Sean Ryan, who is running for Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) President, has denied promising a €300 bar tab in exchange for votes in a Facebook group chat.
In a Facebook statement this afternoon, Ryan has strongly rebuffed allegations made in an article by Trinity News this morning, stating that “claims of the article in Trinity News this morning are categorically untrue”.
Reiterating comments made by members of his campaign team to The University Times this morning, Ryan claimed, in the online statement, to have been “totally unaware of this behaviour until contacted for comment by Trinity News about it” adding that “this was merely a joke amongst friends in a WhatsApp group and is not something I support”.
The response comes after Trinity News reported this morning that a member of Ryan’s campaign team had posted into a Freshers GAA Whatsapp group, promising that if they voted for “one of our members” who was running in the sabbatical elections, they would all get a €300 bar tab in Diceys.
The message, which was posted by Chairman of Trinity GAA Eoin O’Neill, read: “One of our members is going for a position in the SU lads so v [sic] important everyone gets out and votes next week in the elections. He’s promised us a beer tab of €300 in Diceys [sic] if he wins and all the predrinks we want next year. Keelan will be talking more about it tonight with you’s [sic].”
The message was sent last Wednesday before a training session with the Freshers’ manager Keelan Beirne who is referred to in the message.
In the original report, Ryan refuted that the message was about him saying that he “didn’t promise any bar tab”.
O’Neill also denied that the message was about Ryan, saying that the message was in fact an inside joke about the clubs Treasurer Darren McGuckian running for Entertainments Officer. Beirne further denied that the message was an attempt to encourage people to vote, telling Trinity News that “it sounds like a joke”.
Schedule 3 of the TCDSU constitution specifically forbids messages being sent in group chats and outlaws any form of gift-giving to students in order to receive votes.
As it stands, the race for President of TCDSU is closely contested. A three day poll conducted by The University Times revealed that just over one per cent of the vote will decide whether Shane De Rís or Ryan will become President of TCDSU, after votes have been reallocated from their fellow two candidates. De Rís is likely to receive 36.6 per cent of first preferences while Ryan to set to collect 32.4 per cent. The race is currently too close to call for either candidate.
