Strange Wikipedia page: The Society of Saint Michael

punka

I found this while randomly browsing Wikipedia just now. Has anyone ever heard of it? I assume it's nonsense, but maybe somebody here knows something about it?

gymrabbit

If this secret society exists, I suspect that cantab bloke that used to knock around here was a founding member. and the TN editor.

Stargal

I'm guessing it's a hoax, albeit an interesting one, for the following reasons:

- There's no details what the society actually does, despite the writer knowing enough to say that inductions used to take place in 'obscure locations' around college.
- Nothing in the article is referenced, except for the major stuff like 'Roman Catholic' and 'Trinity College'.
- There's no mention of the names of any alumni who were members, despite the fact that it's been going for so long you'd expect at least a couple of them to have done something of note.
- Finally, if it really did exist, why would no-one know about it? There's no reason for it to be kept underground.

Although I think gymrabbit is right - if anyone would have been a member it would have been those two boys!

ApeXaviour

punka wrote:

I found this while randomly browsing Wikipedia just now.

You found it randomly eh? Somehow I'm skeptical

Sounds like a mutated religous version of the Knights..

Maybe it did exist - but only as a bit of a joke between 12 members in the early 1980s

Time Magazine

ApeXaviour wrote:

You found it randomly eh? Somehow I'm skeptical

Yeah good point. Where's your window.history-1, punka? Eh? Eh?

Bring back the Reading Society!

punka

ApeXaviour wrote:

You found it randomly eh? Somehow I'm skeptical

Actually, yes. Is that so hard to believe? Or are you all just suspicious by nature?

ApeXaviour

punka wrote:

Actually, yes. Is that so hard to believe? Or are you all just suspicious by nature?

It's conceivable just not probable, given that there are 1.5 million articles in english.
So it's just a lot more likely that you found that article by some other means than by clicking random article, then decided to lie about it. See, so nothing personal

Autobot Killa

I came across this article aswell, but i certianly didnt stumble upon it, i was looking. It's odd though that there surely isnt more to be said on secret societies in Trinity, there isnt even much on graduates or professors who were/are freemasons, which is even more suprising...

punka

ApeXaviour wrote:

It's conceivable just not probable, given that there are 1.5 million articles in english.
So it's just a lot more likely that you found that article by some other means than by clicking random article, then decided to lie about it. See, so nothing personal

Maybe I just phrased myself badly. I was browsing through the Student Societies category and found it. Random in the D4 sense, perhaps, rather than the traditional meaning.
But in any case, I was going to say that it seems like somebody decided to imitate the Cambridge Apostles at TCD. I was merely wondering whether anyone else had ever heard of it, as the closest thing to a secret society at Trinity that I know of is the Knights, which isn't really a secret at all.

punka

punka wrote:

the closest thing to a secret society at Trinity that I know of is the Knights, which isn't really a secret at all.

No.. their members are published in TN, and they have a website and postbox...

very secret!

Autobot Killa

KNIGHTS PAGE
Interestingly hasnt been any action since '01...hmmm...im going to investigate house 27..

my guess is they forgot to update the webpage!

though saying that.. the knights box is close enough to the one I normally check and I never see anything in it!

Time Magazine

Hah, Mr Crawford Deane. What a name.

europerson

Who's the Master of the Knights of the Campanile, and what does he do? Is he like an honorary president figure?

John

He's the college bitch

Pet

Who are the Knights of the Campanile (ie, what do they do and what's the point of them)? An answer that won't indulge or reward their secrecy would be appreciated.

ApeXaviour

Pet wrote:

Who are the Knights of the Campanile (ie, what do they do and what's the point of them)? An answer that won't indulge or reward their secrecy would be appreciated.

What secrecy? AFAIK it's an exclusive society or club reserved only to captains of college sporting clubs. e.g. boating, rugby etc.

gymrabbit

Captains is a group of the highest calibre sportsmen within college. Captains of Hockey, Rugby and Cricket being the traditional main men. To become a member you must be proposed by someone at their meetings (once a term I beleive) that has been a member for more than one term and then seconded. Your membership must be justified by sporting achievement.

to be fair, only one or two of them are actually any good at what they do. There are a couple of boxing people there and of course the predictable few. I'm probably a bit bitter because I didn't get accepted.

In terms of what they do. They don't do anything. They have a party once a year and they have ties and scarfs. I don't think anyone takes it very seriously.

Crash

and they have the harriens or harriets or wtf they're called - the female versions of the knights who seem to be there purely for the lads amusements. lorna jennings was one of em iirc.

as for the knights, afaik its got alright connections to a nice old boy network, which suits well for job opportunities.

Heraeans!