Paul Molloy, Auditor of the College Historical Society (the Hist), has resigned from his position, citing personal reasons.
Molloy ran as a presidential candidate in this year’s Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) sabbatical elections. He received the fewest votes of the presidential candidates, finishing with 18.6%, below re-open nominations (RON). Throughout his campaign, he frequently referenced his status as a Trinity Access Programme (TAP) student and stated that his experience as a member of the society has given him the expertise necessary to head the SU.
In October, Paul invited former United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage to this Hist and was to award him a Gold Medal, the highest honour bestowed by the society, which was met with criticism from some students. 31 members of the Hist penned an open letter to the current committee of the Hist, calling on Molloy to withdraw their invite to Farage. The Member of the European (MEP), visited in February but was not rewarded a Gold Medal.
The Hist held dozens of events throughout the year, including their weekly debate. Motions included “this house would negotiate with terrorists,” “this house would be a libertarian” and “this house would rather be naughty than nice”. The society also hosted numerous speakers, including former Secretary-General of the European Commission, former leader of the Liberal Democrats and former deputy British Prime Minister Nick Clegg and former White House advisor Al Sharpton.
Th Hist’s will elect its committee for next year at an upcoming Annual General Committee (AGM).
Additional reporting by Ciaran Sunderland
