Entertainment Officers from several students’ unions around Dublin are joining together to host a collaborative online charity concert while Covid-19 continues to have a large impact on the entertainment industry worldwide.
Entertainment Officers from Trinity, Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), University College Dublin (UCD), Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) have come together to form the collaborative group.
The Ents Online (EO) collective is to produce an online charity concert with a range of performances from Irish artists, alongside “sponsored giveaways and raffles”.
The online concert is due to take place on Wednesday September 30, coinciding with Freshers’ Week in Trinity.
The event will be streamed online, and viewers can “tune in from all across the world”.
The musical acts in the concert will be pre-recorded before the event, and will be dispersed throughout the live show.
Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Ents Officer Hugh McInerney said the event is to “compensate for the lack of nightclubs and traditional nights out that new and returning students would normally experience at this time”.
The live concert will be free for all viewers, and there will be a “donate button” on the concert page. All funds raised will go to Jigsaw.
Speaking about the donation, McInerney said: “A recent survey of secondary school and college students found that the pandemic had negatively affected over 50% of the respondents’ mental health. We felt Jigsaw was the perfect charity for us as they are an excellent service for young people who need to reach out.”
“EO’s goal is not to turn a profit but to provide students with an alternative to the entertainment they are missing out on from the safety of their homes,” he continued. “We aim to raise as much money as possible for this wonderful organisation.”
Any acts interested in performing are encouraged to email a performance tape or video link as an online audition to the collective before September 4.
McInerney stated: “We are beyond excited to run this concert and come together as a group that represents over 100,000 students and donate all money raised to such a worthy cause.”
Freshers’ Week is due to commence on September 28, with classes for all other years resuming on the same date.
Lectures for first year students will begin the following week on October 5.
