Former Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Ents Officer Finn Murphy was appointed a member of the union’s Board of Trustees at TCDSU Council this evening.
Murphy, who served as Ents Officer in 2014/15, is also known as one of the driving forces behind the digital student card, and replaces Daithí MacSíthigh, a former TCDSU officer, on the board.
Speaking at council, TCDSU President, Kieran McNulty, described Murphy as “one of the most brilliant individuals I have met in my time in the SU”.
The Board of Trustees are a group of eight people, first appointed by TCDSU Council in March 2015, to advise the TCDSU President on issues such as staffing, strategy, administration and finance.
MacSíthigh, who is the Director of Research in the School of Law at Newcastle University, has resigned from his position on the board for personal reasons, leaving a space open to be filled. The sabbatical officers considered a list of people, deciding on Murphy as the best candidate to be put forward to be appointed.
The Board of Trustees was created as part of the union’s strategic plan, with the aim of improving the union’s organisation and sense of direction.
MacSíthigh was appointed in 2015 alongside Trinity Senator Ivana Bacik, the Reid Professor of Criminal Law in the Law School, who served as President of TCDSU from 1989 to 1990. Áine Hyland, the former Vice-President of University College Cork (UCC), known for leading wide-ranging working groups on higher education, was also appointed. She previously chaired the panel of the 2013 external review of TCDSU.
Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland, Colm O’Gorman, is also a member of the board.
Also on is board are John Mannion, a former TCDSU President who served from 2005 to 2006; and Órlaith Foley, a former Welfare Officer of TCDSU, serving from 2008 to 2009, who served as the Communications and Fundraising Officer for Headstrong, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, for four years. Jack Cantillon, a 2014 Trinity Graduate and Jailbreak 2014 organiser, is also a board member.
