This week marks the highly anticipated RAG week where Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union and Trinity Ents will host a large range of charity events with other societies. The money raised will go towards various charities such as Suas and Amnesty. It’s set to be an action-packed, wholesome week where there’s certainly no shortage of events to get involved in.
Monday
The Voluntary Tuition Programme are having their annual VTPedal in the Arts Block all day, where bikes will be stationed in the building and donations can be given. If you dare you can sign up online to cycle and do your good deed of the day. At 12pm, Dublin University Alternative Music Society are busking in Front Square with donations going towards charity. Later at 1pm, the Phil are hosting Irish hip hop artist Rejjie Snow in the GMB and presenting him with the Gold Medal of Honourary Patronage. Snow has received critical acclaim for his work including his EPs, singles, and his 2018 debut album Dear Annie, which have garnered popularity globally in the charts.
Later at 6.30pm, Suas are launching their magazine in the atrium, where they will welcome their guest speaker human rights lawyer Simone George. Get together your best quiz team as the annual RAG week big fat quiz is on at 8pm in the Dining Hall. This event, hosted by Ents and the Graduate Students Union, lets you compete in teams of four and boasts a large number of prizes, such as four free Trinity Ball tickets to the winning team.
Tuesday
At 7.30pm, the annual Trinity Fashion Show will be taking place with the theme ‘The Persistence of Memory,’ and will show the work of Irish Fashion graduates. The show is inspired by surrealism and will be held in the D-Light Studios in North Great Clarence Street. It’s not to be missed but make sure to get a ticket in advance! There will also be a pre-show reception as well as an after party in what is sure to be a night of celebrating creativity and the talent of the designers. Also at this time, Math soc will welcome Professor Andrei Parnachev to speak on string theory and holography in the Synge lecture theatre. Meanwhile, DU Film will be holding a mixer in Chaplins Bar for their upcoming trip to Berlin providing you with the opportunity to get to know others going on the trip but the event is open to all even if you can’t attend their trip. Later at 8pm, Trinity Musical Theatre society are hosting their launch night for their musical production of Chicago in the GMB. They will be screening their promo video in the Phil Conversation room and celebrating as the tickets go on sale. They will also be providing a wine reception and afters in the Blind Pig Speakeasy. At the same time, the Space society will be screening the movie Santa Claus Conquers the Martians in Wigwam. Later at 10pm, Trinity Ents are hosting the RAG Sing Along Social in Tramline where tickets are only €5. There will be classic tunes over the last decades and you can get your karaoke fix.
Wednesday
You can get creative at the VisArts tie-dye workshop at 3pm in House Six, where a free t-shirt can be bought by donating €2 towards RAG week. At 7.30pm, Trinity’s best dance crew competition is back with a bang and will be on in the Button Factory. The event involves teams of society committees and clubs being taught a routine by a member of DU Dance and hence performing it on stage. The victors are then determined by the audience as well as a panel of judges. You won’t want to miss this annual favourite of RAG week and the tickets are only €6 with funds going towards Amnesty. Meanwhile, the Hist are hosting their weekly debate in collaboration with the Student Economic Review (SER) on the motion of whether protectionism is failing America. In addition to the interesting topic, it will be an inter-varsity debate with Yale University in America so you won’t want to miss out on their largest debate of the year so far!
Thursday
At 12pm, there will be a Bram Stoker reading presented by Aoife Cronin on the standards of masculinity in hip-hop in the Phil Conversation Room. Her paper will explore the misogyny and homophobia in the lyrics of popular songs from the genre, and how in recent times rappers who do not fit the traditional masculine stereotype are rising in popularity. At 4pm, The Phil will be hosting Mary Berry in the GMB and presenting her with the Gold Medal of Honourary Patronage. Berry is widely known for her cookbooks and being a presenter on The Great British Bake Off, as well as on her own show Mary Berry Cooks. It will be necessary to arrive early if you want to nab a seat! If Mary Berry being on campus doesn’t put you in a good enough mood, you can destress with some yoga in room 50 of the Atrium at 7pm with Yoga soc.
Meanwhile at 7.30pm, QSoc are having a Lipsync for Charity event in Street 66 where you can lipsync for your life with tickets costing a mere €3. The Phil will also be having their weekly debate at this time in the GMB on the topic of whether the house would prefer to live in a world without religion. The Theological society are collaborating for the debate and it’s set to be an intriguing motion. In the evening, the annual DU Players Ball will be held in the Button Factory with doors opening at 10pm. You can enjoy a full line up including Irish DJ Daithí, Soft Boy Records, Cooks But We’re Chefs, and a whole range of Dublin DJs who will be playing tunes for the night.
Friday
At 1pm, there will be a Barbri US law information talk in room 3071 in the Arts Block on how to learn about qualifying as a lawyer and how they can assist you in transferring to working with a law degree in the US. If you’re studying law and are curious about how you can work there in the future, then it will certainly be beneficial in learning how to use your degree internationally.
