Trinity is yet to make a decision on whether Trinity Ball will go ahead, the College has confirmed, amid ongoing uncertainty about the lasting impact of the coronavirus.
In an email statement to The University Times, Aoife Carr, a Trinity media relations officer, said that “no decision has been taken as yet” surrounding the ball, which is due to take place on April 17th.
A fortnight ago, before the closure of the College last week, The University Times reported that the College had left open the possibility that the ball would not take place, depending on advice from the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
Provost Patrick Prendergast also told RTÉ Radio 1 that the ball could be cancelled, arguing that the “congregation of large groups is not a good thing”.
Every year, thousands of students descend on campus for the ball, which is Europe’s largest private party. This year, tickets sold out in less than two hours.
Tinie Tempah is slated to headline Trinity Ball – an announcement leaked ahead of time last month when Rejjie Snow, the Dublin rapper also set to feature – posted the lineup on Facebook.
Snow posted a photo of the Trinity Ball lineup – which contains already-announced acts Franc Moody and DJ Seinfeld – on Facebook this afternoon, hours before the announcement of the lineup was scheduled to take place.
The full implications of the coronavirus pandemic on Trinity are unclear as yet. So far, College has confirmed a total of 10 cases in Trinity.
The College has now been closed for over a week, with all teaching taking place online.
Last week, controversy erupted when the College instructed all residents of Trinity accommodation to leave. Irish students were given 24 hours’ notice, while international students were told they should “aim to have left their Trinity accommodation” within 48 hours of the announcement.
The following day, this newspaper reported that many international students were scrambling to find a way home – with several reporting huge “stress and anxiety” and many hitting out at the College. One asked: “What the hell were they thinking?”
