You’re one month in. Your next month’s rent is due. Cheap reading week flights are calling you through well-placed Facebook ads and from the recesses of your course group chat. You can’t remember the last time you went home. Sunday mass, home-cooked meals and the sound of your mam’s voice are but a distant memory. And it’s Societies Week. You made it this far, and that’s an achievement in itself. Here’s a chance to spend the last of your summer savings on joining the societies you missed and reliving the freshers’ week buzz as if it were yesterday (and not a mere four weeks ago).
Monday
You’ve heard of Women in STEM, now get ready for Women in Law. Trinity College Law Society (LawSoc) has developed a project to highlight the issues facing women within the legal sector. With speeches from two high-profile Irish women, Senator Ivana Bacik and Supreme Court Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan, the official launch of Trinity Women in Law promises to usher in the beginning of a new phase for the society, as it works to highlight the struggle for gender equality within the industry. The event will take place in the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) between 7pm and 9pm.
Tuesday
Trinity Musical Theatre, the society that brought acclaimed performances of Chicago and Evita, is back with an innovative and inclusive event. Following the success of last year’s Mamma Mia: Here We Go, Literally in 12 Hours event, it is this year hosting The Secret Musical. And the best part? Everybody who auditions will get a part! The musical will be cast, rehearsed and performed between 12pm and 9pm. If you want to relive the speech and drama glory days of your youth while skipping a day of lectures, then this is for you. For the less musically inclined, the performance begins at 9pm in Players’ Theatre. Entry is free. If you’re looking for something to do beforehand, DU Germanic Society will bring a little piece of Munich to the GMB with its annual Oktoberfest event. It begins at 7pm in the College Historical Society (the Hist) Conversation Room and membership of the society is not required.
Wednesday
DU Archaeological Society will welcome Claíomh this week, an organisation dedicated to education and recreating medieval Ireland, to give a demonstration on medieval artefacts, and to talk about the representation of medieval history in the media. This event, called Sword Soc, will give attendees the chance to channel their inner Damocles in Room 5039 of the Arts Block by trying out Claíomh’s impressive collection of swords. Membership is not required and the event begins at 7pm. At 7.30pm, the Hist will welcome some of its best award-winning speakers back for a timely debate on the recent violence in Hong Kong. As always, membership of the Hist is required to attend, and can be bought on the door for €6.
Thursday
Lá na Gaeilge atá ann. You know what that means – another free breakfast with Cumann Gaelach. It doesn’t matter if you’re a “cainteoir dúchais” or if you learned the phrase “Is maith liom cáca milis” from that 2011 Carlsberg ad – students of all levels of Irish are welcome for a full Irish breakfast in Seomra na Gaeilge at 10am. Following that, DU Meditation will provide all-Irish meditation there at 11am. At 2pm, Seomra na Gaeilge will play host to Art Parkinson, the actor who played Rickon Stark in Game of Thrones, for a talk about the Irish-speaking experience. Finally, at 6pm, the society will choose its representative at the annual Oireachtas na Samhna debating competition. Membership of the society is €3 and can be bought in Seomra na Gaeilge throughout the day.
Friday
Don’t reserve your train ticket home just yet. TCD Arabesque has an event up its sleeve which will convince you to stick around for another evening – a calligraphy workshop with visual artist Roxana Manouchehri. No knowledge of Arabic is required as this is purely an artistic event. It’s completely free but spaces are limited to 20. Fill out the form provided on the society’s Facebook page to reserve your spot.
