The annual Central Societies Committee (CSC) society of the year awards, held in the O’Callaghan Alexander Hotel, saw Cumann Gaelach win “Best Large Society,” followed by an impromptu singing of Amhrán Na BhFiann by those in the audience.
A variety of societies were celebrated for their achievements over the past year, with Joseph O’Gorman (pictured below), the CSC Strategic Development Officer, telling Trinity News: “The event is important because it gives an opportunity to celebrate all the achievements of young people in the College today, which I think is one of the most important elements of life in Trinity. I think it’s also an element that is utilised too much by too many people simply to promote the place and not actually allow people who are in the place to live their lives.”
The following are the winners in each category, in the order they were announced:
- Most Improved Society: Italian Society
- Best Small Society: Traditional Music Society and Christian Union
- Best Magazine: End of Year Exhibition, DU Photography Association
- Best Fresher: Abdulqadir Abshir, Afro-Caribbean Society
- Best Medium Society: Literary Society
- Best Fourth Week Event: 48 Hour Smartphone Film Competition, DU Film Society
- Best Society Journal: Birds of Trinity, Zoological Society
- Best Multi-Day Event: Trinity Arts Festival
- Best Online Presence: Literary Society
- Best Collaborative Event: Speak Me, I’m Irish, Cumann Gaelach, International Society and S2S
- Best Large Society: Cumann Gaelach
- Best New Society: General Science Society
- Best Poster: AGM Poster, DU Players
- Best Event: Trinity’s Best Dance Crew, DU Dance Society
- Best Individual: Molly McAvoy, DU Players
Áine Haberlin, chair of Cumann Gaelach, told Trinity News: “I’m literally just over the moon. Our committee this year were just incredible, they put in 110% – they probably prioritised Cumann Gaelach stuff over college stuff most days. I’m so appreciative of that, and I think that’s what got us the award tonight. It’s just amazing; everyone was so happy and they sang Amhrán Na BhFiann – it was just such a good moment and I think it was the highlight of my life.”
Peter Watson, Freshers’ and Prayer Officer for the Christian Union said: “We’re all very happy about it really, just that the work the society has done as a whole is being recognised. The members are very committed and it’s great. Just that we fulfilled our aims of encouraging one another and proclaiming the gospel on campus has been really great.”
Explaining her win, Junior Sophister Drama and Theatre Studies student Molly McAvoy, chair of DU Players and winner of “Best Individual” said that the win was “a credit to the team that I had around me and that’s why I won it, I think. It’s thanks to all of them.”
Senior Sophister European Studies student Brian Donnelly from Trinity Arts Festival told Trinity News: “We’re feeling elated, we worked so hard. We put in so much work since April 2016 so we just feel delighted that it got recognised. It was a great festival and awards don’t matter but it’s nice to be recognised.”
Junior Freshman Engineering with Management student Abdulqadir Abshir, who was awarded “Best Fresher” explained that: “I’m just really happy to have won it because I put a lot of work into the society. I started up a reading group called the Pan-African reading group that holds events every second week and I’m happy to see that the amount of time that I’ve put into it paid off, you know I’m just really grateful that I won it, and I’m just really happy about it.”
Additional reporting by Niamh Lynch.