Reading week may be done and dusted, but campus events are back with a bang, helping you relax and take a well-needed library break. This week brings Halloween and with it, all events spooky and creepy. It is also Refugee week, a topical subject considering the recent conversation and petitions surrounding deportations in Ireland and direct provision. There will be stands in the Arts Block and Hamilton all week where volunteers will be sharing information on the refugee crisis, recent deportations and how we can make Ireland a more welcoming place.
TUESDAY
You can start your morning with a relaxing botanical illustration workshop at 12pm in the Anatomy building with DU Meditation, Visual Arts and Botany Soc. At 2pm, the Phil will host a panel discussion on Tuam with Alison O’Reilly and Anna Corrigan in the GMB. Irish journalist O’Reilly first published the Tuam babies scandal in the Irish Mail, and Corrigan uncovered the scandal as she investigated the fate of her two brothers who died when her mother was in the Tuam home. It is set to be an engaging talk on the important issue and the guests will be presented with the medal of honorary patronage.
If you want to get the Halloween festivities started early, there will be a free lunch in the Global room at 2pm. There will be arts and crafts along with decorations and spooky music, so you’re guaranteed a fun time. In the evening, Trinity SMF are having speaker Fahmi Quadir in the GMB to speak on her experience in finance and how to be successful in short investing. She was featured on the Forbes thirty under thirty in finance list in 2018 and is a chief investment officer. Later on, the annual charity ball is taking place with the theme of Rocky Horror hosted by TCD Cancer society, VDP, VTP, S2S, FLAC, SUAS and Amnesty. It starts off at 6pm with a drinks reception in the Atrium, a meal in the Dining Hall, a second reception in the GMB, and will finish with afters in the luxurious Lilies nightclub.
WEDNESDAY
TCD Headspace will have a talk in overcoming procrastination with student counsellor Scott Ahearn at 1pm in the Student counselling building. This is especially useful as deadlines for assignments draw closer with the end of the semester and nobody likes an all-nighter
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein and get you ready for Halloween, the school of English are hosting a marathon reading of the novel over eight hours in the GMB. Staff, students, and members of the public are all invited. It begins at 10.15am and goes until 6pm, fancy dress is encouraged for participants! There will be several prizes for best costumes and it will be a fantastic literary way to celebrate Halloween.
In the evening, DUPA are having a class on how to manipulate light in photography using settings and focus at 6pm in room 4050B. Later, the Hist are debating whether the Irish language is doomed to die in the GMB at 7.30pm. The motion will follow its place in our culture and if the future of the language is set to continue to decline over the coming generations. At 8pm, DU Players and Q Soc are having a Rocky Horror screening where costumes are welcome in the Players Theatre which is a perfect and spooky way to start the night.
THURSDAY
At 1pm, Niteline are speaking on how to support a friend with some of their volunteers in the Global Room with tea and snacks for all who attend. With exam stress rising, it is crucial to look out for our friends in difficult times and they will be going into detail on active listening and self-care as well. If you’re in the mood to keep the spooky Halloween mood going strong, you can celebrate Samhain with DU Pagan Soc in the Elizabethan rooms at 6pm.
Later on, at 6pm Professor Darryl Jones will be giving a lecture on Frankenstein in the Burke theatre and his lecture will be followed by a screening of the 2011 National Theatre Live production of Frankenstein which starred Benedict Cumberbatch. Meanwhile, at 6pm, Q Soc are having a closed space for men who love men to share experiences and meet other students in the Q Soc room. Also at, the Afro-Caribbean society are having a discussion on stigma and discrimination with several panellists at 6.30pm. The event will take place in the Global Room and they welcome personal experiences.
At 7pm VDP Social Justice will have a candlelight vigil for Refugee week in support of refugees who have lost their lives at sea and to spread awareness of their stories. Later at 7.30pm, the Phil are hosting their weekly debate on whether climate action is a lost cause in the GMB. The speakers will consider the intriguing motion and whether it is truly too late to fix global warming and the damage humans have caused on our environment.
FRIDAY
For the end of Refugee week, VDP Social Justice encourage students to wear red into college in solidarity with asylum seekers in direct provision centres in Ireland. There will be a group photo at 5.30pm at Front Square of all students participating and there will be a short talk on how to support ending the system. Afterwards, this will be followed by a refugee activist assembly in the GMB at 6pm. That evening, the annual Health Science Ball will take place in Clontarf Castle with the event starting off at 7pm with a drinks reception. The theme is masquerade with a live band and DJs, and the afters will be taking place in Number Twenty Two.
