High Society: A night of freeflowing society synergy

Louis Roberts attends the highly anticipated event, that allows societies based in House 6 to open their doors to collaborate with one another and welcome College at large to participate

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High Society is an event held annually, in which the small, yet influential societies at the top of House 6 get together to host a black tie event, full of variety, society characters and of course, queer pong. Hosted this year by Trinity FM, and welcoming QSoc back into the fray, High Society facilitates interaction and socialising between numerous societies- DUAMS, TTV, Trinity FM, DUGES, SUAS, LitSoc, ComedySoc, VisArts, Q Soc, DUDJ, and Amnesty – welcoming any student to experience what each society has to offer.

“While that room remained jam-packed for the duration of the speakeasy, there was by no means any exclusivity between the societies- the purpose of High Society after all, is to mingle, and one could really see a level of comfort between all the societies of the House.”

The top of House 6, with it’s individual rooms, nooks and crannies, is opened up, allowing free travel (usually with a can in hand) between the distinct and personalised rooms of the respective societies. In the Trinity FM studio, a show was openly being broadcast, open to any of the visitors to spectate and participate. The largest room of House 6, which holds VisArts, was the sight of the main socialisation (this may have been connected with the free alcohol in it’s corner) but the event was also spread all the way into the far off rooms of DUAMS and QSoc.

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LitSoc’s speakeasy was a nexus for much of the night, in which three poets of the society recited their work, covering themes such as student life and the trials of the Cork Aircoach. While that room remained jam-packed for the duration of the speakeasy, there was by no means any exclusivity between the societies- the purpose of High Society after all, is to mingle, and one could really see a level of comfort between all the societies of the House.

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Clare Martin, Chair of Trinity FM, who hosted the event, described it in simple terms: “You show off what you do, you dress up fancy, it’s nice. It’s one of the best events that goes on in House 6, I think.” Throughout the night, the socialising between the House 6 societies grew and their openness became more evident. DUAMS and Trinity FM often work together, sharing a marquee, and similarly Q Soc hold a show on the station every week. The LitSoc speakeasy was also held collaboratively with DUGES and SUAS, which is part of a larger movement in LitSoc to use literature to support progressive societies like DUGES and Q Soc.

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Having not been featured at the previous High Society event for undisclosed reasons, Q Soc made a strong return this year. Although not technically on the top floor of House 6, Q Soc has traditionally been involved with the event. The auditor, Oliver Riordan, called the night “a great chance to get dressed up, without the pretense of being formal…it’s a wonderful juxtaposition”. Additionally, he expanded on Q Soc’s collaboration with other societies, such as Gender 101 with DUGES and a collaborative event with DUAMS.

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High Society, as told by the auditors and chairs of its societies, is usually one of the most interactive and open events of the year, and last night certainly didn’t disappoint. Taking over the top of House 6 in this way created a conversational, casual atmosphere between both the societies and the visitors to the event, breaking down barriers and encouraging cooperation. Beyond all that, it’s just plain good craic.