Past Events

Each year we welcome thousands of our alumni back to campus, for Mentoring eventsReunions, Choral Scholars or Symphony Orchestra performances, Spoken Word events, Alumni Awards and the UCD Festival, or simply to pay a nostalgic visit to relive those great memories of student days.

We are delighted to welcome you back and are always looking for ways of improving and evolving our event programme to make sure we have something for everybody.

We will keep you informed about our events as they happen. Make sure to update your details with us at the link below to ensure that you receive email updates and that you’re not missing out on that special event!


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UCD Alumni Awardees In Focus Conversation II

This was the second of four special episodes to mark the UCD Alumni Awards 2020.

This week we were joined by UCD Alumni Awardee in Business Mark Pollock – Athlete, explorer, motivational speaker and author; UCD Alumni Awardee in Sport Dr Jack McCaffrey – Dublin GAA football star, and paediatric doctor and UCD Alumni Awardee in Law Sally Hayden – Journalist and photographer focused on humanitarian crises. They were in conversation with broadcaster and UCD alumnus Pat Kenny, a long-time friend of the UCD Alumni Awards.

Proudly supported by Intel.

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UCD Alumni Awardees In Focus Conversation I

This was the first of four special episodes to mark the UCD Alumni Awards 2020.

We were joined by UCD Alumni Awardee in Social Sciences, Sharon Donnery, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Ireland and UCD Alumni Awardee in Arts and Humanities, Dalton Philips - CEO, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) in conversation with broadcaster and UCD alumnus Pat Kenny, a long-time friend of the UCD Alumni Awards. This conversation reflects our strategic theme, Creating a Sustainable Global Society.

Proudly supported by RKD.

UCD In Conversation:"Is this the most important election in US history?”

Professor Liam Kennedy of the UCD Clinton Institute appeared in conversation with Professor Scott Lucas from the University of Birmingham to discuss the US Election. The conversation was moderated by broadcaster & columnist Sarah Carey.

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What It Takes...To Start Your Career

Our final What It Takes webinar of 2020 was led by UCD alumnae, Siobhan O'Shea and Grace Oladipo.

Siobhan is Client Services Director for Cpl and a member of the Cpl leadership team. Siobhan is a frequent speaker and brand ambassador for Cpl’s ‘Future of Work Institute’ on workplace trends and Diversity & Inclusion.

Grace is a recent UCD graduate from the Class of 2020. Through her time at university, she was involved in a number of societies and groups. Grace brought first hand experience of navigating during this challenging time!

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UCD In Conversation: "Emma Donoghue and Sarah Moss"

Emma Donoghue, award-winning novelist, playwright and screenwriter, appeared in conversation with Professor Sarah Moss, an award-winning novelist and literary scholar, who has just begun her tenure as Assistant Professor of Creative Writing in the UCD School of English, Drama and Film. The conversation was moderated by broadcaster Rick O'Shea.

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UCD In Conversation: "Fireside Chat with the Class of 1960 & 1970"

A special episode took place to mark the Golden and Diamond Jubilee Reunions for the Classes of 1970 & 1960, which could not take place in person this year. Taking a trip down memory lane, Doireann Ní Bhriain took part in a fireside chat with Úna Claffey, Mary Finley Geoghegan, Bride Rosney, and Colman Pearce from the classes of 1970 and 1960 . David Andrews, Mícheáil Ó’Muircheartaigh and others gave their memories of UCD.

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UCD In Conversation: "The Role of the Arts in Restorative Justice"

On Thursday, 3 September, we brought together Dr Marie Keenan, Associate Professor, School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice; Ailbhe Griffith and award- winning filmmaker Alan Gilsenan for a fascinating conversation about Restorative Justice and the Role of The Arts.

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UCD In Conversation: "MoLI – a museum of the past, a laboratory for the future"

Simon O’Connor, Director of MoLI, the Museum of Literature Ireland will be joined In Conversation with Dr Lucy Collins, Associate Professor in the UCD School of English, Drama and Film. Simon and Lucy will discuss the immersive exhibitions on view at MoLI, including the exhibition on writer Nuala O’Faolain and the contemporary commissions gallery featuring a new film work by Alan Gilsenan. 

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What It Takes... to manage boundaries working from home

In the final episode of our What It Takes series, career & coaching psychologist Sinéad Brady, founder of A Career To Love, gave some guidance on how to maintain a better work/life balance whilst working remotely.

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UCD In Conversation: "COVID-19, Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing in a Crisis—A Practical Discussion"

Dr. Tony Bates, Founder and former CEO of Jigsaw and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at UCD, and Dr. Sarah Fortune, Senior Lecturer in Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Dunedin appeared in conversation with Professor Eilis Hennessy of the UCD School of Psychology.

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What it Takes… to upskill for a career in Tech

In our fifth episode of the What It Takes career-building series, UCD alumna and former Facebook employee, Ayse Dibek discussed how to break into the tech industry and what skills are in demand now and in the future.

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UCD In Conversation: "The Transformative Power of Community Engaged Learning"

Dr Deirdre McGillicuddy, Assistant Professor in the UCD School of Education led a conversation with Gary Broderick, Director SAOL (Women’s Recovery and Education Project) and Dr Hilda Loughran, Associate Professor in the UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, exploring the transformative power of community engaged learning.

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What It Takes...to break into an Arts & Culture career

In the fourth episode of What It Takes, UCD alumni Grainne Humphreys, Pearse McCaughey and Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi discussed the creative industries they work in and how to break into this sector.

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UCD In Conversation: "So What Next: Becoming Anti-Racist"

Dr Ebun Joseph, preeminent leader, race relations consultant, Career Development Specialist, and module coordinator for UCD’s Black Studies module (Ireland’s first) took part in a conversation with Dr Alice Feldman, UCD School of Sociology, Convenor of the UCD MA Race, Migration and Decolonial Studies, (a first in Ireland and Europe).

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What It Takes...to get ahead with a Business Masters

In the third episode of our What It Takes career-building summer series,  we heard from UCD Smurfit alumni Seán Fitzpatrick, Sinéad Ryan and Rebecca Fitzpatrick. They discussed their diverse careers and how a business masters differentiated them in the jobs market, expanded their skill set and helped shape their career.

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UCD In Conversation: "The Climate Emergency & COVID-19"

Dr Cara Augustenborg, Environmental Scientist, Climate Change Champion, Broadcaster and Environmental Policy Fellow at the UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, appeared in conversation with Dr Lisa Ryan, Assistant Professor and Lecturer in Energy Economics at the UCD School of Economics.

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UCD In Conversation: "Leadership in a Time of Crisis"

Sir Ciarán Devane, Chairman of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Chief Executive of the British Council, appeared in conversation with Professor Orla Feely, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact and Professor of Electronic Engineering at University College Dublin.

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What it Takes… to prepare for the recruitment process

In the second episode of our What It Takes series, we heard from Michelle Coen, Team Leader and Career & Skills Consultant in the UCD Careers Network. Michelle discussed who’s hiring at the moment, upskilling via online courses, volunteering and prepping for the graduate bootcamp.

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UCD In Conversation: "Crisis Driven Innovation: Adaptability Through Technology"

Dr Colin Keogh, co-founder of Open Source Ventilator and the Rapid Foundation and engineer at UCD’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, took part in an engaging and lively conversation with Colman Farrell, Head of Programme Development at the UCD Innovation Academy on Thursday, 28 May 2020. 

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What It Takes...to land a job in the midst of COVID-19

To begin our career-building Summer Series, UCD alumnus, Frank Farrelly, COO and co-founder of Sigmar Recruitment, offered insights on the current job landscape, what’s in your control, and tips to get hired online.

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