On Monday, February 16th, the first major hustings event of the election cycle took place on the steps of the Dining Hall. After a few words from Bailey Armstrong, Head of the Electoral Commission, all 20 candidates gave a two-minute speech each.
UT Editor
Speaking first, Harper Alderson gave her speech. Alderson is running for University Times Editor in the only uncontested race. In her speech, she began by emphatically stating, “I love the University Times” and “I love student journalism, I love that it gives everyone an opportunity to express their voice”. She said that “under my editorship, I want every single voice to be heard”. She reiterated her main campaign goals, such as “more videos, more investigations, and more news” which would be printed more often, as Alderson has expressed her desire for smaller but more frequent newspapers. She finished by inviting people to contribute to UT and help promote student journalism on campus.
Graduate Officer
Next, candidates in the race for Graduate Officer began their speeches. Going first, Féith Ní Chléirigh said that she wants to “impart [her] wisdom” on the student body. The 38-year-old parent vowed to represent working students, and urged the audience to read her “ADHD-friendly” manifesto. Main points of her campaign include improved accessibility, better services for students and staff with children, as well as the utilisation of currently “underutilised” student spaces.
Ava Tuohy spoke next. She underlined the importance of the newly-established role, highlighting the inaccessibility of postgrad student spaces and the need for “a stronger voice within Trinity”, saying that “one third of students were left without meaningful representation” prior to the introduction of the Graduate Officer role. Tuohy stated that, if elected, she would focus on “real practical issues that affect [students’] daily lives”. Specifically, she cited the 1937 Postgraduate Reading Room and other postgraduate-dedicated spaces as run-down and in need of “investment”. She promised to “push College to honour its promises” to invest and renovate these spaces to ensure that they are “accessible and genuinely for postgrads”. Tuohy also emphasised the importance of solving the wage issues that plague postgraduate researchers, as well as expanding opportunities for paid leave. She finished by emphasising her support for Palestine.
Oifigeach na Gaeilge
Next, the two candidates for Irish Officer gave their speeches. Mary Kate Ní Artáin highlighted that “Irish is not just a subject”, but a vital part of culture that “should feel alive”. The Senior Sophister Irish and Music student outlined her previous experience, including as a content creator and director of the Trinity Belles. As a graduate of a gaelscoil, she vowed to push for a smoother transition for Irish speakers into college, for instance by giving students the opportunity to submit assignments in Irish. Moreover, Ní Artáin wants to work with the translation department to improve translation support, offering services such as Irish–English glossaries with key terminology, enabling students to “have confidence and pride in their language”. Finally, she outlined her vision to incorporate Irish into social life on campus, for instance by encouraging student societies to run Irish-language events or starting an Irish running club.
Speaking next, Hugh Ó Ríordáin started his speech, saying that “the Irish language has been marginalised by government after government … to take away the Irishness of the country”. He emphasised that despite this, the Irish language is “alive and well” and that it is “at the height of its cultural power”.
“I have seen so many possibilities where we can make a big contribution to the development of the Irish language in this college and this country.” “Sadly,” he added, “we don’t all have the same access to the language”. Ó Ríordáin went on to highlight accessibility issues for native Irish speakers and international students alike. “I would like to work … to remove these barriers,” he said. Ó Ríordáin finished by expressing his belief that Irish should be an “equal language” within College for the sake of all students.
Entertainments Officer
Next, candidates for Entertainment (Ents) Officer took the stage. Finn Hallwood spoke first, outlining his experience in planning and facilitating larger-scale events such as Jailbreak, Movember Ball, and smaller-scale events for his swimming club, of which he is the captain. The Senior Sophister mechanical engineering student reiterated his key campaign goal — making live music more available on campus. This, he said, would be implemented through a monthly live music showcase. He also said that he wants to develop connections with various music labels and bands, improving the Trinity Ball lineup. He also vowed to push for a zero tolerance policy that aims to make the Active Consent module compulsory to attend all Trinity Events.
Danila Kitaev spoke next. He said that he is “ready to lead with [his] own vision”, after gaining experience in event organisation throughout his college career. He said that “Ents works best when students, societies, clubs, and committee members all shape what we do”. He then outlined the three key pillars of his campaign. First, he said, he wants to empower students by allowing for student feedback and “making sure clubs and societies are supported”. Second, he vowed to create “events that work for everyone”, focusing on inclusivity. Finally, he emphasised the importance of accessibility, saying that his “goal is to make sure Ents continues to be a place where people can show up, be included, and genuinely belong”.
Communications and Marketing Officer
Jacob Barron opened the speeches for Communications and Marketing Officer candidates. He briefly outlined his main campaign goals, namely an opt-out feature for TCDSU communications, improved student deals, greater transparency within the Union including student access to Comhairle, and an overhaul of the union’s website. The latter, he emphasised, is “really bad at the moment”. Barron also highlighted the translation of his manifesto into six languages and his desire to release the financial statements for the union for the previous two years.
Matthew Kurt began his speech next, saying that he wants to be “the link between students and the union”. Kurt emphasised that he plans to raise engagement with the union by expanding TCDSU communications to incorporate video content such as weekly recaps. He said that his goal is to “reach students who might not otherwise interact [with the union]”. Furthermore, he explained his plans to encourage students to get involved by hosting regular town halls, and encouraging students to share their thoughts via feedback forms. Finishing his speech, he summarised his main campaign goals, saying that “an engaging union starts with two-way communication”.
Senior Sophister European Studies student Alice Moran spoke next, recalling her personal experience with the Students’ Union. Citing a “life-changing diagnosis”, she explained how TCDSU communications from the Comms & Marketing Officer were a “life line” when she was unable to be present on campus.
“Now that I am in my final year at Trinity, I feel that I finally know what I’m doing, I have the capacity to do more than just survive coursework,” she said, going on to list her experience with Student2Student (S2S) mentoring, Trinity Musical Theatre and Trinity’s Disability Service. She also expressed her gratitude to current Comms & Marketing Officer Channing Kehoe, who Moran works with on the Comms & Marketing committee. She expressed the need for the union to push “bilingual pride” and “student deals” before ending her speech.
Promise Okafor spoke last. The General Nursing student noted how there is a “gap between STEM students and the Union”, which she aims to close. She cited her experience as a Trinity social media ambassador and S2S mentor, as well as her connections within the Trinity Career Service whom she has worked with throughout the academic year. She outlined four main aspects of her campaign, namely collaboration between the union and student societies, as well as various off-campus sites.
“I see and understand how students receive information and also what the best way is to deliver it,” she said in her speech. She also emphasised the importance of more accessible captions on videos, complete with larger fonts for students with poor vision. Her speech focused heavily on the importance of getting TCDSU to post collaboratively with other societies on campus, and for the union to begin outreach to off-campus areas such as the Lir.
Welfare and Equality Officer
Rossa Bolger spoke first in his race, outlining his main campaign goals as Welfare and Equality Officer. The Senior Sophister Social Work student emphasised his focus on safety on campus, physical accessibility to student spaces, as well as online lectures, which are “especially important for student workers and carers”. Bolger emphasised that social work “is what [he] want[s] to do for the rest of [his] life”. This emphasis on his course as a main preparatory basis mirrored closely that of current Welfare & Equality Officer Deirdre Leahy, who emphasised her experience with case work as an Occupational Therapy student as foundational experience for the role. Bolger’s main action item is promoting safety around campus through programs such as “consent training, active bystander training, and also campaigns about sexual violence on campus because it is an issue that isn’t spoken about enough”.
Bolger also emphasised the lack of accessibility for many critical student spaces, such as Seomra na Gaeilge and Teach 6 as a main point for critical change. Bolger finished with talking about a “personal project” where he worked with the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities to help disabled students take open modules in College.
Lorenzo Cheasty spoke afterwards, explaining how he wants to “change how students can access education at Trinity”. Cheasty outlined his main campaign goals, which are to establish a social supermarket at Trinity, offering free food to students which “would otherwise go to waste”. Citing examples of similar successful initiatives at other universities, he said that this would “make college more affordable” for students, while at the same time making a positive environmental impact. In a similar vein, he wants to ensure that “high costs do not stand between students and their education”. He outlined his experience as Housing Rights Officer and recalled implementing the lease transfer scheme, saying that he is equipped to “make a lasting difference”.
Education Officer
Sam Brooks spoke next about his campaign for Education Officer. The Sociology and Social Policy student outlined his experience in the education sector, namely as the current Social Sciences and Philosophy Convenor and SU Commuters Officer. He outlined his main campaign goals, such as the improvement of Erasmus and exchange, and eliminating unpaid internships and placements. The latter, he said, are “absolutely unacceptable”. Brooks noted he was only 28 votes short of winning a local election as the youngest-ever candidate, asking the audience “not to repeat this experience”.
Current STEM Faculty Convenor Eve Martin spoke next. Should she be elected as Education Officer, she vows to implement a College-wide Generative AI policy, continue to push for modular billing, implement a coherent lecture recording policy, and publish a “hidden costs” guide to help students navigate living in college. Moreover, she envisions a discount for Trinity graduates that wish to pursue a postgraduate degree at the College, and wants to ensure student feedback informs college policy.
President
In the most contested race of this election cycle, Jonathan Hoffman opened speeches for Presidential candidates. Hoffman began by stating his previous qualifications for the role, such as winning an award for student entrepreneurship. Hoffman was quick to admit that the union “is not working as it should”, citing low voter turnout in elections compared to overall student population. His three main campaign goals are to “stop wasting money”, improve opportunities for students, and “build a union that works”. Referring to the latter point, he explained that he believes that the structure of the union is flawed and that some courses are underrepresented.
Cathal Horgan spoke next, stating that the union has “failed to connect with students” particularly STEM students. He believes that in the past, the union was focused on issues that “affected all of us” but that recently its main aim has been “getting attention” and is acting “antagonistically”. He wants to focus on student services, cut down the €20,000 spent on hotels and restaurants for Class Rep training and instead invest in a €0.50 breakfast in the SU cafe and Trinity-owned accommodation.
Presidential candidate Amy Kennedy took the stage next. The current LGBT Rights Officer said that “the future of the Students’ Union is at risk” because of what she believes to be “personal rivalry and scandal”. Kennedy also claimed the finances of the College itself, noting that it made €50 million in surplus and had €800 million in reserves. For Kennedy, this money should go towards their SU’s proposal of “subsidised College housing and extending the rent freeze”. Trinity, she said, must be forced to “work for us rather than for profit”. If elected, Kennedy wants to “meet students where they’re at”. She highlighted her experience as a working student and a long-time officer of the union and believes that she is the “right person for the job”.
Current TCDSU President Grace McNally began her speech by “asking for [the students’] re-vote”. McNally recalled how her experience of being given assistance by the union has motivated her to get involved. While she reiterated her appreciation for her current position, she said that she’s merely been able to “scratch the surface” of her campaign goals, motivating her to enter the race again. Outlining the successes she has achieved so far, she said how she wants to continue to push for her goals, such as working with Trinity Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) to replace Coca-Cola vending machines on campus, and represent students at St James’s Hospital.
Senior Sophister Computer Science, Linguistics and Irish student Tadhg Ó Néil closed the candidate speeches. He referred to the “toxicity” that is “present in the union”, saying that members “bicker and bully each other”. Hoping to shift the union’s focus to student services once elected, one of his main campaign goals is to subsidise the Buttery and Pav. He also vowed to “increase commuter support”, recalling his own experience commuting “three hours overall” to and from college every day.
— Correction, 16th February 2026, 8:10 pm–
This article previously quoted Amy Kennedy as saying the college has “€15 million in surplus”. In fact, she said “€50 million in surplus”. The article has been corrected to reflect this error.
