FRESHERS’ WEEK SUPPLEMENT ut
The Trinity Twenty
Sáoirse Goes, Phoebe Pascoe, Alex Payne and Clara Roche
Joshua Hernon also contributed reporting to this piece
Illustrations by Lauren de Chaumont
“There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about”, wrote Oscar Wilde, who featured on the inaugural Trinity 20 in 1874. Remember this as you file your complaint to the Junior Dean because you think your illustration is unflattering. All publicity is good publicity.
So say the writers of this year’s Trinity 20, the unofficial guide to who’s who on campus. We hereby decree that all students and staff featured on this list can claim provisional Big Name On Campus (BNOC) status, pending College confirmation.
Whether you’re a bona fide society hack or simply sleeping with one of the writers of this list, securing a spot on the Trinity 20 means that your contribution to the college will go down in history. Like CMAT and Sally Rooney before you, a Google search of “notable Trinity alumni” will produce a badly rendered Canva cut-out of your face.
Linda Doyle Provost 1
Provost Linda Doyle was spotted over the summer donning a hi-vis vest to install a window on a building in the docklands. Yes, that’s right, even the top jobs in academia pay so badly that the Provost has to resort to a part-time job. Or maybe it’s the gender wage gap. Whichever will get us more likes on Twitter. Anyway, who knew that the reason she was so hesitant to remove the statues of slave owners was because she’d have to do it herself?
Beyond her significant contributions to academia, Linda is known for unwavering commitment to high fashion. Her linen box dresses are said to have left a lasting impact on Matilda Djerf’s signature style, and her black and yellow trainers reportedly served as the creative inspiration behind the Onitsuka Tiger. Expect to see her on the Fashion Soc Instagram’s next Campus Couture post.
Lászlo Molnárfi TCDSU President 2
The devotion of such titans of spirit as Molnárfi to an Ideal must bear fruit. The nobility of his selflessness will be an example through centuries to come, and his Ideal will reach perfection.
They think that they have pacified Trinity. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! They have left us our Trinners dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Trinity unfree shall never be at peace.
The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the Oscar Wilde fridge magnet in the Students’ Union shop. Workers of the world, unite!
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Clara Roche
Editor, The University Times 3
Having executed an unsuccessful coup last year, Clara Roche now finds herself Editor of this newspaper after winning an uncontested race. Whether she will manage to regain the staff she forced to resign remains to be seen. Note how many articles in this issue she made her flatmate write.
In case her parents or Lászlo are reading this, Roche comes into work at 9am every day, definitely does not smoke inside her office and has not tapped any phone lines in the the building. Note to László: 'Students4Change' is not a very strong password.
Olivia Orr TCDSU Ents Officer 4
Olivia Orr has promised #more
As a politics student, Olivia knows that student protests can be a powerful force for change. Ask Greta Thunberg or @ucdconfessions. It looks like Olivia’s tour de force — her March on Washington, her Tiananmen Square — will be the preservation of Trinity Ball, an institution worth preserving if only for Jessie J’s declaration that it was “one of [her] hardest gigs to date”.
“It wasn’t easy”, the star revealed after stepping off the stage. “To see so many people so drunk they couldn’t even stand. Girls unconscious and literally trampling on each other.” Do you hear the people sing, Olivia?
#Orr4CivilRightsActOf2024
Sadhbh Carpenter, Sinéad Hogan Puzzy Wrangler 5
Together, Sadhbh Carpenter and Sinéad Hogan comprise two-thirds of DUDJ’s first all-female DJ executive, as well as Dublin’s first all-female DJ collective. Their success provides a counter to the pervasive discrimination experienced by two of Ireland’s most underrepresented minorities: the visually impaired and the pink-haired.
If you walk through Front Gate early in the morning, you might hear the sound of Carpenter and Hogan mixing in the DJ room and mistakenly believe that the long-awaited construction work to make House 6 wheelchair accessible is finally underway… but we all know College would never fund that.
“The Pussy Wranglers” hoped to begin their tenure with Wind Wave Rave, the annual collaboration between Surf Soc and DUDJ. However, a source told The University Times that talks between the two societies have broken down, and ticket holders can instead expect to attend “Wind Weave Rave”, a collaboration between DUDJ and Knit Soc. Surf Soc chair Max Lynch did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Aiesha Wong TCDSU Comms Officer 6
A dance teacher, a digital content creator, a festival organiser, a language teacher and a member of the European Youth Parliament walk into a bar. The bartender says: “Table for one, Aiesha?”
The multi-hyphenate media mogul has carved the time out of her busy schedule to serve as your Communications and Marketing Officer. A thankless job, if you ask us. Her success will be measured not by how much advertising revenue she procures for the Union, or how effectively she engages students, but by how big of a Domino’s discount she can offer during exam season.
7 Áine Kennedy, Jack Palmer Auditor of the Hist, President of the Phil
The University Times’ commitment to adhering to the Code of Practice of the Press Council of Ireland means that this newspaper shall not knowingly publish matter based on malicious misrepresentation or unfounded accusations. As such, we will make no further comment on either The Hist or The Phil.
Kate Henshaw Editor, Trinity News 8
In 1974, Carl Bernstein exposed the Watergate scandal in All the President’s Men. In 1991, Joan Didion urged the public to reconsider their racial biases in “New York: Sentimental Journeys”. In 2022, Kate Henshaw published ‘UT Editor: “I will not resign”’ in Trinity News. The purpose of journalism, as Henshaw clearly knows, is to hold power to account.
TCDSU wages may have allowed rival editor Clara Roche to quit her part-time job at Scrumdiddly's, but Henshaw has retained her side hustle at Spotify. In her capacity as Associate Public Policy Specialist, Henshaw was responsible for Taylor Swift’s recent streaming successes, by promoting her entire discography one Instagram story at a time.
Eoin Ryan Auditor of Law Soc 9
It’s 2023. The day has come. Miracles really do happen. Eoin Ryan, the best-dressed member of Young Fine Gael, has dreamed of this moment since he first gained sentience in 2019. No more mock trials. He is the mock trial. Eoin Ryan is Auditor of Law Soc.
He never even wanted his LawPol degree. This is all he ever dreamed of. The only question is: can he squeeze into shoes fit for a queen? Ruth Brady, that is.
If anything, it’s impressive he made it this far, especially after that one time he drank kerosene oil as a child. Or maybe that’s how he did it. Eoin Ryan is the mockingjay. And after the oil incident, he’s catching fire alright.
Ailbhe Noonan Journalist 10
Former Editor of the University Times, Ailbhe Noonan is a towering figure in the student media landscape. Under her leadership, The University Times became a fashion authority, setting trends and showcasing the world’s top designers and models. As Editor, Ailbhe often courted controversy due to her influence on politics and public discourse through media outlets
After leaving this newspaper, she continued her career in journalism and writing. Her incisive interviews with world leaders and influential figures have earned her numerous awards and accolades, and she is considered one of the foremost voices in international journalism, known for her unwavering pursuit of truth and her ability to bring crucial stories to the forefront of public consciousness.
Matthew Keeley Former Piranha Editor 11
Given The University Times’ new and improved presence, Matthew Keeley has elected to abdicate his position as Editor of The Piranha, because he has nothing left to write about. There’s only so many times you can say that Max Lynch got with Gabi Fullam.
It’s safe to say a career in graphic design does not await him, because last year’s Piranha looked like it was designed by a primary school student. Then again, so did The University Times. How else would Trinity News have taken home the Website of the Year award at the Smedias?
He is also leaving behind Improv She Wrote, Trinity’s worst and only improv group. Other Improv alumni include Gabi Fullam and Jenny Maguire, marking their only significant contribution to campus life.
David Wolfe, James Wolfe Socialites 12
Move over, Sam the Fox, because the Wolves have been reintroduced to Ireland. David and James Wolfe hold the distinction of being the second most successful set of siblings from Limerick, losing only to the Collison brothers of Castletroy, who share a net worth of €20bn.
During their time in Trinity, both David and James have enjoyed careers in student media. David manages Trinity News’ online presence from an Android phone, which may explain why their graphics look like they were made in Instagram Create Mode. James, meanwhile, provides cultural commentary through their weekly Instagram carousels, prompting many — Brian Lennon — to name them the “voice of a generation”.
Rumour has it that like Noel and Liam Gallagher before them, the Wolves are branching out into music. Like the Gallaghers, their working relationship is said to be fraught. Their inevitable breakup will hopefully be followed by a reunion set at Trinity Ball, should Olivia Orr’s plan to chain herself to the Pav as part of her T-Ball Preservation Protest run smoothly. Whether ‘i donked a donk (les miserables ket remix)’ will occupy the same position in the cultural consciousness as ‘Wonderwall’ remains to be seen.
Jeffrey Séathrun Sardina PWO President 13
The newly elected president of Trinity’s Postgraduate Workers’ Organisation, Jeffrey Seathrún Sardina successfully elevated the postgraduate cause so much that it was the only thing The University Times wrote about last year. That and Simon Harris.
Sardina has dedicated what little spare time he has as an underpaid, overworked postgraduate student to preserving minority languages. He works hard to maintain cultural heritage, linguistic diversity and a sense of identity within the Elvish-speaking community.
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Joe McCarthy, Paddy McCarthy Irish Rugby Players
The University Times has received information suggesting that Trinity has sports teams. Successful sports teams, in fact. Brothers Joe and Paddy McCarthy are lining out for the Irish senior squad and the U-20s respectively.
That said, it’s arguable whose contribution to campus life is more significant: the McCarthy brothers, or the big bad Wolves. That very question will be answered at the Pav Marquee next Friday night, when the two sets of siblings face off in a charity boxing match. All proceeds earned will go to Trinity Publications.
Yasmin Ryan Fashion Soc Chair 15
Like her Bratz doll namesake, Yasmin Ryan-Byrne is fashion forward. When she’s not wearing her Students’ Union shop uniform of a Trinity College Dublin hoodie and a Book of Kells baseball cap, she has successfully rebranded Asics and Nike soft shell jackets to look less like my dad during the recession and more sporty, subversive and model off-duty. This collection was to die for, no?
Detractors will be disappointed to learn that Fashion Soc will not renew the morally dubious theme of ‘workwear’ this year, and Ryan-Byrne’s ‘Stop Being Poor’ t-shirt will continue to gather dust at the back of her ethically sourced IKEA wardrobe. Maybe she can collaborate with Olivia Orr to bring back the abandoned Ents theme of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was the best, best, best show of all time.
Nathan Hutchinson Edgar TCDSU Environmental Officer 16
Nathan Hutchinson Edgar is the current Environmental Officer for the Students’ Union, but is perhaps better known for being forcefully removed from a lecture theatre last year when protesting an event sponsored by a financier of fossil fuels. To quote Greta Thunberg: “How dare you?”
One of László Molnárfi’s closest comrades — sorry, “friends” — it is unclear whether Hutchinson Edgar will be released from Linda Doyle’s basement, where he is currently chained to a statue of Margaret Thatcher, in time for the first meeting of Council.
Jenny Maguire Activist 17
What can we say about Jenny Maguire that she hasn’t already said on Twitter? The pen is mightier than the sword, but @jennymaguir is mightier than both.
It’s a sorry state of affairs when we have to turn to a Players hack for guidance on the most pressing human rights issues of our time, but given College’s relative silence on trans rights, Israeli apartheid and the housing crisis, needs must.
Solidarity, Jenny. Now denounce Improv She Wrote and you’ll have our full support.
Zara Paolozzi Influencer 18
Trinity’s answer to Alix Earle, influencer Zara Paolozzi boasts a cool 20,000 followers on TikTok. With the poise of Grace Kelly and the altruism of Audrey Hepburn, Paolozzi has recently pivoted to activism, securing free Deliveroo delivery for hungover students nationwide.
Now, the people’s princess faces the challenge of making activewear acceptable in the Arts Block. If she can end Fashion Soc’s reign of Tasman UGGs terror, it’ll be an annus mirabilis for all.
Donal Mac Donaill Junior Dean 19
Kim Kardashian, Olivia Orr, Donall Mac Donaill. A note to prospective students in power: an alliterative name can only serve to enhance your memorability amongst the public.
The Junior Dean’s office is the Bowser’s Castle of student discipline. You can expect to end up there after all other avenues of mediation have failed, and you can rest assured that he will do nothing to address your complaints.
Notably, the Junior Dean has been known to fine students if they don’t show up to meetings, a strategy this newspaper is looking to adopt in an effort to increase output, pending Union approval.
Catherine Arnold TCDSU Education Officer 20
What does the Education Officer actually do? Something, I’m sure. The Trotsky to Molnárfi’s Lenin, Arnold would do well to resign herself to a year of answering emails in absentia when the Union’s direct action lands the team in political exile.
On a lighter note, in an exclusive interview with The University Times, Fashion Soc chair Yasmin Ryan-Byrne forecasted the rise of Arnold’s lanyard as the latest statement necklace trend, banishing the Vivienne Westwood pearl choker to Hamilton purgatory.
Dear Fresher Me
Dear Fresher Me: Ella Lily Hyland
For Ella Lily Hyland, arriving at The Lir Academy felt like “coming home”.
"There definitely were people interested in drama in my school, but in my immediate group, there weren’t really”, the Carlow actress recalls. Joining a cohort of actors that included Conversations With Friends star Alison Oliver “felt like being part of a tribe”, she continues. “All the ways that you feel different to other people are then the norm for everyone that you’re friends with.
Reassuringly, Hyland found her experience earning a Bachelor in Acting at The Lir to be collaborative rather than competitive. “I think my year is doing particularly well, and I don't think that would be the case if we weren’t supportive of each other”, she admits. She credits the class two years above her for voicing their concerns about gender inequality within the programme, meaning that when Hyland began, “every single girl got a chance to be a big part more than once”.
"I think you do better as an artist when you prioritise it not being competitive”, she continues. “Art is so subjective, whatever the medium it is.” Being competitive, she says, “makes it about you and the opportunities you’re getting, rather than the stories you’re trying to tell”.
After graduating from The Lir
in 2020, Hyland relocated to London and landed a starring role in Amazon Prime’s Fifteen Love, putting on a performance
The Guardian lauded as “absolutely superlative”. Did the lessons she learned at The Lir stand to her while filming? “It’s that foundation of wisdom and technique that is so embedded subconsciously in you”, she explains. “You repeat the techniques and you work on things so consistently over the course of three or four years, that everything does always come back to that.”
In particular, she found herself returning to the advice of her college movement coach again and again. Instead of forcing yourself to adopt the burden of a character’s emotions, her coach explained, “you can just pretend”. That’s enough, she
says, as it “preserves your energy and it allows you to have boundaries in your work, and I think that’s what acting training gives you: an ability to create boundaries within yourself and your own abilities and energy levels, and also in the work environment”. Asked what advice of her own she would give to incoming first years, studying acting or otherwise, she says succinctly: “I think it’s good to fail.” In hindsight, Hyland says, “I’m so happy for everything I got wrong… You learn from every mistake you make.” While at the time her errors felt like “the end of the world”, she learned a lot from watching her peers express themselves freely and without fear. “Every time I watched my classmates, I was always looking for the best in
what they were doing and seeing what I could learn from them”, she remembers. She encourages new students to engage with other people’s work and support it, because she
believes such an environment “creates a really safe space for everyone”.
Graduating into the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic turned into something of a blessing in disguise for Hyland, as it offered her the “time to observe and be a human being, separate to striving for something”. As she puts it, “we live in a world where art is monetised and capitalised upon, which is counterintuitive to a lot of aspiring artists”. You have to be a person before you are an artist, she suggests, and while it is “brilliant and attractive and electric” to have the hunger and desire a career in the arts necessitates, “it runs out of steam”.
She hopes more graduates, artist or not and pandemic or no pandemic, will take the space to ask: “What is it that I want to say with what I make or do?”
Dear Fresher Me: Rosemary Hennigan
Ella Hussey RADIUS EDITORAAcclaimed author and law graduate, Rosemary Hennigan, still remembers walking through the front gates of Trinity as a first year and getting the immediate feeling of “being enormously
overwhelmed by the number of people”. Hennigan tells The University Times that her reason for applying for Trinity was that both her brothers had previously gone to university, so she already had a sense of what it was going to be like.
In her first few weeks of studying law, Hennigan reveals that she “had no idea of what was going on”. She continues by saying how her expectations
of what her course was going to be like did not match the reality. She notes: “You are dunked in, and suddenly you're like, this is serious stuff, and you feel like you're an adult for the first time”. As the year goes on, the author admits that you “catch up after a while and become more comfortable”. She implores freshers to remember that in college, you just “learn things
along the way”.
One of the more striking moments in her first year of Trinity came through debating. Hennigan admitted that she had never done much debating in school, but just “wandered into rooms and gave it a go”. The author recounted one memorable experience in which she “by accident made it to the final” of Maidens, the novice debating
competition. Hennigan recalls attending a dinner with Kader Asmal, a South African politician who contributed to the post-apartheid constitution. She confesses to sitting beside him and having no idea who he was. She remembers feeling a sense of imposter syndrome, recounting: “I walked into the GMB and the whole place was full and all eyes turned to me and I thought, ‘oh God, I'm defi-
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The University Times sat down with some of Trinity's notable alumni to discuss what they loved, what they didn't love and what they'd tell their fresher selves.Clara Roche EDITOR PHOTO BY PIP
“We live in a world where art is monetised and capitalised upon, which is counterintuitive to a lot of aspiring artists.
nitely not meant to be here’.” Hennigan’s experience and conscious effort of constantly putting herself out there aided her in finding her identity in Trinity. “I recommend that a way through College is walking into rooms and figuring out what is going on and seeing if it is for you or not''. College is all about the experience of self-discovery, she says. She recalls a memory from her first week in College when she went to a Players event. Hennigan says, “I walked in and everyone was being a tree and had their shoes off and I didn’t know where to put my shoes”. She jokes, laughing, that she
“didn't know if my socks went in my shoes”.
Hennigan learned from her time in university that not every room you walk into will be for you, but that you need to be brave about it. The author comments about how to find your space, “walking in and thinking, ‘Oh God, this is a lot’ and who am I here among it? How do I find a space for myself? But I promise you, you will find it if you're a little bit fearless about it”.
She continues, saying that she wishes she could tell her younger self to “not let other people intimidate or undermine my confidence”. Although the law
graduate recalls walking into a lot of rooms, she also remembers walking quickly back out of them feeling like everyone else knew what they were doing. Hennigan realised in her later years of studies that “no one knows what they're doing and the people who put their hands up on the first day who you think know the answers actually don't know the answers”.
Hennigan, who is set to release her second novel, The Favourites, in early 2024, explains why she decided to set parts of the narrative in Trinity. The author admits to being “nervous” about basing a book in Trinity “because there's been
so many”. She touches on how she felt studying on a small campus with such historical significance, noting that it can “feel intense being a part of it”. However, since finishing her studies, Hennigan has a newfound appreciation for the campus, sharing how it was the foundation of the start of her adult life. She notes, “It was the start of my adult life … it's almost a birthplace and I’m sure it's similar for a lot of people, the effect of it”, continuing, “it has a sense of place and history that you appreciate when you've left.”
Trinity still impacts Hennigan’s daily life, with the
writer admitting that she still “walks through Trinity every day” and is still able to draw inspiration from it after graduating. Hennigan tells me that her friends have remained the same since her first days in Trinity, “all my close friends are the people I met in my first year in Trinity”. Hennigan’s experience as a fresher should encourage students to consciously choose to walk into rooms, regardless of the outcome or their level of confidence, and that things will become easier as the year continues. Hennigan’s upcoming second novel, The Favourites is being released in Ireland at the beginning of 2024.
Can Trinity College Vloggers Offer a Candid Glimpse of Campus Life?
The official Trinity College Dublin Youtube channel’s ‘Introduction to Trinity’ has 294,000 views. Soft instrumental music accompanies slow motion shots of the Long Room and alumni talking about the historical importance of the college. Videos titled ‘Dublin Diaries’ and ‘College is hard’ by Trinity alum and Youtuber Moya Mawhinney have been viewed nearly twice as many times. Potential students – or anyone else – wanting to know what Trinity is like no longer have to rely on a handful of five minute clips put out by the college five years ago, or course pages featuring little more than CAO requirements. An increasing number of creators on Youtube are making videos centred on Trinity, and for those choosing what college to go to, especially international students, their decisions are more often than not filtered through the lens of a vlogger’s camera.
“The first college week in my life video I made did quite well, views wise”, Jane Loughman – Queen of Quirk on Youtube – tells me, “I didn’t expect that kind of traction”. The vlog, which sees Loughman attend lectures in the Arts Block, work on essays in the Ussher and eat beige food from the Buttery, now has 48,000 views, whilst the video preceding it (made in the same year), has 795. She was making these videos in late 2019 and early 2020. Whilst they were popular pre-pandemic, for the thousands of international students applying to Trinity but unable to visit, they were essential. “There’s a lot of people interested out there and there’s this gap in information and content about Trinity online”, Loughman says. I watched her videos as a seven-
teen year old applying to Trinity having never been to Ireland, and can understand why she was inundated with questions and comments from international students – pretty much all of the comments under her videos are from those applying to Trinity. Of course, though there might be a lack of information about the daily mundanities of Trinity life, there is no dearth of fiction devoted to it. In her video ‘What’s it REALLY like to study at Trinity College Dublin’, Loughman said she consciously referenced “Normal People all the time”. International students weren’t just intrigued by the image of Trinity that popular literature represented, they were galvanised: applications to Trinity rose by 11 % the year that the television adaptation of Normal People aired. But prospective students want more information than literature and a twelve part fictitious series can provide. However, trying to capture Trinity authentically, Loughman says: “It’s hard … sometimes authentic moments you can’t really film.” Although when vlogging she included most of her day, parts she couldn’t document included tutorials, society events and of course times where “I cried over something silly like an assignment”. Anyone who goes to Trinity will tell you it’s not like Normal People, but the idea that the version of Trinity in novels and on screen is fiction and vlogs are factual is a delineation which doesn’t exist.
Maisie Greener, a third year English Studies student from England and the Assistant Radius Editor for The University Times, admits that before arriving on College Green, her “Trinity related media consumption consisted of the cult
classics: Normal People and Moya Mawhinney’s Dublin Diaries”. She continues, explaining “I think both were pretty seminal for me in that they personified the place and brought it to life a little. Prior to this, my knowledge of Trinity was pretty one dimensional and limited to whatever was on the website”. COVID lockdowns meant that she couldn’t visit campus herself before arriving as a Fresher, so vlogs, although “prone to romanticisation, were the closest I could get to actually visiting the college and the city.”
Ellie Smith, a third year Computer Science student, also admits that when she moved to Dublin from America for college, her idea of the city wasn’t entirely based in reality: “When I came to Trinity to move in was the first time I ever came to Ireland. I had never visited so I really relied on those Youtube videos”. By “those” videos, Smith refers mainly to the ‘Queen of Quirk’ channel, but for students who are new on campus this week, the phrase may connote vlogs by Smith herself. Her channel, ‘Born To Be Ellie’, has almost 30,000 subscribers, and she regularly makes videos about college and the experience of being an American in Dublin. Smith explains that “Trinity videos are a lot more popular” than other content she makes – as Loughman also found – and she gets a lot of American students asking her about going to Trinity. Although she does “want to portray it accurately”, Smith warns that her vlogs also show life to be “a little bit better” than everyday. As someone who features in one of her videos looking extremely grey and hungover (my friend was her flatmate in Halls), I think she’s keeping it fairly real, but she
does say that “if I’m vlogging I’m probably doing a little bit more than I usually am”. Channels like ‘Born To Be Ellie’ and ‘Queen of Quirk’ might depict something closer to the reality of college life than anything else on the Internet, but they still can’t fully encompass what it’s really like to study here, even if their titles might claim to.
Unrealistic expectations of university life can be a bad thing, of course. Greener feels of the vlogs she watched that “I don’t think the videos really illuminated the financial stresses that come with living in Dublin”. Unaware of the housing crisis in Dublin, she “fancied myself living in Marianne’s D4 home”, but quickly came to realise that “you’re lucky if you have a roof over your head”. Other students I spoke to were grateful for the romanticised portrayal of somewhere they were nervous about moving to.
Audrey Brown decided to apply to Trinity the night before the deadline from thousands of miles away and explains that “at the time it was kind of nice to see a version of Dublin that wasn’t completely accurate”.
In fact, all of the international students I spoke to for this article referenced applying to Trinity involving a “gut feeling” or “impulsive decision”. When
I first visited Trinity all I knew was that I liked the course, I liked the videos I’d seen online and I liked that no one I knew was going there. But standing in Front Square, having snuck past a barrier,a couple of weeks before CAO offers, marked the first time I felt confident in my decision to apply and my desire to be a student here. There wasn’t any logic behind it: it was just a feeling.
These vlogs might be romanticised, but so are our intuitions, and the inaccuracies of both doesn’t mean there is any better way to figure out your path. Whatever information one has about Trinity before arriving, you can’t know or control how you will feel once enrolled. As those watching videos about Trinity become the ones making them – there are already a litany more vloggers in the past couple of years than there were when I was watching them – a wider look at students’ experiences will be captured, which is undoubtedly helpful for people trying to imagine themselves here. Whilst the idea of a YouTube algorithm or a vlogger ‘influencing’ where someone goes to university might seem daunting to some, it’s no less scary than the reality – that no amount of research can control your experience once you actually enrol in a college.
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Phoebe Pascoe goes beyond the brochures and asks whether YouTube vlogs can paint an accurate picture of the college experience.
The Trinity Alphabet: An A-Z of College Terms
Sophie Coffey provides a comprehensive overview of the essential terms you need to know to survive life at Trinity.
Ais for academic referencing. What better term to start this list with than a phrase you will be hearing plenty about during your degree? College referencing is one of the biggest academic transitions between second and third level education so it’s worth getting to grips with it from the beginning by reading the recommended online guides and handbooks.
Bis for Blackboard. Blackboard is the online platform used to access your module content, submit your assignments and check grades. It’s your one stop site for your college workload (when it’s working!).
Cis for campus. Trinity is famous for many things, but its gorgeous campus situated in the centre of Dublin is high on that list. Whether your classes are located in the glamorous business building or the admittedly less sparkling arts block, a space of history awaits! There’s nothing like that stroll under the arch and across front square.
Dis for degree. Supposedly the reason we’re all here! It’s worth noting that for most courses your results in your first and second year will not count towards your final degree mark, but they might be considered when it comes to your Erasmus allocation.
Eis for Erasmus. This is the option to study a semester or two abroad in your penultimate year of study. The chance to flee Trinity to another European city comes highly recommended by many students.
Fis for faculty. These are the staff members within each department. It’s always handy to be aware of the email addresses of key members of your faculty.
Gis for Google Scholar. The importance of referencing cannot be overstated, as you will be sure to hear repeatedly throughout your entire degree! One of the greatest tools for reputable sources is Google Scholar, which also has a very handy little shortcut for referencing. Simply click the quotation marks underneath the link to bring up the reference in a range of formats.
His for House 6. House 6 is home to a range of student services including Trinity’s College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and of course The University Times. It also has a convenient shop if you’re ever in need of some essentials.
Iis for IT Support. Hopefully you won’t need this anytime soon but, if you do, their email is ITservices@tcd.ie and they are located in the Aras an Phiarsaigh building. Just don’t show up unless you have an hour or two spare to wait!
Jis for Joint Honours (JH). These are students whose degree encompasses two subjects. If you are a JH student it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on modules that are prerequisites and to read up on your pathways each year.
Kis for knowledge. Fingers crossed this is something you will gain during your years in Trinity – don’t worry, we promise that you don’t need to know it all just yet!
Lis for Linda Doyle. The Provost of Trinity and the first female to take on the role. She took to the position in 2021, making her the 45th Provost of Trinity. Doyle’s term will run for ten years.
Mis for Michaelmas Term. This is the name for the first semester of college, often referred to as MT. The second semester is Hilary Term (HT).
Nis for nightlife. College is a great time for socialising and you’re likely to have an incredible range of experiences. Remember to stick to your own pace and enjoy!
Ois for orientation. This will be the first week for Freshers and includes plenty of opportunities for tours and getting information. Don’t worry – you’ll still have plenty of time for questions in the subsequent weeks (and years).
Pis for Pav. The Pav (The Pavillion Bar) is the College bar located on campus and the perfect place for a pint after classes. Be sure to follow their Instagram account (the_pavilion_bar) to keep up to date on the various social events planned and the famed ‘Pav Man’.
Qis for quiz. This could be understood in the sense of a module assessment but I prefer to think of it in the context of a Pub Quiz! Plenty of societies will run Pub Quizzes through Freshers’ Week and beyond, which are a great way to get to know people.
Ris for Reading Week. Reading Week is many students’ favourite week of the semester. Falling in week seven, no classes take place enabling you to catch up on work or catch a flight – whichever you prefer!
Sis for Stella Search. This is a feature on the Trinity Library’s website, designed to help you narrow down your search for a source. Try to get to grips with it from the beginning and it will save you time in the future.
Tis for Turnitin. Turnitin is the online system used to submit assignments online through Blackboard. It uses a similarity score to detect potential plagiarism.
Uis for University Times. That’s us! We produce a monthly print edition and publish online daily. We are always looking for students to contribute so feel free to get in touch!
Vis for (Garda) Vetting. Some courses such as those in health sciences will require Garda vetting ahead of placements, so check if this is a requirement for your course.
Wis for WiFi. Connect yourself to the Trinity WiFi – if it’s decided to work that day – ahead of your first class to save yourself a panic or IT stress at the start of a lecture.
Xis for Xmas. This is the break that separates our two terms in the middle of our undergraduate academic calendar.
Yis for Young Adult Leap Card. If you don’t already have a Young Adult Leap Card then be sure to get one. It will allow you to tap on and off on public transport in Dublin with a 50 per cent fare reduction.
Zis for Zoom. Hopefully this isn’t something that features too much in your college experience, but it can be handy and is not a
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The Perfect Guide to a Pressure-Free Freshers Night Out
Phoebe Pascoe outlines her top tips to minimise stress and maximimise fun on your first nights out.
Each night of freshers' week seems to wield an obscene amount of pressure. Every predrinks and every club night seems like a chance to either meet the friends you’ll keep for the next four years, or a missed opportunity. And whilst my best friend still tells the story of our meeting during freshers' like a newly engaged couple might talk about their proposal, the secret about freshers' is: it’s really not that important.
Yes, it’s a time when you’re meeting lots of people, trying new things and going out a lot. So is most of university. Looking back, I would say what distinguishes freshers' from the rest of college life is the distinct lack of pressure, even though it feels the opposite. This is not
just because classes haven’t officially begun, but also because it’s a time when everyone is so caught up in making their own mistakes that no one is noticing yours. With that in mind, freshers' is the perfect time to say yes to everything – and by that I mean every night out. The ideal night out in freshers' is a carefully (chaotically) balanced mixture and, to my mind, the recipe looks a little as follows.
Predrinks. The word is plural for a reason – more than one is ideal. If you’re in Halls then there’ll be a litany of options if you linger around the courtyards for long enough. Freshers' is a great week because it’s full of anticipation and possibility. Prinks hold the same log-
Dublin for Dummies: A Beginners' Guide to the City
banism through its thin-crust pizza, as well as the opportunity to run into every “Dublin creative” you’ve ever dated.
ic, in my opinion. They are often the best part of a night out, especially during freshers'. It can be the time that you actually get to chat to people who aren’t close friends yet, but might be by the end of the night. Have people round to yours first if you and your flatmates feel like hosting, and then go on to someone else’s before you truly head out for the night.
Transport. If you don’t nearly miss the bus or the Luas and lose at least one member of your group on the way to the club, then has the night really started yet? If, like me, you were a fresher with a very limited geographical knowledge of Dublin, then making your way to a night out is part of the adventure. If you’re less in the
mood for adventure, then use Citymapper. This app will ensure you don’t get to the club too late and get refused entry, or, heaven forbid, arrive too early.
Destination. Embrace the cringiest events and clubs, because the only thing more embarrassing than attending, is pretending you’re too cool for it. If there’s a theme, be on it, if only because it gives you a conversation starter with new people. The place doesn’t matter so much as the people, but freshers' is still a great opportunity to discover the pubs and clubs you might frequent – or avoid –for the rest of the year.
After. If you’ve survived the club and reached Xian, Charlie’s or Apache then you’ve made it.
If you make it out for brunch the next morning, then you’re due an even bigger congratulations. Debriefing the night over garlic chips on the bus or avocado toast in Rathmines is truly the most important part of a freshers' night out. Firm friendships are forged through having thoroughly made a fool of yourself the night before. After all, you might not have had anything in common with the people you went out with last night before, but now you have an inside joke to share and something embarrassing to try and forget together. Freshers' will end, as will your hangover, but hopefully you will emerge with some fun nights out to reminisce on, and maybe even some new friends to reminisce with.
Barrett's Guide to On-Campus Grub
TTrinity is unique amongst Dublin universities for its location in the heart of the city centre. Far from being limited to the college bar and the campus shop, students can choose from dozens of options for wining and dining. Each restaurant, bar and boutique carries its own distinct identity and suggests something about the students that visit, so here’s what you need to know about where you’re going to go.
KC Peaches on Nassau Street is where students congregate, if not for the quality of the food then for its 10 per cent student discount. Xian Street Food on South Anne Street sells homemade Asian food and is famed for its spice bag. Meanwhile, Sprout on Dawson Street serves as a nutritious alternative and primarily attracts two kinds of students: those who attend their 9am lectures after their morning run, and those who think that a salad can offset their three-day Jägermeister hangover. Closer to St. Stephen’s Green, Bambino presents a slice of New York ur-
For your mid-morning caffeine high, Dublin Barista School provides the most affordable coffee in town thanks to its apprentice employees. Don’t you wish you’d put coffee college on your CAO? For an extra euro or two, the staff at Beanhive can create Instagram-worthy latte art to accompany their delicious vegan treats. If you’d like to pretend you’re sipping coffee on the Seine rather than drinking Mango Loco Monster on the fifth floor of the Ussher Library, Bestseller offers ambient lighting and atmospheric music to complement their overpriced coffee.
Finally, for cheap and cheerful pints, students flock to the range of pubs surrounding the college itself, such as Doyle’s, Chaplin’s and Kennedy’s. For a livelier atmosphere, louder music and a slightly older crowd, many make the pilgrimage to Camden Street and into Ryan’s, Jimmy Rabbitte’s and the infamous Copper Face Jacks. For a fancier option on a first date or a birthday, head towards Fade Street to Fade Street Social, The Bar With No Name or l’Gueuleton.
For many students, eating at Trinity doesn’t actually mean eating at Trinity. Trinity’s campus is surrounded by options for food that can be convenient, cheap and delicious, though rarely all three. In this position it can be an easy decision to run off when you feel that post-class pang of hunger, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Trinity has a surprising variety of restaurant and café options on campus, some well-known and some not-sowell-known, most of which are managed by in-house Trinity Catering. The bulk of Trinity’s dining experience can be found in the Dining Hall Building, the second largest building to your left when you enter campus from College Green. Aside from this, there are cafés and restaurants strewn across the rest of the campus.
The Dining Hall Building is the culinary heart of Trinity, for better or for worse, and houses Trinity’s most recognizable restaurant, The Buttery. The Buttery is not located through the grand doors of the building, but rather down a small stairwell to the right which opens into a spacious, though occasionally crowded, dining area. The Buttery offers relatively cheap, hearty meals that are generally budget friendly and serves both breakfast and lunch, as well as vegan options for all meals. The main meal options are priced $4.60 for the vegan lunch option and $5.75 for the non-vegan option, which fares well when compared with even the cheapest restaurants off campus. The dining area also boasts a sometimes-operational deli counter for those craving chicken fillet rolls and a café in a vaulted dining area. The Buttery is easily Trinity’s most heavily trafficked eating place, with scores of stu-
dents and tourists availing of the kitchen alike.
Aside from the Buttery, the Dining Hall Building also hosts the eponymous Dining Hall and the luxurious, cloaked in mystery, 1592 restaurant. The Dining Hall is located on the floor above the Buttery and serves the same fare, only in a much grander setting: a hall with long wooden tables hung with imposing paintings, best for those who would really like to entertain their notions, or those who would simply appreciate the Buttery’s food while playing at fine dining. It may also be a fun challenge for readers to attempt to walk through the grand front doors without feeling like you’re in the wrong place. The 1592 restaurant is also located in the building, offering a $30 three-course-meal for those who would like to fine dine on a budget, though it is only available for private or corporate reservations, kept hidden away from us poor students.
Outside of the dining hall, the Pav reigns supreme. The Pavilion Bar is Trinity’s on campus bar offering a wide range of food and drink options, though their pricing isn’t as competitive as the Buttery - a €9.50 chicken goujon makes this clear. Still, the Pav has semi-affordable chips and pub fare and the convenience of the location makes the bar a great option for a pre or post-class pint. The price per pint isn’t fantastic, but you can remain happy knowing you’re paying less than you would in Temple
Bar while looking at the Ussher and revelling in the fact that you aren’t studying.
Aside from restaurants and dining halls, Trinity also has numerous cafés, making it that much easier to reach your mandatory daily caffeine intake. The Perch is a small café just inside the arts block where you can get a range of hot drinks, pastries, and small ready to go meals. Aras an Phiarsaigh, located in the building of the same name (tucked away near the Samuel Beckett Theatre building) has similar offerings to the Perch and is in a convenient location for those making that treacherous walk across campus. The Trinity Business School, of course, has two cafés. Forum, a lovely and very Gen-Z feeling café-combi-restaurant that offers small meal options from the Buttery menu alongside their coffee and pastries, and boasts an extensive seating area, and Jolt Café on the basement level, which offers the similar coffee and pastry fare of the other cafés. Lastly, the Hamilton Building has a seemingly dormant café, but plans to reopen as a catering-staff-operation may amount to reality this year. Only time will tell.
Trinity offers no shortage of options in regards to cafés and its dining options, most notably the Buttery, manage to be semi-affordable and above all convenient. This can help to save both time and stress when trying to get a quick meal in between classes, or when simply trying to find a place to eat with new friends.
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Barrett Ellis RADIUS EDITOR Clara Roche EDITOR
