on the Move and he would be participating from 4pm to 5pm following the sit-in.

Beyond Trinity

Queen’s University Belfast

The number of students who reported hate crimes at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) jumped dramatically last year, according to the Belfast Telegraph. A Freedom of Information request has revealed that 54 informal complaints were lodged at QUB in 2022/23, nearly three times as many from 2021/22 when there were 14 reports. Of those complaints, 21 were sectarian in nature, 14 racist, eight religious, four focused on disability, one involved trans hate crime and six were unspecified. 11 informal complaints were submitted in 2019/20 and four in 2018/19. Addressing the rise in informal complaints, a university spokesperson said: “As part of our commitment to actively discourage all forms of harassment and bullying, we led a universitywide campaign on Anti-Bullying Day in 2022.”

University of Galway

University of Galway (UG) has announced a new MBA Scholarship in honour of the late entrepreneur Colm Feeney. The Colm Feeney MBA Scholarship will support high-calibre applicants to join the MBA programme at the University’s J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics. As part of this annual scholarship, the scholars will have the opportunity of dedicated one-to-one mentorship throughout their studies from a leader in business. The scholarship was launched at a special event on campus attended by family, friends and the business community, which also paid tribute to Feeney’s memory and legacy in the west of Ireland.

University College Dublin

A Palestine solidarity rally took place at the Main Lake by the Tierney Building in University College Dublin (UCD) on March 8. Organised by University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU) and the UCD branch of Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), the demonstration continued the ongoing student mobilisation to call out UCD President Orla Feely on her refusal to take a stance on the genocide in Gaza and call for a ceasefire. The protest follows an investigation by UCD newspaper The University Observer that UCD had several ties to Israeli institutions. Speakers at the rally included Associate Professor Anne Mulhall, UCDSU President Martha Ní Riada, UCDSU Campaigns and Engagement Officer Miranda Bauer, and members of the UCD BDS group.

PHOTOS BY NEASA NÍ CORCRÁIN FOR TRINITY NEWS

Analysis: The defeat of the family and care referendums

ON MARCH 8, THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND WERE ASKED TO VOTE IN TWO referendums determining whether constitutional amendments relating to the family and care would be implemented. With an overwhelming majority, both of the family and the care amendments were rejected, with a 67.69% and 73.93% vote “No” respectively.

These results exhibited the highest percentage of “no” votes ever seen in an Irish referendum.

The first referendum aimed to broaden the constitutional definition of a family to those families not founded on marriage, while the second proposed a replacement of language referencing the place of women in the home with language recognising the care provided within families.

When these referendums were first announced by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in December, they were perceived by most as a mere formality, updating obvious discrepancies in the Constitution to align with the present-day values of the Irish people. Referring to the amendments, Varadkar said they would “reinforce the fact that Ireland is a modern, inclusive nation that strives to treat and care for all its people equally”.

However, as the referendums drew closer, the wording of the proposed amendments came under particular scrutiny, and several debates emerged regarding the possible consequences the wording that each of the amendments would have.

The family amendment

The first question that was proposed to the Irish public on March 8 was to amend article 41.1 of the constitution. Article 41.1 currently recognises the family as “the natural primary and fundamental unit group of society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights”. The proposed amendment would have added that the family is “founded on marriage or on other durable relationships” as a qualifying statement.

If the amendment had passed, there would have been constitutional recognition granted

Conor Healy Deputy News Editor

up to the election, a second argument against the referendum emerged, which did not focus on the removal of the current wording, but rather found issue with the proposed new wording.

Trinity Senator Tom Clonan summarised the argument of many

IMAGE VIA FLICKR

for families not grounded in marriage, such as single-parent families or families where the parents chose not to get married.

The proposal was decisively rejected by 67.69% of the population, with Dun Laoghaire being the only constituency where a majority voted in favour of the constitutional amendment.

Much of the debate in regards to this proposed amendment was centred around how the term “durable relationships” would be interpreted by the courts - while an open letter signed by Trinity academics assured that the amendment would only have a limited impact due to the limited constitutional family protections, there was a lack of clarity regarding what exactly would constitute these durable relationships.

Advocates for a Yes vote in the family referendum included Trinity College Dublin Student Union, and all national parties with the exception of Aontú, who endorsed a No-No vote.

The care amendment

The second question that featured in the referendum involved the proposed removal of the highly contentious section 41.2 of the constitution, which says that “the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved”, and assures that “mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home”.

The referendum proposed replacing this with article 42B, which recognises the support given to society by “the provision of care, by members of a family to one another by reason of the

bonds that exist among them”, and says that the state “shall strive to support” these carers.

This proposed amendment was defeated by a resounding 73.93% of the electorate who voted No to the proposed change.

For the majority of the referendum campaign season, the debate on replacing 41.2 was centred around deleting the word “woman” from the constitution. Opposition to the change claimed it was an “attack on women”, especially when women still do

“ [FLAC said] it is highly regrettable that voters do not have the choice to simply delete the current socalled “women in the home” provision

the majority of work in the home, while those who endorsed a Yes vote said the new wording would simply bring the Irish constitution up to date with society.

However, in the weeks leading

members.

TCDSU also took a stance on the referendums and advised members to vote against the care amendment: “We need to vote no on the care referendum to ensure stronger rights from the government – ones based on enforceable, rights-based wording, not vague promises.”

The yes side tried to address the concerns from people with disabilities. Catherine Cox from Family Carers Ireland argued the amendment “recognises care in all its forms”.

“The idea of this is that the state has a responsibility, and they are committed to supporting that care.”

Aftermath

On March 9, as the votes began to be counted and it became clear that it would be a no-no result in the election, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it was clear both amendments had been “defeated comprehensively on a respectable turnout”.

“As head of government and on behalf of the government, we accept responsibility for the result,” Varadkar said.

who rejected the new provision for care: “I had no issue with what we’re trying to take out of the constitution… [but] we really need to stop and think about what we’re going to put into the constitution.”

Speaking at the Trinity Long Room Hub, Clonan said the proposed amendment gave “constitutional expression to the notion that care is primarily or exclusively the responsibility of the family”.

These issues relating to the wording of the new care provision became increasingly highlighted as the date of the referenda drew closer, and somewhat of a shift occurred as the national conversation honed in on issues of care, rather than removal of the existing provision.

On February 21, the Equality Not Care campaign protested outside Leinster House argued the amendment “seeks to deny us the right to state support such as personal assistance services”.

“A lot of disabled people want to live in their own home and be independent with personal assistants,” Equality Not Care member Dr Margaret Kennedy said.

The legal body Free Legal Advice Clinics (FLAC) also mirrored this #YesNo sentiment: “It is highly regrettable that voters do not have the choice to simply delete the current so-called ‘women in the home’ provision which is ineffective, sexist and offensive.”

FLAC raised concerns that the amendment would give “constitutional expression to harmful stereotypes”, such as the idea that caring for adults with disabilities is the unpaid responsibility of their family

Commentators who had supported the yes-yes vote, such as Labour party leader and former Trinity College lecturer Ivana Bacik, said the responsibility for the failure “lies with the government”.

Bacik, who had said prior to the election that the proposed amendments would offer “a real step forward towards a more contemporary text, towards a more fair Ireland and towards a more inclusive and more equal society”, questioned why the government did not engage in “a more assertive campaign” instead of a “lacklustre” effort.

Peadar Tóibín, Aontú leader and vocal supporter of the No-No campaign, said it was “incredible that Aontú was the only political party that campaigned against this”, and said Minister for Equality Roderic O’Gorman had “serious questions to answer now in relation to this”.

The future of the current wording remains unclear. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said at the launch of the party’s yes-yes campaign that if the referendums failed, the party would re-run them with wording more close to the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly. However, in an interview with Newstalk in the days following the referendum result, Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said the referendums “won’t be on our priority list at all” if elected, suggesting the party “got it wrong, simply” in their stance. While this stance could possibly be a knee-jerk reaction from one TD following the overwhelming defeat of the referendums, it remains to be seen whether Ireland will see its definitions of the family and care changed anytime soon.

One fifth of lectures in College are recorded, union report reveals

The report by TCDSU calls for universal lecture recordings across College

Aoibhínn Clancy Deputy News Editor

ONLY 18 TO 22% OF LECTURES ARE RECORDED IN COLLEGE, ACCORDING TO A new report by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU).

Of the 1,556 students who responded to a survey from the union, 97% felt that more lecture recordings were needed.

The survey also found that 82.4% of respondents accessed lecture recordings when they were made available to them.

12.1% of the total respondents revealed that their course had no lecture recordings available

to them which the report says highlighted “a gap in the provision of lecture recordings across different paths of study.”

The most common reasons cited by students for why they accessed lecture recordings when they were made available included avoiding a long commute (47.7%), other study-related activities (44.3%), work commitments (30.7%) and mental health reasons (29.8%).

The highest percentage of respondents came from the “student who works” category at 58.6%, followed by students with disabilities at 25.5%. Students where English was a second or foreign language accounted for 17.8% of respondents.

Three-quarters (73%) of respondents said they used lecture recordings regularly.

The report went on to say how this “attests to [recordings’] widespread acceptance and effectiveness as a learning tool.”

When asked why they want to use lecture recordings, common responses included making up for a missed lecture (85.3%), preparing for the exam (85.3%), clarifying the material (82.5%), improving retention of lecture materials (67%), reviewing material after a

lecture (65.1) and assisting with an assignment (64.7%).

The report details how “the results of this question clearly highlight that lecture recording is not understood by students to be replacing live attendance, but rather complimenting it” going on to say how “it is clear that lecture recordings are crucial for academic achievement.”

The report includes ten recommendations detailing “practical steps to implement universal lecture recording.”

Some of these steps include providing staff with the necessary resources in order to manage these changes and for the college to run an awareness wide campaign on the need for universal lecture recordings and their importance to student learning. The recommendations also called on the College to adopt the policy of universal lecture recordings following the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.

The report was drafted by TCDSU President László Molnárfi and the survey was conducted between January and February of 2024 collecting responses from across all year groups and 24 Schools within TCD.

One in 10 CAO applicants pick Trinity as first choice

Ancient and medieval history and culture saw the biggest increase in applications at 89%

Grainne Ní Ailin Contributing Writer

APPROXIMATELY ONE IN 10 CAO STUDENTS PICKED TRINITY AS THEIR FIRST CHOICE THIS year, while there was a slight drop in CAO applicants overall.

According to preliminary data, 9,312 students had Trinity as their first choice on the CAO by the first application deadline on February 1, representing 12.1% of all CAO applicants. This also represented a 1.5% drop from 2023 and comes as

overall CAO applications dropped by 1.44% to 76,899.

Overall, 20,061 students applied to Level 8 courses at Trinity, representing 26% of the total number of applications submitted to CAO.

Two college courses saw a significant increase in the number of first choice applications.

Ancient and medieval history and culture saw the biggest increase with an 89% rise in first choice applicants.

Children’s nursing also saw an 82% increase in first choices.

There was also an significant uptake in first choice applicants to joint honour courses with joint honours law, politics and social policy facing increases of 11%, 8% and 16% respectively.

For the second year running, first choice preferences for medicine in Trinity fell with a 5% decrease in first choice applications from 2023.

Chemistry saw a 43% increase in first choice preferences this year, while deaf studies saw a 42% increase in CAO applicants choosing the course first.

Other notable increases in first

College drops public

College previously submitted a request to An Bord Pleanála that the project be diverted from Trinity

Stephen Conneely Deputy Analysis Editor

COLLEGE HAS WITHDRAWN ITS OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED

Dublin Metrolink project after an agreement with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) was reached.

A spokesperson confirmed to Trinity News that College “supports the Metrolink project”.

“It has reached an agreement with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on the issues raised in its recent submission in respect of the Draft Railway Order Application made by TII,” they said.

“The university is satisfied that its key concerns have been addressed.”

College previously submitted a request that the Metrolink be diverted from its proposed route due to concerns over the impact of the metro on scientific equipment.

The submission claimed that the proposed route of the Metrolink could have “significant potential to constrain or sterilise” the college’s “core academic and research activities”.

It outlined concerns about “significant effects” on equipment on campus from electromagnetic interference and “ground-borne noise and vibration” caused by both the construction and the operation of the Metrolink.

This could have further “significant, adverse, permanent and unacceptable impacts on the University”, the submission claimed, particularly citing “research facilities” on the east end of campus.

Trinity stated that 312 metres of the route would pass under the main campus, and requested a “realignment”, moving the track 61.5m west of its proposed position.

The Dublin Metrolink was first proposed in 2000, and Trinity’s stance on the project

Army explosives disposal unit called to Israeli embassy over “hoax” package

choices on the CAO include music education (40%), dental science (29%) and computer science and a language (27%).

Vice-Provost Orla Shiels said College is “delighted to see so many applicants select Trinity as their preferred place to study, especially in a changing landscape when there are so many opportunities available to them as they leave secondary school”.

“We are proud to have maintained our share of the total number of applications to the CAO,” she said.

Although the CAO applications closing date was February 1, a late application facility opened on March 5 and will close on May 5, allowing students to apply.

A change of mind facility will be available from May 7 to July 1 to allow students to change their CAO list following the Leaving Certificate examinations.

The Trinity College Spring Open Day will also be taking place on March 23 for prospective students.

Shiels said the open day is “an opportunity to really get a taste of campus life”.

Gardaí confirmed that a

cordon was put in place around the area and that the “suspicious package” has been subsequently deemed to be a hoax

Evan Skidmore O’Reilly, Ellen Kenny News Co-Editor, Deputy Editor

AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA HAS CONFIRMED THAT A “SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE” AT the building housing the Israeli embassy in Dublin has been deemed a hoax.

A statement from the Gardaí read: “Gardaí were alerted to a suspicious package at a premises on the Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4 earlier this morning.”

“A cordon was put in place around the area and the services of the army EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] team requested.”

Gardaí confirmed that the package was “subsequently deemed safe and a hoax”, and that enquiries into the matter are ongoing.

It is understood staff in the building on Shelbourne Road, where the embassy is located, were told to evacuate.

A large Garda presence has been reported around the area in Ballsbridge.

The last time there was a reported bomb threat in the Israeli Embassy in Dublin was in August 2012. Police erected a modest security cordon around the embassy during the alert but declared it a false alarm two hours later. Army bomb disposal experts inspected the parcel inside the building and said they found nothing dangerous.

opposition to Metrolink plans

dates back to at least 2018, when it began engaging with Transport Infrastructure Ireland in relation to the Environmental Impact Assessment Report.

This report identified potential negative impacts for Trinity

buildings such as the Lloyd and Panoz institutes, respectively.

Trinity is not the only body to voice concerns for the project.

Residents of Ballymun and representatives of a planned Lidl in the area have opposed the current

plans at a Bord Pleanála hearing.

The Metrolink is projected to cost approximately €9.5 billion, and Minister for Transport Éamon Ryan expects the plans to be “through the Oireachtas […] by Easter”.

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Project Sheela unveils feminist artwork on campus honouring Dr Noël Browne

The Sheela na Gig was erected ahead of Lá Fhéile Síle

Ella Sloane

Assistant Editor

STREET ART GROUP PROJECT SHEELA HAVE

UNVEILED A NEW

PIECE ON CAMPUS IN HONOUR OF DR NOEL

Browne, a Trinity alum and Irish politician who served as minister for health from 1948-1951.

Launched on International Women’s Day 2020, the Dublinbased project pays homage to the struggle for women’s rights by erecting a fresh trail of Sheela na Gigs, sculptures known for their traditional association with female sexuality and fertility, each March.

In a post on Instagram, the artists paid tribute to Browne’s work on the Mother & Child Scheme,

which proposed the provision of free state-funded healthcare for all mothers and children aged under 16, with no means test. Following strong opposition from bishops of the Catholic Church, the scheme was ultimately rejected by the government and Browne was forced to resign as minister for health.

The post concluded: “Sheela thanks Dr Noël Browne for his pioneering work, his bravery & righteous stand against the Church’s oppressive obsession with women’s bodies.”

The Sheela na Gig can be found on a wall amongst the bike racks opposite Trinity Sports Centre.

This year Trinity is the fifth in the project’s series of locations, with others including the National Museum of Ireland, Bessborough Mother and Baby Home, the Law Society of Ireland and the former Jury’s Hotel site in Ballsbridge.

Dating back to the preChristian and Mediaeval periods, Sheela na Gigs are figurative carvings of naked women, posing so as to accentuate their exaggerated genitalia. Art historians have theorised about the

meaning behind these mysterious sculptures, presenting a number of interpretations; from a protective talisman or fertility figure, to that of a warning against sinful lust.

Many Sheela na Gigs found in

Irish churches and castles have been defaced or removed by the Roman Catholic Church in the past century due to them being deemed vulgar and offensive. In a bold reclamation of power, Project

Sheela aims to distribute unique renditions of these symbolic displays of female anatomy once again, placing them at sites significant to Ireland’s women’s rights movement.

IMAGE VIA INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY JOURNAL`

The “spreách” of St Patrick’s Day in Dublin

What they said

“In his last three years he moved, as Charlie himself said, from being a well-known journalist to being hailed as a heroic and tireless fundraiser and campaigner.”

Former RTÉ colleague Joe O’Brien speaking at the funeral of former journalist and campaigner Charlie Bird

“I’m a very proud Irishman standing here tonight”

Cillian Murphy accepting the award for Best Actor for his role in Oppenheimer

“[The government] failed to collaborate in any way, and they also failed to convince the electorate.”

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald speaking on the defeat of the family and care referendums

“Cillian Murphy makes history as the first person to win an Oscar and also DJ at Workman’s.”

@ellenfkenny on X

“Thank you to everyone that voted for me. I hope to make you all proud as your next TCDSU President. The world can feel so scary and hateful when you’re trans, but that isn’t a reason to hide - it is a reason to be even louder. Go raibh míle”

TCDSU President-elect Jenny Maguire

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C”

@Kensingtonroyal on X after a photo of Kate Middleton and her children was found to be manipulated

When Erasmus goes wrong

Hazel

Chatting for charity: NGO representatives in the streets of Dublin

What motivates the young people standing on the street, engaging the public with various charities?

Chaya Smyth Contributing Writer

“Hi, do you have a moment to stop and chat?” Do these words bring up memories of walking into the Arts Block or Front Square, trying to awkwardly but politely avoid the gaze of a bright jacket wearing, smiling NGO representative? It feels near impossible to walk around town without such an encounter. But what is it like to be on the other end? What do these representatives experience as they spend hours on the street attempting to convince passersby to stop? Trinity News chatted with a few representatives mid-shift about the daily trials and tribulations they face on the streets.

On their first day of work, two young women, Amy* and Olivia*, agreed to sit down with Trinity News during their lunch break. To start, they were asked what their job is like: how does it feel to be overlooked by so many people, and shot down so many times? The women said they didn’t let it get to them — just focused on the next person coming their way. They estimated that one in ten people stop to speak to them. When asked if they had any strategies to convince people to stop, Olivia said that she likes to get to the point by mentioning the cause she is advocating for as people approach her — it saves a few seconds and it seems to engage people. The women stressed that more often

“ Amy Oliviaand estimated that one in 10 people stop to speak to them

than not, the people who speak to them care about the issue at hand and are eager to learn about the charity’s work on the issue. After a brief explanation of the group’s mission, almost all of them are happy to sign the petition. The pair said privacy concern are the main excuse people give for not wanting to sign petitions. Even if people don’t agree to sign up, the pair still counts engaging them in conversation as a win.

When asked how they felt about their job, a position many would hate — and on that particular day in pouring rain no less — Amy described an encounter with one woman who angrily told her “God bless you” as she passed; both said that multiple people had laughed them down. But these unpleasant encounters are worth it for them. Not only do they feel they are paid well for what they do, but more importantly they agree that the work they are doing is rewarding.

Olivia pointed out that if she wasn’t doing this, she would still be working another job — at least this way she gets to stand up for what she believes in and feel like she’s making the world a better place.

More experienced workers also seem to share this positive outlook on the job. Allan*, a team leader of a group of representatives with a charity that provides global aid to people in poverty, has been working as a street representative for seven years. He hadn’t sought the role out initially, but by chance was offered the position at a charity which he already donated to. Having the opportunity to do more for a cause he supported seemed ideal. He said that he had never planned to do the job long

term and that his team members generally stay for a year or two on average: “It takes a certain kind of person to do it long term because you are putting up with a lot of rejection.”

When asked what it takes to do the job, he responded: “I don’t

“ Being able to talk — anyone can do it if they put in the effort and they try... it’s a great experience

think [there are] any exact skills you have to have. I’ve seen the most introverted people come in and be successful at it,” he continued: “Being able to talk — anyone can do it if they put in the effort and they try… it’s a great experience.”

Allan, like Amy and Olivia, didn’t focus on the rejections or the awkwardness he sometimes encounters. His most notable experience from the job happened to him in his first year doing it. He said that he spoke to a lady “from one of the countries we worked in [who] was helped by us, and then moved here years later.” She told him how she had “met her husband, had a kid” and had donated some money to the charity. “She lit a fire in me,” he said.

According to the 2023 Global Giving Index, 60% of Irish adults gave money to a charity in the previous year. This places Ireland in 17th position on the world index. With such a generous population, some 11,000 charities operating across the country and many highly motivated people like the ones Trinity News spoke with, it seems unlikely that these representatives are going anywhere any time soon.

* Names have been changed for privacy protection

PHOTO BY RORY CHINN FOR TRINITY NEWS

“Not sick enough”: Irish universities and public facilities failing to treat eating disorders

Trinity News investigates the roadblocks to treatment for college students with eating disorders in Ireland

Ruby Topalian Features Editor

* Names have been changed for privacy protection

Trigger warning: This article contains discussion of eating disorders

36years. Enough time to fall in love, have a kid, and climb the ranks of a workplace. But in the case of 49-year-old Mary Byrne, 36 years is the duration of time that she has struggled with anorexia.

At 13 years old, after experiencing severe trauma, Mary started restricting her food intake. Growing up in rural County Laois, Mary’s local doctor simply told her to eat more. Not understanding what was happening to her mind and body, she went off to the Institute of Technology, Carlow (Carlow IT), aged 18: sick, confused, and a total perfectionist, dead-set on graduating with a first class honours degree.

Despite her illness, Mary did just that. But in the four years she spent studying, she literally worked herself to the bone and no staff member or student seemed to notice. When she went to college doctors, she was told that her weight was normal and that she was “not sick enough” to warrant concern. After graduation, she was dropped into the real world with no support and was forced to deal with an Irish public healthcare system that did not have the resources to provide her with the interdisciplinary care she so desperately needed. “Going private”, for Mary, was simply not a financial possibility.

After nearly four decades of living with this debilitating condition, Mary has never received proper treatment. When she has tried to seek medical help, the psychological components

of her anorexia have never been addressed. Instead, she has faced judgemental hospital staff fixated on raising her Body Mass Index (BMI), a standard measurement value based on the mass and height of a person. When she becomes “weight restored”, she is simply discharged and forgotten about, triggering relapse almost immediately.

Both college and public healthcare have failed Mary, who now believes that she will likely struggle with anorexia for the rest of her life. In her words, she has simply learned to “live with it.”

Looking back, she wishes there had been more support in place while she was at university. She believes that the college environment, which is filled with change, stress, and new experiences, ultimately exacerbated the disorder and left her unprepared for life postgraduation. The way she sees it, the State should be targeting this illness while people are still at university and young enough to focus on recovery.

While Mary grew up in a very different, more conservative Ireland in which mental health was treated as a conspiracy, her fight to find eating disorder treatment is one that transcends generations.

Trinity News has spent the last two months speaking with students, healthcare professionals, and government officials to get to the bottom of where the failure to provide adequate eating disorder treatment begins. What do colleges across the country offer their students? Should they be doing more? Or does the blame rest exclusively on the Irish Government?

College healthcare and counselling services are not standardised nationwide. The individual university decides how these services will operate based on the money it has available for it and the number of students it has to serve. Trinity has an embedded health service, meaning that there is a centre on campus which has its own doctors and nurses working for Trinity specifically. Together with University College Cork (UCC), it is one of two universities in the entire country with psychiatric care available. Other universities do not have their own medical team and instead hire a nurse on a contractual basis to help students a few times a week.

“ The university is not a healthcare provider, universitythe is an education provider

of Eating Disorders (PMED), all college health services are limited in what help they can provide.

Speaking with Trinity News, Dr. Aoife O’Sullivan, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) clinical lead for mental health and UCC Student Health, explained the difference between college and public health services.

Most college health centres in Ireland are primary care providers that can refer students to specialists, but are otherwise only able to assist with more general, standard health concerns. While Trinity is unique in that it provides some secondary care services through Dr. Niamh Farelly, the College Psychiatrist who oversees a protocol for the Management

“Universities obviously want to support student mental health but they’re not the HSE. They can’t replace a health service, they’re an educational service, to try and help their students as best they can … The university is not a healthcare provider, the university is an education provider.”

As a result, the comprehensive treatment required for students suffering from eating disorders cannot be provided exclusively by college services, because colleges are simply not financially equipped to do so.

This reality has left many

students with eating disorders feeling like college health and counselling are more focused on the quantity of students they see, rather than the quality of treatment they provide. Current Trinity student Isabella* lost her father to anorexia a week before college started, triggering a spiral in her own disordered eating habits which started at 14 years old. When she turned to College health for help, she was extremely disappointed: “Initially when I went in, they kind of just dismissed it. The psychiatrist said, ‘but you’re a healthy weight so I don’t see what the issue is.’ … They didn’t really start taking me seriously until I said I had a family history of death by anorexia.”

Emmy, a 2012 graduate of Trinity, had an almost identical experience over a decade prior. After going to College Health for an injured foot, the GP immediately recognised that she was struggling

PHOTO BY RUBY TOPALIAN FOR TRINITY NEWS

with an eating disorder and referred her to St. Patrick’s Hospital – a private mental health facility – for treatment. Emmy found the treatment there to be hyperfocused on weight restoration above all else. When she returned to College having gained weight, the health centre staff just assumed she was “fixed”: “I remember kind of thinking, no one really cares about me anymore. Everyone thinks I’m fine, because I gained weight and I look fine.”

So if College Health and Irish hospitals – private and public –are more focused on the physical, where can students go if they need mental help? For most, the answer to this question is the Student Counselling service.

Trinity caps the number of counselling sessions students can have at eight a year. Once they reach this number, students may be referred to external, often lower-cost psychotherapy or residential options. While some smaller universities such as Carlow IT do not cap students’ sessions, according to Dr. O’Sullivan, this limit is fairly standard: “There’s a good lot of evidence for the big numbers of patients, which are anxiety, depression, stress, that the six to eight model of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a well established model, if you look at companies, like MyMind, or

Silvercloud.”

However, eating disorders require a different calibre of psychological help: “In terms of successful outcomes … someone with moderate to severe anorexia would need multidisciplinary care, so you’re talking 20 to 40 sessions of behavioural therapy by an eating disorder specialist. Most universities can’t offer 20 to 40 individualised CBT [sessions] because if they did, counselling departments would be seeing 10 people with anorexia and zero other students,” O’Sullivan said.

Moreover, the experiences of those in eating disorder recovery who have attended Trinity student counselling are mixed. While Isabella, for example, had a positive experience, other interviewees found their counsellor – like Student Health – to be overly focused on the physical aspects of their condition. Current student Rachel* was paired with a counsellor after two months of waiting. From the get-go, the counsellor seemed to be more concerned about her BMI than anything else. Unbeknownst to Rachel, the counsellor contacted her parents and told them that if her BMI was too low, she would be kicked out of Trinity. This pushed her to stop attending counselling altogether: “I had to find other options for therapy because of

“ I had to find other options for becausetherapy of the risk she was posing for me

the risk she was posing for me.” She described how her counsellor “didn’t prioritise me getting better and really only prioritised me getting kicked out.” Overall, this experience had a detrimental effect on her getting the therapy she needed.

When asked about the suspension of students from college due to low BMI, Laura Fitzpatrick, the Trinity Student Counsellor, explained to Trinity News that this decision is ultimately made by the College Health team. She added that “it would be less a threatening

of suspension but a duty of care and concern for a student who would continue and the negative implications it would have for their health … it’s taken from that compassionate framework, not as a threat.”

Reflecting on her recovery, current Trinity student Lucy*, who has struggled with an eating disorder since she was 15 years old, emphasised that if she had only started recovery in university, she never would have received the intensity and frequency of the private counselling which she required at the start through Trinity services: “When I just started recovery … I actually had to go to two different counsellors once each per week for about three months, and then I went to one for about a year. And now I’m going to one every two weeks. If I didn’t have a counsellor … I wouldn’t be here.”

What, then, is stopping Irish universities from increasing the amount and quality of counselling it can provide students? The answer is fairly obvious: money. So how much does Trinity allocate to student health and counselling services? The answer to this question is still largely unknown. The most recently published College financial statement in 2022 revealed that the College received a €57m grant from the national Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (HEA) but didn’t explain how much this was apportioned to student health and counselling services. When Trinity News contacted Trinity’s Financial Services Division via email to discern how much the College received for this current academic year, where it went, and how the €279,000 it received from the HEA specifically for mental health services in December 2023 was used, the Division said it could not “provide the detail on the 2023/24 budget allocation for Health and Counselling services or how the monies received from the HEA in December were used.” Trinity News has yet to receive a comprehensive breakdown of where the grant money was allocated from any College department.

Assuming that the number of student counsellors and doctors being hired in universities does not change drastically in the next few years, the only option for most outside of college health is national, public services. But these, as explained by Mary, Emmy, and Lucy, aren’t sufficient either.

On Saturday, March 2, a group of protestors gathered outside of the Department of Health to protest the inadequacy of the services available.

In October 2023, the organiser of the protest, Amy Hanley, founded a campaign called Mind Everybody which calls for increased funding to be allocated for eating disorder treatment in Ireland. Amy started Mind Everybody after her daughter was forced to wait for over a year to receive treatment at a public children’s hospital. When

she was admitted, she stayed in hospital for eight months without any psychological treatment: “Everytime a doctor would come into the room they would ask ‘is there anything you need?’ and I would be like: ‘therapy,’” Amy said to Trinity News.

Since her daughter was reliant on an energy tube, no interdisciplinary, in-patient facility would admit her. She was simply “too sick” and, according to the facility, would need to begin eating orally before admission. Amy was stuck and her daughter was on the brink of death: “It was that total Catch-22 where she needed the mental health support to break her reliance on the feeding tube and to help her to be able to eat orally, but she didn’t have that.”

Furthermore, Amy explained that “the area where you live restricts your access to in-patient units.” Since her daughter had been in a children’s hospital outside the “catchment” – Dublin’s geographic boundaries for accident and emergency cover – of the inpatient facility, she was doubly ineligible.

Trying to discern what makes one “sick enough” to be admitted to these facilities is a challenge for many people. Maynooth University student Lauren Gaffney has struggled for over a decade with this and has found that very few professionals in the country actually understand eating disorders: “[After fifteen years] I still have problems. Doctors reject me because they say that you’re ‘too sick’ to see. They tell you to go to hospital because that’s the only treatment for you, which is a force feeding facility. GPs say they don’t understand what an eating disorder is, that they’ll only be able to help you if you have a cough or the flu or if you need a prescription. But in terms of anything else, no … So you don’t know where you go, you have no place in society, you don’t know who you are, it’s a mystery.”

With college and public facilities overstretched and underfunded and with private facilities costing an extortionate amount of money — one mother at the protest, Barbara, explained that she was quoted €65,000 for a 12-week treatment at the National Eating Disorders Recovery Centre (NEDRC) for her daughter — it seems that receiving treatment for an eating disorder in Ireland is near impossible.

So, who is to blame? Most Trinity students interviewed emphasised that the actual College staff are simply doing what they can with what they have. The extent of the funding made available by the College is something which Trinity News hopes to determine in the coming months. Despite this unanswered question, one thing is clear: the Irish Government needs to allocate more funding to eating disorder treatment. This is a crisis and as Trinity Psychologist Dr. Farrelly explained to Trinity News: “Treatment should … be flexible and tailored to that person’s needs, rather than offering a ‘one size fits all’ approach.”

Back home early: When Erasmus goes wrong

Speaking to students who chose to leave their Erasmus programmes about the systemic problems that pushed them back to Trinity

Hazel Mulkeen Staff Writer

“Ireally didn’t want to quit,” Victoria said, “but I was dreading going back.” When Victoria, a Joint Honours student on exchange in a German speaking university, found herself burnt out and unable to complete the year, she had no choice but to reach out to her Erasmus coordinator, who said: “you have two options, you can try and sit the exams or you can just quit while you’re ahead.”

Victoria knew her only option was to go off-books. “I didn’t accept it for a while,” she told Trinity News. “But when I came back, I realised that’s what so many people have done.”

Victoria is part of a group of students rarely acknowledged by college: students who had to leave their Erasmus programmes early. The decision to return to Trinity wasn’t an easy one for any student, but sometimes it is the best option available in the face of administrative shortcomings and intense academic pressure.

Often, the issues that make completing Erasmus impossible start with Trinity’s Learning Agreement. This is the list of modules a student makes for themselves before their exchange begins; it’s essentially a contract that both universities have to sign, approving what classes are appropriate for the student’s degree to ensure that they are equivalent to their home department’s credit requirements.

Geri, currently on Erasmus in the Netherlands, explained: “It sucked, because [her host university] replied the day I sent [the Learning Agreement], and Trinity… It’s been a month now and they still haven’t got back to me.” The majority of European

universities use an online portal - the OLA (Online Learning Agreement) - to organise the contract, but “for TCD, you can only do it through a Word document, which slows down the process completely. It’s so old fashioned and I don’t understand why.” These delays have serious consequences: a student can’t receive their Erasmus grant money until their Learning Agreement is finalised.

Mel, who went on exchange in France last term, found that when she arrived, the information she had used to complete her Learning Agreement was wrong.

“I had to do [it] three times, because of misinformation,” Mel said. “Professors themselves didn’t know how many credits their class was.” While in Ireland, almost all modules are worth 5 or 10 ECTS (or credits). In other European universities, the amount can vary: modules can be worth as little as 2 ECTS. This inconsistency can make building a schedule with a sufficient number of credits extremely frustrating: “The coordinators were so unhelpful … even when I emailed professors, they would take almost two weeks to reply. I ended up going to each department myself,” she told Trinity News. By the time she had her schedule, she had missed almost three weeks of classes, and professors refused to give her the slides from the sessions she’d missed.

Mel was planning on doing a second Erasmus placement in Germany during Hilary Term but decided to return to Trinity instead: “From Germany, step by step instructions were sent to students for registering for classes, look[ing] for housing…but I just knew I couldn’t do it again.” She decided that “in the summer, I can go and enjoy the culture and enjoy learning the language without thinking ‘oh my God, I need to pass this class and survive.’”

Like Mel, Victoria faced seemingly endless challenges with her Learning Agreement. When she began putting it together, she “immediately realised that the

“ The culturesociety Trinity,of it just existdoesn’t [in the Netherlands] at all

ECTS were a lot less than what we have here,” she told Trinity News. “As you know we have to take 30 ECTS no matter what, which for us is roughly five classes, maybe six… I was there taking the equivalent of nine modules [in terms of hours].”

“I didn’t really question it at the beginning,” she explained, because her Learning Agreement was approved by her department at Trinity without issue. The workload and the contact hours that nine modules required quickly became overwhelming: “I didn’t improve my German there at all because I didn’t have the time to socialise with any German speaking people,” she said.

Another student eventually asked her, “‘Why are you doing 30 credits? Nobody does 30 credits here, it’s usually 20 to 25’, which is when I got the confirmation that ‘oh, I’m not just burnt out because I’m being lazy’.” She continued: “Nobody told me that it wasn’t okay. I was thinking, oh maybe this is what Erasmus is like.”

Looking back on the experience, Victoria realised that “it wasn’t the [host university] that was the problem, it was Trinity,” she said.

If a student realises that their Erasmus programme isn’t right for them, they have four weeks after the beginning of the college term to re-enroll in their classes at Trinity. After this, going off-books or sitting the host university’s exams – even knowing they won’t pass – are the only options. Both of these choices mean repeating third year in full back at Trinity.

When Victoria chose to go offbooks (leaving college for the year) after two months, she felt totally isolated: “you’re made to feel like you’re the only one that’s going through that.” In September she realised this was far from the truth: “in my class there’s so many of us, that are all repeating the year.”

One of those 20, Emma, chose to finish the year in her host university in Spain rather than go off-books. Though her modules in Spain were around four to six credits each, she still struggled with administrative delays: “We only got officially enrolled around Halloween. So it was six weeks of being in limbo,” she told Trinity News.

Emma felt like the experience of her friends from other countries was far easier. Firstly, they had comparatively smaller workloads than Trinity students: “For the modules I had to do, it was really difficult to get it to work with the timetable… you’re actually so restricted.” Secondly, when Emma learned that she would need to resit some exams, she was – unlike her peers – made to fly back to Spain by Trinity: “I’m pretty sure with UL and other places, you can just do the repeat at home, whereas Trinity makes you fly back, [despite] the expense of the flights and accommodation in the middle of summer.”

When she failed a resit, Emma found she had to make a difficult choice: “The nightmare of being unable to progress and having to decide whether to repeat in full or go off-books [taking exams but not attending classes] … the implications of having to repeat in full, it’s like 5,800 euro.” If a student repeats the year after failing exams, they’re no longer eligible for the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant.

Given each of the four interviewees’ experiences, Trinity News asked them what they wished they had known before going on Erasmus.

“Email everyone before arriving,” Mel said regarding the French system. “It took two to three weeks for everyone to reply. Nothing’s online, it’s all printed out … if you didn’t have a physical copy of a relevant form, you’d be

sent away.”

“The society culture of Trinity, it just doesn’t exist [in the Netherlands] at all,” Geri told Trinity News. “The student associations are more like fraternities… it’s all about networking.”

“I didn’t realise how much I would be doing these things independently … and it’s my fault if it goes wrong,” Victoria told Trinity News. “I wish I had been warned about how much it’s all your own decision, you’ve got to do a lot of your own research and your own planning. You don’t have to do that here, your timetable is worked out for you.”

Emma said: “I would be very aware of the fact that it might result in repeating the year, and then having to decide if it’s worth it or not.” She added: “I’m still grateful to have had that opportunity.”

PHOTO BY JIMENA ALVAREZ FOR TRINITY NEWS

* Names have been changed for privacy protection

Biting the hand that feeds you? Calls to boycott St Patrick’s Day at the White House

Exploring the controversy surrounding calls for the boycott of the Taoiseach’s annual trip to the US for St Patrick’s Day

Eva Layte Contributing Writer

“You need to be very careful about any idea of boycotting, the Irish relationship with the United States is a very long standing one, a very valuable one, on many, many dimensions.”

Mary Lou MacDonald said in a statement to the Journal when asked about calls to boycott St Patrick’s Day festivities in the White House. In a way, her statement could be said to aptly describe the Irish government’s current unease with long-time allies, the United States, and their funding of Israel’s war. Whilst Irish politicians have condemned Israel and called for a ceasefire, there has been reservation regarding whether criticism ought to be extended to Israel’s main ally: the United States. Funding around 16% of the Israeli defence budget, according to recent Congressional Research Service figures, the USA is arguably the most important third-party actor in establishing a ceasefire.

The question of whether or not Taoiseach Leo Varadkar should celebrate St Patrick’s Day with President Joe Biden has tested the government’s willingness to offend Ireland’s valuable allies in the name of advocacy. In an interview with Trinity News, Senator and Cathaoirleach Jerry Buttimer, who will be travelling to the States for the occasion, said that whilst he saw calls for a boycott as legitimate, they were “missing out on a point that we [Irish Senators and Ministers] have access to politicians, to a media market, to influential leaders and to business leaders that we would not have, and to cut that off would be detrimental to the case we’re making around this particular issue.” In other words, the way Buttimer and others see it, boycotting the U.S. would simply shut down valuable discussion

BY

about the future of Palestine.

Calls from the public for Varadkar to boycott the annual White House visit for St Patrick’s Day have received substantial support. One petition, which states that “this would be a powerful sign of solidarity with Palestine that would reflect the feelings of Irish people & have a massive impact around the world” has gained over 17,000 signatures. Politicians such as Richard Boyd Barrett TD and Mick Barry TD have also expressed their support for a boycott. Speaking to Trinity News, Barry noted that it wasn’t just Varadkar “who’s going to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with genocide Joe Biden, it’s Mary Lou MacDonald and Michelle O’Neill as well.”

Ireland has historically been supportive of the Palestinian cause. In 1980, it became the first EU country to voice support for an independent Palestinian state, in addition to being the last European country to receive an Israeli embassy. An intrinsic cultural sympathy toward Palestine has often been attributed to a shared history of colonialism and occupation. This is something that has become increasingly visible since the events of October 7.

With that said, Ireland has, without question, enjoyed

valuable political and economic support from the U.S.. Stemming largely from the extraordinary Irish diaspora living in the States, the relationship between the two nations has benefitted Ireland immeasurably, both historically and today. In a post-Brexit world, America has used its political and economic power to influence Britain’s behaviour towards Ireland. Notably in 2021, former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi cautioned Britain that there would be no post-Brexit trade deal with the United States on the table if the Northern Ireland peace agreement was destroyed.

Speaking to Trinity News, Liam Kneafsey, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Trinity College Dublin, said this American support “constrains Ireland to a certain degree, but it is also worth saying that Ireland has not traditionally aligned entirely with US foreign policy and has resisted US pressure at the UN on various issues. On Palestine specifically, there may be a constraint in how far Irish politicians are truly willing to go but Ireland has always retained autonomy on this issue and become well-known for it.”

During his interview, Buttimer touched on Ireland’s “very special

relationship with the United States of America” both “culturally and economically”. Adding, that he saw St Patrick’s Day visits from the Taoiseach and government ministers as offering “an opportunity to copper-fasten and continue that special relationship.”

“Friendship” was a recurring word in Senator Buttimer’s discussion of the relationship, speaking of President Joe Biden as “a great friend of Ireland’s”, and as a “champion around Ireland’s decision around Brexit.” He suggested that boycotts do not account for “the need for friends to communicate and have that conversation,” adding “I always make the point that you can have a debate with your friend and you can argue an articulate viewpoint, and sometimes it’s the friend’s voice that gets into the ear, gets into the psyche, that helps to lead the change.”

Buttimer conveyed a conviction that Ireland possessed communication channels with the US, with a capacity for far greater political change than anything boycotts could achieve. He said of a boycott: “it would close down a media market, it would close down a diplomatic channel, and it would close down an opportunity to speak with the most important person in the world.”

What remained unacknowledged by Buttimer was the larger question regarding whether boycotts would ever be considered by Irish politicians as an acceptable method of advocacy in dealings with powerful allies. It is not unreasonable to assume that this unwillingness to engage in contentious acts of protest in part stems from fear. Afterall, the offence and embarrassment that could be brought upon the United States following an Irish boycott might compromise Ireland’s national interests. The line of argument frequently deployed by Buttimer and other Irish politicians on the matter often dismisses fear as a potential factor in decision-making.

Barry expressed that he didn’t believe the Irish political establishments have “ever given consideration to boycotting the St Patrick’s Day celebrations” and that “their starting position from the get-go was there’s no way we’re boycotting this.”

According to Kneafsey “the pressure of domestic public opinion does not seem to be enough for Irish politicians to question the appropriateness of these visits or to consider a broader boycott. Irish politicians are aware of the domestic disapproval of visits but likely do not believe there will be any specific electoral consequences for this [continuing with the visits].” He continued by

saying that while Ireland is “wellknown” for its support for the Palestinian people internationally, the Irish government is “unlikely to adopt a position they feel positions us as a true outlier diplomatically whether this is appropriate or not. It is unlikely a boycott would be enacted purely as a moral stand.”

When questioned about a hypothetical scenario in which Ireland pursued boycott measures, Buttimer said he thought this “would have an impact” on Irish relations with the United States, as it would “show we’re jumping on a proposal for short-term articulation.” This statement gave the impression that politicians such as Buttimer are wary of how the U.S. might perceive Ireland as a consequence of a boycott and the potential implications this may bear for future diplomatic relations between the nations.

Kneafsey, on the other hand, explained that “the benefits of a potential boycott are both moral and demonstrative. It would be a significant move for a state like Ireland with its historical relationship with the United States to boycott a White House visit and would make international headlines. This could provide momentum for other advocacy groups in other states to push

“This is a genocide taking place before our eyes, in lifetime.our It is not the time for business as usual

their governments to do the same as Ireland would have shown the way. It may also in turn generate momentum and support for widerranging boycotts and forms of solidaristic action because it would demonstrate the willingness, under sufficient pressure, of the Irish government to take such a position.”

According to Barry, “this is a genocide taking place before our eyes, in our lifetime. It is not the time for business as usual.”

PHOTO

NEASA NIC CORCRÁIN FOR TRINITY NEWS

The hidden world of postgrads: A look into Trinity’s 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room

Among the many beautiful buildings on campus, perhaps the most overlooked of all is also one of the most culturally significant: the

1937 Postgraduate Reading Room

Shreya Padmanabhan Contributing Writer

Trinity College is home to numerous architectural marvels, each with its own story and charm. Nestled between the Examination Hall and the Old Library, one particular gem often remains unnoticed by the bustling undergraduate crowd. Marked discreetly by the keystone inscription ‘NIKH’ — the Greek goddess of victory, Nike — this masterpiece is known all too well by the postgraduate community. Welcome to the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room.

“The first time I went in ... I was like, ‘Oh this is beautiful!’ It’s quiet, it has plug points, a kitchen and all the facilities that you need when you’re studying. I’ll admit, I’ve taken a few Instagram stories there just to show people the historical vibes.” says Zoha, a postgraduate student.

As the name suggests, the 1937

Postgraduate Reading Room was opened in 1937 but its origins trace back to 1919, when the college sought to honour its community lost to the ravages of the Great War. Sir Thomas Manly Deane, the chief architect, was tasked with designing a space that would serve as both a memorial and a sanctuary for postgraduates. The result was an octagonal masterpiece, spanning four floors, and initially providing 160 seats in the main area. The ‘Hall of Honour,’ serving as a solemn prelude to the building, is etched in gold with the names of 471 valiant Trinity students who served, immortalised in Kilkenny marble.

Besides its scholarly purpose, the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room has also brought Trinity to Hollywood, serving as the filming location for a scene in the iconic film, “Michael Collins”. Directed by Academy Award-winning Neil Jordan, the movie is a historical biopic of the Irish revolutionary leader who fought to liberate Ireland from British rule in the early 20th century. The film’s pivotal Dáil Treaty debate scene was filmed in the Reading Room, linking the room to a key historical narrative of Ireland’s past.

Moving beyond its historic and cultural significance, the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room continues to be an essential part of academic life at Trinity today. Postgraduate student Denis Hristev appreciates the convenience it offers, stating, “I love that I don’t need to book a space to work in the Reading Room. It’s also open 24/7, unlike some of the other libraries and spaces across Trinity, ensuring I won’t be unexpectedly asked to leave.”

Another student, Cameron Patterson, highlighted the calm and serene environment that fosters intense focus and productivity: “It’s so quiet there,

and everyone maintains a whisperlike silence. The entire atmosphere is unique—everyone is there with a purpose, making it more of an individual workspace compared to other places on campus.”

Enthusiastically, postgraduate student Zeynep Bilgi added, “Being in the reading room makes me feel young again! Being elsewhere on campus, surrounded by undergraduates, can make me feel so old sometimes!” Her comment emphasises the importance of having a space dedicated to postgraduates, creating a sense of community and belonging.

Willian Ribeiro, a dedicated postgraduate from the business school, frequents the Reading Room almost every day. Speaking with Trinity News he said: “I’m drawn to the postgraduate reading

“

The entire atmosphere is unique - everyone is there with a makingpurpose, it more of individualan workspace

room because it’s incredibly motivating for me to focus on my work here. Because I don’t live with students, I find it hard to get any studying done at home. However, in the reading room, I’ve found my people, students from different programmes and it’s fun to share different study methods. Also, the fact that the building is so beautiful definitely helps!”

While Willian and many others found sanctuary within the walls of the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room, it’s important to acknowledge that the space is not without its challenges. Before the recent shutdown of the

postgraduate

These ranged from insufficient space to work and patchy Wifi, to a shortage of power outlets. Before she was elected in 2021, Provost Linda Doyle promised to improve postgraduate student life by highlighting in her manifesto: “I will invest in and upgrade the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room.”

Despite this promise, challenges remain within the Reading Room. Student reports revealed that the bathrooms are not only afflicted by a foul odour but also suffer from black mould. Additionally, the implementation of unisex bathrooms has sparked discomfort among some individuals. The closure of the kitchen this semester has further inconvenienced students, hindering their ability to warm meals or refill water bottles, thus forcing them to leave the building for such basic necessities.

The 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room stands as a testament to Trinity’s rich history and has helped put the college on the map with its cultural significance. While it serves as a sanctuary for postgraduate students, fostering a sense of community through its exclusivity, it is clear that there is room for improvement.

Although the GSU is currently dissolved, the need to heed the voices of postgraduate students is still crucial. Their insights are essential in ensuring the Reading Room continues to meet the evolving needs of its users. Addressing these concerns will not only preserve the room’s legacy but also enhance its role as an essential nexus for postgraduate study.

PHOTO BY SHREYA PADMANABHAN FOR TRINITY NEWS

Graduate Students’ Union (GSU), a variety of concerns were raised by

students.

The half-baked activism of infographics

Clara

Jonckheere page 23

The government's shameful treatment of asylum seekers

Editorial page 26

Metrolink is a pitiful representation of Ireland at its most disappointing

What can a person achieve in 34 years? Well, one could be born, attend school, move to college, graduate, start work, get married, start a family, and maybe even buy a house if we’re prepared to stretch the limits of our imagination. What can Transport Infrastructure Ireland achieve in that time? Vanishingly little, it turns out.

The first solid proposal for a metro line in Dublin emerged back in November 2001, when the Spire had not yet been finished, the Euro was not yet in circulation, and the author of this piece was all of a week old. Initially proposed by the Dublin Transportation Office, this shining new metro service was to consist of three lines: North-South including Dublin Airport, Tallaght

Eve Conway

Online Editor

West to the City Centre, and a third connecting line between the two. It was an ambitious project, but one that was much needed. Several years of deliberation and several route changes later, what became known as Metro North was at long last granted planning permission in October 2011.

An indefinite delay to the project was announced little more than a month later, in November 2011.

A decade of meetings, proposals, amendments, arguments, and planning all came to naught. Think of what other countries have achieved in a ten-year period. The Channel Tunnel between France and Britain took a mere six years to complete. The Palm Islands in Dubai also took six years. Strikingly, construction on the original Skytrain line in Vancouver in Canada took just three years.

Then, it was announced in 2015 that Metro North was to be relaunched, with the planned opening date being in 2027. Of course, this plan did not come to fruition either, and in 2018 it was announced that Metro North was

to be rebranded as MetroLink, with a scaled back route. In 2021, the government admitted that the 2027 deadline was no longer feasible and have since been reluctant to put out a more concrete date than sometime early in the next decade, maybe 2035.

What does this 34-year long dilly-dallying session say about us as a country? How is it that other countries can propose, plan, construct, and open all manners of infrastructure and of public transport services in a shorter timeframe than we can get a plan from stage 1 to stage 2 of development? There is an unwillingness in Ireland to strive for any kind of longterm achievement, to imagine that things could be better.

Major opposition to Metrolink has come from politicians and interest groups who are worried about potential disruption to the Green Line Luas. Others worry about the extortionate cost of the venture, ranging from €9.5 billion (best case scenario) to €23 billion (absolute worst case scenario as

revealed by Leo Varadkar). In reality, these concerns should fall to the wayside compared to the benefits that the metro, even in its newer, more scaled-back format, would bring. Not only would the presence of a metro help to alleviate congestion on Dublin’s roads and the Luas, it would also significantly increase the number of people using public transport daily. If Ireland is serious about tackling climate change and moving away from a car-dominated world, then our first and more essential step is improving the quality, quantity, and efficiency of our public transport.

I have yet to meet a fellow traveller on the way to or from Dublin Airport who, when asked, does not think the airport would benefit from a rail link. Dublin is the only major European capital city without direct rail access to its airport, relying instead on bus services that trundle slowly towards the city centre.. Ireland’s inability, and indeed unwillingness to devote the time, money, and resources to a project that would benefit not

only the lives of commuters, but even tourists, is disappointing and yet somehow not surprising.

How often have we seen interesting, dynamic initiatives shelved for an easier option? One only has to think back to the Gluas (Galway Luas), Galway ring road or Donegal rail services proposals that never got full support from the Government and never came to fruition. There will always be reasons not to do something, but when those reasons are consistently given more weight than the reasons to pursue an idea, nothing of worth will be accomplished in a society. Time after time sub-par infrastructures and short-term solutions are given the green light whilst ambitious and long-term projects are shelved, tossed aside, or dismissed as unnecessary.

As Ireland’s younger generation grows up and reflects on the broken promises of our youth, we must not fall into the same old trap of believing that just because something is hard, it means that it is not worth doing. Often, things are hard precisely because they are worth doing. We must not believe that better options are out of reach, especially something as mundane and as simple as a rail route to the airport. Isn’t it about time that we stop making excuses, begin to catch up with the rest of Europe, and build a more sustainable and more accessible future?

I don't care about sabbatical elections

Sabbatical elections are a huge deal, especially for Trinity College Dublin’s Students’ Union (TCDSU), where it is of massive importance to elect several people to represent the various needs of our considerable student body and convey the needs of that population. In 2021, the University Times reported that 6,251 Trinity students registered to vote in the SU elections, which translates to roughly about 33% of the college’s entire student population. It is a season plagued with chaos, with people who have deemed themselves suitable “leaders” vying for your vote through relentless social media bombardment and proactive promotion at stands from their campaign teams, not to mention the mugshot posters, each with their own

“The rigmarole of election season never fails instilto a wearinessdeepin me whenever I set foot into college campus

distinctive designs and fonts.

These tools, along with their manifestos detailing the problems in student life which they have identified and the changes pledged to fix them, are the election trade’s most reliable resources which – if well-crafted – may guarantee the desired position in the Student Union. For example, the current Entertainments officer, Olivia Orr, promised she would

Jonathan Wang

Contributing Writer

“keep the Trinity in Trinity Ball”, following an announcement that 2023’s event was the last to be held on Trinity campus until 2028. This was a main selling point in her manifesto, which led to her securing an unbeatable number of votes, and is something she has since delivered on.

Despite student politics and, in turn, sabbatical elections holding such prevalence in Trinity, I am simply unfazed by the passion, pledges and possibilities that may arise possible composition of our next Student Union. The rigmarole of election season never fails to instil a deep weariness in me whenever I set foot into college campus as mugshots and manifestos intrude on the poster space normally held by societies, event promoters and the odd band looking for a new member; these little ornaments are plastered over each and every one of Trinity’s little nooks and crannies. The taglines of candidates and their faces are inescapable. They somehow manage to wriggle inside my brain and forcefully etch themselves into my memory when I have absolutely no intention of voting. I am just trying to get to class and make sure I don’t fail college or drop out (again).

The election posters put up by hopeful candidates give the college a whole new layer of blandness that oozes across every building from Goldsmith Hall to the GMB. The boards occupied by societies and promoters advertising their next night out, giving the gloomy greyscale of Trinity a well-needed splash of colour, are disturbed by candidates so devoted to their causes they are willing to subject everyone who passes the gates of the institution to student politics,

regardless of whether they hold an interest in these affairs or not.

Along with the aforementioned election posters, Instagram posts and introductory videos are carefully composed by each candidate to ensure that their reach will spread to those who are not even on the grounds of Trinity. This is orchestrated through the digitalisation of their campaigns and the unending regurgitation of posts by their team members or friends which plague feeds and

of different communities in Trinity feeling disrespected and undermined. The most recent SU election season saw the introduction of a candidate whose eligibility to run was highly contested, who sparked controversy and fiery outrage through his use of offensive, incendiary language. This candidate notably referred to people with disabilities as “disableds” and appeared to undermine the case of abortion

It enrages me that student politics and the hubbub of elections can provide a public platform to such discriminatory speech, where each word is reverberated throughout the echo chambers of the campus.

I believe that the arduous process of student politics and its nonsensical exaggeration can pile immeasurable heaps of pressure onto the unfortunate shoulders of students caught up in the middle, just trying their best to cope with the rigorous demands of college. It is not something that should be promoted as heavily as it is, to the point where it feels like it is being shoved down people’s throats. Perhaps election posters could be displayed more sparsely to allow societies to showcase their plans and remind people that there are still events other than elections going on . The podium of publicity that voting season can also provide to those who wish to spout spiteful speech is sensational, allowing them to cause feelings of disrespect and degradation to certain communities in society and causing students who are part of those communities to feel helpless. These elements accumulate in election season to create a bubble of unwanted drama and controversy that surrounds the college and cause numerous students to be caught in the crossfire regardless of how much interest they may have. Therefore, I truly believe that the hullabaloo of sabbatical elections can truly cause more harm than good amongst the student population of Trinity College.

Understanding the autistic experience in college

My experience of knowing that I am autistic is very limited to my time in college, which inevitably happens when you are diagnosed two months before you start your degree. It has been an experience where, as I have known for years, I don’t fit with the regular kind of person, but I don’t feel like I fit among other autistic people either. This drove me to try and understand the autistic experience in college from a wide range of different perspectives.

“ Autism does not look the same for everyone, and if you've met one autistic person, you have met just that: one autistic person

Being autistic is best described as a soundboard, one with lots of dials that are set to different levels for everyone. I struggle a lot with being overwhelmed by taste and smell, while someone else may love the experience of food and seek it out. Autism does not look the same for everyone, and if you’ve met one autistic person, you have met just that: one autistic person.

Autism is also usually discussed in the binary of high or low support needs, but this misrepresents the experience of lots of autistic people. The categories in which autistic people are placed are often based on others’ perceptions of us, not how much support we actually require. Typically those like myself, who attend college, would be classed as lower support needs.

Being seen as having lower support needs means that I am

Ava Dowdall

Contributing Writer

perceived by many as being less autistic. My difficulties are very internal and hard to vocalise. Even some of my closest friends don’t understand how I frequently collapse into a meltdown, shut down after a long week, or how I would rather go hungry some weeks than step into the sensory hell of a grocery store. The people in my life especially don’t see the more embarrassing aspects of my struggle: executive dysfunction.

Executive function refers to your ability to plan and organise tasks that often revolve around care for yourself and others. Following a spout of burnout I hit in October, I have really struggled to complete these tasks. My room — which when I’m well is perfectly organised — has been a tip, I don’t do laundry for weeks at a time, it can be hard to go through the sensory experience of showering and getting dressed some days, meaning I can’t go into college. My tolerance for socialising has dropped drastically and I feel like a terrible friend sometimes for not showing up as much as I want to.

Even on the days where you can make it into college, it can be a difficult sensory experience for many autistic people. My friend Abi, who is self-diagnosed, tells me how the lights and sounds of a lecture hall make it incredibly difficult to attend class, and a lack of lecture recordings leaves her with little alternative to just

showing up and being deeply uncomfortable. This is especially difficult for self-diagnosed students who don’t have documentation to back up their difficulties and will, in turn, often not be registered with the disability service.

On the contrary, others, like my friend Eoin, find the physical space of campus itself to be a nice escape from the busy city. The campus is removed, sure some places are louder than others, but many autistic people are able to adapt by using noise cancelling headphones or earplugs. This is made easier by the disability service’s new sense map, which displays different locations in the college and outlines their sensory profiles.

There are also safe social spaces that autistic students can find within the college through society life. For myself and Eoin, this is provided by the Historical Society, its variety of social events and the seclusion of the Graduates Memorial Building. For Abi, this space comes in the form of the new DU Neurodivergent Society (DUNeS) on campus. DUNeS provides a safe social environment where autistic individuals can find people that they relate to and are comfortable with. It is a huge support for those who are autistic as they make their way through college life. A space such as DUNeS in which to discuss missed social cues, to figure out emotions without pressure, and

to receive understanding from your peers is massively important.

“ College also needs to expand recordingslecture to provide accessibilitybetterto class content

But then the question is raised of whether it should be the responsibility of students in student spaces to provide support for other autistic students. Given the cost of professional diagnosis, it should be a part of the work of the disability service to provide more open spaces for autistic students, for example, through better promoting their weekly autism drop in group. College also needs to expand lecture recordings to provide better accessibility to class content, something which would benefit many students, not just those that are autistic.

College is an environment where many carry an idea that you should struggle and be challenged, but this can prevent those who need help from having the confidence to ask for it. Even with my LENS report, I hesitate to ask lecturers that are not providing my accommodations to do so. Many lecture slides don’t have sufficient notes on them if I am unable to make it to class. It would be of benefit to all students if College could better educate staff on how to support students, and if those who need more help are thought of before the expected normalcy. A lot of anxiety and fear of being misunderstood can accompany the autistic experience in college. Equally, a lot of joy can also be found through society life and course content. Being autistic is a disability, and one that many in college deal with: last year there were 236 students with autism registered as a primary or additional disability with the disability service. This does not account for those who are self-diagnosed, have not yet realised that they are autistic, or do not wish to register with the service, all of whom face similar struggles in college. Autism is an invisible disability that cannot be seen from the outside, and it is far from the only one. Kindness, patience and consideration — at least as this autistic person will tell you — go a long way.

PHOTO BY NEASA NIC CORCRÁIN FOR TRINITY NEWS

To post or not to post? The half-baked activism of Instagram infographics

Never has there been a time where information about the world around us was so easily accessible, whether on the radio, TV, newspapers, or, more recently, social media. Information on current affairs, specifically humanitarian issues, climate change, and wars raging around the world is just a click away.

Recent years have seen a rise in aestheticized slideshows that break down concepts and humanitarian issues on Instagram. People are rushing to share these “infographics”, their intentions ranging from the spreading of awareness to the creation of a politically vocal online persona.

In times marked by global unrest and moral uncertainty, everyone wants to share their opinion and show that they care about the issues at hand, and social media is the easiest way to achieve this.

Clara Jonckheere Contributing Writer

are not fully comprehended.

Being exposed to innumerable posts, graphics, and pictures of these often-acute human rights issues has the detrimental effect of desensitizing us to the urgency of the information we are consuming. The permanent absorption of horrifying images and statistics ends up becoming so embedded in our daily scrolling that it loses its intended effect of causing the kind of indignation that is vital for action.

Does that mean that we shouldn’t post, and repost infographics? Would that not have the adverse effect of leading to a lack of awareness? Or should everyone individually be held responsible for remaining on top of current affairs?

The question of individual responsibility extends to the reposting of infographics and the information they spread. With no expectation of journalistic integrity, the validity of Instagram infographics can often be questionable leading to the perpetuation of misinformation.

“ The content is quickly consumed, but its weight and gravity are not fully comprehended

The increased frequency of these infographics, resulting in their oversaturation, poses the question of their activist, informational, and empathetic value.

The ease and rapidity with which Instagram infographics can be shared, leads to our feeds being filled with posts about crucial and pressing human rights issues. However, social media at its core is designed for rapid consumption and instant gratification. While we might engage with the information of those Instagram infographics, the content is quickly consumed, but its weight and gravity

This can be harmful, albeit sometimes unintentionally, as many may absorb this information as fact, without “digging deeper” and fact checking the content they consume on social media. The weight of the responsibility of reposting and sharing accurate information about complex issues should not be understated, nor should the consumer of content forget their responsibility of exercising due diligence before accepting the content as truth. Are we aware of what we are posting and what we are consuming? It is vital for each and every one of us to be cautious in the information we consume and spread.

Packaging complex issues into informative, yet manageable slideshows, while often serving a well-intentioned educational purpose, may lead to an oversimplification, which in turn can distort the understanding of the situation at hand. An attention-grabbing slideshow can hardly encompass the nuance and complexity of human rights issues. Especially in light of the oversaturation of infographics, the opportunity for empathy and nuanced, intellectual discussion is often squashed.

Activism is defined as actions taken in the goal to achieve a result, usually socially or

politically. Whether spreading information via Instagram can be considered as activism thus goes back to the question of the value of information. Is the spreading of awareness on issues and the manifestation of urgency a form of activism in and of itself, or does it need to be backed by further action? The act of posting infographics evidently draws attention to the cause at hand, allows for the sharing of ideas, and can manifest urgency and may push people to action by informing them of protests, petitions, and fundraisers. There is, of course, also the fact that this form of “activism” acts as a response to feelings of powerlessness in view of the state of our world, offering a form of consolation to the “sharer”. Even though the reposting of infographics manifestly does little to help resolve the issues at hand, there is an indisputable value to the raising of awareness and manifestation of urgency in matters that might otherwise not gain the attention they indubitably

deserve. In considering the ethical and activist value of Instagram infographics, it is essential to take into account the intentions of those partaking in their spreading. While often well-intentioned, the reposting of infographics is for some simply part of the creation of a politically vocal online persona, without an ounce of “behind the screen” engagement with the issues they claim to care about. By projecting an activist, socially conscious image it allows the “sharer” to align with popular causes and obtain validation for being “woke” and vocal. This activism and political vocalness often only goes as far as clicking the “share” button, with no reallife engagement in the pursuit of change. Social media also creates a pressure to appear woke, aware, and engaged, pushing people to take part in the reposting of infographics so as to show that they are aware of the issues at hand, and care about them. Gen-Z is all too familiar with the classic “If it isn’t online did it even happen?”. Especially considering

the weight of the issues at hand, the pressure to contribute to the spreading of infographics is strong so as to show to the world - or at least your Instagram followers- “I am aware and I care”, even if this is not backed by real life engagement. The question of whether Instagram infographics and the reposting of them can be considered activism, or at least activism-adjacent, goes back to the question of whether one considers the spreading of awareness as seeking to achieve a political or social goal. Regardless of the intentions behind the posting, I believe that spreading information is essential and constitutes, at the very least, the first step to activism. Ideally, every one of the “reposters” would take further action, do their research behind the screen, sign petitions, donate money, go to protests, but of course those actions take far more engagement than the posting of infographics. Ultimately the mere act of posting cannot be equated with real life actions taken to achieve a goal, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.

IMAGE VIA PEXELS

In a disconnected Dublin, TCDSU must continue to advocate for change

In an email addressed to the entire student body on the 16th of February, Provost Linda Doyle reiterated the fact that 2024 has been dubbed the “Year of Elections”. Up to 50 countries will head to the polls to some degree to vote. One of these fifty nations, of course, is Ireland. With the imposing family and care referendums being just around the corner (March 8th), Ireland will have several other opportunities to vote again before we get to March 2025. Local and European elections are to be held in June, while a general election also seems to be inevitable.

Our closest neighbours in the United Kingdom will also head to the polls, with Rishi Sunak saying an election will “most-likely” be held within the second-half of this year; but who knows what that truly means. On the continent of Europe, several nations teeter on the brink of a snap election. Spain being an example, struggling to settle their beef (pardon the pun) with the agriculture industry, who flock to the cities and cause traffic chaos. Of course then, we’ve got the US elections that are to be held in November, where the two senile men will compete for each of their second terms.

Coming back to Linda Doyle’s email from the February 16, Linda’s main point of focus was to highlight the “chronic underfunding” that Ireland’s higher level and research sectors receive. I found it quite interesting how there was a complete omission

Ben Kearns

Contributing Writer

of a mention of the student union elections from that email, as it too, is an important election that is taking place this year. However, its omission from the email did not appear to hamper the popularity of the sabbatical elections. I am unsure as to whether that means nobody reads the Provost’s emails or people found their information regarding the SU elections through other mediums.

Either way, in my time at Trinity, the 2024 SU elections have been the most documented, most discussed, and most contested elections. A total of 14 candidates ran for the 7 positions. The sheer number of candidates alone indicates a student body that is political and clearly interested in promoting

“ In my time in College,Trinitythe 2024 SU elections have been the most documented, most discussed and most contested elections

change in the hopes of creating a better college. Coupled with the highest voter turnout since 2020, all signs lead to a vested interest in the ongoings of the university.

As a current Erasmus student, the fact that there was an option to vote online was of major benefit to me. Fellow Trinity students who are dotted all over the world had the opportunity to vote, something that TCDSU has to be commended for. In my personal experience abroad, the elections remained at the centre of discussion throughout the month of February. In perhaps the most Irish of experiences while abroad here in Salamanca, I found myself discussing the politics of Nathan Harrington’s campaign with other Trinity students. All of this, discussed in an ‘Oirish’ pub while wearing a World Cup 2002 jersey, watching the Six Nations, with the worst Guinness imaginable in my hand. We never came to a direct conclusion about Nathan Harrington in the end…

Since then, the dust has settled and the emotions felt by all those that were elected have hopefully balanced themselves back out. So what’s the deal? What are the challenges facing these fresh-faced representatives? Well, delving into the manifestos, it appears that the promises of those elected are fairly compatible with each other. In regard to all of those who have been elected, equality, fair representation, and an overall improved student experience are of the utmost importance to them all.

But what does this mean for the overall student cohort? Some students believe that TCDSU does not truly represent them. An air of exclusivity has seeped into this current year’s elected group. Their style of leadership

and decision to radically politicise the union has upset the moderates in the college community. This is not to say that the work they are doing isn’t vitally important, but if you are to represent the student body, you must represent all those who are in it.

With that being said, Jenny Maguire’s active involvement in a number of popular initiatives on campus and in Dublin has made her a de facto successor to László Molnárfi. Her experience includes being an active member of TCDSU, former DU Players secretary, and co-organiser of Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin. Anyone who frequents campus will see her involvement at every level of university life something that may be of use as president.

If we are to follow this line of enquiry that the newly elected union are to be a succession to this years representatives, there is an expectation that engagement will remain high between the Students Union and groups such as BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), Students4Change, CATU (Community Actions Tenants Union), EmpowerTheVoice, and government representatives. The occupation and the disruption of Trinity’s tourism money-machine with the aim to support the Palestinian cause will undoubtedly be of utmost importance again for the incoming representatives.

As well as their unwavering support for Palestine, the union must deal with the pressing matters of accommodation prices, cost of living issues, rigid teaching practices and the utter disconnect between the hierarchical facets of society and those that are subjected to their absurdity. Dublin as a city is becoming even

more disconnected from those who reside in it. Private student accommodation companies are now solely providing 51-week long leases, a contract length which will only benefit the coffers of the landlords. Trinity themselves continue to push for a 2% rent hike, even amidst the sheer extortion that students face.

TCDSU must also deal with the general safety of Dublin.

“

TCDSU must also deal with the safetygeneral Dublinof

The last 18 months have seen an horrific increase in anti-migrant/ far-right sentiment in Ireland. The events of November 2023 during the Dublin Riots still run raw for some. If the union can provide a safe-space within the confines of the university, then they are contributing massively to the improvement of this city.

Harping back to what I began with, 2024 has the potential to be one of the most important years in recent memory. We may not be able to control the happenings outside of Ireland, but within our nation, politics is on the brink of change. The inevitable next general election could see the first fully left-wing government in Ireland. It is vital that the work that TCDSU undergoes on our campus continues onto the streets and into homes all over the country.

To finish off, the work that TCDSU performs is clearly having an effect. Those who voted the way they did, did so for a reason. Issues that are prevalent in all corners of society need to continue to be the foundations of our student union. If they cease to be fundamental parts of the agenda, then action must be taken. Democracy gives the people the power to choose. As Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said at their 2024 conference: “People across Ireland feel the country is no longer working for them … there is a clear sense of disillusionment and disconnect … we should be able to provide a future for our young people … We deserve better. We can achieve better.” With these elected representatives, I hope the new TCDSU can provide us some alleviation from the current situation. We all deserve better, and we can achieve better.

Editorial: The government's treatment of asylum seekers has been a shameful stain on St Patrick's Day celebrations

Early on St Patrick’s Day morning, Irish drag queen, activist and business owner Panti Bliss posted: “I came to London yesterday because in a few hours I’m the Grand Marshal of the London St Patrick's Day Parade. And I’m honoured and looking forward to it. But after what was done to asylum seekers in Dublin yesterday, it now feels weird because I’m also ashamed to be Irish today.”

Two weeks ago, this newspaper reported on the “rapidly deteriorating” conditions homeless asylum seekers were facing outside the International Protection Office (IPO) in Dublin. The situation was worsening as hundreds were forced out of emergency accommodation and left with no sanitary facilities in tents outside the office. Volunteers at the scene did not belong to any official organisation, they were “all trying to coordinate some type of support”.

Then on Saturday, March 16, as thousands were arriving into Dublin to celebrate Paddy’s Day, the homeless were abruptly moved from outside the IPO. Trinity News received reports from volunteers that a masked man on the scene was slashing tents with a knife and harassing volunteers. Tents were loaded onto a truck and taken away by men who identified themselves to volunteers as “carrying out orders” for Dublin City Council. A

statement from the Department of Integration claimed that all asylum seekers were “offered alternative shelter”. However, when they were escorted to Crooksling –previously the site of a fire believed to be connected to anti-immigrant protests – they were provided with tents and only offered the “use of the bathroom and shower facilities at the nursing home”. Many of these asylum seekers chose to walk the 20km distance back to the city centre, preferring the unsanitary conditions of Mount Street to the remote location they had been offered.

The timing of this move was particularly conspicuous. The government swiftly bussing homeless people out of the city centre so they would not be seen by the vast numbers of tourists descending on the city for Paddy’s Day weekend left an understandably poor taste in the mouths of many. From Washington, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar defended the decision to move the asylum seekers, emphasising the conditions on Mount Street were unlivable and Crooksling was state-owned land. Why then were over 200 asylum seekers allowed to live in filth outside the institution built to protect them for weeks on end without state intervention? The timing, as thousands of tourists arrived to visit “the land of a thousand welcomes”, cannot be

ignored. The theme of this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade was “spréach”, the Irish word for “spark” – but mere hours before the parade kicked off we saw the dark underbelly of modern Ireland.

The treatment of the refugees by the government was truly disgraceful and left people feeling that there was not much to celebrate this Paddy’s Day after all. When this is how our government treats the most vulnerable in society, what right do we have to be parading around the streets proclaiming how great our country and our culture is? When we can’t offer these people the most basic human decency and, worse, when the government brushes these issues under the rug, what do we actually have to celebrate?

On Sunday, the streets of Dublin were filled with jovial parade goers and pubs were packed to the rafters. Thousands of people danced through the streets – while thousands more had nowhere to sleep. These refugees came to Ireland for help, for safety, for compassion and the government has shown them nothing but contempt. Volunteers outside of the IPO described the situation as “completely the government’s failure”. Instead of providing the emergency accommodation that was so readily available when snow unexpectedly hit, the government decided that their top priority was ensuring that Paddy’s Day celebrations were not impacted by refugees on the streets.

In their statement the department highlighted that “the supply of available accommodation is severely diminished… what accommodation can be opened is primarily being utilised for families in order to avoid women and children becoming homeless”. The government chose to defend its decision to merely provide

tents to these refugees ironically by reminding the public of its even greater failure to address a vast shortage of housing for years on end. The question this poses is not whether this was the best available option, but how this became the best available option. The passive language used in statements is an attempt by the government to relegate the problem of accommodating refugees to an abstract issue beyond the reach of its influence. However, it cannot deny it is in a crisis of its own making. Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman has made

“ The question this poses is not whether this was the best available option, but how this became the best available option

assurances that policy proposals for accommodating asylum seekers are in the works, including plans to replace direct provision with state-owned centres. Beside the fact these promises are being

made in the last year of the government’s lifespan and remain a remote dream, the question remains of whether this all could have been resolved sooner.

The current government might not have been able to predict the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and they can claim they could not have foreseen the influx of asylum seekers from outside Europe. It cannot claim, however, that it didn’t see any issue with its system of accommodating asylum seekers. Academics and legal experts have consistently pointed out that the policy of direct provision is unnecessarily dehumanising. It was also clear based on the years that people spent in direct provision that the international protection application process was painstakingly long and arduous, and any added pressure to the system would lead to a complete burst. The government pretends to face the public with its hands tied, when in reality it is only the failure of its own policies that has tied them.

Now, Ireland has entered a new stage in its approach to international protection applicants. In the space of four months, the number of homeless asylum seekers has risen to over 1,000. This is not a new crisis, however it is an escalating one and one the government is woefully unprepared for. The excuses that have been given for the treatment of asylum seekers in this country are absolutely unacceptable. Yes, there is an accommodation crisis in Ireland. However, the responsibility to alleviate these issues lies squarely with the government and the longer they keep pretending that it doesn’t, the more people will suffer. Until they fix this problem, to echo Panti Bliss, we have very little to be proud of as a nation.

SciTech

The Dark Side of the Moon: A

From a scientific perspective, the hit is more than a musical masterpiece

Sébastien Laymond SciTech Editor

For me, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon represents more than just “music”; it is Burke’s subliminal incarnate – only in musical form. Undoubtedly borne out of the daring experimentalist leap produced by the Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, their two-month-long recording stint at London’s very own EMI (now “Abbey Road”) proved to result in something hitherto unheard. For many, this album is unquestionably the greatest show of musical genius ever produced by man; for others, a close second. But what exactly makes the album so special?

Instrumental innovations

Recorded at different intervals between 1972—1973 at EMI’s (now Abbey Lane) studios “2” and “3”, the album was intended as, according to Roger Waters, an expression of “political, philosophical, humanitarian empathy that was desperate to get out”. Though most extol it for its lyrical virtue, and would extend its scientific roots simply to the cover’s representation of light refraction, the science and diversity of craft and method behind its production is – if anything – more intriguing than that contained in the lyrics.

The band had the pleasure of working with Abbey Road and Let It Be’s very own Alan Parsons for the album’s recording. Though equipped with a 16-track recording equipment, they frequently faced problems of over-laying. This left the band, as Parsons recollects, to reduce the tracks down to even or eight, in order to leave more space for overdubs. Though as a downside, the tape lost in quality during mixdown. Money, for example, starts off with an odd 74 loop of coins being thrown into a mixing bowl, partially recorded

in Waters’ wife’s gardening shed with his “first proper tape recorded”, and otherwise using tapes available at EMI. (Harris, 2005: 101) Given the album was designed for quadraphonic, the seven sound tapes had to be individually recorded on a one-inch loop. With each sound lasting about a second (that is, 15 inches of tape), that made for 100 metres’-worth of tape. Perhaps more notably, On The Run is entirely founded on the use of an EMS Synthesiser. Though they’d previously used EMS equipment in their recordings of Meddle and Obscured By Clouds, their recording of DSOTM timed perfectly with the release of EMS’ Synthi AKS. Innovatively equipped with a sequencer (a device that puts received pitches into a repeatable pattern), it had three oscillators, each linked to two respective modifier outputs and a shape control to change the symmetry of the output waveform. It also had amplifier modules with level and pan control, reverb, and diode ladder filters. This latter was built to work around a similar patent, and worked as a voltage-controlled filter, limiting current electrical flow to a filter capacitor, allowing the user to manually change the

“The science and diversity of craft and method behind its production is – if anything – more intriguing than that contained in the lyrics

cutoff frequency. As the story goes, Waters, while playing with the attached sequencer,

Microplastics in Period Products

Sebastian Laymond and Sadbh Boylan page 28

musical (and scientific) marvel

came up with an eight-note sound pattern for the song, later using the rest of the equipment to instinctively amend the outputted soundwaves. In fact, all the sound effects used in the album come from the machine.

To my knowledge, the overture track Speak to Me was also the first opening track of any album to contain crossfaded snippets of the songs that were to follow on the album (the very converse having been done by Genesis to conclude their experimental masterpiece Duke.) Speak to Me is also revolutionary in that it popularised the use of the first commercial noise gate, the Kepex – a device which allows the user to input an audio signal threshold below which none will pass; allowing, principally, the reduction or elimination of unwanted noise. Indeed, the opening heartbeat – reminiscent of a techno bass drum – is essentially, as Alan Parsons put it in a June 1998 interview, “a gated bass drum”. Though the rest of the songs on the album are similarly inspired, comment may be additionally passed on the use of a Leslie Speaker on Any Colour You Like – apparently inspired from Clapton’s Badge (Povey, 2010:161). The purpose of a Leslie Speaker is ingenious: working on the Doppler effect, the speakers (or horns) are made to rotate around a pivot point in a cabinet. Slow rotation (chorale) gives you a more ambient sound; fast rotation (tremolo) creates a more syncopated,

nauseating sound. Both work around frequency modulation as the doppler effect occurs periodically with every speaker spin – the tremolo effect is simply more pronounced as the speed increases. As the soundwaves reflect off nearby surfaces, the constantly shifting reflections cause complex phase-shifting. Phase being a measurement of time expressed in angular degrees, a phase shift is the difference between two different points on a soundwave cycle.

Live shows

Following the release of Dark Side of the Moon was a series of never-before seen “electric theatres”. This entailed the presence of large, circular screens on stage, together with moving lights supported by cranes and dry ice flowing from the front of the stage onto the audience. Most impressive, however, was the inclusion of a surround sound system. Though dating back to the 1940s with the release of Disney’s Fantasia, Pink Floyd retains the record for first use of surround sound at a live gig. The science behind thus is rather simple – premised around the use of a quadraphonic speaker system (i.e. emitting two sounds from the front and two from the rear), with the audio of each speaker being individually channelled in from what they termed the “Azimuth Coordinator”, they would use four variable resistors (“rheostats”) in this latter to swivel the sound output from one speaker to another – with

the output being equal in all speakers. Also used live was a large, circular screen that with time transmogrified into a system displaying screen films and lighting rigs. With time, the screen also became retractable and could display light at various angles. It provided the band with a uniform surrounding that wasn’t dictated by the shape of the building. One need only watch the band’s live performance of Any Colour You Like at Brighton in 1972 to get just the slightest idea of how wholly immersive the experience was.

Uncontrived and universally relatable, the album has yet to go out of style, consistently remaining on numerous national Top 200 Charts, all the while plaguing the rock scene with a sort of Haroldian anxiety of influence. The work is more than just musical genius – it is sonic innovation at its purest, headed by a team of bright, talented, and daring individuals.

Concluding, we may look to the words of Alexander Gerard (1774:26) to get a clearer understanding of why it has remained so enduring:—

“in all the arts, invention has always been regarded as the only criterion of Genius [...] We ascribe so great merit to invention, that on account of it, we allow the artist who excels in it, the privilege of transgressing established rules, and would scarce with even the redundancies of his natural force and spirit to be lopt off by culture”.

A monthly mess: Microplastics in period products

A Trinity survey revealed a lack of awareness around microplastic

in period products

Sadbh Boylan and Sebastian Laymond Deputy SciTech Editor, SciTech Editor

Blame it on our upbringing, media exposure, or the stigma hanging over open menstruation discourse, but people who menstruate often don’t think twice about the products they use. You buy one box of Tampax and you’re committed for life. Single-use period products have become so ubiquitous that they’ve become the de facto “cleanest”, “normalest”, “best” option out there to deal with the monthly flow. But with more alternatives coming on the market and challenging the position of single-use pads and tampons, maybe it’s worth giving a second thought to the impact these products are having on our bodies and our environment.

This is the message of Plastic Free Cycles, a team of three final year Trinity students looking to tackle one of the most overlooked issues facing people that face people that menstruate: microplastics in period products.

Microplastics is one of the latest environmental buzzwords — and for good reason. These little bits of plastic are all around us. The term was first coined by marine scientist Richard Thompson in 2004 to describe rice-sized chunks of plastic he found on English beaches. Since then, these tiny plastic fibres (less than 5 millimetres across) have been found in our oceans, our food, our blood, and even the air that we breathe. The more we look, the more we find. Numerous studies are emerging of microplastics found in the furthest reaches of our planet and in our bodies themselves, sounding alarm bells as concerns grow for the impact of these fibres on human health and our ecosystem. It’ll take a mammoth societal shift to help reign in the issue of microplastics, but there are small steps we can take to limit the impact they have on our bodies, and help reduce our contribution to microplastic pollution in our environment.

Plastic Free Cycles believe in

tackling this through tighter regulation and transparency around the ingredients of period products, and through raising awareness of this little known problem that could have potentially serious impacts.

Disposable products

It has been reported that the average person who menstruates will use 11,000 disposable products in their lifetime. Perhaps harmless at first glance, the environmental danger posed by this statistic increases upon understanding that 700,000 such disposables end up in Irish landfills every year – that is, the equivalent of 2,800,000 plastic bags, or 6.58e12 nanoplastic fibres. Exacerbating the issue is the fact that a non-organic tampon generally takes 600 years to disintegrate. In fact, toxic residues (such as pesticides and plastics) have been found in single-use disposable period pads, tampons, and reusables. Besides the evident environmental impact, the damage extends to marine and land life when disposed of in sewage and elsewhere. Recognising this, in 2018 the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) launched their Environmenstrual Campaign and Coalition initiative. At its core, it seeks to provide the English government with evidence on the environmental impacts of disposable menstrual products, and to promote alternatives to single-use

“

[You can] definitely find Always and Tampax in supermarkets, but for other products, you’d have to go into a special store

Carlotta, and Shahina – as part of their final-year Capstone project – analysed disproportionate access to information regarding the sustainability of menstrual products. Their research on menstruation concludes that decent menstrual products should be “a right, not a privilege”.

Lack of awareness

Talking to Sabrina, we were told that she worked with the Women’s Council of Ireland. She recounts the origins of the project thus: “I had a talk with a ... law professor, and he told me that in Ireland a few years back, there was a crisis where microplastics were found in babies’ nappies ... I’m part of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, and we do different events, looking at women’s health, et cetera, and I was like, ‘Oh, it might be interesting to look microplastics in period products’.”

After having conducted a survey among their classmates, Sabrina, Carlotta, and Shahina came to understand that over 78% of those surveyed did not know of the usage of microplastics in period products – a concerning statistic indeed. The lack of awareness among students shed light on the startling repercussions stemming from the lack of regulations around period products. At present, producers are not obligated to list potential harms or product ingredients on packaging, as mandated in comparable laws governing medical devices or cosmetics. The lack of transparency allows period product providers to evade any responsibility to improve product quality or production procedures, and enables them to put products on the market which may contain harmful chemicals released during production. Sabrina highlights the discrepancy in regulation as one of the most surprising finds of their investigation: “There’s no legal regulations or laws ... There’s [sic] ingredients [listed] in chocolate bars, but why is there nothing in plastic period products?”

I feel like that really surprised me because there’s obviously so many alternatives.” The results of their survey indicate much of this can be attributed to financial cost, even if the longevity of most sustainable options makes the more immediately affordable disposable options something of a false economy. However, the team acknowledges that the

deliver an educational workshop (an event shortlisted for the CSC’s Sustainability Award), and provided a talk to all Welfare Officers in higher level education institutions in Ireland to shine a light on the issue of microplastics in period products. More recently, the group joined forces with EnviroSoc to provide a “Make Your Own Period Product” workshop to mark Trinity Sustainability Week. They hope to host a number of information sessions, coffee

hours, and guest speakers later this semester to further help raise awareness on campus and beyond.

disposables. The need for such an initiative is compounded by the lack of regulation on the matter, as well as the increased demand for safer reusables. Inspired in part by this laudable notion of using health as a way to look at environmental justice, Sabrina,

methods: “I think it’s also convenience. [You can] definitely find Always and Tampax in supermarkets, but for other products, you’d have to go into a ... special store.”

Filling the knowledge gap

Their survey also found that over 65% of those who regularly use period products use at least one non-organic, disposable option. Carlota expressed her surprise at the high proportion of respondents that hadn’t adopted more environmentally friendly alternatives: “Most of the people that we’ve talked to, they use nonorganic pads and tampons, and

Faced with a complex myriad of issues, Plastic Free Cycles identified two central actions to address the environmental impact and health risks associated with using disposable period products. First, by organising interactive workshops and online sessions, they hope to educate people of all genders on the impact of microplastics in period products on the environment and on human health. Last month, they teamed up with the Women’s Environmental Network and the DU Gender Equality Society to

Additionally, the group is proposing the introduction of stickers onto period products, signposting those that do not contain microplastics. “Our sticker proposal is essentially to put stickers on big brands ... which show that there are no microplastics found in these period products,” Sabrina explains. They intend to pitch the stickers to commercial brands to help ensure greater transparency in the period product market and remove much of the complexity associated with assessing various period product options for consumers.

Plastic Free Cycles believe that by raising awareness of this relatively unknown issue, they can help initiate a societal shift towards more sustainable options. “I think if people found out that the stuff they’re using does have microplastics and all that stuff, maybe they’ll be willing to change,” Carlotta says. Sabrina agrees, citing her own lack of knowledge around microplastics in period products before beginning the project: “I think even when we came across it ... I wouldn’t even think that there are microplastics in period products, even though I know they’re made out of plastic, but you just don’t really think about it because you’ve just accepted it.” So, maybe worth looking into making the switch after all – your body and your planet might just thank you.

If you’re interested in learning more about microplastics, you can follow Plastic Free Cycles on Instagram @plasticfreecycles.

Sport

A tribute to Kelvin Kiptum, and the place that shaped him

Miles Crossen page 31

Ireland win 6 Nations championship Séaghan Ó Domhnalláin page 32

Boat Clubs compete at Erne Head of the River in colours buildup

DUBC and DULBC saw wins in the Women’s Senior 8+ and Men’s Novice 8+

Jane Prendergast Sport Co-Editor

Dublin University Boat Club (DUBC) and Dublin University Ladies Boat Club (DULBC) fielded a combined three entries for Erne Head of the River on March 2nd, in the Men’s Novice 8+, Men’s Senior 8+, and Women’s Senior 8+ categories. Hosted by Enniskillen Royal Boat Club, Trinity have historically found notable success at the competition and 2024’s edition proved no different.

With the Women’s Head held first at 11am, it was an early departure from Dublin for DULBC. The crew consisted of Maeve Hannan (cox), Jen Forde (stroke), Addy Telzrow, Grace Healy, Imogen Cooney, María Mezquita García-Poggio, Eliza Barrett-Cotter, Rachel

Alexander, and Sarah Tavey (bow). Alexander replaced Emma Moloney in the 2 seat on short notice after an injury flare up, however as a talented athlete in her own right the alteration seemed not to phase the crew in the slightest. Faced with sluggish stream and unforgiving weather, DULBC completed the 6.4 km (4 mile) course in 22:25.4, a time which saw them win the Women’s Senior 8+ Category and claim the pots for Fastest Women’s Crew of the day.

The DULBC VIII was a blend of experienced and fresher athletes, with Barrett-Cotter in the 3 seat new to the Senior setup after racing as a Novice last season, culminating in claiming the Novice 8+ and 4x+ pots at the National Championships in July. Forde, Telzrow, Healy, Mezquita García-Poggio, and Moloney, had all sat in the Senior VIII last season, while Hannan, Cooney, and Alexander began their seasons in the Intermediate VIII. Tavey, in bow, was the only completely new face to the setup, as a Junior Fresh student.

The crew composition was stacked with experience, from Hannan in the cox seat to Tavey in bow.

The second fastest crew of the day, clocking in at 22:32.3, was another entry in the Women’s Senior 8+ category. A Neptune Rowing Club/ Old Collegians/

University College Dublin Ladies’ Boat Club (UCDLBC) composite crew, the boat featured four DULBC alumnacoxswain Hannah Devitt, stroke Laura Brown, Miriam Kelly, and bow seat Lily O’Keeffe, all now members of Neptune RC. Finishing in third was the Enniskillen Royal Boat Club Junior 18 entry, who were the fastest Junior crew on the day by 36 seconds ahead of Castleconnell Boat Club from Limerick.

Some surprising results emerged from the Women’s Head, most notably in the performance of UCDLBC’s entry in the Club 2 category and the University of Limerick’s Intemediate 8+. UCD’s entry into what would be expected to be the lowest performing of the non-junior or master categories finished in fourth in 23:17.2, ahead of UL’s Inter 8+ by 4 seconds. Considering UL’s entry boasted a number of their athletes who had swept the National Championships the previous summer, while UCD’s consisted mostly of their last year novice 8+ who had finished third at the Championships, questions may be raised as to UL’s direction this year.

The Men’s Head commenced at 2pm, where DUBC found mixed success. The Novice 8+ won their category in 22:05.4, an impressive performance which saw them 37 seconds clear of the second-placed entry in their category, UCD. The result bodes well for the upcoming Colours Boat Race, where Trinity and UCD will go head to head in the

Men’s and Women’s Novice and Senior VIIIs on the lower Liffey, from O’Connell Bridge to James’ Gate.

DUBC’s Senior VIII faced very stiff competition in their category, with nine entries, including three from Islandbridge rivals Commercial Rowing Club and two from UCD Boat Club. The winners on the day were Commercial RC ‘A’ in a rapid 19:11.2, which featured DUBC alumni Rowan Hamilton (cox), MacDara Allison (stroke), Tom Stevens, Tiarnán McKnight, Ronan Brennan, Andrej Liadov, and Chris Dehaene. University of Galway Boat Club and UCDBC ‘A’ rounded out in medals in 19:23.2 and 19:25.7 respectively, while DUBC finished 7th in 20:05.2.

DUBC’s Senior VIII consisted of James O’Brien (cox), Ethan Coplan (stroke), Anrijs Lorencs, Sam Walker, Alfie Hales (Captain), Ben Reid, Andrea Grasselli, Ross McAuley, and Cormac Feely (bow). Reid and Feely were members of last year’s Senior VIII, while O’Brien, Coplan, Lorencs, Walker, and Hales sat in the Intermediate VIII which retained the Naggon Cup in a record time during last year’s Colours Reserves Races. Walker, Reid, and Feely were also all members of the DUBC Club 8+ that triumphed in July’s National Championships, seizing the title ahead of Commercial RC in an extraordinarily close race.

The focus for both Clubs now turns to the upcoming Colours races, which will be held on March 30th from

O’Connell Bridge. Last year saw Trinity secure wins in the Sally Moorhead Trophy and Dan Quinn Shield for Novice VIIIs, while UCD took the spoils in the Corcoran and Gannon Cups for Senior VIIIs. While the men’s crews went head to head at Erne, the 2km nature of Colours could very well lead to an upheaval of the results from the Head race.

Additionally, UCDLBC’s Senior and Novice VIIIs have not yet raced, and neither has DULBC’s Novice VIII. Regardless of such, however, the historic and enmity-filled nature of Colours means the day’s racing is bound to be a lively one.

The coin toss for the 2024 Colours Boat Race took place on the steps of the Dining Hall on March 10th, with Leinster and Ireland rugby player and Trinity Sports Scholar Ryan Baird presiding. DUBC and DULBC Captains, Alfie Hales and Sophia Mulvihill, both won their tosses and elected to row on the North Station.

Colours Boat Race 2024

Timetable

Sally Moorhead Trophy (Novice Women): 1 pm

Dan Quinn Shield (Novice Men): 1:30 pm

Corcoran Cup (Senior Women): 2 pm

Gannon Cup (Senior Men): 2:30 pm

If interested in learning more about the Clubs, check out @ duboatclub and @dulbcrowing on Instagram. Contact captain@ duboatclub.com and captain. dulbc@gmail.com for further information.

DU Lawn Tennis Club with the Intervarsity Cup

Trinity Rugby handed AIL lifeline

Bonus-point win over Armagh keeps DUFC hopeful

Séaghan Ó DomhnalláinSport Co-Editor

Dublin University FC have been thrown a lifeline in their relegation battle after a five point win over City of Armagh in College Park a fortnight ago. As it stands, Trinity are bottom of the league with 15 points, 5 points off Shannon and City of Armagh, who are 2nd and 3rd from last respectively.

Fortunately for DUFC, only the bottom placed team in each division is automatically relegated, with whoever comes 2nd last going into a promotion/relegation

semi-final along with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams in Division 1B.

Heading into their match against City of Armagh two weeks ago, nothing short of a win would help them stay in Division 1A. However, this was no easy feat considering the last time the two teams met each other, Armagh beat Trinity 25-23 in Armagh town. City of Armagh were also desperately chasing a win, as they are by no means safe, but considerably safer than Trinity.

The first quarter of the match was a tight affair, with neither side seeming to have an upper hand over the other. Trinity had to make an early substitution when lock J. Vinson was replaced by Cuan Doyle due to an unfortunate head injury. The young sub-lock must have made an impression as Trinity won a penalty off the succeeding scrum. Unfortunately, Trinity failed to make touch from the penalty, but a forced kick by Armagh out-half E. Crummie gave DUFC a line-

out just outside the Armagh 22.

Trinity kept up the pressure from the lineout and soon won a penalty in front of goals for an offside. Out-half M. Lynch duly converted, giving the home side a 3 point lead 20 minutes into the first half.

Within 10 minutes, after seeing off a promising City attack, Trinity found themselves back in the Armagh 22. Winger D. Colbert found his way across the tryline in the corner after six individual passes in the one phase. The conversion by Lynch sailed over from a tough angle and Trinity led 10 – 0.

While DUFC seemed to be dominating, it wasn’t long until Armagh came up with an answer to the Trinity threat. A maul-over try, followed by a conversion by fullback S. O’Brien, left the home side only 3 points up at half time.

The 2nd half started well for Trinity, with Aaron Coleman scoring a try within the first 5 minutes. Lynch made sure of the conversion and Trinity were ten

points up once again.

Armagh were unlucky not to have been awarded a try a line break by M. Hooks ended up being kicked into the in-goal area, where the referee awarded Trinity a goal-line drop-out as he deemed a Trinity player grounded the ball first. From where I was standing it was very hard to tell, but some Armagh supporters behind the goal seemed adamant that it was a try. Luckily for the supporters from the ecclesiastical capital, prop C. Doak crossed the try-line for Armagh less than two minutes later.

Following on in the same fashion, Trinity and Armagh both scored tries one after the other, before Trinity finally found their bonus point try with 5 minutes to go, putting them 31-21 ahead.

Things were looking well for Trinity with five minutes to go and a ten point lead. However, Armagh worked their way up the field well, with full-back O’Brien putting his team back in contention with less than two minutes

to go. Unfortunately for him, he failed to convert his own try, and forcing Armagh to score a try in order to get a win.

Armagh held on to the ball for 21 phases after the kick-off, but trojan work from Trinity stopped them advancing further than the 10 metre line. Eventually, the ball was knocked on and Trinity won 31-26, granting them an important 4 league points with three matches left in the league (including a Colours fixture with UCD).

DUFC: P. McCarthy, Z. Baird, J. Cahir, J. Beukes, J. Vinson, A. Coleman, D. McCormack, K. Jackson, C. King, M. Lynch, A. Henry, L. McDonough, C. Beckett, D. Colbert, H. Colbert, Subs: C. Henchy, C. Kelly, C. Doyle, D. Walsh, O. Cawley, V. Allen.

City of Armagh: N. Carville, J. McCormick, C. Doak, J. Glasgow, J. McKinley, J. McNabney, N. Simpson, N. Faloon, L. Finlay, E. Crummie, M. Hooks, T. McNiece, C. Colvin, S. Cunningham, S. O’Brien.

PHOTOS

A tribute to Kelvin Kiptum, and the place that shaped him

With Kiptum’s death emerges a loss in the elite running world

Miles Crossen Staff Writer

In October 2023, a relatively unknown runner named Kelvin Kiptum made history, clocking a time of 2:00:35 at the Chicago marathon. This was his third marathon, and the fastest marathon of all time. He now owned three of the seven fastest marathon times, already one of the best marathon runners of all time, at only 23 years old.

Berlin Marathon, he set a time of 2:01:09 – the world record under official conditions, until Kelvin Kiptum came along.

Growing up at an altitude of 2600m in the heartland of distance running – the African Rift Valley – running excellence is expected, but running godhood is still an exception. Indeed, running a sub-two hour marathon under official conditions would be comparable to Roger Bannister’s 4-minute mile, all the way back in 1954, but Kiptum was thought the most likely to accomplish this. A 35-second improvement, in marathon running, is doable, and he had recently shaved 34 seconds off Kipchoge’s time. Add in his youth and inexperience, and the tendency for marathon runners to improve with age, and a sub two-hour marathon felt close to a certainty.

On the February 11 he and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, died in a car crash in his home country of Kenya - a massive tragedy that leaves the running world wondering what could have been. Kiptum was perhaps the most talented marathon runner the world has ever seen, and the man to receive the torch from his countryman, the great Eliud Kipchoge, who ran the first sub-2 hour marathon under unofficial conditions, in 2019, but is now 39 years-old. At the 2022

“ A massive tragedy that leaves the running world wondering what could have been. Kiptum was perhaps the most talented marathon runner the world has ever seen

The area surrounding Kiptum’s home village, Chepkorio, is delineated by roads deep red in colour, and populated by pale green foliage like you’d see in southern Europe. There are forests of wild pines and pronounced hills that stretch mostly north-south for hundreds of miles, with the occasional town or village. It is a runner’s playground, quite uninfluenced by the urban life that is so hard to avoid - a place where athletes can go to focus on themselves and their craft, and that alone. Runners from every part of the world come to the Rift Valley to train before big races, like a great pilgrimage. It has often been referred to as a mecca for runners, and it was here that Kiptum got his start on a farm, raising cattle, before he would turn to running when he was 13 years-old. He finished 10th in the Eldoret Half Marathon, roughly 37 km from Chepkorio.

Growing up less than 100km from Eliud Kipchoge, widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, it’s as if Kiptum was Kipchoge’s natural successor. The 10 fastest marathon runners in history, measured by their best time, all come from the Rift Valley. The altitude, geography, culture and lifestyle all encourage running. One of the region’s best runners, Faith Kipyegon, said she “used to run barefoot from my village to the primary school because in Kenya, schools are so far that you always end up running in order to reach them in time.” The pure love of running, exhibited by quotes like that and the results of the Rift Valley’s runners, are why we must appreciate these people. The runners from the Rift Valley embody excellence and living one’s craft more than any other

population on earth, even more than Jamaican sprinters, or Icelandic strongmen, or Chinese table tennis players, because no group of people lives and breathes their sport as much as the Rift Valley’s runners. In East Africa, training has escaped the confines of the gym and the track, to become a more natural, everyday pursuit.

When discussing Kelvin Kiptum, the world should appreciate his natural talent, as good as anyone we’ve seen, but also his magnificent work ethic: running 40 kilometers on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, with no days off unless necessary. All in all, over 300 km of running some weeks - well over seven marathons worth. Eliud Kipchoge, for comparison, only runs 180 to 220 km a week, and Mo Farah usually did not exceed 217km. To be so far ahead of the best of the best, is astonishing. In his short time on the planet, he pushed himself harder than

anyone. Kelvin Kiptum was already near the top by the time of his

“ He pushed the limits further than before, as all those great runners in history before him had

death, both because of his talent and work ethic. In a sport as old as humanity itself, he pushed the

limits further than before, as all those great runners in history before him had: Abebe Bikila, Eliud Kipchoge, Roger Bannister, Mo Farah, Haile Gebrelassie, and now Kelvin Kiptum. Kiptum wasn’t a pioneer, but he was an all-time great perfectionist. He did not change running, he just did it better than everyone else. The sheer accessibility and competition of running makes it clear that there is no secret to achieving greatness. Runners are separated by microscopic margins, and it is unique for someone to blow their competition out of the water like Kelvin Kiptum. Rarely in the history of any sport, has an athlete been so destined for greatness, and rarely is it truer, that a candle that burns twice as bright, only burns half as long.

Kelvin Kiptum is survived by his two children, Caleb and Precious, and his wife, Asenath Rotich. He had aimed to run under two hours in the Rotterdam Marathon in April.

Sport

Boat Clubs compete at Erne Head of the River in colours buildup

Jane Prendergast page 29

Trinity Rugby handed AIL lifeline

Séaghan Ó Domhnalláin page 32

Ireland win historic two-in-a-row 6 Nations championships

The Ireland squad pulled off an impressive win against Scotland in the Aviva

Séaghan Ó Domhnalláin Sport Co-Editor

Ireland have been crowned 6 Nations Champions for 2024 after beating Scotland in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening. This is only the third time an Irish team has won back-to-back outright Championship titles, emulating the successes of 1948/49 and 2014/15. Scotland also had a lot to play for, as a first Triple Crown since 1990 for the team was on the line, after they disposed of Wales and England earlier in the competition.

Ireland overcame an early setback, when Hugo Keenan was injured during the warm up with Jordan Larmour taking his place on the starting 15. Scotland were also on good form, and got the first score off the boot of Finn Russel seven minutes into

the match. However, less than 5 minutes later, Dan Sheehan was gifted a try when off an overthrown Scottish lineout on their own 5 metre line; an uncharacteristic mistake as the Scottish lineout has seemed so sturdy all year.

Finn Russel would kick Scotland back into a one-point game in the seventeenth minute, but the rest of the first half was uneventful. Both teams seemed to be going through the motions and Scotland seemed to have the number of Ireland’s attack, which did nothing to aid Lansdowne Road’s flat atmosphere.

Jack Crowley extended Ireland’s lead by 3 points when he scored a penalty early in the 2nd half, making up for an earlier miss in the process. Ireland were on an attacking foot for most of the second half, but the Scottish defence held firm. Bad mistakes by Scotland greatly harmed their chances of winning, with Tadhg Furlong crossing the try-line on the back of a sustained attack. However, TMO Marius Jonker confirmed referee Matt Carley’s on-field decision of no try, saying that the ball had been dislodged from Furlong’s grasp.

Ireland soon found what they were looking for, with Andrew Porter crossing the line off a tap and go penalty, moments after Henshaw turned up the volume

A day with Trinity Sailing

in the stadium after running half the length of the pitch, ball in hand. A-midst renditions of “The Fields of Athenry” and shouts of ‘“Ireland, Ireland”, the stage was set for a Championship victory. However, the match wasn’t over yet, and Scotland threatened to upset the party when Huw Jones stepped four men for a try under the posts on the 77th minute, leaving it a one point match on 17-13. Fortunately for Andy Farrell’s men, Ireland held on to the 80th minute, extending Scotland’s triple crown drought for a 35th year.

In the wake of Ireland’s disappointing exit from the

World Cup last October and a final-minute loss to England last week, this championship win signals a positive direction for the Irish squad. This six nations marked the first major tournament without the presence of veteran Johnny Sexton with many questions being asked of the team at the beginning, Ireland held out for the win. Rumours also circulated yesterday that this would be the last six nations campaign for captain Peter O’Mahony, who was visibly emotional during the anthem and lifting the trophy. However, most people’s concerns were alleviated about the relative

Looking to next year’s 6 Nations, Ireland could be on track to make history. In the over 140 years of the competition, no team has ever won 3 outright titles in a row. If Ireland was to do that, it would be another accolade added to perhaps the best Irish rugby team to ever play the game.

Ireland 17 – 13 Soctland.

PHOTO

inexperience of younger players like Jack Crowley stepping into the shoes of giants like Sexton. Players like Crowley and rising rugby star Ryan Baird indicate a positive direction for the team backed by youth.

PHOTOS BY RORY CHINN AND NEASA NIC CORCRÁIN FOR TRINITY

Student grocery shopping page 5

Mental health in relationships page 9

Dance Soc at intervarsities page 14

LIFE

Pullout sectionPullout section

Rory Stewart at The Hist

- page 6

Seachtain i bParlaimint na hEorpa - page 4

National gallery: Turning Heads -pages 8-9

Dance Soc at intervarsities

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Editor-in-Chief Life Editor Life Deputy Editor

Arts & Culture Editors Deputy Editors

Sex & Relationships Editor Deputy Editors

Finding the “sublime” in Dublin Casual Instagram

- page 11

Starry night: This year’s Trinity

Joline Steinhoff answers the prevailing question that’s on our minds about the T-Ball acts: Who?

The long-awaited Trinity Ball 2024 lineup was announced only four days before tickets went on sale. With this year’s theme being Renaissance, I expected either European 15th century mediaeval or Beyoncé.

To my surprise, neither is part of the lineup. In complete honesty, I did not recognise a single name on the lineup, except for our beloved Trinity acts, which I’ll touch on later. If you are reading this, you are either my mom or just as lost as I was looking at this year’s lineup. Let this guide be your map.

horse mask to conceal her identity. Let us suppose the Renaissance marks the transition between the Middle Ages and modernity. Effectively, HorsegiirL represents a Renaissance of electronic music, taking it from its traditionally dark and heavy sound to a brighter and happier place.

Next on the list is Kingfishr. Despite evidence to the contrary, this does not mean the bird commonly found by the river Boro in county Wexford will chirp on the T-Ball stage. Instead, the name denotes a trio from Limerick with the human names Eddie, McGoo and Fitz. They met in 2017 while studying engineering. After they realised their terrible mistake, they started making music instead. They write, produce and record everything in their home studio on a dairy farm. Creating a unique folk atmosphere, they bring back a Celtic sound with added freshness for a modern audience. In the past, the band has supported George Ezra and Dermot Kennedy with their catchy melodies.

- page 15

Kate Henshaw

Abby Cleaver

Lara Monahan

Jayna Rohslau

Ciara Chan

Ciana Meyers

Anna Lyons

Catherine Grogan

Alice Matty

Honey Morris

Sofia Rooney

Siobhán Walsh

Emma Rouine

Elisa Eckstein

Akshita Hunka

Eoghan Conway

Lara Bhakdi

Hannah Viljoen

Headlining T-Ball 2024 is British singer Bakar. After listening to his song Hell N Back, I realised I did know him — and so do you. The song has over 454 million streams on Spotify, which went viral on TikTok in 2019. Since then, Bakar — born Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr — has released two more albums. He has maintained his hit single’s nostalgic, soulful sound with warm and wholesome melodies.

Next, this year’s T-Ball will welcome German DJ, singer and songwriter HorsegiirL. She also went viral on TikTok with her song My Barn My Rules in 2023. From looking at her you wouldn’t know it, but she wasn’t born with a horse’s head. Rather, she wears a

There is lots of electronic music on the lineup. Techno lovers fear not, for T-Ball is providing us with Black Traffic. The Irish techno DJ and producer has over 46,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with his number-one hit amassing over 3 million streams. His sound is best described as hard techno, trance, and electronic rave. Next, the electronic and audiovisual artist duo COPE is made up of David Anthony Curley and Joe Furlong. Influenced by 90s dance and French House, they infuse their sounds with danceability, their alt-electronic tracks ranging from moody late-night tunes to energetic club hits.

We can thank the pandemic for bringing us our next act, Bricknasty. The Irish band formed during

lockdown in 2020 and comprises Fatboy on lead vocals and guitar, Korey Thomas on drums, Louis Younge on saxophone and keys, and Dara Abdurahman on bass. The neo-soul group, with soulful, jazzy chords and soft vocals, revives 90s RnB and hip-hop — in harmony with this year’s theme. Coming from Kerry is SHEE, born David Sheerin. Another lockdown miracle, the DJ SHEE started making music in his bedroom

Ball headliners

but only shared his work with the world when he moved to Limerick for college. Something about Limerick! His dreamy productions combine lo-fi, hip-hop, house and disco.

Ready to murder the dance floor? Better bring the right shoes.

Next on the lineup is Cassö, a 22-year-old British DJ best known for the international sensation Prada. You have definitely heard the dance anthem unless you live under a rock — it has reached over 437 million streams on Spotify. Based on Ferrari Horses by D-Block Europe and featuring Raye, Cassö turned the track into a trance hit with aggressive bass that will have us dancing all night long. Another danceable act, Charlotte Plank, an English singer-songwriter-producer. Her sound is a fusion of neo-soul, electronic, jazz, indie, and RnB, with influences from dance and house.

Do you turn your nose at the Brits? These local picks are for you. Bruising Shins is a five-piece Dublin rock/grunge/punk band. Lead vocalist Marlon Mornignstar is joined by Rat Rail on guitar and backup vocals, The Scorpion on guitar, Night Owl on jazzy bass, and Sweettooth on drums.

Taking their inspiration from 90s alternative rock, Bruising Shins will provide for all rock lovers. MOIO is the next act on the lineup. Incidentally a Trinity student, his soulful, laid-back, jazzy sound mixes into a winning blend with an

A career in

the arts:

No longer your parents’ worst nightmare

Deduno Peiris suggests jobs for poor unfortunate souls in the arts

If you’re in job-hunting purgatory, this is the place. Today is the day we silence the voices of critical parents and know-it-all STEM students who claim that degrees in the humanities are nothing more than wall décor. It’s time to end the gatekeeping and spill the beans on the most lucrative careers in the arts.

infectious guitar tune and sweet, smooth vocals. MOIO brings all the summer vibes — all we need for our rebirth at T-Ball.

In the spirit of environmental consciousness, the last four acts on the lineup are also locally sourced. Trad Soc brings us Irish traditional music and craic. DUDJ will provide some first-class DJing from our very own students, and who knows, maybe the next David Guetta hides among them (and you will get to say you saw them before they were known).

The entirely student-run Trinity Orchestra will bring us classical smashers! While their repertoire usually spans Bach, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, I will keep my fingers crossed for some 15th-century Guillaume Dufay. Raw Cuts is the final act of this year’s T-Ball. After attending multiple performances, I can vouch for their excellence.

The four-piece alternative indierock group’s tunes are energetic and catchy. The band has also been known to cover HorsegiirL’s My Barn my Rules, the second act on the lineup. Can we hope for a guest appearance?

That’s the T-Ball acts dissected, broken down and explained to the best of my abilities. My advice is to listen to each of these fantastic artists — after all, we are talking about music. This year’s lineup is fun and diverse — no matter your music taste, there will be something for you and something to look forward to. Happy Renaissance!

Of course, it goes without saying that there is a chance of finding a job directly linked with your area of interest. This varies depending on your specific degree. Since finding a dream job in the arts can be a rare experience, largely dependent on luck and connections, it’s difficult to use this as a fool-proof plan for the future. If you do aim to achieve the impossible and find a career truly entrenched in the arts, it would be advisable to get as much work experience in that area as humanly possible. Struggling through a few weeks as an unpaid and overworked intern every summer can make a world of difference when you apply to work in fields where fewer jobs exist. It is important to remember that even if you land your dream job, you might not be landing a sizable paycheck, and it would be advisable to compare your expectations for a standard of living with the average salary of the role you want.

If you aren’t too enthusiastic about following your dreams all the way to a career as a starving artist, there are plenty of other job opportunities for arts graduates. Some don’t even involve getting a Master’s in Law and sacrificing your soul to the corporate world. An example of this would be getting a Professional Master’s in Education

and sacrificing your soul to moody teenagers. Alternatively, you could get a Masters in your chosen field of interest and sacrifice your soul to academia. However, it is necessary to remember your reality when considering further education. Not everyone has the money to throw at another college degree, and/or a soul left to sacrifice. If becoming ferociously over-educated is beginning to sound appealing to you, it may be time to consider actually showing up to your tutorials and using Reading Weeks to do your assignments, as opposed to lying in bed and watching the latest arthouse cinema piece to grace your extremely pretentious social media feeds. Scholarships do wonders for prospective Master’s students, and a good academic transcript can help you get the financial assistance you might need. As for recovering lost souls for sacrificial purposes, it’s a proven fact that sitting in a train on a rainy day and staring mournfully into the distance does wonders for that particular ailment.

If you don’t have the money, the desire, or the academic willpower to spend another year in the education system, there is no need to panic. The myth that an undergraduate arts degree can’t take you anywhere is just that - a myth. A wide range of jobs exist for prospective graduates, but be warned - some of these careers could be considered rather mundane. For example, applying to enter the civil service with your Classics degree might not allow you to put your obsessive knowledge of Greek mythology to use. However, if you want a stable career with opportunities for growth and secure benefits, it might be worth conducting a quick Google search and finding out what civil servants actually do. The main requirement for potential applicants is a very non-specific Level Eight Bachelor’s degree, so if romanticising life as the government’s most chaotic employee sounds somewhat tolerable, be sure to check it

out! It’s also worth noting that a lot of private companies and businesses are also willing to hire arts graduates as administrative employees with similar duties to

You could find time to sell your abstract paintings on Etsy and maintain your creative spirit after you clock out

civil servants. Work-life balance in these careers tends to be quite good, so you could find time to sell your abstract paintings on Etsy and maintain your creative spirit after you clock out.

All in all, the careers you can find with an arts degree are infinite, and if this article listed them all, it would be bigger than your inferiority complex. To throw you some final lifelines, jobs in retail, HR, and social media are perfectly compatible with degrees in the humanities. If all else fails, you could always sign up to be a research subject in a neuropsychiatric experiment measuring the exact size of the average arts student’s ego. Hopefully your eyes have been opened to the endless possibilities of the job market for Humanities graduates. Try to remember this article every time someone asks you about the future. This writer wishes you all the best, no matter which path you choose to pursue.

PHOTO RORY CHINN FOR TRINITY NEWS

PHOTO

Ireland’s problem with mixed-gender Seachtain i bParlaimint na hEorpa i Strasbourg

Chaith Abigail Ní Mhuircheartaigh, seachtain i

bParlaimint na

hEorpa i Strasbourg i rith an tseisiún iomlánaigh an

Feabhra seo chaite

Mar mhac léinn na Fraincíse, bhí deis agam dul ar Erasmus chuig rogha leathan cathracha sa Fhrainc. Ar deireadh, shocraigh mé ar Strasbourg. Cathair starúil atá inti, ina bhfuil blas na Gearmáine le brath go láidir. Mar gheall ar an tréanceangal idir an Fhrainc agus an Ghearmáin, roghnaíodh Strasbourg mar lárionad Parlaiminte na hEorpa i ndiaidh an dara chogaidh dhomhanda. Caitheann lucht Parlaiminte na hEorpa an chuid is mó den am sa Bhruiséil, sa Bheilg. Thall, bíonn siad ag ullmhú le teacht chuig Strasbourg sa Fhrainc. Buaileann lucht na Parlaiminte le chéile i Strasbourg, ceanncheathrú Parlaiminte na hEorpa, uair amháin sa mhí chun plé a dhéanamh ar cúrsaí reatha, dlíthe práinneacha a mholadh, agus vótaí a chaitheamh i bhfábhar nó in aghaidh reachtaíochta nua. Faoi láthair, tá triúr ionadaí dhéag ag Éirinn inti. Tugann Feisirí de Pharlaimint na hEorpa deis do mhac léinn taithí oibre a dhéanamh leo le linn na tréimhse iomlána. Chuaigh mé i mbun na taithí oibre seo faoi stiúir Grace O’Sullivan, Feisire Parlaiminte na hEorpa de chuid na nGlasach. Thug an taithí oibre seo léargas luachmhar dom ar fheidhmiú na hinstitúide seo. I rith seachtaine an tseisiún iomlánaigh, bhí deis agam lean ar Grace agus í ag déanamh a hoibre. Bhí réimse leathan le déanamh aici, agus is cinnte go mbíonn lá difriúl ann gach uile lá. D’fhreastail mé ar a cruinnithe léi, agus caithfidh mé a rá go raibh ionadh an domhain orm mar gheall ar an méid daoine a raibh bainteach leo. Cinnte, tá foireann beag aici de bheirt i Strasbourg, ach thar n-ais in Éirinn tá foireann láidir aici, lena mbíonn sí ag obair ó thaobh cúrsaí áitiúla de agus cúrsaí náisiúnta de. D’aithin mé go raibh an méid sin post ar fáil sa pholataíocht - maidir leis an teicneolaíocht, an cumarsáid, agus bainisteoireacht airgid gan ach beagan a lua. Cinnte, tá go leor

daoine ag obair sa chúlra ionas go mbeidh cúrsaí chomh saoráideach agus is féidir. Ar bharr a bheith in ann freastal ar na cruinnithe seo, bhí seans agam freastal ar lón galánta, áit ar bhuail mé le go leor daoine siumúla. Bhí idir feisirí, a gcúntóirí, agus fiú Cáitríona Doyle, ambasadóir na hÉireann chun comhairle na hEorpa ann. Ba mhór an deis a bhí ann bualadh leis na daoine seo agus mé féin a chur in aithne dóibh. Caithfidh mé a rá go raibh gach duine lenar bhuail mé chomh gnaíúil agus bhí spéis acu i mo chuid bharúil féin. Bhí sé soiléir dom ón lón seo go raibh mé i measc daoine a bhfuil fonn orthu plé a dhéanamh le gnáthdaoine, go raibh daoine ann sa pholataíocht ag iarraidh éisteacht le tuairimí an duine choitianta.

Buaicphointe na seachtaine, domsa, ná gur éiríodh leis an dlí athchóirithe dúlra. Dar ndóigh bíonn caomhnú an dúlra go mór i mbéal na nGlasach, agus nuair a d’eirigh leis an dlí nua seo, bhí Grace agus a comhgleacaí glasa an-ríméadach faoi. “Is é an dúlra buncloch ár ngeilleagar agus ár sochaí, agus caithfimid é a chosaint agus a athbhunú” arsa O’Sullivan.

Ach ceard is brí leis an dlí seo? Bhuel, anois tá dualgas ar ghach stát san Aontas Eorpach ar a laghad 30% de ghnáthóga i ndrochchaoi faoi 2030, 60% dóibh faoi 2040, agus 90% dóibh faoi 2050. Beidh tionchar domhain ag an dlí seo. Cuideoidh sé leis an Aontas a aidhmeanna aeraíde agus bithéagsúlachta a bhaint amach. Chomh maith leis sin, laghdóidh sé an neamhchinnteacht átá ann maidir le soláthar bia. Tá Éire i measc na tíre is laghdaithe ó thaobh an dúlra de ar domhan. Tugann an dlí seo deis dúinn an scéal a chur thar n-ais ar bhóthar a

leasa, agus dul chun cinn suntasach a chur i bhfeidhm, sula mbeidh sé ródhéanach. Tá an cuma ar an scéal go mbeidh biseach ar an timpeallacht a bhuí leis an dlí cinniúnach seo. In aineoinn ceadaithe an dlíthe seo, bíonn caint ann faoi dlisteanacht Parlaiminte na hEorpa. Deirtear nach n-oireann an institiúd seo ar mhianta na ndaoine. Go háirithe in Éirinn mothaíonn roinnt daoine nach bhfreastalaítear ar a bhfoinn, agus go n-úsáidtear ár dtír mar fhichillín ar an bhfód Eorpach. Tá íomhá ann d’Éire mar tír ghéilliúl i bpolataíocht na hEorpa. Ach, i ndáiríre, tá tionchar domhain ag ár dtír. Tá an méid sin soiléir ó éifeacht na hÉireann sa pharlaimint. Ina theannta sin, tá ceart ag gach Éireannach fásta a ghuth a nochtadh. D’fhéadfaí é seo a dhéanamh trí teagmhail a dhéanamh le Feisirí Parlaiminte na hEorpa do thoghcheantair. Ar bharr é seo, tá toghcháin na bhFeisirí Parlaiminte na hEorpa ag druidim linn. Beidh deis ann vótáil a chaitheamh i gcomhair ionadaí Parlaiminte na hEorpa i mí an Meithimh seo chugainn. Déan cinnte go gcloistear do ghuth agus caith do vóta idir an 6ú agus an 9ú lá de Mheitheamh 2024. Tar éis seachtain chaite agam sa Pharlaimint, caithfidh mé a adhmháil go gcothaíodh dúspéis i bhfeidhmiú an Pharlaiminte. Ba iontach an seans a bhí ann breathnóireacht a dhéanamh ar Grace agus a foireann. Is cinnte nach ndéanfaidh mé dearmad ar an taithí seo go deo. Mholfainn go h-ard na spéire do aon mhac léinn Erasmus i Strasbourg, fiú muna bhfuil móran suime agat sa pholataíocht, iarratas a chur isteach ar an deis thar a bheith luachmhar seo.

Caitlin Parnell examines the challenging dynamics of these friendships in Irish culture

Last year I took the opportunity offered to students every year to do the best thing anyone could do in Ireland: leave. My experience of Erasmus was typical, in that it revealed to me all the ways in which Ireland is lagging behind. Only getting to the club at midnight, regular, accessible and cheap public transport, relatively affordable rent – these were all among the countless features of Central European life that still pull me away from the Emerald Isle. But probably one of the most significant differences I noticed didn’t concern our institutional and structural setbacks, but our cultural ones.

While living away and getting to know people from all over the world (mostly Europe), I noticed a stark difference in people’s attitudes towards gender in terms of making friends. For those of my friends who grew up in Central Europe, the question of gender didn’t seem to be an issue at all. People are just people, and if you get along, you get along. Even for those who were attracted to the opposite gender, people were considered friends first, potential flings later. All kinds of physical affection: hugs, hair rustles, heads on shoulders could be exchanged freely without there being a presumption of any meaning behind them. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed this, and you don’t have to travel far to see it – we might think of the infamous cohorts of European teens that frequent local Irish spots in the summertime, draping arms around each other indiscriminately. Whereas among Irish groups, platonic physical affection rarely crosses the boundaries of gender. My Irish female friends on Erasmus seemed to share my experience of feeling an invisible boundary existing between straight men and women, of not being able to trust male friends as easily as female ones, of struggling to open up to them as quickly. So all of this led me to wonder: what is Ireland’s problem with mixed-gender friendships?

The first thing to say is that I don’t believe for a moment that Irish people are deliberately upkeeping a boundary between genders in our friendships. In fact, there is a new generation that is largely fighting to break down gender roles and binaries; the very existence of these boundaries

defies much of what is being fought for. I believe this to be an intergenerational, subconscious issue. In the many conversations I’ve had with friends about this (yes, I bring it up constantly) I’ve noticed there seems to be a general sense of dissatisfaction in terms of platonic relations with the opposite gender. I’ve had girlfriends tell me of how they wish they could be closer with men, but that they find it hard, usually as a result of some combination of two factors: they have been let down by men too many times in the past, and men don’t open up as quickly as women do. Therefore, women struggle to connect. On the other hand, I’ve had several male friends confide in me that they find it much easier to be vulnerable with their female friends than they do with their male ones, but that women often confuse this effort at closeness as romantic pursuit. So it seems that on top of past and potential future romances getting in the way of friendship, there may also be a rift between the maximum amount of vulnerability most men are willing to show, and the base level of openness that most women deem necessary to form deep friendships. If this is the case, it’s possible that Irish society – whether consciously or unconsciously – highly values traditional gender roles, which breeds a social divide between men and women.

I imagine it comes as no surprise to most readers that my “Suspect Number One” is the Catholic church. With the education system in Ireland being still so tightly intertwined with the church, and many of us attending single-sex schools during our

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mixed-gender friendships Shortcomings of a student grocery shopper

PHOTO BY JIMENA ALVAREZ FOR TRINITY NEWS

formative years, it makes sense that our inter-gender relations are so strained. Even if you were someone who thrived in the single-sex school environment, or who had a flourishing mixedgender friend group outside of school, the very fact of segregation plants something within us –something that says girls and boys are different from each other, that we are us, and they are them. Even for those of us who attended mixed-gender Catholic schools, the same values often bleed through, with children and teens being separated by gender for sports, competitions, even the lines in primary school yards. Being separated and inadvertently – if not explicitly – told from a young age that there should be strict segregation between boys and girls, that it is the natural way of things, only serves to perpetuate traditional values of gender roles and expectations. It mystifies the opposite gender, making the possibility of opposite-gender relations seem so much more exciting than same-gender ones. In some cases it even generates a competitive economy, with people of the opposite gender becoming a product in high demand, and low supply. In heteronormative spaces, it sets a precedent for valuing romantic relationships much higher than platonic ones. For many girls, though it is frustrating that our platonic affections rarely reach men, at least we can still hold tight to each other without fear of judgment. But for the men who spent their formative years in environments that actively condemned this behaviour among each other, it is a crying shame.

Kasia Holowka examines the trials and tribulations of doing groceries as a student

Like moths to a flame, everyday outside of Carluccio’s a long line of hungry students forms. The dining hall and the Buttery are filled to the brim and that’s not to mention all the other restaurants who pack themselves full of students each lunch, enticing them with (relatively) cheap deals. It’s easy to notice what unites all students: the need for a cheap meal that won’t go bad before it’s eaten. Why is it, then, that so many students think buying lunch everyday makes more sense than grocery shopping and meal-prepping? I’m going to address the problem and hopefully provide useful strategies for meal prep and grocery shopping.

It is no coincidence that TikTok has recently been swarmed with outcries of female solidarity and affection, while there remains a harrowing silence from those proponents of male friendships.

As with most things propagated by the Catholic church, these enforced gender segregations benefit no one (besides the Catholic church –this phenomenon encourages the maintenance of the traditionalist values on which the institution thrives). They only serve to create divides between all of us. This boundary that exists between men and women spreads like a crack in our social world, manifesting itself in conversation topics like: “How would you feel if your boyfriend had a girl best friend?”

This kind of conversation tends to result in women villainising each other – in this social context, we are tightly bonded creatures, except when a male romantic prospect is involved. All of this should absolutely not be the case. Regardless of whatever gender we are socialised as, we are all humans at our core. In a perfect world, we can connect with each other out of curiosity and with intent to love, whether romantically or platonically, and we are not held back by these antiquated unconscious biases. As with many things, Irish institutions could stand to re-evaluate themselves in terms of the kinds of values they regurgitate. But until that day comes, perhaps we could begin to challenge ourselves individually, to push past the social boundaries that we were bred to maintain, and try to find the human in everyone.

Students who cook for themselves often find themselves wasting money. I can’t count how many times I’ve bought a loaf of bread that went mouldy in less than five days. The same goes for jam or any spread that goes off even when stored in the fridge. Naturally, dry food like pasta or rice becomes the foundation of many a student’s diet. The downside to this is that there’s a limit to what one can do with it. Pretty much every day since the start of the semester, I have been consuming tomato soup that comes in packets. They don’t go bad and are cheap, and when combined with pasta, it makes for a nice meal. Eating it everyday, however, gets a bit repetitive. This rings true for many students, who lean towards food that is cheap and

easy to store and end up having the same exact meal every night. Why is this problem so prominent in Ireland? Many times I’ve found myself in a flat where the students were refraining from buying certain types of food or drink. For example, I once asked for some milk in my tea, to which the response was: “we don’t buy milk anymore, it always goes off before we finish it.” The truth is grocery shops prioritise families of two or more. It’s cheaper to buy in bulk. Food is more expensive when you’re not splitting with others, and sharing in a student accommodation proves just too complicated. Even if you get along with your flatmates and try to go shopping together, you’ll quickly realise that in most cases everybody has a different approach towards food. Most eat according to a different schedule and have varying meal plans and diets. The idea of splitting the cost of groceries sounds great until one flatmate is vegetarian, for example, and still has to pay for meat which they won’t eat. Learning each other’s diets and understanding what one person likes or would eat is just not something others have time to do, so it is only understandable that most of us are left alone with our groceries.

What’s more is, it’s difficult to cook full-stop when you live in student accommodation. When you go to the kitchen after a long day of lectures and socialising and there’s somebody else already cooking, you might find that you don’t want to cook anymore. There is something calming in preparing and having your food in solitude which makes one’s social batteries recharge, this may be especially true for introverts. As alone time is scarce in student accommodation, it’s no wonder that many students prefer to order a takeaway if it means avoiding their flatmates.

But it’s not just about food;

ART BY JESSIE HUANG FOR TRINITY NEWS

students find themselves struggling to buy toiletries as well. I have heard many stories of people taking toilet paper and sanitary products from bars and clubs and some even from the university. And it is not surprising: Trinity does little to help students with their grocery shopping. It doesn’t offer student deals in partnership with any shops, which looks unprofessional compared to UCD, which has a Centra on campus.

Furthermore, Trinity’s location adds to the problem. All the bigger shops which offer lower prices are located further away from the city centre, which makes it hard for students to get there. Many simply don’t have the time for a longer commute nor the extra money. And international students, who can’t afford to get a second phone number, can’t subscribe to a Tesco or Boots club card.

So is there anything we can do about the issue? What I would suggest is to know your fridge and freezer, and how long it keeps your products fresh. If it works well, buy foods that can be stored there; if not, make use of cupboards by stocking up on dry food like cereal or rice. Either way, buying long lasting products in bulk is a great way to save some money, as supermarkets usually target families. Make a realistic grocery list and stick to it, that way you can shop less frequently and avoid splurging on random items. It can also help to meal plan for the upcoming week and create the list based on that.

Having a set grocery budget can also help manage your spendings. Many suggest that paying in cash makes you more in control as you can quite literally see the money being spent. Of course with inflation the amount spent can become quite dramatic, so a good way to control it is to use coupons and store-apps. Sites, which compare shop prices like ‘quidu’ also come in handy. If you have a few supermarkets in your area, you can go around buying specific products in different shops.

Although many shift to wellknown brand products, what saves loads of money is shopping generic brands. That usually means looking through the lowest or highest shelves, filled with special offers. Though you have to be aware: just because something is cheaper doesn’t mean you’re going to be willing to eat it. And lastly, bring your own shopping bags. It saves a lot of money and helps one avoid sudden shopping trips, as you can stick to the rule that you won’t shop without your groceries bag.

Hopefully the tips provided will encourage more students to shop for themselves and realise the benefits of having food at home. Yes, shopping as a single student may be hard, but it is important to remember that we need to eat and that getting takeaways everyday might not be the best idea.

Rory Stewart weaves a message of sincere optimism in a bleak political world

Conor McDermott reviews the former Conservative Minister’s address to the Hist

Arriving 35 minutes late to a packed GMB to a warm round of applause, former Conservative minister and current popular podcaster Rory Stewart was quick to apologise for his tardiness. The College Historical Society (the Hist) auditor Áine Kennedy bestowed the society’s Gold Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Public Discourse to Stewart on behalf of his contributions on the “lost art of disagreeing agreeably,” born from his podcast The Rest Is Politics which he runs with Alastair Campbell.

Stewart has lived a storied life, having served in the British Army, acted as a diplomat overseeing provinces in Iraq, and he privately tutored Prince William and Prince Harry. He has also been a Conservative minister under Theresa May, and a contender for the role of prime minister in 2019. He may also be a spy for MI6, but alas, he denies this.

Stewart wasted no time launching into a dazzling lecture on the state of the world where he acknowledged three modern eras, the Liberal Global Order from 1989 to the early 2000s, the Age of Uncertainty from 2004 until 2014, and the ongoing Age of Populism we are experiencing today. He charted the optimism of the 1990s, with rising numbers of democratic states, improving economies,

and a relatively successful US intervention in Bosnia, proving that the world was understandably hopeful.

He then discusses less successful US interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s, the economic growth actually becoming a growth in sharp inequality as median incomes froze, and of course, the 2008 financial crisis. The addition of social media over this period with the development and uptake of Facebook and Twitter (now X) also began to shape the period.

The populism and pessimism that comes from the past ten years were also discussed by Stewart. He described the “coarsening of democratic life” which is perhaps best seen with the likes of Boris Johnson’s attempts to prorogue parliament, and of course, Donald Trump’s attempts to delegitimize the 2020 presidential election. There is a democratic backslide he argues. Countries look to the success of China, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates as examples of prosperous non-democratic states to aspire to.

At various points in his talk, Stewart mentioned the “conflict” in Gaza, and in no uncertain terms stated that “there should be an immediate ceasefire.” He lamented that the Arab and Hebrew communities seemed to exclusively rely on warped news sources that respectively fed into distrust and hatred of the other, with serious concerns that there would be no reconciliation as long as this division festered on top of the atrocities being committed in the Gaza Strip.

Stewart concluded his talk by acknowledging it would be easy to read all this as a story of profound pessimism. He brought up political scientist Francis Fukuyama and his famously incorrect book The

End of History and the Last Man from 1992 which predicted that everything would be smooth sailing from here on. Stewart admitted his own shortsightedness - he could no better predict the future than Fukuyama, and it would be wrong to assume a totally negative path into the future, just as Fukuyama had predicted a positive one.

However, Stewart made a sincere attempt to challenge the pessimistic tale he had just finished. “We remain as a society… idealistic, thoughtful. We have work to do.” He notes that the democracies society cherishes cannot be taken for granted, that people must be willing to sink their time and energy into preserving that which is good and preventing the spread of that which is not. His ideas on how to do this may not coincide with everyone - a former Tory’s political ideology may not seem compatible with a proudly progressive student body. He would rather see a decentralisation of political power, empowering local authorities, engaging more citizens’ assemblies.

Upon finishing his talk, a Q&A session proceeded; the Right Honourable Stewart lived up to that honorific by moving the

lectern back so everyone could see properly, In the Q&A, he described his favourite job, running a nonprofit in Afghanistan, that restored 140 buildings and built up a school, and contrasted it with the distance and hopelessness of his time as minister for International Development. He described his former Labour membership, and his deep unhappiness with Tony Blair over Iraq and Blair’s attitudes towards Islam.

Stewart acknowledged the historical flaws of the British Empire in another question, admitting that the fact everyone wanted to leave is particularly telling, and that it was a racist, colonial and often brutal thing - although the Hist auditor’s reminder of the present audience may have coloured his response. He did proceed to stress that holding grudges based on historical atrocities - ones that “you did not experience” and that “happened to people you didn’t know” - is fundamentally detrimental to building bridges between communities, especially international ones.

In response to a question focused on maintaining hope in spite of it all - he discussed finding an issue that you are passionate

about, and finding the best path for you to tackle that particular issue.

Stewart’s idealism very much shines through, despite the bleak political stage he has strode from. Despite the cynicism which would be all too easy to fall victim to, Stewart made sure to push a message of hope. Before finishing up, he made a point about not giving up on the world. That being serious about human rights and peace will be messy and imperfect, but that it is effectively better to do it imperfectly than to refuse to engage at all. Real progress in the world requires a detailed sense of how society works. There must be some pragmatism to accompany idealism and some understanding of reality. Subtle condemnation of certain politics that might be espoused by many, especially regarding climate change that prioritises rhetoric over reality, is required. Yet there remains hope. He pointed to prime minister Donald Tusk winning in Poland, Emmanuel Macron’s defeat of Marine Le Pen, and Biden’s defeat of Trump. Stewart left the audience with a note to ponder on and sit with, he stated that Ireland is seen as an example to the world: “this is where hope lies.”

Cuisine Spotlight: Panama on a plate

Shreya Padmanabhan takes a culinary journey through Panama with fellow classmate Mariale Landecho

Latin American cuisine is experiencing a surge in popularity in Dublin.

This is largely due to growing interest in global gastronomy, the appeal of vibrant flavours, and the growing population of Latin American immigrants in Dublin. While Brazilian & Mexican food have long shared the limelight, today we want to cast that light in a different direction.

Welcome to Panama, the narrow isthmus that bridges the continents of North and South America. Being one of the most diverse countries in all of Latin America, it’s no surprise that their cuisine too is a hodgepodge of flavours.

When asked about the essence of Panamanian food, here’s what Trinity student Mariale Landecho had to say: “We are called ‘un crisol de razas’, or a melting pot, for a reason. Our food is influenced by Native American, Spanish, Caribbean and African cuisine, with a touch of what we call ‘sazón’—a sprinkle of something indescribable that just makes everything taste better.”

Panamanian cuisine has become what it is today through centuries of influence from native inhabitants, colonists, immigrants, and neighbouring countries like Colombia and Costa Rica.

Before European colonisation, indigenous diets featured corn, cassava, root vegetables and meat from native animals like iguanas and paca (also known as the painted rabbit). In the 16th century, Spanish colonisers landed in Panama and brought with them the knowledge of cultivation and livestock, changing Panamanian culinary culture forever. The introduction of livestock meant that beef became the most popular choice of protein, and its incorporation into traditional dishes such as stews and grilled meats became commonplace.

Many of the popular foods eaten today in Panama like Ropa Vieja- a traditional dish of stewed beef

with vegetables - bear a strong Spanish influence, and use spices that were not originally native to the lands like paprika, oregano, and coriander.

The construction of the railroad, aimed at enhancing transportation within the country, and the Panama Canal, designed to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, stood as two monumental undertakings in 19th-century Panama. To facilitate the construction, Panama saw a wave of immigrants from the Caribbean and West Africa, adding new dimensions to Panamanian cuisine. Plantains, breadfruit, and saltfish became staples, while new methods of cooking rice with coconut milk and seafood were introduced. Additionally, a wave

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Plantains, breadfruit, and becamesaltfish staples, while new methods of cooking rice with coconut milk and seafood introducedwere

of Chinese immigrants moved to Panama during the construction of the Canal, bringing their distinct cuisines into the country. Ingredients like soy sauce (called ‘salsa china’ in Panama) have made their way into Panamanian cooking, giving rise to unique dishes native to the land, such as Jampao – a type of steamed bun.

“I heard someone once say that in Panama, we are all immigrants and that’s completely true. All of our ancestors were once brought from somewhere around the world, making our cuisine so diverse.”- remarks Mariale, whose own ancestry can be traced back to Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Spain, and Ireland.

Drawing parallels, Mariale emphasises the foundational elements of Panamanian cuisine,

similar to how yoghurt is crucial in Turkish dishes and cumin in Indian cooking. “I’d say a majority of Panamanian dishes include corn, rice, plantain, and culantro –a unique variety of cilantro native to our land. We also just love to fry foods!” she explains as she describes Patacones- one of her favourite foods which are made from twice-fried green plantains.

When asked about her favourite dishes, Mariale mentioned a list of delicious-sounding foods that we just had to share:

Buñuelos o torrejitas de maiz nuevo with queso prensado: Traditional Panamanian fritters or corn pancakes made with fresh corn and served with pressed cheese.

Bofe con tortillas fritas: A traditional Panamanian dish featuring cow lungs served with fried corn tortillas, typically eaten for breakfast

Hojaldras con salchichas guisadas: A dish consisting of fried dough patties served with stewed sausages.

Sancocho: A hearty and flavorful stew typically made with a variety of meats, vegetables, and herbs. This stew is also considered a hangover cure. While reminiscing about her favourite memories of sharing food, Mariale described Matanzas: a cherished Panamanian tradition where families and friends come together for a communal feast, often involving the slaughter of a pig or another animal for food. “While the word literally translates to ‘slaughter’, it’s actually a festive event when all the family members get together to drink, cook, sing, dance and feast.” Speaking of drinks, Panama has its own traditional liquor called ‘Seco’ made from sugarcane, and it’s often consumed with milk,

creating a cocktail known as ‘leche con seco’.

When asked for advice on exploring Panamanian cuisine, Mariale’s advice is simple, yet profound: “Just go to Panama! And don’t just stay in the city; go around and explore as Panamanian food varies from province to province, each interpreting Panamanian cuisine in its own way.” She also emphasises the importance of being open-minded and willing to try new things, noting that the worst-case scenario is simply discovering a dish you don’t like. After reading about these delicious foods, you might be keen on trying Panamanian cuisine. Unfortunately, Dublin has yet to introduce this cuisine to its vibrant food scene. But if there’s enough buzz and interest, we are optimistic that one is bound to pop up soon. We’re keeping our fingers crossed till that time!

Yes or no: Trinity’s 12 week semesters

Emma Coyle explores the advantages and disadvantages that come with the condensed semester

The 12-week semester - it can be hard to find a student that will advocate for more time spent inside the classroom. All the stresses and woes of college life - assignments, exams, stuffy lecture hallscrammed into short 12-week segments, and the other 28 weeks of the year are left to do whatever your heart desires. You could travel, and broaden your horizons on some lengthy journey through South East Asia (the 4-month summer gives you loads of time to conquer the entire continent if you so wish). Or you could save your pennies, live at home, cut those Dublin rent prices out of your life and indulge in all the home comforts your childhood bedroom provides. You could be career conscious, invest your time in valuable work experience and internships, using your time wisely. The possibilities are endless.

The 12-week semester means that being a student does not consume every aspect of your lifeyou have space to grow as a person outside the academic sphere, gain valuable life experience, and gain valuable skills that will serve you after you graduate. Or, if you’re like most people, it gives you loads of time to lie in bed and get through all 20 seasons of Law and Order. But, honestly, that sounds equally as good to me as travelling the world after I’ve crawled my way to the finish line of assignment season.

That doesn’t mean that

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It calls to question the quality of the education you receive if it’s packed so tightly into three months

cramming five or six modules into such a short period doesn’t have its drawbacks. The structure of the academic calendar plays an integral role in shaping our educationmodules are constructed with the best learning outcome in mindthe order of the content engages significantly with the way they want you to digest the information. But does this work when they have to be condensed to fit into a rigid semester length? In complex STEM subjects, you’re barely finished learning one procedure by the time you’re moving on to the next. These courses might benefit from a longer period of learning, with enough time to dive into the complexities and gain more hands-on experience.

For my fellow Arts and Humanities students, how are we ever supposed to read as much as I read the entire time I was in secondary school in 12 weeks? Speaking from mildly traumatic experiences as an English student, reading ten Shakespeare plays in a semester (on top of twenty-odd novels and enough poetry to fry your last remaining brain cells) is not the vibe you want in your first-ever semester of college. It calls to question the quality of the education you receive if it’s packed so tightly into three monthsquality over quantity, surely? Pair that with exam prep, labouring over essays and projects, all while balancing a social life, romantic life, and potentially a part-time job. It’s a cocktail designed for disaster - but the light at the end of the tunnel is 14 long weeks of summer. So is it worth it?

Across the country, the 12-week semester is standard. University of Galway, Cork and Maynooth operate on the same systemalong with our neighbours UCD, DCU, and TUD following similar structures. The exception to this is in Trinity we have a short reading week to break up our semester:

a real blink-and-you-miss it situation. Other colleges nearby, like TUD, UCD, and Maynooth, get two weeks off around Easter, which breaks up their semesters into more bite-sized pieces. It may cut into their summer, but that time off would certainly make the world of difference when you’re 6 weeks in and still struggling to understand what the point of your module even is. Many of these colleges also have their exam period in January, which undoubtedly puts a strain on what should be the most merry time of the year, but certainly gives you a bit more time to get your act together in time for exams.

Even further afield, Erasmus students are in for a real jumpscare when they land in Italy and learn they have a 20-week semester ahead of them - 14 weeks of teaching and 6 study weeks. Or Norway which follows a similar structure with a 40-week academic year. Students going to Germany for semester two might be confused when they book their flight for January and learn that teaching doesn’t start until April. Their semesters run from midOctober to mid-February, then resume in April and run until July, right in the middle of summer. I for one would not want to be stuck in college during those glorious summer months, but the length of the semesters would definitely be beneficial.

On the brighter side, it’s much easier to stay motivated when you have only three months to suffer through - having condensed modules can be a godsend when you consider the focus that you have to put in to achieve each component of each module. The relief of having such a considerable amount of time off is worth it in the end. For the academically inclined, you have all that time to do independent work and research, and the semester for intensive and

The hurdles

Emma Whitney examines how mental health difficulties can affect our most intimate relationships

Mfocused study to get the grades. Or, you have time to recharge with nothing but sleep and Netflix and be ready to throw yourself into the

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Having condensed modules can be a godsend when consideryouthe focus that you have to put in to achieve each component of each module

next semester when it rolls around.

Most students I’ve discussed this with have agreed that while it’s a very short time frame when they thought about it, most concluded that they wouldn’t change it if given the chance. I suppose that’s the nature of students; get it done and get out of there. Overall, it depends on specific factors, your curriculum, and your learning style. I don’t think there’s a definitive answer to give - student satisfaction rates remain high regardless of the short semester length, and Trinity remains high in the rankings for the standard of teaching. You could argue on either side of the spectrum. But for now, it seems to be working out, so why change it?

ental illness has been part of my life since I was eight years old. One day, I began to experience a terrifying breathless feeling in my chest and things were never the same. I grew up with a weight on my back, learning to cope with it the same way I learned how to tie my shoelaces and how to do Pythagoras’ theorem. All throughout my adolescence I was a nervous and sad girl – I never knew any different. As a teenager, I mostly worried about my Leaving Cert and how I felt lonely in school. Yet I was hopeful that once I got to college, everything would be perfect and my struggles

Heads will roll

Kasia Holowk reviews the new exhibition Turning Heads: Ruben, Rembrandt and Vermeer at the National Gallery

The new temporary exhibition at the National Gallery, which opened February 24, is definitely turning heads. It will remain open until May 26, so there’s plenty of time to visit and experience it firsthand. The exhibition takes the visitors through five sections filled with paintings by Dutch and Flemish artists, each targeting a different characteristic of a portrait. It is these characteristics which define the exhibition and set it apart from others: an exposition of how most revered masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Ruben’s, played with emotion and expression through tronies. So what is a tronie? The first part

PHOTO VIA NEASA NI CORCORAN FOR TRINTY NEWS

hurdles of mental health in relationships

would be a thing of the past. I was very quickly proven wrong.

Undoubtedly, college has been a much more enjoyable experience than secondary school. A weight had been lifted and I could walk around freely without worrying about what others thought of me. A lightbulb switched on and it became dazzlingly clear that none of this actually mattered. What mattered was what I thought of myself. But whilst I eased into a peace with who I was as well as finding “my people”, my first year of university introduced a dynamic that neither I nor the weight on my back were familiar with: dating.

Straight off the bat, I found myself in a series of back-to-back relationships and situationships, each of which brought its own challenges. As someone who had only the most rudimentary of knowledge in dating, I was wholly unprepared for these. It seemed as if everyone else knew what to say and do but me. Dating for the first time was a fun, shiney-new experience which brought new joys, but new worries as well. I thought that I had learned how to live with my mental health struggles and how to adequately mask them so I could power through the day, but

bringing them into my now-adult relationships required even more learning.

A situationship, characterised by emotional intensity, unrealistic expectations and an idealised view of the other person all within a short space of time, is not the ideal for those who struggle with their mental health. A Love Island relationship on steroids. As situationships seem the default for relationships in 2024, powering through the lows and often unexpected ends of these brief relationships was something that I am continuing to grasp. At the end of my first real dating experience, I was really upset, but also deeply embarrassed. How could I be cut up over something that lasted less than three months? I pushed down my sadness and feelings as it seemed stupid to mourn a brief fling. In actuality, letting the pain wash over you, allowing the tide of sadness to drift you out to sea is very healthy. We must feel our emotions to adequately process them.

Quickly bouncing back in view of the adage “get under to get over” (which honestly works half of the time, and results in weird, complex emotions not being processed the other half) I entered into my first relationship,

during my second semester at Halls. During the peak of the second Covid lockdown, when The Evening Walk to Tesco being

Sensitivity is a good and beautiful thing. How could it be anything but, when it allows you to feel so deeply and love so hard?

the most romantic date possible, I very quickly felt trapped and in desperate need of personal space. We existed in a stifling

Covid bubble that squeezed us, crushing any chance for forming the normal relationships with boundaries and space that existed in the pre-Covid era. My inability to communicate my needs for space as well as not yet knowing my attachment style (guess) resulted in many arguments and hurt feelings. I beat myself up for my mistakes, especially in this first relationship, thinking that I was the only one doing these things. I have since learned that making such mistakes is inevitable and an important learning curve at best. Despite all the miscommunications, I’m so glad that I had this relationship to make the mistakes that I did and learn about what I am like with another person.

For the last two years I have mostly focused on the relationships I neglected during my time in college - the one with myself. In this busy dissertation and grad application season (as well as holding down a part-time job), I find myself extremely stressed at times waking up in the middle of the night panicking about deadlines and work rosters. Admittedly my mental health has been better and I experienced a particularly bad slump on my Erasmus, but slowly I am

It is the little moments like these that make all of the effort in minding my mental health worth it. In my final semester of four university years that have passed all too quickly, I can say that we are not alone in our mental health struggles, and that almost everyone struggles with it at one point. I used to be embarrassed about my anxiety and my sensitivity to certain stresses, but now I see it as a good and as integral a part of me as my sense of humour or my taste in music. Sensitivity is a good and beautiful thing. How could it be anything but, when it allows you to feel so deeply and love so hard? It is not inherently a bad thing to be more emotional than average, but rather it is imperative that you are able to manage it in a healthy way. The most essential relationship in life is with the self. You are the most important person in your life and this is the relationship most worth fighting for.

roll on canvas: A new National Gallery exhibition

ARTWORK VIA THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND

opposed to the sitter themselves, which is what makes this exhibition intriguing. No pose or expression is the same and there is always a good reason for it. Studying people from real

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life was an integral part of these artists’ training. Some of those sketches were later used in paintings, which have a greater focus on narrative. One painting that captured my attention was the “Three Head Studies of a Bearded Old Man” by Peter Paul Rubens. Although it looks like there are three separate heads, it is just one shown in motion. The focus lies on portraying the head in a three dimensional way, in particular how the expression would change along with the movement. The bearded figure is later echoed in Rubens’s mythological paintings. The identity of the status of the sitter is not important as the focus lies on the expressions and lighting.

The main reason why the Low Country artists were interested in this style of face painting was that they were not limited by the constraints of conventional portraiture. The perfect example of this is Wenzel Hollar’s “Deformed Heads of a Man with a Cap (Dante?) and a Woman Two Deformed Heads”. In the drawings done after Leonardo da Vinci, the characters are grotesque with exaggerated figures, something that would never be seen in a portrait. The caricatures resemble

ones that could be found in modern day newspapers and many of the sitters, though painted several hundred years ago, seem at a glance to be modern. So, which works are worth seeing? Honestly, I enjoyed them all. They were grouped into five sections: what is a tronie?; studying heads; costume; expression; light and shadow. Each had a short introduction to help visitors

understand the importance of the specific element. Though the first room drew my attention the least, when I got to the other rooms I really started to appreciate it. The extravagant costumes like the one in Frans Floris I “Minerva” act as an extension of the expression of the sitter’s face.

The best room was the one in which visitors could observe the most grotesque expressions The ones that stood out to me the most were: “The Smoker” by Joos van Craesbeeck, “Youth Making a Face” by Adriaen Brouwer, “The Merry Peasant” by Adriaen van Ostade and the “Thirty-five Character Heads” by LouisLéopold Boilly. The appeal lies in the surprise derived from viewing such ridiculous expressions, as we are used to seeing men in armour and ladies in fancy dress posing in unnatural ways.

“Turning Heads” is one of the best exhibitions featured recently in the National Gallery. The skillful groupings of the paintings, the crisp lighting in the rooms and the grotesque style of Low Country artists all elevated what is often a disregarded field of art. The exhibition exemplifies that tronies are just as captivating as more traditional paintings – and much more fun.

of the exhibition is dedicated to explaining the Old Dutch term for a specific picture type that depicts a face. Unlike a portrait, the identity or status of the sitter is unimportant. The focus is on

artistic techniques as

building a coping skill set that I didn’t have at 16. Medication and therapy have helped but the road to happiness is long and winding. Some days are better than others: when I wake up to the noise of the people I love around the house and the sun is streaming through the curtains.

Summer 2024: The roads An egg-cellent treat this Easter

Deia Leykind discusses the beloved Easter Egg: an excuse to gorge on chocolate, or something more?

Every year, around March/ April time, there is one special day on which my mother presents me with an egg-shaped sphere of chocolate at the breakfast table. And each year I gobble it all up, excitement mixed with a touch of disorientation, surprised that my usually strict mother has allowed me to eat chocolate for breakfast. Yet, while basking gratefully in this blissful moment of chocolatey goodness, I have year after year neglected to ask; what actually lies behind this tradition, and why do we continue to perform it?

The following question begs to be asked; in today’s day and age, has gifting Easter eggs become mere muscle memory, a builtin calendar date to let our sweet tooths run wild? Or is there still a history and culture behind it that manages to retain its value in a decreasingly religious and increasingly capitalist modern-day world?

In Christian tradition, Easter Sunday, the Sunday after Good Friday, is the day that commemorates Christ’s resurrection. Originally, eating eggs was not allowed by Church leaders during the week leading up to Easter (Holy Week), so any eggs laid that week were saved and decorated to make Holy Week eggs, which were in turn gifted to children. Our own 21st-century chocolatey tradition has most likely evolved from this, with the first chocolate eggs appearing in France and Germany in the 19th

century. The first chocolate Easter eggs found in the UK were released in 1873 by the company Fry’s.

A lot has changed since then; as the art of chocolate-making became refined and perfected, the practice of exchanging chocolate eggs began to proliferate. In fact, today, the chocolate is probably all a lot of us think about when we think about Easter, and Easter eggs. Could it be that this originally Christian holiday has become a mere indulgence, a chocolatelover’s wet dream (and a dentist’s worst nightmare)?

Easter has become the second best-selling candy holiday in America, topped only by Halloween. A uniquely 21stcentury mass-market approach to Easter eggs has emerged; where they used to be lovingly handpainted or savoured, you can now get a kilo of mini eggs for a tenner. Any colour or any flavour you like at the nearest supermarket, and for a good price too! In Ireland, children will receive an average of four eggs each Easter, with almost one in five receiving six eggs or more. Together, they are estimated to consume at least five million Easter eggs of 460 tonnes of sugar over Easter weekend.

Can the commercial and the mass-produced, such as the Easter egg seems to have become, really retain any semblance of meaningfulness, or are they just as hollow as their shells?

As Venetia Newall points out, the version of Easter eggs that “American industry” spawns out, are “no more than a decorative article,” “a pretty triviality.” The Victorian practice of satin-covered cardboard eggs filled with Easter gifts perhaps feels more expressive, while the birth of the Fabergé egg (lavish jewelled eggs) amongst the Russian monarchy at around the same time, is something else entirely.

But something does not have to be one of a kind or expensive to be meaningful. Indeed, this is one of the great merits of Easter,

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But doessomething not have to be one of a kind or expensive to be meaningful

in comparison with the often more pressurised acts of gift giving during other holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Easter eggs, no matter what their shape, form, or substance, are equally guaranteed to taste good, and to be a part of something much bigger. As Hotel Chocolat themselves write on their website: “there is a long and rich history behind the hollow chocolate egg we know and love,” and I would argue that that history stretches out far beyond an exclusively Christian religious context.

Though Christianity certainly plays an important role in understanding the accumulated significance of Easter eggs, a lot of Easter traditions are actually not found in the Bible at all. Rather, Easter eggs can be traced back to pagan traditions. The egg, an ancient symbol of new life, fertility and rejuvenation, has been connected with pagan festivals celebrating the beginning of spring, as marked by the spring equinox, a natural event that happens when the sun is exactly above the equator, creating an equal duration of night and day.

Therefore, Easter eggs hold a much wider sense of importance that exceeds the limits of one particular faith. It is also about the honouring of spring more generally, a time to embrace the new season and all the promises it brings, and let go of the old, alongside any disappointments or hardships we might faced earlier in the year. With this in mind, the meaning of the modern day Easter egg should not be seen as having been lost or diluted but rather extended; today the practice of gifting Easter eggs can and should stress across various religious and personal beliefs, ages, classes and backgrounds, as a more fundamental honouring of love and kindness, whether to yourself, or another.

This year Easter Sunday falls on March 31, the end of Week 10 of Hilary Term. With exam and deadline stress beginning to creep up on us (if it hasn’t already smothered us, that is), it can be a tricky time of year. Whether for god’s sake, for goodness’s sake, or just for your own sake; embrace the sweetness of spring and go buy yourself an Easter egg.

Laila Banerjee provides a list of (unconventional) activities that you can immerse yourself in this summer

I’m from India so I get told quite often: “You must really enjoy winter considering you live in a tropical country,” and frankly, I do not. I count the days till I can step out without taking 10 minutes to just layer up. Summer makes me feel so optimistic for some reason. The 1st of May comes around and I’m already picturing myself living Sophie Sheridan’s life (Mamma Mia).

Besides, it is the one season that lasts long enough to achieve the things/experiences on the list we’ve been putting together since last summer. Don’t we all have a list of things we’ve always wanted to do or experience scribbled somewhere in our diaries? Well, at least I do. The issue with most of those lists is that they are the same old activities people have done over the years. Backpacking through Thailand, the J1 visa, or even just going to Greece. Don’t get me wrong, they are all great ideas, but a touch too generic. It is time to switch it up a bit and maybe change that list or add something new and exciting. So here are some ideas I scribbled in my diary that may sound inviting.

Pronat in Satpura National Park (India)

Of course, my first recommendation would be India! The country’s diverse culture, customs, language, and cuisine are widely recognized, but India’s wildlife is just as impressive. There are 106 national parks in India which are all popular for different flora and fauna. So, if you are a wildlife enthusiast, the Professional Naturalist Training in Satpura National Park is the perfect opportunity for you. The Programme usually takes place in August and is organised by a company called “Pugdundee Safaris.” This is a great way to experience the typical “Mowgli” life and enhance your knowledge about all the animals and plants out there.

West Pilbara Turtle Program (Australia)

If you ever watched The Crocodile Hunter as a kid, or for that matter, watched Anyone But You recently, then I’m sure visiting

Australia sounds great right now! The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction aims to protect marine turtles, especially flatback turtles in Australia. The West Pilbara Turtle Program (WPTP) takes in volunteers to monitor the nesting activity of these turtles. This program is a great way to help endangered animals and explore Australia.

Summer around Lake Annecy (France)

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Don’t we all have a list of things we’ve wantedalways to do or scribbledexperience somewhere in our diaries?

If you are an adventurous person but do not have the time to travel outside Europe then Talloires, a town near Lake Annecy should catch your attention. It is one of the largest lakes in the country. This lake, along with Lac de Bourget and Aiguebelette, are a result of melting glaciers from the last Ice Age. Lake Annecy is quite popular for its clear blue water, picturesque view, and outdoor activities such as paragliding and wakeboarding. What is even more compelling is that getting there is no hassle at all! The Geneva Airport (Switzerland) is an hour’s ride from Talloires. Many people hire cars or take buses to their destination, so it is not as far out as you think. While the Eiffel Tower does sound appealing, paragliding over this beautiful lake should be something to add to your bucket list.

Read Global (Bhutan)

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PEXELS

This tiny country is tucked away in the Himalayan valleys. It is the first carbon-negative country in the world, with the happiest and most hospitable people you could ever meet. They are extremely proud of their heritage and strive to improve in any aspect possible. READ GLOBAL is just one non-profit organisation that aspires to establish self-sufficient, community-driven libraries and resource centres. Education is the cornerstone for achieving the social and economic potential of a community. Supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this organisation allows volunteers to teach underprivileged individuals. Working with READ GLOBAL would be a great way to help the community and discover Bhutan. From the valley of Paro to the trek up to Tiger’s Nest, every corner and individual of this small country is absolutely delightful.

La Tomatina (Spain)

Imagine 20,000 people having a food fight with tons of tomatoes and loud music in the streets of Buñol. This may not excite some people, but it’s worth a shot for others. Interestingly, I know of this festival because of a very interesting Bollywood movie called “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.” This festival started in the 1940s after a fight broke out during a Buñol cultural march, which resulted

in a vegetable market stall being attacked by an excited crowd. The tradition has carried on since and has become one of the largest celebrated festivals in the world. This year it is speculated to happen in August. Many assume that a lot of tomatoes are wasted in the process but only rotten tomatoes are purchased for this festival. If you are not afraid of trying new things this summer then this would be the perfect opportunity to do something wild!

Sounds of the Dolomites (Italy)

This idea is more for people who enjoy some peace and music. Most of Europe’s art and music festivals take place in cities. This wonderful festival, or more correctly, concert, takes place among the Dolomites in the province of Trentino, Italy. A medley of performances surrounded by hills and greenery is the most peaceful way to enjoy your summer. The best way to get there is cable cars and is usually free of cost.

This article should be an exciting reminder of just how close summer really is! And if you did not have any plans for the summer, well, now you do. There are so many opportunities out there and these are just some of them. So go ahead and start ticking off that summer list because if not now then when?!

Finding the “sublime” in Dublin

Eimear

Feeney

discusses how you can live by the British Romantic principle of the sublime as a Trinity student

Wordsworth famously stated that poetry was a “spontaneous overflow of powerful emotion”. Taylor Swift famously stated, “Heartbreak is the national anthem / we sing it proudly.” Whether you love or hate the Romantic poets and Swift, you cannot deny that they are both influential. Maybe the tortured poets department was onto something.

Living in a busy capital city like Dublin, I find that it is very easy to get lost in the routine struggle of university life. Expectations weigh heavy as what we expect to be the best years of our life do not fly by so much as limp with trepidation towards the finish line ... The mundane can be exhausting and the Romantic sublime was an idea that was grounded in the purpose of rediscovering the wonder of the world. Who doesn’t want to experience something that sends you into an exalted status of awe and wonder? Would you like to be entranced by an object of intense emotional energy? I wish to identify places in Dublin where I have found the sublime and promote understanding.

The sublime is a response to art or nature that is overwhelming and sends you into a state of bewilderment. The sublime transcends a normal sensory experience and the limits of normal life. In the Romantic tradition, poets like Percy Shelly explored the sublime through Mont Blanc. Such visual interpretations of the sublime appear as cataclysmic natural wonders, emphasising formidable power. A variety of emotions are triggered with the sublime: amazement, overstimulation, awe, and terror. Representing the relationship between the self and the world, the sublime evokes emotional reactions where the body takes over from the mind. To Edmund Burke, astonishment meant: “the state of the soul, in which all its motions are suspended with some degree of horror.”

Where can we harness the power of the sublime today? Dublin may be lacking in sunlight but rest assured it is overflowing with sublime rays. Despite the concentration on nature for the sublime, cities nursed the development of art, culture, and

profound horror as anyone who has experienced train delays can attest. In Composed on Westminster Bridge, Wordsworth wrote: “the City now doth like a garment wear/ the beauty of the morning, silent bare.” Highlighting the beauty of London when it embraces the glow of the sun and natural elements, Wordsworth expressed the beauty and purity of London before the daily industrialised life began. Having grown up in the rural Irish countryside, I have been blessed with the surrounding landscapes of mountains and lakes and the expansive space. Since moving to Dublin, I have realised that I need a balance between the peacefulness of home and the hyper-charged excitement that Dublin brings. Both locations in their beauty are compelling and render me attempting to collect those memories like photos in an album.

How do you soak up the sublime? Remove all other traces of stimuli and allow yourself to be fully immersed in the moment. Take the headphones out! Trust me, I love having my own soundtrack in my ear, sometimes it’s helpful, other times distracting. The first destination for the sublime is our beautiful campus. One of the reasons why I aspired to come to College was because of the emotional reaction our campus could bestow onto me. I remember the first time I visited College as a child and the lasting reaction was awe and quiet contemplation. I personally love and am drawn to locations that have historical meaning and are animated with that energy. Of course, it’s the Neoclassical architecture and the perfect symmetry of the Campanile but, for me, it’s the spirit that can be sensed that automatically summons appreciation. No matter how stressed I am feeling during a college day, taking a glimpse at College campus fills me with that same serenity that I experienced at first glance years ago. Especially when there’s a stunning sunset. Achieving the sublime means letting your immediate surroundings elicit bewilderment or serenity rather than taking them for granted.

Other locations are the Iveagh Gardens close to St Stephens Green. Another example of my personal experience with the sublime was visiting the Hell Fire club on Halloween. The mythology

surrounding the location and the gloomy atmosphere create an ominous appearance. The ruins were once the location of cult satanic worship and most believe it to be haunted to this day. I remember feeling that same bewilderment and even slight terror over the thunderous wind that accompanied us. I imagine a prime place to also experience the sublime would be the Dublin/Wicklow mountains, which I am definitely putting on my calendar. Even the Spire constantly causes me confusion over why it is there and despite

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Dublin may be lacking in sunlight but rest assured it is withoverflowing sublime rays

seeing it numerous times, I never become desensitised to it. Not the aesthetic bewilderment, but complete bafflement! My Roman Empire, so to speak, is reflecting upon what Wordsworth would think of the Spire. Would he be horrified or marvel at the height? This question may be baffling, but it sparks joy much more than most similar questions Trinity students ask upon browsing through apps. Central aesthetics of the sublime associate it to feelings of astonishment and the awareness of vulnerability to nature. I think the diversity of the sublime and the emotions it provokes, from inferiority to astonishment, is what makes the sublime eternally relevant. Ultimately encountering something that causes bewilderment or captivates your senses can be considered sublime and prompts us to consider our mortality in a more peaceful light than most of us panicked about finals, tend to do. I think the poets would agree, although who knows about the Swifties.

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IMAGE VIA

Love Island’s legacy and our relationship with inauthenticity

Katie McGinley

The carefully curated interactions on Love Island bleed into viewers’ relationships and alter the course of human socialisation

“I’m gonna pull her for a chat”, “My type on paper”, “My head is not gonna turn”. As I say those phrases, many will roll their eyes, but others (like me) will immediately feel the sun shine brighter as the catchy theme song of Love Island rings in their ears. For 8 weeks in summer, the contestants of the polarising reality TV show become household names. We experience the villa with them; rooting for our favourites and voting off our least liked. Love Island has become an institution in the UK and Ireland since it debuted in 2015. It peaked in viewership between seasons 3 and 5 where each episode would rake in around 3.5 million viewers, but the finale of its most recent season, Love Island AllStars, was its lowest-rated in history. Why is this? What led

to the decline in the seemingly indestructible institution that is Love Island?

Something that has grown aongside Love Island’s growth in popularity is the rise amongst viewers that the show has become “inauthentic”. We no longer see the roaring fights and blatant sexuality that was once a staple of the earlier seasons. To many, it has now become a manufactured, influencer machine with boring contestants who are more concerned with their public perception than any relationship. There seems to be a preoccupation amongst islanders with retaining a “brand-friendly” persona to secure the coveted brand deals once they leave the villa, which are essential not only for securing fame but also to ensure a steady stream of income.. It has gotten to a stage where islanders are forced to use social media to make money, as returning to their pre-villa jobs is inconceivable. This means that it becomes a matter of sustaining a career that pushes these islanders to curate their image. Often the most successful islanders in recent seasons, such as Gemma Owen and Tasha Ghouri, have secured brand deals immediately once leaving the villa. Considering the consequences of not securing that all-important brand deal, and fading into insignificance, it is understandable why they would choose to retain a brand-friendly image, even if it is at the cost of the viewer’s entertainment.

Another reason why islanders may feel the need to act “inauthentically” is because of

the hate that they receive while being on the show. Although the islanders themselves are separated from their phones and have no contact with the outside world, this does not save the islanders from extreme hate through the commentary on Twitter and the comments on their Instagrams. The Queen of Love Island, or the Kylie Jenner of the UK, Molly-Mae Hague, has publicly discussed the hate that she received while on her season, and the effect it had on her. She received insurmountable hate from viewers after leaving the villa, including death threats and scrutiny surrounding her looks. It is difficult for islanders, or any reality TV show contestants, to separate the hate that they receive from the person that they truly are. Contestants are real people: they “play” themselves. Unlike actors, they are inseparable from the commentary and hate that they experience. You can understand the rise in “inauthenticity” from islanders to protect themselves from the hate that they may receive by polishing their behaviour and making it palatable to a mass audience.

Perhaps something that can explain the change in how the islanders conduct themselves is what Michel Foucault, acclaimed philosopher and historian, calls “the Panopticon’’. It began as a design of a prison structure, in which prisoners feel as though they are constantly surveilled: a watch tower with a view into each prisoner’s room sits in the centre of the complex. The prisoners cannot see if there is a guard at the watchtower due to a blackout glass, so they must act as if they are always surveilled to prevent punishment. The power of this structure is that people begin to act as though they are being surveilled, even though they may not be. It controls their behaviour and they internalise the rules and regulate their behaviour accordingly. This seems to have

seeped into the mechanism of Love Island itself. In the dawn of the show, there was a sense that islanders acted as though they weren’t on TV. This led to some controversial moments, such as Zara Hughes having her Miss GB title taken from her for having sex on the show. Islanders used to smoke and drink, creating bust-ups amongst the contestants regularly. This has since been removed, leaving a more sanitised feel for the long-time viewers of the show. Now, there seems to be a palpable sense on the show that the islanders know they’re being watched. In order to achieve most success and fame, islanders have internalised a set of “rules” that they have gathered from the islanders before them. The difference with earier seasons is that contestants had no idea of the fame that would follow them upon completion of the show. There was no sense of the Panopticon as their actions were believed to have little to no impact on the outside world thus, it was completely authentic.

But what does this growing inauthenticity of Love Island tell us about the relationships that those of us outside of the show develop? There is no doubt that we are influenced by the media that we consume, and this has especially been proven for Love Island. Missguided, a fast fashion brand that sponsored the show in 2018, had a 9000% increase in sales on certain collections due to Love Island. Does this undeniable influence bleed into our romantic relationships too?

The word “situationship” is a word that puts fear in the hearts of the strongest soldiers. A situationship is a relationship between two people in which there is a refusal to delineate the boundaries of their relationship. Those in a situationship may act like a relationship one minute but not speak to each other for days the next. Situationships in themselves have a layer of inauthenticity to them. There is

a level of performance involved in acting as though you’re in a relationship even though you’re not. There is a barrier stopping the relationship from becoming a solid partnership and there is a sense that the people in the relationship are settling and biding their time. This is a phenomenon that I believe is partly related to the rise of Love Island. We see this on our screens every summer when one-half of a couple is hesitant to define the relationship. They are often waiting for something “better” to walk into the villa and are settling for the person they’re currently with in order to continue in the show:each new islander is seen as a “test” to the current dynamic. This often results in heartbreak when you have to see your other half “cracking on” with someone else whether it be after Casa Amor or within the villa as they sit and watch. This sets a precedent for relationships on the outside that there might be something better. After all, “the grass is always greener on the other side”.

Love Island is a show that has shaped a generation, whether we like it or not. It has influenced our lingo, our fashion sense and ultimately our relationship patterns. Love Island is showing signs of decline with the contestants from newer seasons not even touching the fame or exposure those in the early seasons enjoyed, but the situationship as a concept seems to be here to stay. Situationships are not inherently bad if the two parties are in agreement and are reaping the benefits of the freedom and the flexibility it offers, but it is important to approach, not just the relationships we see on TV, but also our own relationships with a critical eye. A reality TV show like Love Island in 2024, no matter how hard it tries, cannot mimic the conditions of real life. The relationships formed outside the villa cannot compare to those formed within, for better or for worse.

Dazzling display: Dance Soc at intervarsities

Molly Haslam covers the preparation and accomplishment of DU Dance placing in the top 3 at the Intervarsities competition

In a triumphant display of skill and artistry, DUDance proudly showcased its talent by sending four teams to the highly anticipated intervarsity competition hosted by Dublin City University (DCU) at the Helix Theatre in late February. The event, with participation from 13 Irish colleges, featured a myriad of dance categories including jazz, contemporary, hip hop, Irish, and mixed.

Trinity College left an indelible mark on the competition, with representation in each category except for mixed. The journey commenced with auditions held in October 2023, where the university's dance enthusiasts poured their passion into securing a spot on a team. Since then, under the leadership of committed team captains, each group dedicated themselves to perfecting their routines, ensuring they were ready to captivate the audience, but most importantly the judges, on the stage. Among Trinity’s teams, hip hop and Irish came home victorious. Hip hop placed third in a tough and talented competition which boasted the largest entries for the event. Catching up with the hip hop captain, Amy McKenna,

she says preparation, “all starts with music.” The creative process involves brainstorming ideas over the phone, followed by in-person meetings where they sift through potential songs. "We know we’ve found the right one when we start jumping around from excitement!" she added.

Dancing is no easy feat and the endurance required for this competition is not any different. Mckenna commented that, “4 minutes and 17 seconds doesn’t sound like a lot until you’re made to go full out!” After the high-energy performance, the immediate aftermath is the team catching their breath before the award ceremony commences. McKenna confessed that "Results always make me nervous." She added that, as the captain, there is an added layer of pressure not to disappoint the team.

The elation that followed the announcement of their third-place victory was palpable. McKenna described feeling overwhelmed with relief and gratitude. "It's incredibly rewarding to receive a trophy as a tangible symbol of our dedication," she expressed, highlighting the challenges the team had to overcome during months of preparation. During intervarsities, only the top three teams are given a placement. Achieving a spot signifies that you stand among the top university teams in Ireland, given the intense competition within the event. As for next year, McKenna encourages anyone thinking about auditioning or joining the society to go for it. "It will be the best thing you do!".

The Irish team, choreographed and captained by Ailbhe McCormick, brought home gold picking up first place in their category. Blending traditional elegance with a high-energy pop

performance, the journey to victory began months ago.

McCormick described choreo graphing the routine to be a challenging yet rewarding task. She emphasised that serving as the sole captain of the team was an arduous role, especially considering that in previous years, most teams had at least two captains. She admitted,“I felt a lot of pressure after coming second both years prior to improve and bring the win home”. However, the team left the audience in awe and positive feedback and compliments poured in, boosting their confidence, and setting the stage for a welldeserved celebration!

Tension gripped the team as the results were announced in reverse order. McCormick, squeezing a teammate’s hand anxiously, experienced a rollercoaster of emotions after they were announced champions. She said that “Everyone else jumped up and started screaming, but I curled up in a ball, fully in shock”. Following the exciting announcement she recalled that “A couple of tears were shed, but the relief and satisfaction as captain [that] I had led my team to victory was overwhelming!”. While winning was a significant goal, McCormick emphasised her gratitude towards the incredible and supportive team: “I really appreciate them for making this year’s [intervarsities] one of my highlights in Trinity.” The victory highlighted the strength of DU Dance’s Irish team as a dedicated and incredibly talented group of individuals, many of whom are still competing and gearing up for the top championships in the Irish Dancing Calendar.

The society faced initial challenges as it did not receive recognition status by the Central Societies Committee (CSC) at the beginning of the year. The

lack of recognition during the first semester undeniably impacted the overall preparation for intervarsities. Yet, in the face of adversity, DU Dance showcased resilience and determination. The success achieved at intervarsities stands as proof of the raw talent and unwavering support within the DU Dance community.

Lucy McQuaid, the 2023/24 chairperson of DU Dance, commented on how the CSC offers support in hiring studios off campus, but that this year the society had to get creative as they did not have the funding. Lucy commented,“Other competing colleges often have access to state-of-the-art on-campus dance studios, which is a luxury that we sadly don’t have at DU Dance,” Furthermore she said that “The preparation for intervarsities was impacted by our lack of recognition for the first semester. But overall, I think our success at intervarsities despite this is testament to the talent and support of our dancers”. The journey may have been tougher this year, but the dancers proved that their passion and dedication can

overcome any obstacle, earning them well-deserved applause on the intervarsity stage.

DU Dance is entirely managed by students. Every captain assumes the multifaceted role of choreographer, music creator, and team leader during the runup to the annual intervarsities competition. Simultaneously, the committee diligently manages behind-the-scenes responsibilities, ensuring the smooth execution, not only of intervarsities but also of weekly workshops and various other events. Many dancers have years of performance and competition experience, with intervarsities standing as yet another testament to their enduring dedication, hard work, and commitment to the blend of athleticism and artistry demanded by the sport. Successfully getting a team on stage and representing Trinity with such excellence is undeniably an incredible accomplishment.

Stay connected to this society by following them on Instagram @DUDance and keep up to date with their dance workshops and next year’s auditions!

“Coquette restaurants” – Worth the hype?

Jonathan

Wang investigates the fast-growing coquette trend and their influence on Dublin

The coquette aesthetic is a trend that has exploded in popularity since the start of the decade, influenced by the frilly, delicate and feminine styles of 18th century elites. The term is explained by social media influencer Devin Apollon as “girlycore with a mix of sultry Old English elegance”. To those of you (me included) who do not have the faintest idea of what this phrase alludes to, Apollon is referring to coquette as an umbrella term incorporating anything that presents itself as glamorous and graceful. The recent astronomical

skyrocketing of this style is attributed to various people and pieces of pop culture with the most notable being singer Lana Del Rey, whose outfits were a heavy inspiration, and the period drama Bridgerton, set during the Regency era of the United Kingdom.

The influence of Del Rey and Bridgerton, along with countless other icons of popular media today, has pushed the coquette style right into the dazzling glare of the limelight, assisting the trend in amassing over one billion views on TikTok. However, the coquette aesthetic has come under fire for its Caucasian-dominated foundations. The style’s emphasis on delicacy and daintiness presents a problematic correlation to infantile imagery that draws parallels with Vladmir Nabokov’s infamous novel Lolita, and also the “perfect” idea of one’s physical appearance.

Of course, fashion is not the only aspect of our culture to have evolved in accordance with the coquette aesthetic, but the restaurant industry has also experienced a shift towards these

stylistic values. Coquette inspired eateries with quirky designs have sprung up on every corner of the Dublin city centre, the most eyecatching establishments being Pink of South William Street and The Ivy of Dawson Street, just a couple of minutes from Trinity’s Nassau Street entrance. Pink is perhaps the most aesthetically coquette of the two, boasting a fully pink exterior and its interior, unsurprisingly, is characterised by different shades of the colour it is named after. The use of this sole colour palette correlates directly to coquette’s foundational elements; it presents itself as playful and feminine, to some an eyesore but to others, a haven of “girlycore”.

Aligning with its vibrant decor, Pink serves a range of eye-catchingly presented plates catering to those seeking a lighthearted meal in a cheerful, bright interior. Each of its dishes are marked by a signature touch of pink from the peppercorns, to the prawn tacos, and the white chocolate mousse heart dessert they serve encased in a deep pink icing and decorated with sprinkles

of dried raspberry – a slice of paradise, perfect for those desiring a precious sweet treat. Although prices are on the higher side, Pink’s remarkable interior and the entire dining experience will certainly be worth it if you are an avid lover of all things pink and coquettish. However, if you are not a fan of the coquette aesthetic or find the excess of colour overbearing, perhaps Pink is not a place you would enjoy.

On the other hand, The Ivy of Dawson Street is a more highend, decadent location tapping into the aforementioned “Old English elegance”. The decor of this establishment is lively, technicoloured and majestic, possessing plenty of colourful plants and crates of coquette character. However, the dishes that The Ivy has to offer are not as splendid as their interior seems; the prices of their mains are quite high for items that can be found on the menus of any other restaurant or gastropub in Dublin. While the food is presented in a distinctive fashion, it lacks fulfilling flavour and does not justify such inflated

costs. The ethics of this restaurant are not all glitz and glamour too, as it was notably embroiled in a years-long controversy over the management of staff tips. It was reported that the restaurant’s management were withholding a percentage of the card tips of their staff, leading to a case brought against The Ivy by former waitress Julie Marcinak in 2021, and several protests by other members of its waiting staff.

To me, this suggests that dining in The Ivy is not at all worth the hype. It is clear that the only outstanding attribute of the restaurant is its coquette, eccentric décor and the promise of the “Old English” style of dining, but the roots of this business and how it operates are deeply questionable. The unreasonable pricing of their dishes and the fact that diners have no idea if their gratuities are going in the pockets of the restaurant’s staff makes me think that it would be infinitely more worthwhile to sample the courses of a different restaurant in Dublin that values its employees as much as its customers. There is a stark

What, like it’s hard? Hist debates capitalism and climate change

Honey Morris discusses The Hist’s debate win against Harvard in: “This house believes capitalism is incompatible with solving climate change”

On Wednesday February 21, at 7:30 pm, Trinity College Dublin Historical Society sat down with Harvard University to debate the ever-growing problem of climate change. Officially the debate argued: “This house believes capitalism is incompatible with solving climate change.”

The Hist (TCD) began their argument that capitalism is incompatible with creating change with Lisa Basquelframing describing the state of the world: “Death is upon us.” While this gained a chuckle from the room, her statement was serious. Basquel went on to list the different ways in which the world is essentially preparing to kill us. She argued

that capitalism’s aim of maximising profit is incompatible with managing sustainability. Basquel said: “Production won’t stop until it’s forced to and it won’t be forced to until it’s too late.”

Her argument continued that governments need to intervene with big companies and their excessive and harmful productions. However this intervention goes against the “profit over people” mindset possessed by those running the same systems that would need to be intervening.

Theo Datta – the first debater from Harvard – then took the stand, and like his peers to follow, he began by thanking Hist and TCD for inviting their school to join this debate.

After the pleasantries, he dived into why capitalism is compatible with solving climate change.

Beginning his defence, he claimed that picking apart capitalism does not solve climate change, arguing that unless a working alternative is given, the best option is to work with the system that is already encouraging innovation. He further claimed that the “exploitation of resources is a human tendency” regardless of capitalism. In a capitalist system where people are able to thrive and continue in their economic growth and development, “people strive

much harder to innovate”. Datta confirmed that the team’s belief is that climate change can be solved within capitalism because capitalism allows space for the innovation of tools to combat the crisis.

Next on the stand from TCD was Srishti Nautiyal who steadied herself before beginning her time.

After a few deep breaths, she was full steam ahead. Nautiyal opened by pointing out the goal of capitalism is production: “Capitalism, even in the best case scenario, only ever saves assets; it never saves the people.” She

team: “You are solving madeup problems with made-up solutions.” Nautiyal continued that “capitalism will not save you because it does not care about you.” Since capitalism is based on profit, then there are winners: “if there are winners there are losers. Those losers look a certain way, they talk a certain way and they come from a certain part of the world. If people are making the system money, then they are assets, those are not people.”

Julia Shepard from Harvard took the stand next, giving her thanks to be here and light-

capitalist society”. Continuing, Shepard defended her team, clarifying that they were not claiming that capitalism is not responsible for climate change, but rather that the system that created the problem also has the resources and potential to solve the problem.

Shepard went on to state that with capitalism, “you can have your cake and eat it too”, reinforcing her point that climate change can be solved within a capitalist society while maintaining quality of life as well. She also points out that abonll of the technology produced to help the environment was made under capitalism. Shepard stated: “What you want is a long term investment in a sustainable future”, thus claiming capitalism is compatible with producing a

Next, Jack Palmer from TCD took the stand. His debate began by framing the situation with statistics of climate change, and the impact needed from society in order to begin healing what

Palmer mentioned that no inventions can “take carbon back”; the inventions made under capitalism can only reduce what damage has been done. He said: “In a competitive free market, if you are sustainable you will be too costly and not

contrast between the extravagance of The Ivy’s appearance and the restaurant’s dishonest, unappealing inner workings, correlating with how the coquette aesthetic appears beautiful on the surface but grows rotten as its history is brought to light.

On the whole, new coquette restaurants are most definitely a product of aesthetic evolution as business owners attempt to capitalise on such a fast growing trend – and these places certainly excel in the décor department, showcasing unique stylistic flair. They have conquered a highly niche segment of the notoriously rapid restaurant industry in Ireland, appealing to such a specific interest in style that I believe it would be rather unfair to compare their features to other establishments. As previously mentioned, restaurants like Pink are much more focused on providing their customers with an entertaining dining experience and drawing ecstatic exclamations with the presentation of each pleasingly pink dish than seeking the commendations of critics. Coquette dining in Dublin is, like the trend, a phenomenon waiting to strike the pot of popularity at the right moment and is currently satisfying the aesthetic cravings of those inspired by the flowers and frills of “coquettism”.

able to maintain sustainability.”

Palmer further commented: “We do not have the capability to keep our standard of living and lower the climate crisis.”

However, he urged the audience to not give up on solving the climate crisis. Rather, “we hit the goals now and save lives”. He continued that this “doesn’t mean we stop acting but live with the consequences.”

Finally, Daniel Perez representing Harvard began his debate by once again thanking the audience and TCD. Perez noted that climate change is an issue being caused by “8 billion people”, and that yes – climate change is happening, and yes – we are living in a capitalist society, but that climate change would exist in any economic system. Under capitalism, he said: “People are encouraged to try and solve the problem.” Following this, Perez comments that with this level of innovation people will enter a “rat race towards efficiency and cheapness” to solve climate change.

Perez defended capitalism, claiming it is allowed to solve the bad and that “capitalism is the thing that is enabling shifts in investments towards [sustainability]”.

After the final speaker took his seat, the judges left the room to discuss the winners of the debate. Once gone, the room voted TCD won the debate with a chorus of “ayes” when voting. Soon after, the judges joined the reception and announced to the room that TCD was the final winner of the debate, but saying it had not been not an easy decision to make.

Casual Instagram and the “perfect” college experience

Caitlin Parnell discusses the façade of the casual Instagram post

You have a painstaking ten minutes in between classes, your friends are elsewhere, you find yourself a seat outside the lecture hall, and before your brain can even consciously command it, your hand involuntarily reaches into your pocket, and all in one swift motion, you find yourself scrolling on Instagram. Sound familiar?

Well, don’t worry my friend, you are not in the minority. Opening Instagram has become second nature to most of us, haphazard scrolling sometimes filling up embarrassingly large proportions of the day. It’s no secret that social media apps like Instagram have expertly captured the attention and time of entire generations, to the extent that, while many of us might attempt the occasional cleanse, for most, we can’t quite fully commit

“

Opening Instagram has become second nature to most of us

to clicking “delete” forever. We all know this, just as well as we know and often openly discuss the ways that Instagram negatively affects our mental health. So why do we continue to pretend that this isn’t the case?

If your following feed is anything like mine, then this description might sound familiar to you: blurry candids; angled shots of empty kitchens; screenshots of humorous text conversations; elusive captions or, better yet, ironically honest ones. Some might not be able to remember a time when Instagram didn’t appear so “casual”. But if we cast our minds back, we might recall that pre-pandemic, the influencer world was dominated by mystery and perfection

(#wokeuplikethis, anyone?). We might think of perfect holiday pics and professional photoshoots, of filters and photoshop. This is by no means to suggest that these features have become totally extinct. But there is no denying that once we all retreated indoors, the need to cultivate perfection followed us there, and Instagram became much more about documenting our day to day lives in a way that appears blasé and nonchalant. And, like most things, this has trickled down from the professionals to the everyday Instagram user.

Now, the notion of contorting our bodies in flattering ways and digitally enhancing our faces is cringe. Perfection must not be tried for – it must appear to come to us easily, and we must not be seen to care. Those of us who were in college during the pandemic (hello graduating class of 2024) might remember this phenomenon feeling particularly relevant at the time. Anyone not fortunate enough to live in halls in 2020 might remember longingly and bitterly scrolling past photo dump after photo dump of what looked like the perfect college experience: abandoned dinner tables scattered with half-empty wine glasses and candids of friends (God forbid) hugging abound. But those of us who were trapped in halls at the time, disconnected from home and family, might remember things differently… Though now most of us have integrated back into the real world, this trend hasn’t left us. Now our posts feature more depictions of nightlife and outdoor activities, as well as many more people, but the style is very much the same. We might struggle to do any activity with friends without going out of our way to capture a moment

that appears accidental. We could spend upwards of half an hour putting together the perfect photo dump, striking the ideal balance between unflattering and “accidentally” hot. We might strain to come up with a suitable caption. And all of this to make it appear as though none of it took any time or effort at all.

My concern is, why? Why do we continue to perpetuate this presentation of the perfect life while simultaneously openly acknowledging how it makes us feel? The use of social media during the pandemic was the perfect example of how comparison kills joy, but we know that for most of us it wasn’t contained to that time. We’ve read the articles, seen the studies, and more than that we’ve had the conversations. So

“ Why do we continue to perpetuate this presentation of the perfect life?

why is there a persistent cognitive dissonance?

For a generation that grew up in the digital world as much as the real one, questions of how we present ourselves online are the norm; the fact that we will

be presenting ourselves at all is already assumed. As much as we are already a self-conscious species in the real world, this translates tenfold onto the online one, where there exists an illusion that we have total control over how others can perceive us. Embarrassed that your college life isn’t exactly like the ones that appear to you online? No worries! That’s the very space where you can make it appear as though you have it all together, that yours is an extravagant social life of parties and friend-group activities instead of one that largely doesn’t exist outside of the library or your workplace. In essence, that cultivated mosaic of images becomes part of our identity; it is the primary way that a certain number of people perceive us, and we’re aware of that. While posting in this way on Instagram does perpetuate this trend of accidental perfection, it is first and foremost a product of it. The app is as successful as it is because its creators know that we are victims to our own egos, and that we will continue to use it as a means to take control despite knowing, deep down, that everyone else is doing the same thing.

If your use of Instagram is something that bothers you, of course I can suggest deleting it. But if you’re a human being like me, then that probably won’t work. Instead, maybe try pushing yourself to post things that don’t follow this trend. Be more honest with your followers, post things that you actually think are worth sharing or remembering – have fun with it! More importantly, only post when you really want to, instead of when you feel pushed to. You could start by trying to notice the difference. Who knows? Maybe you’ll start to feel like your real life isn’t so undeserving of being seen.

Puzzles

Across

3. A student in his or her third or fourth year in College (9)

8. The head of the University (7)

9. City in the Crimea where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin had a conference in 1945 (5)

10. Forefathers or predecessors (9)

11. Tavern, bar or hostelry (3)

12. A child or a young goat (3)

14. Infective agents that multiply within the living cells of a host (7)

15. Otherwise a newt (3)

16. A line on a weather map that shows places of equal

BADown

1, 2. Location of the most recent student accommodation building (8,5,6)

3. Goldsmith play: She ...... to Conquer (6)

4. Ernest Walton was the long-time professor of this

atmospheric pressure (6)

17. Evil spirits that rob graves and feed on dead bodies (6)

20. Of salty water or the sea (5)

21. English university on a par with TCD (9)

23. Young swans (7)

25. There’s a big one inside the Campanile (4)

26. University city in Munster (4)

28. A lifetime or eternity from a sage! (4)

30. Franklin, 32nd president of the USA (9)

32. American media company that operates social networking (7)

department at the east end of College (7)

5. Location of TCD’s rowing club headquarters (12)

6. William Makepeace, 19th century English author, best known for his novel Vanity Fair (9)

7. There are many of these tall circular stone structures scattered about Ireland (5,6)

13. Conjunction found in a shifter! (2)

18. The most recent of the TCD’s libraries, at the east end of College (8)

19. It caused the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 (7)

20. Samuel, Irish novelist, dramatist and theatre director; a lecture theatre in College is named after him (7)

22. Male bees or small

remote-controlled flying machines (6)

24. The number of rowers in each of the boats that takes part in the Oxford and Cambridge boat race (5)

27. The colour of PhD gowns (3)

29, A knight’s title (3)

31. π (2)