We’ve all been there: its 4am in the library, the caffeine from your last coffee is beginning to wear off and your hopes of finishing your essay before your deadline are blacker than an 8 ball. Sometimes, the weight of mounting pressures from exams, assignments, and part-time jobs can suddenly become too much to bear. Often, we can find ourselves wandering aimlessly about campus trying find a solution.
Pool Soc, located at the top of the GMB, offers a space of solace. Behind the heavy-set double doors you will find five fantastic pool tables and three magnificent snooker tables. With membership being merely €2, Pool Soc is indeed a hidden gem on campus. Since discovering Pool Soc, it has become a regular haunt of mine. It is exactly what you might think – a place to play pool or snooker. The level of competition and engagement is entirely up to you. Compete in Pool Soc’s own ladder system and various tournaments, or if you prefer, just grab a few friends for a quiet game. All levels of skill are catered for, with weekly tournaments taking place every Tuesday from 5pm until 7pm, in conjunction with a free practice session every Thursday in JCR between 6:30pm and 9:30pm consisting of casual and ladder matches.
Pool Soc’s atmosphere is relaxed, with beanbags, couches and a comforting murmur of background chatter. At Pool Soc the focus is on the pool, or snooker, a welcomed respite from the commitments and responsibilities of our lives as young adults. The only rule is to respect the space and equipment, which, after recent repairs, is truly immaculate.
Writing this piece isn’t easy – this society has been in my corner pocket for a long while. One of the reasons that I enjoy of Pool Soc is its obscurity. It is rarely packed to the rafters and boasts a certain modest appeal. Like a mother bird forcing its younglings out of the nest to fly or fall, I am determined to give Pool Soc the kind exposure that it has rarely receives, but most definitely deserves.
