Our annual guide to who’s who in Trinity is back and better than ever! We profile Trinity’s 20 most notable and notorious students.
Erin Trought explores Belfast band Kneecap and their supersonic rise to fame in light of their recent film
Emma Egan dicusses the prevalence of sport in film and its summer on-screen.
Molly Wetsch speaks to former Chief Medical Officer and current adjunct professor Tony Holohan about the challenges university students face today.
Brídín Ní Fhearraigh-Joyce EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
College has lodged a legal opposition with the American Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against WWE wrestler Trinity Fatu’s use of her name on merchandise. The legal reasons listed for opposing Trinity Fatu’s trademark, is the similarity in names is determined by College to cause a “likelihood of confusion” and “dilution by tarnishment” of Trinity’s brand.
For Trinity Fatu, this means an extensive list of goods and services that would have her birth name “Trinity” included are opposed. In this opposition made by the college, the use of her birth name in the following instances are prohibited: wrestling contests, entertainment services, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wres-
tler and entertainer; live appearances by a professional wrestlers and sports entertainer, providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network, and providing online interviews featuring a professional wrestler and sports entertainer in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainmentforentertainmentpurposes.
College declined to answer The University Times’ questions regarding the legal fees incurred by Trinity’s trademark oppositions generally, and the costs concerning Trinity Fatu’s trademark opposition specifically. A spokesperson for the university commented on the situation via email that “it is usual for any trademark owner to lodge an opposition to an application which contains similar words in the same classes of goods and services. In Trinity’s case, this occurs several times a year and is generally a first step in a pro-
cess that leads to a negotiation.”
“Trinity College Dublin is a registered trademark in the US in Class 41 Education and Class 25 Clothing. A watch service set up via external Trademark Agents alerts the University to any trademark applications in the U.S. in classes that contain any elements of our registered mark.”
The spokesperson’s statement implies that the trademark opposition is to block the trademark of clothing that Trinity Fatu may sell, however documents seen by The University Times have shown that Trinity Fatu is currently blocked completely from using her name in a professional merchandising capacity.
The college also shares its name with Trinity College Cambridge, and Trinity College Connecticut, which are titles that are not yet trademarked.
June 2024 Gaza native Ezzeldeen Alswerky was accepted into the Trinity Biochemistry and Immunology department to work as a research assistant under associate professor Amir Khan. However, he has been unable to leave Gaza to take up this position. Alswerky is a graduate of the Biotechnology program at the Islamic University of Gaza. After his graduation in August, he continued his graduate project on biocommunication while working as a volunteer research assistant in a cancer lab.
A year’s worth of Alswerky’s research was disrupted and lost when the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) bombed the Islamic University of Gaza on October 10th, 2023. In an effort to flee the war and continue his scientific career, he applied to institutions in Brazil, the U.S.A and Ireland, eventually choos-
ing Trinity over the others due to Ireland’s sympathetic stance towards the Palestinian plight. However, the means of finding refuge in, or fleeing Gaza are painstakingly slim. The IDF claim to target Hamas hideouts, however the group are known to burrow under residential neighbourhoods, blurring any clear boundaries between the civilian and militant world.
At 365 square kilometres, with a population of 2.1 million, the Gaza Strip is even more densely populated than New York City, the result being that there are few, if any, safe places to hide or travel to the border. Palestinians may legally enter Egypt with a foreign passport, a foreign country lobbying on their behalf, approved medical aid, or, as a last resort, the payment of a coordination fee. Since the outbreak of the war, these costs have hiked up from €225 - 630, to €5,000- €6,750, making them unaffordable for most.
In order to apply for an Irish visa, Alswerky will have to first find a way into Egypt, and fears being un-
Ella Chepak investigates how Trinity College treats international students differently from Irish students. PAGE 2»
able to afford the coordination fee. His contract has been postponed to November in the meantime.
“I am stuck here and suffering from starvation and traumas everyday” he said in a statement to the University Times, “this war has cost me a brother, a family business, and my home”.
Alswerky’s Principal Investigator, biochemistry associate professor Amir Khan, asked the administration to facilitate and expedite the process of the contract. Alswerky has received no other support from Trinity.
Postdoctoral researcher at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Research Donna Rodgers-Lee is in regular contact with Alswerky. Rodgers stated in an email to The University Times that the Palestinian researcher has had no contact from Trinity with regards to his safety, despite living in an active warzone and having secured a contract with the College.
Thirteen scholarships have been offered to students in Gaza seeking to continue their education at Trinity, according to a spokesperson from the administration. Since January 2024, Trinity has been working in collaboration with youth-led non-profit project We Are Not Numbers (WANN) to facilitate access to Trinity for students in Gaza. The program has since been expanded, and the funding towards it has doubled, as part of the encampment agreement reached in May between students and College management.
Last May, Trinity College Dublin Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Group (TCD BDS) led a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” outside the Arts Block on campus that lasted five days. Its professed goals were to sever all ties with Israeli institutions, and provide reparations to Palestine in the form of a number of scholarships reserved for students in Gaza.
Fees for these students have been waived, and accommodation will be provided for through Trinity’s Sanctuary Fund, which was set up in 2022 to help refugees in light of the Ukraine war. However, the conditions under which these students are expected to leave Gaza to accept the scholarships are unclear. A number of prospective students receiving
scholarships from College that have made it to Egypt will be able to travel to Dublin, but for those remaining in Palestine Obstacles such as the sealed border between Gaza and Egypt and the expense of fleeing could complicate the process. When asked whether Trinity had a procedure in place to help students unable to leave the Gaza Strip, a College spokesperson replied “We are monitoring the situation and will continue to work with the students and key stakeholders”. College declined to offer comment on the cases of individual students from Gaza due to privacy reasons.
Freja Goldman tries to reconcile Ryanair’s €2.5 million donation to College research with TCD’s commitment to sustainability. PAGE 11
A 2023 survey found that 90% of TCD students were in favour of an Ethnic Minority support group being created.
Martha McKinney-Perry has made history as the first Irish woman to win the European Debating Championships.
recognized as the second-best speaker in
and Cullinan as the ninth. “The best mindset
at a competition of
and in debating in general, is to take the competition one round at a time. Even the Grand Final is just another debate,” McKinney-Perry told The University Times. Cullinan shared that Rumen Marinov, a former European and World finalist from Bulgaria, advised him that “simplicity in argumentation and a heavy stylistic emphasis on persuasion” were essential for success. The pair have been attending weekly online Hist debate training sessions over the summer, coached by former world finalist Ilija Ivanišević.
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Rankings ranked over 1,500 universities across multiple countries and territories in the 2025 edition of its annual report on the top global universities. The report ranks universities based on employer and academic reputation, student-to-faculty member ratio, and citation per faculty member. The QS World Rankings system aims to provide accurate data about higher education institutions for prospective students. Trinity College Dublin ranked 87th globally, scoring 62.9 out of a 100 overall score. Compared to the previous year’s 81st spot, Trinity’s ranking fell considerably due to its sustainability score. The university’s sustainability score fell from 75.6 points to 57.7, putting Trinity in the 277th spot in the QS World University Sustainability Rankings table. In subject rankings, Trinity saw a steady rise in its Arts and Humanities subjects, landing in the 52nd spot, with subjects like English (21), Performing Arts (40) and
Theology (49) placed in the top 50. Factoring in data such as academic reputation, H-index citations and employer reputation, the Arts and Humanities department’s ranking demonstrates a clear dedication to academic excellence. While the Arts and Humanities subjects placed highly in the table, STEM subjects have either maintained or fallen in their respective rankings, most notably Computer Science, which moved from its 91st spot to the 109th. However, subjects like Pharmacy (26) and Nursing (26) have kept their strong presence in the upper top 50. Overall, most Arts and Humanities subjects have ranked considerably higher than STEM subjects, however, almost all of Trinity’s subjects remain in the top 100, reaffirming its status as a world-class institution.
The gap between STEM and Arts and Humanities subjects is evident even from the College’s report on said rankings by the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute’s Communications Officer. Only spotlighting its high score in the Arts, the QS World Rankings by Subject report is only mentioned on the Institute’s website. In a similar report published in the News section of Trinity’s website, the College’s large jump
in employer reputation is praised while the decrease in the Sustainability ranking is not mentioned. Earlier this year, the Provost expressed her gratitude to the staff and students on LinkedIn, thanking them for Trinity’s consistently high ranking: “It is the talent of our staff and students that has placed Trinity in the Top 100 universities in the world for three years in a row now.” Doyle also voiced concerns about the sustainability of maintaining a high QS ranking, saying, “This position, however, remains unsustainable, especially in a country that has allowed investment into education and research to take a backseat.” In comparison to other Irish universities, Trinity College lands at the top of the table, with University College Dublin (UCD) coming in second on the 126th spot. University College Cork (UCC) and the University of Galway both took the 273rd spot. With the exception of Trinity College, no other Irish university has made it into the top 100 in the QS report. Overall, Trinity remains a strong presence in the top 100 universities in the world, with 22 subjects ranking in the top 100, marking Trinity as having a strong academic reputation internationally. Trinity’s sustainability score fell from 75.6 points to 57.7, putting it in the 277th spot in the QS World University Sustainability Rankings table.
payers
Trinity’s board have approved a €3.9 million surplus for the 2022/2023 year, according to an Irish Times report. In 2021/2022 College reported a deficit of €400,000 Euro. In a previous statement made to The University Times concerning the retracted fine of TCDSU in May of 2024, a spokesperson for the College stressed that “Trinity College Dublin is a not-for-profit organisation”.
In May of this year Trinity issued a fine of over €200,000 to TCDSU to recoup the costs incurred by forced closures to the Book of Kells exhibit caused by multiple protests. Eighteen higher education Institutions flagged a projected deficit for 2022/2023 to the Higher Education Authority last year, including Trinity. Provost Linda Doyle attributed the unexpected surplus to “careful cost management, increased income and lower energy prices on average than had been expected”.
At present, The University of Limerick (UL) flagged with the Higher Education Authority a
deficit of €700,000 for 2023/ 2024. he college has come under fire from the Labour Party for overspending on accommodation purchases. Labour Councillor and Dáil Candidate hopeful for Limerick City Conor Sheehan issued a statement on Friday the 13th of September stating that the findings made by the Comptroller and Auditor General on UL’s finances “highlights the utter dearth of accountability and oversight at UL. This egregious overspend on both the Dunnes’ site and for houses in UL is absolutely shocking.There are serious questions as to what level of attention, if any, has been given by the University when it comes to spending enormous sums of money on accommodation. Following the publication of the report, it’s time for a root and branch investigation to be carried out into this exorbitant overspending. UL representatives must present themselves to PAC [the public accounts committee]. The public has a right to understand just what when on here [sic]. There must be accountability to understand how good tax
of living for students is 15,632 euros which is 536 euros more than last year. Since their study last year, Switcher has found an average 3% increase in the cost of living. The average cost for entertainment and groceries jumped the most, with both increasing by 5%, or 165 euros and 90 euros respectively. Rent also saw a steep increase with student accommodations in Dublin, Carlow, Limerick, and Kerry occasionally charging an extra 500 euros per year. Dublin was also ranked as the city with the most expensive rent, with an average cost of 958 euros per month. To contrast, the monthly rent is 574 euros in Galway and 381 euros per month in Letterkenny. The commercial director of Switcher, Eoin Clarke, commented on the increase, saying “essentials like rent, food shops, and energy bills have skyrocketed in the past few years, and additional costs for gym membership, cheap eats, and the price of a pint are on the up, too. Our study found that in 2024, college-goers will have to pay around €536 more per year, while non-EU students could spend up to €924 more”. The report
“Students are sleeping in cars, couch surfing, and commuting far outside Dublin City Centre.”
making the offering or advertising of accommodation for sex in lieu of rent a criminal offence.”
“A
for sex, or had seen a room that was being advertised in exchange for sex.” Among these survey results, 54% of those who witnessed a sex for rent scheme identified as female. This mirrors the results of the research conducted by the Women’s Council in previous years.
In August of 2023, Sinn Fein proposed breakthrough legislation in response to the sex for rent crisis. The proposed Sinn Fein bill amends the 2004 Residential Tenancies Act to criminalise any sex for rent scheme, just as the Women’s Council, ICOS, and members of the public called for.
When introducing the bill, Eoin O Broin, Dublin Mid-West TD, reiterated that “seeking sex for rent is a disgusting predatory form of behaviour. It should be outlawed.” Under Section 19 of the Act, this bill will make it “an offence for a landlord to seek or to advertise to seek sex in lieu of part or all the rent for that tenancy.”
The bill is through to Dáil Éireann, First Stage and was debated in the House of Oireachtas this past March. In an official statement emailed to The University Times, the Department of Justice explains that “the Minister has been clear that any accommodation provider using their position to prey on vulnerable people is completely unacceptable and she has committed to addressing this exploitative behaviour by
However, there is still a long legislative battle ahead to solidify the bill. Four stages of Dáil Éireann remain until the amendment is debated yet again before it can be signed by the President. In the meantime, the Department of Justice is working closely with the Office of the Attorney General to continue drafting provisions for this amendment, according to their official statement. Within an official statement emailed to the University Times, the National Women’s Council (NWC) comments that “[we] welcome Sinn Féin’s focus on achieving positive change in relation to ‘sex for rent’ exploitation. Any activity that keeps this kind of predatory and exploitative practice under the microscope and on the agenda is valuable. However, we are unconvinced that this bill will bring about the change they seek.” The Council expresses concern that this bill could completely bypass the reality of the problem. More often than not, sex for rent advertisements are for single rooms to let. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, someone renting out a single room is not legally considered a landlord. In the proposal, it specifies that landlords who advertise sex for rent will be penalised. “This means that they could continue this activity unhindered by the new law,” explains the NWC. The Council suggests that the Department of Justice creates a new and specific named offence for sex for rent with clear labels of predatory landlords. They explain it is imperative to “define the specific behaviours involved so as not to overlap or interfere with other legislation.” Although the recently enacted Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024 will better ensure protection and privacy of victim-survivors of sexual offences, according to the DOJ’s official statement, the legal specificity outlawing sex for rent is fundamental to proactively combat exploitative housing practices.
Chairperson of the Board of Trinity College Dublin, Paul Farrell, and other Board members expressed their concerns over continued Board leaks in published minutes from a May 22nd Board meeting. Chairperson Farrell described Board members experiencing “considerable personal distress” over the leaks that have been ongoing over the past four years. As summarised in the May 22nd minutes, Board members expressed that these ongoing breaches of confidentiality have a “chilling effect on free speech” and must not be ignored. It was also stated that it would “not be usual for Boards to not have measures in place to deal with such breaches”. Additionally, as these Board leaks have been occurring over the past four years, there had been past warnings by the then Chair of the Board (now Provost) that it “would be necessary to put measures in place” if breaches continued.
The minutes then noted the response of Chairperson Farrell in
which he acknowledged sanctions against breaches are upheld in other universities, though there are no such provisions in the current Trinity Statues. It is then stated that Farrell observed such sanctions would “provide a mechanism to deal with egregious misbehaviour by Board members”.
Provost, Dr Linda Doyle, indicated that the “suggestion of delineating sensitive items as confidential would be considered”. She additionally expressed her openness to work with Board members who may be responsible for informing constituencies about Board meeting issues.
Paul Farrell ended the meeting’s discussion over the breaches by “acknowledging the sensitivity of introduction sanctions so soon after recent events”. It is crucial to note that this May 22nd board meeting was held just days after Trinity students concluded their successful BDS encampment protest over Trinity’s connection to Israel. However, the conversation sanctions around aforementioned breaches have been ongoing, particularly at the Board’s February 2023 meeting in which a decision to draft rules for consideration had been made. Min-
utes from the February meeting record that “given the potentially serious and damaging consequences resulting from breaches, the Board approved a proposal to request the Registrar to draft proposed sanctions clauses for inclusion in the Statutes and to bring these to a future meeting of the Board for approval”.
Farrell then noted that it would be a conflict of interest to chair the future discussion of leaks, as he himself had been “personally impacted by a breach”. It was then decided by the Board that the Deputy Chairperson, Mary Kelly, would take up that responsibility in the future. In addition to this decision, it was also determined that the Secretary to the College/ Director of Governance, Victoria Butler, would “liaise with the Registrar to review the process of succession planning following the removal of a Board member”, expressing the necessity for a “robust” plan for such replacements to be made.
To conclude the discussion surrounding the breaches, members of the Board agreed that conversation encompassing the item should “remain strictly confidential”.
“I always… knew wanted to get involved in this sort of activism” explains Quinn Katz-Zogby, a Senior Freshman PPES student, currently serving as Chair of the Trinity Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) group. Being the grandson of John Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, Katz-Zogby may seem a natural candidate for the role. However, having previously served as one of Trinity BDS’s First Year Representatives, Katz-Zogby’s ascendance to the role of Chair arguably represents a shift in the management of Trinity BDS. Patrick Keegan, a Junior Sophister Business and Politics student and previous Secretary of Trinity BDS, explained this was a new addition to the committee from last year because Trinity BDS had “added two First Year Reps and one Postgrad Rep to the committee”. Expanding the committee, he explains, “really helps with organisation because… not everybody is going to be able to do everything because we’re students as well, first and foremost”. Katz-Zogby also supports the expansion of Trinity BDS’s committee. He explained that when he became a first year representative “a lot of
the people who were on the committee… were leaving and… of the ten members of our committee… only five or six were remaining in Trinity”. He goes on to say that first year reps“are basically just there to learn and help out with what can be helped with… the intention was to create a larger committee, that would be able to have more organisational capacity, and would bring new people in that were not just people who knew the other committee members”. He believes the engagement aspect of this role has been successful, since he and his fellow first year reps from the previous academic year have continued to serve on the committee in different roles.
Among Katz-Zogby’s most notable responsibilities on last year’s committee was corresponding with Senator Lynn Ruane. As one of Trinity’s representatives in the Seanad, Katz-Zogby coordinated with Senator Ruane regarding support she and her office could provide to support May’s BDS encampment. This involved Senator Ruane attending a meeting with Trinity BDS, which Keegan sat in on and described as “very productive”. Keegan also explained that “probably about a month before the encampment she had sent an email to the Provost with the other members of the civil engagement group in the Seanad and Linda Doyle ignored the
Trinity “can’t just leave us in the dust and not fulfil [their] end of the bargain and we need to be in a position where we can make those promises and that we can fulfil them, if Trinity decides they do not want to keep working with us on this.”
email… from multiple senators”.
When asked to comment on this matter, Senator Ruane’s office responded saying “Senator Ruane wrote to the Provost in March, alongside a number of former Senators from the University of Dublin panel in Seanad Éireann, to urge the College to be a clear and urgent voice for the protection of civilian life, and against genocide, in Gaza. The Senators explicitly called on the College to terminate its business and research relationships with Israeli companies and institutions with immediate effect and asked that the Provost would meet to discuss their concerns further. The office of the Provost acknowledged receipt of the letter, but a formal response or a meeting were never offered. have attached the letter above for reference. Senator Ruane was glad to meet with representatives of Trinity BDS in Leinster House in May, and to extend her full support for their collective action and planned encampment. The impact of Trinity BDS, TCDSU and the broader student body’s organising was immediate and profound, demonstrating the importance of collective action in affecting the change we wish to see at institutional, community and societal levels.” In addition to this comment, Senator Ruane’s office provided The University Times with a copy of the letter sent to Provost Linda Doyle. The letter was signed by, among others, former Senator David Norris and Labour leader Ivana Bacik. Provost Linda Doyle has yet to respond to The University Times’ request to comment. When prompted, Katz-Zogby described the circumstances which resulted in the success of May’s encampment as the “Perfect Storm”. He discussed the importance of administrative factors behind the encampment’s success, explaining that “we were lucky… we had… administrators that were sympathetic… we also had… a law that was much more amenable to protesters than they have in America… and private security at Trinity is not allowed to touch students, which was another huge help for us… we knew going into it that we just had to not escalate those confrontations that were bound
to happen, and we would be safe.” Keegan emphasised popular support for May’s enampment, stating “Once you saw the polls that came out from Trinity News, think eighty something percent of students supported the Encampment”. He went on to say “When you look at Ireland… very, very high polling among the population… that supports Palestine versus Israel. It’s Ireland’s very different situation… than anywhere else in the Western World… once the media picked it up in Ireland, I think there was no going back.” This attitude is shared by Katz-Zogby, who explained that even when faced with certain hurdles “you can still have a successful encampment because of the popular support and outpouring of dedication to this movement that I think is really inspiring”. Katz-Zogby’s conversation with The University Times concluded with Trinity BDS’s plans for the coming academic year. He discussed a willingness for BDS to work with the administration to form a meaningful framework for ending Trinity’s investments in occupied Palestinian territo-
ries. However, Katz-Zogby wants to go further and pressure Trinity to end all investments in “deeply exploitative and oppressive structures that exist around the world”. Katz-Zogby believes this involves setting clear parameters for Trinity’s investments and pressuring the administration to implement these demands. He emphasised the importance in demonstrating “that we’re not a one trick pony” and that Trinity “can’t just leave us in the dust and not fulfil [their]
Tcheann i mBaile Átha Cliath) a bhí ar an bhfód ó 1967. Áit álainn ina raibh idir chiorcail comhrá, réabhacha, cóisirí, féilte Bróid, agus i bhfad eile ann. Ní hamháin gur láthair shóisialta don Ghaeilge a bhí ann, ach croílár phobal na Gaeilge mBaile Átha Cliath. Anois, beidh sé dúnta ó deireadh na míosa seo ar feadh 3 bliana, agus an foirgneamh uilig á atógáil ó bhun go barr. Rud go raibh an-ghá leis, chun an fhírinne ghlan a dhéanamh. Is dócha gurb é freagra chuile dhuine ar an scéal seo ná brón. Brón, go bhfuil áit chomh lárnach inár saol le himeacht – fiú ar feadh píosa beag ama. Bhí brón orm an chéad uair a chuala mé é – ní mé cé chaoi nach mbeadh. D’fhoghlaim mé mo chuid Gaeilge ann. Gan é is dócha nach amháin go mbeinnse gan líofacht na Gaeilge, ach gan a bheith in Éirinn ar chor ar bith. Is de bharr na Gaeilge ná tháinig mé go hÉirinn – agus de bharr an Chlub (i measc neart rudaí eile) a raibh ceangail chomh láidir tréan agam leis an teanga. Tá brón orm go bhfuil sé le dúnadh. Mar atá ar chuile dhuine a caith seal ann riamh, cheapfainn. Ach ní hé seo scéal an bhróin, ach scéal dóchais – fiú muna bhfeictear go soiléir go fóill é. Ré úr dóchais atá os ár gcomhair. Níl caillte againn ag foighneamh. Tá an Club – a phobal fhéin – beo bríomhar. Agus gan mhagadh gan cheist, beidh lucht an Chlub fós ag cóisireacht agus ag réabh-áil! Tá neart grúpaí – Amhránaithe an Chlub, Craobh 1916, GaelGáirí – fós ann. Ach beidh siad níos feiceálaí ná riamh anois. Scaipthe amach, b’fhéidir, ach scaipthe tríd an bpopal. dtithe tábhairne éagsúla thart ar Bhaile Átha Cliath, ag triall áiteacha ar leith agus ag meascadh leis an mórshaol. Cá bhfios nach mbeidh fás gan coinne ann? Cá bhfios nach mbeidh an réidh úr seo in ann daoine nua a mhealladh chun na Gaeilge, tuilleadh gaoth a chur seolta shaol na Gaeilge? Nílim cinnte cad a tharlós –agus is féidir nach fás ach cúlú a bheas ann. Ach an t-aon rud atá cinnte anois ná seo: is leatsa an rogha sin. Is leatsa an rogha bheidh mar chuid de (oll)phobal na Gaeilge mBaile Átha Cliath. Is leatsa an rogha leanúint ar aghaidh ag freastal ar fhéilte agus ar réabhacha. Is leatsa an rogha áit nua a thabhairt don Chlub sa phríomhchathair. Cloisim daoine i gcónaí ag rá gur Gaeltacht
By engaging with over 140 countries, Trinity’s goal is to increase its global diversification.
Tate students, an opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures. According to Trinity’s Global Annual report, during the 2023-2024 school year, “63 Trinity students supported the CASA Dublin,” joining universities such as Brown University and Columbia University.
The report also discussed both Trinity’s recent celebration of the Indian holiday Diwali, hosted by the Vice President for Global Engagement and the second annual “‘Łukasiewicz Lecture’, in collaboration with the Polish Embassy and the School of Mathematics,”
Emma Stokes, Trinity’s Vice President for Global Engagement, summarised Trinity’s new initiatives to expand its footprint, describing the “Pathway to Belonging” initiative as a “tangible commitment, a programme intended to support students by making them feel welcome at Trinity”. This program supports students in their transition to college and integration into Irish culture, helping place Trinity on the radar of students worldwide.
Trinity’s approach to globalisation has been multifaceted, including fostering international cooperation and the free exchange of ideas with initiatives including, “visits to and from embassies as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs, European institutions including ambassadors, government delegations, dignitaries, and donors to the University”. However these efforts have not been without critique. According to Business Post, The former Provost Patrick Prendergast was accused of treating international students as “cash cows”, attempting to globalise Trinity for the sake of increasing college funds. While Trinity’s globalisation has undoubtedly increased Trinity’s international presence, there has been a debate in the past whether international students’ economic contributions are favoured over the cultural diversity they bring to campus. CAO First Round Offers Released, Trinity Supplies Record Number of Places
Wetsch DEPUTY EDITOR
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has voted to approve its pre-budget requests for submission to the government ahead of Budget 2025, with an extensive list of supports requested for higher-level education students across the country. The submission, titled “Help Out or Get Out,” maintains several key stances that the USI has pushed in the wake of the pandemic, as rising costs of living and accommodation crises remain at the forefront of students’ priorities. Some of the heaviest focus of the submission is on living and accommodation supports for students; the USI has requested €2 billion for the fully-supported creation of 30,000 new beds in student accommodation, which comes on the back of the well-documented accommodation shortage as colleges supply record numbers of places in the CAO. Pro-
Wetsch and
the minimum points requirement, compared to nine in 2022 and 17 in 2021. In a statement, Vice Provost Orla Sheils said she was “delighted” to reduce this number, calling the process of random selection “particularly difficult for students”.
The four courses offered by random selection were Psychology, Management Science and Information System Studies (MSISS), Pharmacy and Business, Economic and Social Studies (BESS). Two single honours courses, Dental Science and MSISS, required the maximum grades of 625 points.
In the case of MSISS, because of random selection, not all applicants who obtained the maximum 625 points were offered a place.
Eight courses required at least 600 points at Round One, down from nine last year. The minimum points requirement for Medicine dropped from 745 points to 741, accounting for the inclusion of HPAT points. Sheils commented: “In the case of Medicine, it’s evident that the provision of additional student places has had an impact. This shows what can be done to alleviate pressure on students, in the interests of our broader society, when government acts to support higher education.” Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures (MEELC) saw the biggest drop in points, falling from 552 to 473. Following a 131% increase in applications for Music Education, points for the course rose by 103 to 555.
Cuireann bás Nell
The USI is also requesting free public transport for students, which was a request that went unfulfilled by the government from last year’s pre-budget submission. In the report, the union estimates that the measure would cost €200 million. For international students, the pre-budget submission requests an elimination of the Stamp 2 visa’s yearly renewal policy, which costs those from outside the EU €300 every year. Additionally, the USI calls on the government to give higher education institutions funding to support asylum seekers and refugees seeking higher-level education.
Other notable requests include the payment of a living wage for placement students, as well as student workers, the removal of apprenticeship registration fees and an additional €1 million for free period products distributed across colleges.
vost Linda Doyle has called the situation a “real crisis,” and the government has promised the construction of 358 new beds in Dartry to supplement Trinity Halls. In June 2024, Minister for Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan specified that funding was not yet sourced for the project, which was announced in 2019. The union also doubled down on prior requests left unfulfilled by the government, most notably increased supports for postgraduate workers. The union acknowledged the government’s efforts to support postgraduates through bolstered maintenance grants, but said “there is a pressing need for more substantial action to address the financial strain on postgraduate students.” The submission requests a minimum €25,000 stipend for all postgraduate researchers and a cap on postgraduate fees at €3000. The report acknowledged the government’s reduction of fees in the last two budgets and argues that those measures prove an ability to permanently reduce higher education fees in Ireland. The union requested a permanent reduction of fees by €1500 as well as plans to completely abolish fees enacted “over the next few years.”
TCDSU Declares a Dubious New Win for Trans Healthcare at College
Molly Wetsch and Brídín Ní Fhearraigh-Joyce DEPUTY EDITOR AND EDITOR IN CHIEF
Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) have declared a win for trans healthcare via the College Health service, according to a post made on Friday by TCDSU. The union said that blood tests are available by personal request through College Health, calling the move a reaffirmation of support for trans students.
When asked whether students can request blood tests from College Health personally or through their personal GP, College Health Director David McGrath said “yes,” according to correspondence between TCDSU and McGrath seen by The University Times. For trans students, regular blood testing is essential to confirm that dosage levels of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) are correct and that critical complications like blood clots do not occur in conjunction with the use of HRT.
ditional services that are not already offered by other GPs.
or new services for transgender people, nor did he claim that College Health has changed its policy for transgender students.
McCafferty i gcuimhne dúinn an obair shuntasach a rinne sí ar son mná na hÉireann. Gan a cuid oibre ní bheadh an gluaiseacht ar son cearta na mban chomh forbartha in Éirinn is atá inniu. De bharr seo tá sé tábhachtach smaoineamh siar ar a saol agus ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar a cuid oibre. Rugadh McCafferty ar Thaobh an Bhogaigh ar an 28ú Márta 1944. Laochra de bharr a chuid troide ar son ceart na mban in Éirinn. In am nuair a bhí troid foiréigeanach ar son ceart in Éirinn, throid McCafferty go síochánta tríd a cuid litríochta agus de bharr seo ní dhéanfar dearmad go deo uirthi. D’fhreastail McCafferty ar Ollscoil na Banríona i mBéal Feirste, áit a raibh sí mbun staidéir na Staire agus an Bhéarla. Deirtear gurb seo an áit ar chothaigh a cuid barúileacha faoi chearta na mban. Tháinig forbairt ar a dearcadh polaitiúil anseo chomh maith, rud a bhfuil soiléir ina céad píosaí iriseoireachta agus ina díospóireachtaí sa choláiste. Ach é seo ráite, is sna 70óidí a thosaigh tuaraimí agus argóintí McCafferty a scaipeadh go rathúil tríd a cuid iriseoireachta. Bhí sí mar iriseoir príomhúil ag an Irish Times, Hot Press, agus Sunday Times. Tháinig cáil uirthi mar iriseoir nár shéan ó thopaicí choigilteacha nó chonspóideacha. Bhí sé seo soiléir ina cuid scríbhneoireachta ar Chás na Leanaí Chiarraí agus ina dráma The Rape Crisis Centre chomh maith. Nocht sí fadhbanna a bhí ag croílár na tíre leis na píosaí seo, ag taispeáint nach raibh eagla uirthi troid ar son ceart na mban go crua agus go cróga fiú má raibh sé conspóideach ag an am. Chomh maith le seo bronnadh an duais Jacob’s Journalist uirthi de bharr a cuid oibre ag Corn Domhanda 1990. Bhí McCafferty lárnach mbunú an eagraíocht Saoirseacht Mná na hÉireann sa bhliain 1971 chomh maith. Is eagraíocht í seo a dhírigh ar fhadhbanna frithghiniúna in Éirinn. Bhí páirt thábhachtach ag McCafferty i reachtáil na hagóidí a bhí ar siúl ag an eagraíocht. Mar shampla, reachtáil sí imeacht mBéal Feirste i 1971 ar son frithghiniúna. Tharraing an agóid seo aird ar chruachás na mban. Léirigh an agóid seo an easpa ceart a bhí ag mná ag an am. Chomh maith le sin, thaispeán an agóid nach raibh faitíos ar McCafferty nó ar an eagraíocht troid go crua ar son ceart na mban. Léirigh McCafferty an meon seo arís agus arís eile. Mar shampla, labhair sí amach go fíochmhar faoi chás Ann Lovett 1984.Ní raibh Lovett ach cúig bhliana déag daois nuair a fuair sí bás is ag saolú pásta i reilig. Labhair McCafferty amach go láidir faoi seo. Léirigh sí tusicint do Lovett agus chuir sí in iúil dúinn go raibh Lovett mar shampla do streachailt na mban in Éirinn. Is léir ó obair chrua McCafferty nach ndéanfar dearmad uirthi agus go mbeidh a hoidhreacht tábhachtach go deo in Éirinn.
TCDSU shared images of correspondence between TCDSU President Jenny Maguire and McGrath in which Maguire asked “Do you provide blood tests to students on request by their personal GP?” and “Do you provide blood test [sic] to students through the College GP/ health centre service by personal request?” McGrath responded “yes” to both questions, but the doctor did not mention whether trans people seeking healthcare in the College would be provided with any ad-
Additionally, Maguire asked “Do you provide HRT/hormonal contraception to students? And do you follow up with blood tests, or accept blood tests by request of the students, if they are on hormonal medication as such?” “Do you administer intramuscular and/or subcutaneous injections?” and “Is there a policy or preventatives in place against trans students receiving health care in your practice/the campus Student Health Centre?” McGrath responded “yes”, yes” and “no” to those three questions respectively. However, McGrath did not say that College Health would provide any additional
College spokesperson Catherine O’Mahoney issued a statement following TCDSU’s announcement on X, saying “The wellbeing of our community is paramount. The College Health service continues to treat students and staff according to the guidelines of the Medical Council. Treatment policies remain unchanged.” While McGrath did not elaborate on any of Maguires’ questions beyond a “yes” or “no” answer. On social media, TCDSU stated that Dr. McGrath’s response “ends the previously shameful practice of denying transgender people harm reduction support through blood tests when DIYing their HRT.” However, Dr. McGrath did not confirm in his correspondence with TCDSU whether trans people would have increased access to HRT treatments or blood test work through college health services. It was not made immediately clear by TCDSU or College Health how many trans students are currently treated through College Health, or whether the HRT, intramuscular treatments or blood tests will be performed by College Health specifically for the purpose of gender affirming care.
Ella Chepak
WIn response, Trinity’s Legacies Review Working Group (TLRWG), consisting of Trinity students as well as professional and academic staff and external members, began an evidence-based review of the issues surrounding the library.
By January 2023, 93 written submissions had been received about Bishop George Berkeley from a variety of individuals, including alumni and international experts on Berkeley. Of these submissions, only 16 supported the retention of Berkeley’s name on the library. This, of course, begs the question why, after many years of continuous campaigning by the TCDSU, a public submissions process and a promise by College to find a solution to this issue, there appears to be no clear end in sight?
In the interim, plenty of names
abused young girls, many expressed confusion and outrage that Berkeley’s name remained on the library, particularly given that his slave ownership and pro-enslavement activism are not new revelations. Following accusations that College was dragging its feet in relation to the Berkeley Library Question, a petition was started in February 2022, quickly gathering over 300 signatures which compelled TCDSU to vote in favour of lobbying College to rename the library. Consequently, in August of the same year, the TCDSU began referring to the former Berkeley Library as the “X” Library. The Union declared that, as part of its ongoing campaign to see the library denamed, this label would be used in all future communications until College issued a comprehensive plan for the building’s renaming.
have been put forward for consideration by students, staff and others, including Theobald Wolfe-Tone, Oscar Wilde and Mary McAleese. Most notably, in order to further encourage public debate on the Library’s renaming, the Hist hosted a ten speaker debate in February this year. Five students, alongside five guest speakers, Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, Professor James Smyth, Mary McAuliffe, Brian Lennon, and Reverend Gordon Linney, made compelling arguments as to why each of their selected figures should be chosen as the new name for the former Berkeley Library. Even with this heightened involvement by the student body, College has made no effort to offer reassurances that discussions are ongoing, and it has failed to make available a public timeline for the renaming of the library. While there is an evident lack of clarity about the future of the X Library at present, one thing is certain: a solution must be found, and quickly. There is no shortage of passion from students, alumni, staff, past and present, or even independent members of society, for a verdict to be reached on this question so that College can continue to move on from the past.
In Aibreán na bliana 2023, tar éis cinneadh de chuid Bord na hOllscoile, chinn an Coláiste ar ainm Berkeley a bhaint ón leabharlann. Bhí an t-ainm “an Leabharlann” le bronnadh go dtí go raibh ainm nua roghnaithe ní ba dhéanaí na bliana acadúla sin. Ach, bliain go leith ina dhiaidh sin, níl ainm nua go fóill ag an Leabharlann. Téann an chonspóid maidir le hainm na leabharlainne siar go 2020, tráth inar dhúirt an Coláiste nach raibh plean acu ainm nua a bhronnadh ar an leabharlann, cé go raibh comhráite ar siúl maidir leis an ainm céanna. Ach tar éis ainm Erwin Schrödinger a bheith bainte go sciobtha ó léachtlann ag Scoil na Fisice, ndiaidh teacht chun solais an chiaptha gnéis a rinne sé ar chailíní óga, léirigh cuid mhór daoine mearbhall agus fearg nach raibh ainm Berkeley bainte chomh sciobtha céanna. Is úinéir sclábhaí agus gníomhaí ar son sclábhaíochta a bhí ann ndeireadh na dála – agus níorbh aon rud nua an t-eolas sin. Tar éis líomhaintí go raibh an Coláiste ag cur moill ar cheist ainm na leabharlainne, tosaíodh achainí i bhFeabhra 2022. Fu-
air an t-achainí níos mó ná 300 síntiúis, rud a bhrúigh ar AMLCT vótáil chun brú a chur ar an gColáiste ainm nua a bhronnadh ar an leabharlann. Mar sin, mí Lúnasa na bliana céanna, tosaigh AMLCT ag glaoch “an Leabharlann X” uirthi. D’fhógair an tAontas go n-úsáidfeadh sé an t-ainm sin feasta go dtí go n-eiseoidh an Coláiste plean cuimsitheach maidir le hath-ainmmiú an fhoirgnimh. Mar fheagra air sin, thosaigh an Legacies Review Working Group sa Tríonóid – a raibh mic léinn, lucht foirne acadúla agus proifisiúnta, agus daoine ó thaobh amuigh mar bhaill air – athbhreithniú géar ar na ceisteanna a bhain le hath-ainmniú na leabharlainne. Faoi thús Eanáir 2023, bhí 93 aighneacht curtha isteach maidir leis an Easpag George Berkeley ó réimse leathan daoine – alumni agus saineolaithe idirnáisiúnta ar Bherkeley san áireamh. Ina measc siúd, níor mhol ach 16 aighneacht ainm Berkeley a choinneáil ar an leabharlann. Ní mór ceist amháin a chur ndiaidh sin is uile: cén fáth, tar éis blianta feachtasaíochta ag AMLCT, aighneachtaí ón bpobal, agus gealltanas ón gColáiste freagra a fháil ar an gceist seo, nach bhfuiltear ag teacht chun réitigh?
Idir an dá linn, tá go leor leor ainmneacha molta ag mic léinn, ag lucht foirne, agus ag daoine eile: Theobald Wolfe-Tone, Oscar Wilde agus Mary McAleese ina measc. Thairis sin, mar chuid d’iarracht díospóireacht phoiblí ar ainm na Leabharlainne a chur chun cinn, d’eagraigh an Hist díospóireacht deichniúir an Feabhra seo caite. Cúigear mac léinn agus cúigear aoi-chainteoir, ina n-áirítear Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, an tOllamh James Smyth, Mary McAuliffe, Brian Lennon, agus an tUrramach Gordon Linney, a labhair ann maidir le cén ainm ar cheart a chur ar an Leabharlann. Ach fiú leis an suim nua seo nochta ag na mic léinn, ní dheimhnigh an Coláiste go raibh cainteanna ar siúl, agus dhiúltaigh an Tríonóid amchlár poiblí a roinnt maidir leis an bpróiseas ath-ainmniúcháin. Cé go bhfuil go leor éiginnteacht maidir le todhchaí na Leabharlainne X faoi láthair, tá rud amháin soiléir: ní mór teacht ar réiteach go pras. Níl aon easpa suime ann i measc mac léinn, alumni, lucht foirne a bhí nó atá ag an gColáiste, ná ó dhaoine ón sochaí gcoitinne. Ní mór freagra a fháil ar an gceist le go mbeadh an Tríonóid in ann bogadh ar aghaidh.
hile Trinity College Dublin often boasts itself as an international university, which is certainly true with Trinity being named the 16th most international university in the world, this is not without consequence. With significantly higher tuition fees than Irish and other European students, international students represent a vital source of revenue for Trinity College Dublin. This financial incentive has fostered a perception that the university may be prioritising international students in various aspects, such as exploiting students with fees and accommodation.
To illustrate, undergraduate fees for non-EU students enrolled in a four-year course for the 2024/25 academic year range from €19,720 for Global Business to a steep €39,370 for those pursuing Clinical Speech and Language Studies. This marks a notable increase from the 2023/24 academic year, where the fees for the same courses were €19,280 and €38,480, respectively. These figures starkly contrast with the relatively
modest averages of €5,681 to €8,371 paid by EU students. In addition to EU students paying significantly less overall, their fees did not increase between the 23/24 and 24/25 years. The financial disparity is not just a matter of numbers; it reflects the broader dynamics and priorities at play in Trinity. The higher fees paid by non-EU students are crucial for sustaining the university’s operations, funding research, and enhancing facilities. In a competitive global educational market, attracting international students who are willing to pay these higher fees is seen as essential for maintaining Trinity’s standing as a leading academic institution. Though international students are paying higher fees, there are perceived benefits to this arrangement—but it becomes a double-edged sword. On one hand, the financial contributions of international students, particularly those from countries like the United States, significantly bolster the university’s budget. These funds can be reinvested into the institution, enhancing facilities, funding research, and supporting various academic programs. However, this financial dynamic also raises concerns about equity, particularly when it comes to ad-
missions standards. As described at a Trinity Open event, there is a disparity in acceptance rates between international students, especially those from the United States, and EU students. While Trinity’s overall acceptance rate hovers around 34%, it has been suggested that the acceptance rate for international students can be as high as 60%. This discrepancy points to more lenient admission standards for international students, those who are paying significantly higher fees. This perceived leniency in admissions for international students might make local students feel their admission chances are impacted by the university’s exploitative efforts to attract international students. From an economic standpoint, this makes sense; the more international students Trinity admits, the more revenue the university generates. However, this approach can also lead to a sense of unfairness among EU students, who may feel as if they are held to a higher standards. This situation can be particularly frustrating for both local students and those from the EU. They may perceive their chance of gaining admission as reduced because the university is more incentivized to exploit international
students who contribute more financially. This understood bias in the admissions
It has become an increasingly pervasive widely-accepted view among its students that Trinity uses its students as “cash cows”. However, when it comes to explaining why life for students at Trinity is becoming ever more unaffordable, the fault lies far from greedy technocrats and grandees lining their pockets with penniless students’ cash, and more deeply with the Irish government. Whilst the university is expected to compete with universities in the U.K. and the U.S. in global rankings and student life, a black hole in university funding in Ireland leaves Trinity and other Irish universities struggling to provide education on a level playing field with international peers. For a country with a rich literary tradition, it seems odd that the government would pay such little attention to the institutions that produced many of Ireland’s greatest cultural exports.
The impact of the lack of funding has an impact not only on students’ wallets through rent and fees, but also their wellbeing through the entrenchment of inequality by effectively dividing students by wealth.
An often-cited gripe with the university is the main expense which they occur directly on students: the fees. Since the 1990s, the Free Fees Initiative has not lived up to its promising name. In the 2009/10 academic year, students already had to put up a contribution of €1,500, and up until very recently this contribution stood at double that. Despite these fee increases, however, there seems to have been little to no tangible improvement in the student experience. This is because the increases in “student contributions” have been largely as a result of government austerity post-2008. The budget surplus currently stands at more than €8bn, or 1.7% of the GDP. But for students that seems difficult
to believe, given that the student contribution cap has only been reduced to €2,000 in 2024. Reducing these fees further would require the government to take action to fill the €307m annual university funding hole. Trinity should not be run as a business, that is clear, but the only way that this can be achieved is through meaningful government investment in tertiary education. Trinity’s handling of the accommodation crisis has also been strongly criticised in recent years. The dilemma which the university faces is clear: it does not own enough accommodation to provide every student with a place to live for the duration of their degree. This forces many students into a housing market where it is difficult to find adequate accommodation for a reasonable price. Three in four students pay over €750 a month in rent, with 80 percent saying that their
as inflation rates reached up to 7.83% in 2023. Students, of course, are disproportionately affected by this. Perhaps the academic performance of the university and its coveted global ranking might improve if Trinity and the government aimed to reduce financial stress on students. Secondly, the
emissions being almost 60 percent more than Easyjet’s. Unfortunately, an opportunistic approach to math seems to be the least of Ryanair’s problems. CEO of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, has been known to have some controversial opinions, regarding climate change as “complete and utter rubbish” and noting in 2017 that he doesn’t believe climate change is real, even denying the correlation between carbon consumption and climate change. O’Leary noted that he didn’t think beef consumption and carbon emissions are the primary driving forces of climate change, yet simultaneously stated he believed “human ingenuity will find ways of improving the way we breed beef and the way we consume fuel”. Last year, O’Leary was hit by the ultimate manifestation of karma - a cream pie to the face after holding a one-man protest outside the European Commission in Brussels. O’Leary, whose protest was a response to air traffic controllers’ strikes over pay and working conditions, was backed by Ryanair’s feed on X (formerly Twitter) laughing off the actions of the two female environmental activists: “Passengers so happy with our routes and petition that they’re celebrating with cake”. The airline later posted an image of a cream covered O’Leary captioned “instead of buying two cream pies, could have bought a flight from Belgium for the same price”. For a man known to be critical of climate change this might come as no surprise, but for a company that prides itself on taking climate change seri-
ously, it becomes doubtful whether the company can separate itself from the man at the helm. Besides encouraging and standing up for a man known for rejecting climate change as an idea, the company’s climate policies mimic O’Leary’s own view of how the problem should be solved: with technological advancement and symbolic gestures. The Ryanair Aviation Centre is merely a reflection of this approach. Dedicated almost exclusively to the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), the centre has become the flagship of Ryanair’s dedication to sustainability. Considering that a third of Ryanair’s climate targets are dependent on the increased use of SAF, recent comments by O’Leary referring to SAF as ‘cooking oil’ casts reasonable doubt on the validity of their entire sustainability strategy. In an interview with The Guardian, O’Leary called SAF ‘a wheeze’ and expressed his lack of faith in the whole project by claiming that there ‘isn’t enough cooking oil in the world to power more than one day’s aviation’. Regardless of O’Leary’s disbelief in his own company’s strategy, the airline moved along with a purchase of 1000 tonnes of SAF from Shell this spring in addition to its two and a half million euro donation to Trinity. The additional payment this year was welcomed enthusiastically by the Provost: “I want to thank Ryanair for their support: It is good news for the researchers in the Centre and for the students who will benefit from the teaching arising from the research”. While this is not necessar-
“There isn’t enough cooking oil in the world to power more than one day’s aviation’.”
ily wrong, the statement neglects to account for the implicit handcuffs this deal puts on Trinity. Ryanair will support Trinity’s interactions with regulators and policy makers, blurring the lines between Ryanair’s narrative and Trinity’s. The line between Trinity’s partnerships and Ryanair’s can already be brought into question, as Ryanair’s conferences held in Trinity have included bringing in oil companies such as Shell. While aligning themselves with oil companies might be part of Ryanair’s strategy towards sustainability, it is doubtful whether Trinity should take a page off Ryanair’s book in this case - Shell’s had enough greenwashing controversies recently as is.
O’Leary’s long history of garish com ments, and Ryanair’s public support of him, has made it abundantly clear that neither take climate issues, or climate activists, seriously. At a university like Trinity, which not only represents research and knowledge but the student body itself, aligning with this kind of rhet
oric and clear disregard for voices that go against the status quo simply won’t do. Claiming Ryanair as a pillar of sus tainability is both practically and morally wrong: that is to say, just because something is ‘greener’ doesn’t make it ‘green’. In addition to charming comments by CEO O’Leary, joking that “the best thing we can do with environmentalists is to shoot them”, having the Centre be dedicated to the development of SAF is a problem in itself. As cli mate charity Possible reported, the Aviation Industry happily uses CO2 efficiency or alternative fuel targets as a way to negotiate expansion effectively defeating the purpose of producing sustainable fuels. As long as airlines like Ryanair are actively trying to grow, there will be no improvement in the ecological damage these airlines cause - no
matter how much research they fund, how few grams of CO2 per passenger kilometer they have, or how much carbon they can offset. Trinity furthering Ryanair’s agenda in writing as well as in spirit only affirms the wrongdoings of a company, and industry, that is notoriously a top polluter. The Aviation Centre and its research is far from useless; it just does little to inform the issue of overconsumption, which is the root of all climate issues. If College wishes to sustain a green profile it must stand up for its students rather than companies and industries actively destroying the planet. Only time will tell whether this partnership enables Trinity to do so.
Nobody will argue that the Book of Kells is perhaps Trinity’s greatest treasure. The delicate historical manuscript rightfully draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Trinity every year. As someone who has seen it twice, I can attest to the fact that it’s an amazing relic. However, another one of the college’s most fascinating historical resources is less talked about.
The Trinity herbarium is located in the annex of the Botany building. The interior is similar to a beautiful old library with hardwood floors and old wooden specimen cabinets. Inside of those are folders of specimens, organized in a very methodical system (by plant family, then by genus, then by continent/region). The specimens are delicate, with some of the oldest ones almost crumbling.
Dr. Peter Moonlight, of Trinity’s Botany department, is also the assistant curator of the herbarium. He stated that “an herbarium is a bit like a library, but instead of books, we hold dried specimens of plants mounted on card.” Herbarium specimens typically have a label with data about the specimen, including the collection date. Dr. Moonlight noted that “our oldest specimens do not have dates, but they may be around 350 years old.” However, despite that age, it wasn’t until later that the herbarium became the one we know and love today: it “started to resemble its modern form in about 1835.” Over the course of those 350 years, the herbarium has ballooned in size and, as Dr. Moonlight said, “today we have approximately half a million specimens.” But what are the herbarium specimens actually used for?
“Historically,” Dr. Moonlight said, “they were collected mostly for research into the diversity and distributions of plant species.” However, he then noted that botanist Viki Funk, who died in 2019, “documented 101 uses for herbarium specimens, ranging from research into paleoclimates to providing inspiration for artists.” Another notable use of herbarium specimens is as a type specimen. Dr. Moonlight defined these specimens as “specimens that were used to describe new species of plant.” In a sense, they’re almost like a control group or a baseline–when a collector is trying to identify a particular plant, they will compare it to the type specimen and judge the similarity. The TCD herbarium is “particularly rich in type collections,” with Dr. Moonlight estimating that about 25% of the specimens are types. I’m lucky enough to be doing a project on herbaria with Dr. Moonlight for my master’s dissertation. And, since November, I’ve been volunteering in the herbarium. Emmet Nyhan, a fellow student in the MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation program, is another herbarium volunteer. In discussing how he got involved in this activity, he stated that it interested him “because
of Trinity College Dublin’s rich botanical history and its impressive international collection of plant specimens.” Nyhan talked about how he was interested in nature even as a child. This love of nature, he said, “eventually led me to explore their [plants’] names, differences, origins and their role
in various ecosystems,” which then “developed into a passion for plant evolution, taxonomy, phylogenetics and biogeography.” At his undergrad at UCD, Plant Biology eventually became a focus. Nyhan described a typical volunteer session, discussing how he’ll “label [specimens] with barcodes and then database in an Excel spreadsheet.” Typically, these Excel spreadsheets contain information such as the species, the scientist who was responsible for naming the species (referred to as the “authority”), and “other pertinent information” such as which region of the world the specimen is from. He added that the volunteer sessions “can be lengthy, particularly when deciphering cursive or poor handwriting on labels.” These descriptions of the herbarium–old storage methods, specimens from centuries ago, hard-toread handwriting on labels–might make it seem like it’s stuck in the past. But that is very much not the case. As with many herbaria
el through space and time to where each of our specimens were collected.” can vouch
This report analysed graduate’s financial earnings as well as other factors such as place of work or unemployment. The sample size was 13,668 graduates, which they then further split into “All graduates” and “Younger graduates” (graduates under 30). Graduates under 30 represented the majority of the sample size (10,136). Among the HEA’s most significant findings is the gender pay gap, which stood at €4,740. However, when adjusted for controls, the gender pay gap decreased by almost 50% and stood at €2,391. This decreased even further to €1,500 when comparing only the salaries of younger graduates.
In another section of their report, the HEA analysed graduate earnings by the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). They compared the salaries of graduates who had a degree from either Information and Communication Tech-
nologies (IT), Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction, Education, Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Health and Welfare, Business, Administration and Law, Social Sciences, Journalism and Information, Services, Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Veterinary or Arts and Humanities.
They found that graduates from IT made, on average, €5,500 more than the average salary (€37,104). Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction as well as Education also reported higher-than-average earnings. Arts and Humanities graduates, however, reported the lowest salaries (€27,951). The same remained true for younger graduates, with the difference of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics as well as Health and Welfare overtaking Education.
Providing more course-specific data, the HEA found that the graduates from subjects like Dentistry, Education science, Pharmacy and Transport services have the highest earnings nine months after graduation.
Looking specifically at Trinity graduates, the HEA provides a comprehensive table of Trinity graduates’ employment outcomes by field of study.
It must be noted that a large part of the sample size (5,893) wished not to disclose their earnings as well as that these figures are from the year 2022. On average, the field of study with the highest graduate salary is IT, with 22.2% of its graduates having earnings in the 40,000 to 44,999 range. IT is followed closely by Health and Welfare with 21% of its Trinity graduates earning in the 40,000 to 44,999 range. The lowest-paid field of study for Trinity graduates is Social Sciences, Journalism, and Information with 27% of its graduates earning in the 25,000 to 29,999 range. Data from other universities such as University College Cork (UCC) or University College Dublin is comparable to Trinity’s with most of their graduates having earnings
and shortly after found the space and began construction. From its very inception, the urban garden has been a community effort: some initial 20 volunteers, from every sort of academic background, met and tried to devise solutions for creating a garden in such a small, dark, space. Since then, the urban garden has expanded in size and reach, relying on the Trinity community to do so. Over the months, volunteers and garden stewards repurposed filing cabinets into garden planters and brought in their own food scraps, planters, and plants. In a talk given at Trinity in August of 2023, Mullin explained ‘sometimes we’d come in one morning and find plants randomly put into the garden as donations’. There is a remarkable symbiosis between the garden and the community: as community members give their time and materials to the garden, they receive fresh produce, plants, gardening education, and a sense of peace that only comes from working the soil. Current managers and volunteers are always trying to broaden the community reach: collabora-
tions with student societies like the Visual Arts Society have led to decorated planters and pressed flower crafts, while the newly installed seed swap box functions as a sort of seed library, allowing the college community to grow their plants from scratch instead of importing plants from abroad. In the past, urban garden attempts at Trinity have failed take off, like a
Eliora Abramson ASSISTANT EDITOR
IThe third gold for Ireland was won by Rhys McClenaghan in gymnastics for men’s pommel horse and the final going to boxer Kellie Harrington who competed and won the women’s lightweight competition.
Two Trinity alumni competed in the Olympics, Aifric Keogh (MBA ‘22) competed in the women’s rowing semi finals, while Jack Kelly (Law ‘19) played in Paris on the Irish Rugby Sevens Team. Also in Paris was Trinity staff member David Fitzgerald. The Trinity Hockey Development Officer represented Ireland as part of the Irish Men’s Hockey coaching team as Goalkeeping Coach.
reland’s 100th year anniversary of competing as an independent country was a triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympic Ireland won seven medals overall, four golds and three bronzes, the most in Ireland’s Olympic history, sending a record 134 athletes across 15 sports. Swimming was the highlight for Ireland, with Daniel Wiffen taking home gold and bronze for the men’s 800 and 1500 metre freestyle respectively. He was not the only Irish athlete to win a medal for swimming with Mona McSharry winning a bronze medal in the women’s 100 metre breaststroke. Rowing was also a massive success for Ireland with Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan winning gold in men’s lightweight double sculls and Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle taking bronze for men’s double suclls.
In addition to Fitzgerald, there were numerous Trinity Olympic Ambassadors including Jim O’Donovan who received a Masters from Trinity in 2013 for Sports and Exercise Medicine. O’Donovan was team doctor in Rio as well as Chief Medical Officer for the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games. Dr Alison Keogh, who received a MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine from Trinity in 2012, also attended Paris Olympics as a hockey umpire.
Ireland additionally had a highly victorious Paralympics, sending 35 athletes in nine sports and taking home six medals. Katie-George Dunlevy with pilot Linda Kelly claimed gold in cycling for the women’s road time trial B. Dunvely also won silver for the women’s road race B and women’s individual pursuit B with pilots Linda Kelly and Eve Mc-
Crystal respectively. Róisín Ní Ríain won both a silver and bronze medal for swimming in the women’s 100 metre backstroke S13 and the women’s 200 metre individual medley SM13. Finally, Orla Comerford won a bronze in athletics for the women’s 100 metre T13. Director of Sport and Physical Activity at Trinity, Michelle Tanner commented, “The Olympics and Paralympics brings out the best in human endeavour and instils a long-lasting sense of achievement and enjoyment to competitors and spectators alike. The Olympic and Paralympic Games inspires individuals of all backgrounds to pursue excellence and embrace the joy of sport”.
“The Olympics and Paralympic Games inspire individuals of all backgrounds to pursue excellence and embrace the joy of sport.”
Mia Craven CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Despite running a joke campaign in 2023 for Student Union President, Ralph Balfe’s priorities statement tapped into a pressing concern among students: Why all the tourists?
Every Trinity student is familiar with the frustration that arises from studying on a campus that is inundated with tourists. Running late for a tutorial wherein attendance is mandatory, you rush onto Front Square with seconds to spare. You trip over yourself trying to dodge the hordes of people taking pictures in front of the Campanile. You reach Fellows’ Square. You think you have survived the worst of it. But, before you can stop for a breath, you are met by a confused tourist. “Where is the business building?” they ask. You gesture in its vague direction, feign a smile, and quicken the pace. While we have all been irritated by such occurrences, on-campus tourism does more harm than just inconveniencing the tardy student. Trinity attempts the incredible feat of balancing its two main priorities: students and tourists. Frequently, the balance is disrupted and the scales are tipped in favour of tour-
ists. Instead of focusing its energy on upholding its reputation as a prestigious academic institution, Trinity prioritises itself as a business. College’s preference for tourists compromises the student experience by
vironment they must navigate to incur this “better experience”.
Tourists are allowed to rove freely around campus. Herein lies a great deal of the controversy around their presence in Trinity. When tourism is
and distractions that make concentration an arduous endeavour. A college campus should be full of quiet places for students to revise in. But Trinity, being the tourist attraction it is, can prove to be lacking in this
Trinity attempts the incredible feat of balancing its two main priorities: students and tourists. Frequently, the balance is disrupted and the scales are tipped in favour of tourists.
cultivating an unsettling sense of studying on a campus that exists not for students, but for visitors. Given the increasingly high financial stakes, it is no wonder that the college prioritises tourists. Over two million people visit campus each year, with just under half of them visiting the Book of Kells Exhibition. In 2023, 900,000 people visited the Book of Kells Exhibition, generating €20.2 million in revenue, including income from the Old Library shop and guided tours.
Tourists are drawn to college for the same reasons that many students choose to study here.
In 2019, Geraldine Ruane, Trinity’s Chief Operating Officer at the time, told the Irish Times that this revenue is funnelled entirely back into academic work. She listed scholarships, building maintenance, and the recruitment of new professors as examples. The money “goes back purely for the students and the academics to create a better experience for them”. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile investigating the impact on students of the tourist-ridden en-
confined to the Old Library and the Book of Kells Experience, students can sympathise with college’s need to turn a profit. But when tourists spill over into student spaces, they disrupt students who are trying to use campus for its intended purpose. Tourists often make it near impossible to find a seat in the Arts Block, or to use the bathroom between classes, or to grab a quick coffee at the Perch before a 9am lecture.
This sharing of facilities becomes especially exasperating during exam season, when campus is at its busiest. During this stressful period, students need places on campus where they can study when the library overflows, and where they can find respite in between intensive study sessions. The influx of tourists during exam season is burdensome for students who wish to occupy these spaces. The need to do laps around campus to find a place to sit is exhausting. With exams looming, the frustration compounds. Even when a seat is secured, the hustle and bustle that tourists bring is hugely distracting. With tourism comes noise, crowds,
respect.
It is inappropriate that Trinity students are forced to share such a large portion of on-campus facilities
with tourists, especially considering that Trinity does not generate any revenue from, say, letting tourists sit in the Arts Block or use the Arts Block bathrooms. It is essential to keep tourists on campus if Trinity is to continue functioning as is. College needs money and tourism is a reliable source. But tourists should not feel more welcome and accommodated on campus than the students themselves. There should be more restrictions regarding where they can go and what facilities they can use. There should be areas designated to tourism and visitors should not be so freely allowed to wander outside these spaces, especially during crucial exam periods. Lecture halls and student spaces should not be open to the public. These reforms would greatly improve students’ experience of campus, while not sacrificing the revenue generated from
tourism.
The fact that Trinity is so popular among tourists speaks to the privileges of studying on its picturesque, historic campus. Tourists are drawn to it for the same reasons that many students choose to study here. But ultimately, Trinity is a college campus, and students should be able to use it as such in peace. Instead of cultivating an appropriate learning environment, College is allowing their commercial interests to undermine the very essence of the institution. College’s profit-driven prioritisation of tourists creates a stressful environment that is conducive neither to academic success nor student wellbeing. There is no need to cast students’ interests aside to uphold this source of revenue, and steps must be taken to reclaim campus from the tourists.
