Past Events

In May of 2020 the UCD Festival team put together the next best thing to the amazing physical UCD Festival that takes place in the heart of Belfield campus every June. For three days the UCD Festival adapted to the COVID – 19 restrictions and moved to an online edition of the festival, UCD Festival @ Home embraced technology to continue in a virtual space. 

Although there were no physical events, all the inspiring, engaging, informative and fun activities of the regular festival remained. The team discovered new ways of presenting content while expanding the festival’s digital and worldwide festival audience and presented three days of exciting free events for everyone to enjoy at home and well beyond the festival weekend itself. 

You can continue to enjoy the UCD Festival@home content at www.ucd.ie/festival.

Author Colm Tóibín and UCD Creative Fellow appeared in conversation with Professor Margaret Kelleher, Professor of Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama in the UCD School of English, Drama and Film in a powerful conversation on the past, present, and future of art and crisis, as part of UCD Festival @home 2020. 

Click here to watch. 

Can philosophy help us during a global pandemic? Join us to discuss how philosophy can help us live well in the face of radical uncertainty and spiralling self-doubt. Dr. Emma Farrell, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UCD School of Education and Dr. Áine Mahon, Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Education, UCD School of Education will appear in conversation with Dr. Shane Bergin, Physicist and Assistant Professor in Science Education, UCD School of Education.

Click here to watch. 

UCD alumna, Caroline Casey, award-winning social entrepreneur and founder of the Valuable 500, appeared in conversation with Martina Fitzgerald, political journalist, author and fellow UCD alumna.

Click here to watch. 

UCD alumnus, David Kavanagh PhD, Director of Clinical Partnerships at Genomics Medicine Ireland (GMI) appeared in conversation with Professor William Gallagher, Director of the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research, to give us front line details about how understanding our genes can help us in the battle with chronic disease and COVID-19.

Click here to watch. 

On Wednesday 5 February UCD  co-hosted an alumni reception in the wonderful surrounds of UCC's Aula Maxima.      A great evening of reminiscing and catching up was had by all with new connections made!

Now in its 6th year, we are delighted to share that the 2019/2020 UCD Career Mentoring Programme has welcomed over 400 student mentee and alumni mentor applications. This includes 2nd year students from the UCD College of Arts and Humanities, the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, and the UCD College of Science (Chemistry).

This year, the student-led matching process has been hosted on the UCD Alumni Network. Through this programme, mentors will share their professional experience to help develop students’ understanding of the workplace, enhance their employability skills and add positively to their experience as students.

Alongside representatives from UCD Careers Network and UCD Alumni Relations, alumni and students attended the ‘Meet & Greet’ launch event on Wednesday, 5 February 2020 where many met each other for the first time.

In February we were delighted to welcome Paris-based alumni to the Centre Cultural Irlandis for a debate marking the feast of Saint Valentine. Hosted by the UCD Alumni Chapter, members of the UCD alumni community gathered to witness a lively argument on the motion, “This House Moves That All We Need Is Love”. Debaters included Chapter committee and previous L&H Society members. The UCD team defended the motion against a team from various NUI institutions, Trinity and Oxford. Happily, those in favour of the motion were the winners on the night, and UCD were delighted to prove that love is indeed all we need.

Bhí comhluadar, craic agus siamsaíocht den scoth i gClub nua na hOllscoile nuair a d'fhill iar mhic léinn de chuid Theach na Gaeilge, scéim chónaithe UCD, ar champas Belfield, 18 Eanáir 2020. Tá 20 bliain ann ó bunaíodh Teach na Gaeilge agus ba dheis iontach é d’alumni an tí, cairdeas a athnuachan agus aithne a chur ar na mic léinn scoláireachta reatha. I measc na n-aoieanna a d’fhreastal, bhí alumni ó Thaigh na Gàidhlig, Ollscoil Ghlaschú, rud a léirigh an dlúth- chairdeas idir an dá scéim. D’eagraigh iar mhic léinn Theach na Gaeilge cluichí, amhránaíocht agus damhsa le linn na hócáide, rud a chinntigh go raibh oíche den scoth ag cách.

On Saturday 18 January 2020, Gaeltacht UCD Director Clár Ní Bhuachalla welcomed past and current Teach na Gaeilge UCD scholars (UCD’s Irish Language Student Residence Scheme) to the UCD University Club where they celebrated the 20^th anniversary of this award -winning language initiative. Graduates from a range of UCD Colleges, travelled from every corner of Ireland, the UK, and mainland Europe to attend the event. The University of Glasgow, Scotland was represented by Taigh na Gàidhlig alumni as the friendships formed by the celtic cousins via the Colmcille/Bord na Gàidhlig cultural exchanges continue to flourish. Teach na Gaeilge UCD alumni organised the entertainment; games and a quiz followed by party pieces in both Irish & Scottish Gaelic. The interactive activities encouraged great communication between past and current students and a fun filled night was had by all.

UCD alumni gathered in the Irish Embassy in Copenhagen in January, very kindly hosted by Ambassador Cliona Manahan. Prof Paul Fanning, Deputy Vice-President for Global Engagement welcomed alumni, introduced the UCD highlights video and facilitated an ‘in conversation’ with two alumni living and working in Copenhagen – Rory Byrne and Fergus Murphy. Thank you to everyone who came out to meet us and we look forward to lots more engagement with our alumni in Denmark.