By Olivia Hanna
Christmas Day, one of NUI Galway’s Students’ Union’s main charity events, will not be happening on campus this year, SIN has learned.
Students’ Union President Megan Reilly said that the traditional Christmas Day would not be continuing this year.
“No, we’re not going to have a Christmas day as how it looked in previous years.”
Reilly said that although university officials have prohibited Christmas Day activities at Sult, the Students’ Union is hoping to host a charity Christmas jumper competition at Electric on 29 November.
These plans are not official, but Megan is hopeful as she added that the university and the Students’ Union “recognize some need for a big on – campus event.”
On – campus celebrations may include a Christmas tree lighting and caroling, as Reilly said there should still be a sense of a “feel – good Christmas.”
In recent years, Christmas day has become a contentious event. It was cancelled by Maynooth University last year and almost didn’t happen at NUI Galway, if it weren’t for the hard work put in by the Students’ Union.
Last year’s event was hosted in Sult, but unlike in previous years attendees had to purchase tickets, of which there was a limited amount. Reilly shared that “last year’s event turned out to be a bit of a flop, people didn’t go to Sult itself”, but many students still participated by heading to pubs and clubs in the city.
According to Reilly, the university would not allow Christmas day to go forward for multiple reasons: security was one concern, as was the high level of drinking. Another reason was that the area around Áras na Mac Léinn and Sult have become much more of a teaching area since the completion of the Human Biology building, and last year’s event caused disruptions.
Though Reilly recognizes that the cancellation of the event is a disappointment, she stressed “we want people to be safe.”
