Peadar Walsh, current JCR Ents officer, is primed for the running of Ents Officer this year. In the lead up to voting, Paedar has been carefully refining an impressive manifesto with exciting and necessary changes that will be implemented next year to enhance the already vibrant community of Trinity College Dublin.
In an interview with The University Times, Peadar reflected on how his ample past experience in running events is one of the many reasons as to why he’s best suited for this role. ‘I’ve always gained the greatest satisfaction from running events”, Peadar claimed as he told The University Times that since the age of 15 he has been setting up and running events, particularly from his home town in County Mayo. Now in Dublin and running his successful organisation TKP Nights, Walsh is well-connected, experienced and passionate about entertaining his community.
When asked how his experience as a JCR Ents officer has been, Peadar said with a smile how glad he has been to create memorable events that, for many, have been unique opportunities to spark friendships that form their college experience. “Having a committee and learning from them as to what the students need has been a real learning curve”, Walsh reflected when asked how the transition has been from running individual events to events for a wider cohort of students. “It’s important to listen to the community and have an ‘ear to the ground’ so that we can fine tune our ideas to find out what people really want.” The skills he has cultivated over time as JCR Ents officer appear to position him exceptionally well for a more senior role as Trinity Ents officer.
After a hugely successful year in the role, the current Ents Officer Olivia Orr has certainly left some big shoes to fill. While expressing high praise for her work, Peadar is also eager to implement certain changes to ensure that Trinity Ents events can be optimised for the Trinity community. “I would like to move away from Ents-only, monthly club nights and instead, encourage more cross-society collaboration”, Walsh stated. As Ents Officer he wants to improve the resources available to societies so that they can worry less about the event itself and more about cultivating the atmosphere of their society they wish to convey. As a primary goal for next year, Peadar aims to establish a weekly schedule for society events, minimising conflict between societies. This approach enables cross-society collaboration and overall student involvement
As Ents Officer, it is important to cater to the whole Trinity community by providing a wide variety of opportunities for students to get stuck in. When asked how he might effectively strike a balance between day and night events as well as alcohol and alcohol-free occasions Peadar stressed that the utilisation of the whole committee is needed. “I’m open to collaboration with all societies and the welfare team to ensure that all preferences are catered for”, and so ensuring a happy and heard community.
The Pav is at the heart of the College, and ‘Pav Fridays’ are something of a core tradition in the lives of Trinity students. Peadar, aware of their popularity, notes of the opportunity to spotlight different genres of music, both to the enjoyment of musicians and ‘pav-goer’ alike. “Next year, I am keen to have different bands on Fridays and showcase their talent where before we’ve had just DJs.” This would give more variety to the vast array of talent that Trinity students possess and perfectly encapsulate the true nature of inclusivity and enriched entertainment that ripples through the college. Furthermore, Peadar noted his intention to improve Pav Fridays by proposing a second bar thus, reducing queue times. “I want to transform the Pav into more of a pub atmosphere by adding traditional games such as darts.” Walsh is passionate about this regeneration of the Pav and a chance to improve the variety, efficiency and general student enjoyment on the famous Fridays that signal a student’s weekend.
Finally, the famous Trinity Ball was brought to attention, the event of the year that boasts an impressive line up, iconic setting and sets the scene for an unforgettable night in the Trinity community. However, with such a large-scale event comes huge responsibility for the Ents officer and intricate planning to ensure the night runs seamlessly. When asked what his goals for Trinity Ball were, Peadar noted first on his priority to implement proper crowd control around campus. “In the past years it has been just too dangerous. People get hurt and unnecessary trampling must be managed immediately.” And crowd control is not the only safety measure Peadar is planning to implement. In order to manage student drug use and promote safety in this area, Walsh is keen to first educate on the safety issues of drug taking but additionally set up testing stations in medical tents around Trinity Ball so that any drug usage can be mitigated and ensure a safer environment. Walsh notes, “Obviously workshops and campaigns to reduce drug use are necessary but it is an unavoidable fact that some students will attempt to take drugs and so it is better to ensure that this is as safe as possible to reduce risk”. Alongside the Welfare team, Peadar is keen to tackle student drug usage front on and reduce the stigma attached which historically has led to dangerous consequences.
Unusually this year, Peadar Walsh is running uncontested for Trinity Ents officer. However, the lack of opposition does not diminish his passion for ensuring the best of campaigns. It was evident in discussion with The University Times that Walsh is determined and committed to taking on the important role of Ents officer. Following in the footsteps of Olivia Orr, next year’s assortment of entertainment looks exciting indeed.
