Living on Campus and getting into the ball for free!!!

Scruff101

Is this possible!? From which Houses on campus is it possible to get in for free!? I need to know before the tickets go on sale!!!

Nietzschean

usually front square + new square + bottany bay...least iirc...........

Kappar

http://www.tcd.ie/Accommodation/ball.htm

Agent Smith

that kills my plan....

ApeXaviour

All residents attending the Ball must possess a valid ticket. If you do not possess a ticket and live within the area of the Ball you should remain in your room during the event.

AHAhaha yeah right.. If you live on front square or new square (botany bay is guarded durin the ball), NOBODY is gonna notice you sneakin outta the buildin at 10pm in your tux/dress..

Agent Smith

so your saying it's worth a shot....

ApeXaviour

Entirely..

Be kewl tho, don't go out too early, and don't let the security see your tux earlier on the day. Keep it in your bag or summit. A friend of mine on new square is doing it..

Just walk out your door and into the crowd, you'll be grand, they only check tickets outside front arch.

Agent Smith

i might try and work for the first hour in the shop in house 6....


working in a tux.... sexy....

foxybrowne

What about secreting yourself in a soc room?

Nietzschean

every room in every building is locked, all interior doors inside the buildings are locked, no one is premitted to work late staff or otherwise.

Scruff101

Crap...I'm a bit worried now...I was banking on getting in for free this year!! It says on that statement that there's sec guards on the door of each house!!!

Nietzschean

meh i know plenty of people who managed to get past em last year, find someone who stayed in the same block as u last year and find out how they got on...

Scruff101

the 2 girls I'm living with htis year said they got in after 11 last year, but I want to make sure to be on the safe side! Don't want to end up sitting in my room trying to drown out the sounds coming from the ball with my stereo!!!

Nietzschean

i'm not sure they could legally stop u entering the ball area, because otherwise it would be some sort of imprsonment which would be illegal, though i suppose they could escort you to the gate and back if u wanted to goto the shop....

Chick

Scruff you should just buy a ticket, if that was me I'd be worried all night about it! What if you don't get in? That'd be crap!

Do you not think it's worth buying your ticket? Or are you strapped for cash and can't buy one?

Scruff101

I'm sure I'd be able to get the money from somewhere....but would just be annoying if could just walk in having bought the ticket if you know what I mean!?!

revelate

Well our whole house in front square got into the ball for free last year. Just got changed after the room inspections at about 9, went drinking and then left en masse at about 12. Security guard didn't give us a second glance. Sweet...

Chick

Yeah, I know what you mean, if you paid in unecessarily and then realised that you could've used that money for something else!

But I'd deffo try find out plenty about your chances of blagging it!

ApeXaviour

Chick wrote:

Scruff you should just buy a ticket, if that was me I'd be worried all night about it!

To save 65 quid.. this minor worry is hardly significant. Why would you be worried all nite? Once you're out your front door you're indistinguishable from the rest of the rabble..

desertcircus

Just to make a fairly important point:

If security decide to get into a strop on the door to your house, you won't get back into your room. Anyone on campus going to the Ball has to get a wristband, and if you don't have that they can bar you from coming back in. So your free Ball could go badly if you're not allowed back into your room.

As well as that, if I remember correctly, security go round all the Houses checking that nobody is in the house who isn't meant to be there - any non-resident found in a room without a ticket is escorted off campus and doesn't get to attend the ball.

On the issue of what conditions you have your room under: because you live under a licence to reside, you're basically in rooms at the Provost's sufferance. The effect of this is that there's not many conditions the college can't impose on residents if they really want to.

One last thing: don't try to get in free. Even if you succeed, you're running the risk of damaging the Ball for future years. The Ball nearly didn't go ahead this year, and if you think it's a good thing then buy a ticket and don't cheat your way in. All it does is damage the Ball's future - the finances for the ball haven't been great for a few years, and everyone who goes in for free when there are tickets unsold is partially responsible for that.

Kevin_rc_ie

i also heard that security check ppls rooms for alcohol. is that true? if you had a bottle in ur room would security confiscate it? (don't think they can do this) would they make attempts to assure you don't bring it out with you (do they frisk you on ur way out).

last year, i was intending on smeaking a sly nagin in but i've a history of getting randomly stopped and searched (not strip searched thank god). might try and sneak some super apex sweet moonshine in.

Scruff101

It's just SO annoying having to pay to get into a party that's on in your front garden!!! I don't know.....I suppose will wait and decide when the tickets actually go on sale!!! Or maybe I will try to befriend the sec guards over the next few weeks!!!

Pet

To be irrelevant for a moment...

Is there actually student accommodation in Front Square? I thought it was only the GMB and over Goldsmith Hall..

ApeXaviour

No, you know house 6? Most of the houses adjacent to that are all accomodation.. then there's new square opposite the geology building. Those red brick buildings. Also behind the creche adjacent pearse st there are a bunch, there's a load of lovely rooms there. Botany bay are apparently the nicest and are located the otherside of the tennis courts behind the gmb..

Also its a piece of piss to sneak booze into the ball.. Just stick a naggin in your inner tux pocket or in your hand-bag and you're sorted. Don't do it though if your higher moral values insist you must hemmorage your money to diageo..

xeduCat

New:

Botany Bay - two sides of the tennis/football thing, all recently renovated (i.e. in the last 4 years) and fully self-contained apartments (kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedrooms) for 2 or 3 people. 9/10 houses as I recall.

GMB - another side of the tennis/football, but looks out towards the Campanile/faces the back of the old library. The middle bit is the debating chambers, society rooms and PC lab, but both sides are residences - all single en-suite rooms with shared kitchens on each floor.

Both of these have proper heating, cable TV, network connections, no electricity problems.

Older:

Front Square - houses 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10 in Front Square. Due for full renovation over the next few years. Mix of shared apartments and single bedrooms, none of them en suite. Some have shared kitchens, some have their own (although it's often just 2 gas rings and no sockets). Of the other houses, 1 is the side entrance to the Provost's house, 4 is offices (staff/communications/others), 5 is student records and Music, 6 is SU, societies, etc, and there's also the GSU common room in house 7 and the housekeeping office in 10.

New Square - same square as the Museum Building. 6 houses (I think) spread across 2 sides, again a mix of shared and single, varies widely in quality! Some guest rooms in 40, and 39 is the law school. Has network connections but no cable TV, and slightly better wiring than Front.

Rubrics - the oldest of the lot - redbrick building behind the Campanile. Very few students in here. Has quite a few staff and guest rooms. Charming but unheated, some rooms have cable, none have network, and few have working sockets

Further back:

Pearse - six houses grouped around a little courtyard (same place as health centre) and also some converted Pearse St. houses. Most are single en-suites - same as GMB. Very small and cabin-like, all have network ports but no cable. Due for demolition if the Pearse redevelopment plan ever gets the go ahead, despite being only 15 years old. I lived here twice, in 2nd year and 4th year, and am quite attached to it.

Goldsmith - occupies the bulk of the building (also contains JCR, lecture rooms, TAP, society rooms, etc). These are 'apartments' with a number of bedrooms grouped around kitchen/living area. Some parts feel prison-like but facilities are generally good. College also thought about demolishing Goldsmith at one stage, and it's newer than Pearse.

Stargal

ApeXaviour wrote:

Also its a piece of piss to sneak booze into the ball.. Just stick a naggin in your inner tux pocket or in your hand-bag and you're sorted.

Or the similarly classy option which I myself am a big advocate of: tuck a naggin into a garter - if the skirt on the dress is big enough, no-one will ever know...

Agent Smith

yeah, that could work, altho i thing the security would look straingly on me in a skirt and garter belt

Agent Smith

then again..... i do have the legs for it....

Pet

EduCat wrote:

New:

Botany Bay - two sides of the tennis/football thing, all recently renovated (i.e. in the last 4 years) and fully self-contained apartments (kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedrooms) for 2 or 3 people. 9/10 houses as I recall.

GMB - another side of the tennis/football, but looks out towards the Campanile/faces the back of the old library. The middle bit is the debating chambers, society rooms and PC lab, but both sides are residences - all single en-suite rooms with shared kitchens on each floor.

Both of these have proper heating, cable TV, network connections, no electricity problems.

Older:

Front Square - houses 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10 in Front Square. Due for full renovation over the next few years. Mix of shared apartments and single bedrooms, none of them en suite. Some have shared kitchens, some have their own (although it's often just 2 gas rings and no sockets). Of the other houses, 1 is the side entrance to the Provost's house, 4 is offices (staff/communications/others), 5 is student records and Music, 6 is SU, societies, etc, and there's also the GSU common room in house 7 and the housekeeping office in 10.

New Square - same square as the Museum Building. 6 houses (I think) spread across 2 sides, again a mix of shared and single, varies widely in quality! Some guest rooms in 40, and 39 is the law school. Has network connections but no cable TV, and slightly better wiring than Front.

Rubrics - the oldest of the lot - redbrick building behind the Campanile. Very few students in here. Has quite a few staff and guest rooms. Charming but unheated, some rooms have cable, none have network, and few have working sockets

Further back:

Pearse - six houses grouped around a little courtyard (same place as health centre) and also some converted Pearse St. houses. Most are single en-suites - same as GMB. Very small and cabin-like, all have network ports but no cable. Due for demolition if the Pearse redevelopment plan ever gets the go ahead, despite being only 15 years old. I lived here twice, in 2nd year and 4th year, and am quite attached to it.

Goldsmith - occupies the bulk of the building (also contains JCR, lecture rooms, TAP, society rooms, etc). These are 'apartments' with a number of bedrooms grouped around kitchen/living area. Some parts feel prison-like but facilities are generally good. College also thought about demolishing Goldsmith at one stage, and it's newer than Pearse.

Thank you. I had no idea there was so much accommodation on campus!

Can you pick which part of campus you get accommodation in? Or is it randomly allotted?

xeduCat

Pet wrote:

Thank you. I had no idea there was so much accommodation on campus!

Can you pick which part of campus you get accommodation in? Or is it randomly allotted?

You pick by category - i.e. Standard Single (translation: old), Modern Single, Modern Shared Apartment, etc. But you can try and squeeze in special pleading for a particular building or area. For some of the shared types, you must also specify who you're sharing with.

There's actually more accommodation places (i.e. beds) in Trinity Hall - over a thousand - than the main campus - about 650.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

Re sneaking in:

remember a story from last year about someone who climbed over some wall and got into the ball that way. Thing was; he had a ticket - he just wanted to experience the thrill of breaking into the ball. Seems to be a tradition going back quite a while, as you can see from the rather lenghty poem below.


This poem appears on the internet:


"Over the Wall to the Trinity Ball"
© 1981 Richard Marsh
from Facets, 1992

Being a Mostly Factual Account of an Adventure the Author Was Forced to Endure at the Hands of a Cohort Fondly Known as "The Whole Sick Crew" in Dublin, May 1978.

The annual formal ball in May at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is the last major event of the social season. Tickets are expensive. It is an long-standing tradition, amounting to an obligation in some minds, to economise by climbing over the back wall. Names in this report have been changed for the convenience of those who wish to deny -- or don't remember -- that they were there.

The weary old hand of the publican
Waved toward the clock:
"Your glasses now, please, it's past time to leave.
Come, boys and girls -- amach.*"

Old Trinity grads and other fine lads
And lasses of every degree
Drank down their Guinness and Harp to the finish
For someone had plans for a spree.

Up then and spake the bold Limerick Rake
With a leader-like look on his face.
At the sound of his voice, all the hubbub and noise
Came to a stop in that place.

"Right, boys, now you might know that this is the night
Of the annual Trinity Ball.
Which of you here has the courage to dare
To follow me over the wall?"

From hundreds of throats came the time-honoured boast
In voices well liquored and hoarse:
"We all to the man are yours to command --
If the girls will come with us, of course."

This visiting Yank went along on the prank,
The soberest one of the lot,
To record as a bard for those who were jarred*
The valorous deeds of the plot.

We trouped out the door with the Rake at the fore
And stopped at TCD's front gate.
"Look there," said young Tom, and he lifted his arm,
Forgetting his valuable freight.

Billy-O quickly bent to prevent the descent
Of the Jameson towards its destruction.
Unfortunately, so did Breeda McGee,
And their heads met without introduction.

Young lads with passes and evening-gowned lasses
Were lined up the length of the street.
"Those fellows are daft," said Tom with a laugh,
"For the fruit that is stolen is sweet."

The Rake raised his hand and said, "Those who can stand ..."
For he saw that they were very few;
He continued "...Will all carry those who can't crawl.
My God, what a sick looking Crew."

The wobbly parade with the Rake in the lead
Straggled round to the rear of the school.
Just off Westland Row there were others also
At the wall. Said the Rake, "I'm no fool."

So we followed him round to Pearse Street and found,
As if it were destined by Fate,
A new building site that was closed for the night,
With a ladder beyond a locked gate.

Up over we went, every lady and gent,
Though the women wore long and short skirts.
"After you, girls," said one of the churls,
The ladies said, "Oh, you're such flirts."

They put up the ladder, but what was the matter?
The ones at the top couldn't see.
And those on the ground couldn't hear any sound
But a splash -- Paddy taking a pee.

Then someone said, "Shhh," halting Pat in mid-stream,
And whispered, "There's wardens around."
The Rake took command and said, "I've a plan.
Come all of ye down to the ground."

Down they all got. We set off at a trot
With the ladder back over the gate.
When all had climbed over, what did I discover?
I'm holding the ladder! Hey, wait!

Now I who was brought just to watch, as I thought,
Find myself at the head of the charge.
Says the Rake, "Have no fear." But he's at the rear
Of a mad Irish mob that is large.

So I run with no choice down the street till a voice
Hollers, "Left when you come to the lane."
I'm running like hell and grateful the yell
Is drowned by an overhead train.

Round the corner we speed with myself in the lead,
Hoping to find no police.
But what's that ahead? I wonder with dread,
For I'm surely disturbing the peace.

"Sure 'tis only a lad and his girlfriend, bedad,
Trying to climb up the wall.
To the rescue," I shout, and the words that come out
Sound Irish, not Yankee at all.

"Yer man, like, you know," I say, trying to show
I belong with the rest of the boys.
The Limerick whispers, "For Jaysus' sake,
The divil take all of this noise.

"Up with the ladder and down with the chatter.
The invasion is set to begin.
Now over the top, and nobody stop,
Till this whole sickly Crew is within."

The climb wasn't hard, but Seamus was jarred,
And couldn't find one of his shoes.
On his hands and his knees he went fast as you please.
He knew he had no time to lose.

Pretty Peggy was next, the flower of her sex,
Resplendent in evening array.
She climbed even quicker, afraid that her knickers*
Would show -- it was dark, anyway.

The last one was me, for I wanted to see
If any policemen would come.
And just when I got myself safe to the top,
I heard someone thoughtfully hum.

A man and a lad, both officially clad,
Stood squinting up into the dark.
Said the one to his mate, "I think we're too late
To witness the boys on a lark.

"Never let it be thought that the Gardaí* were caught
Unaware, it would damage our honour.
Enough of this natter*. Take down the ladder.
Victory to the Garda Siochána*!"

Back in Verse Number 8, we left with headaches
Billy-O and sweet Breeda McGee.
They've been off on their own for the rest of the poem,
Nursing their lumps over tea.

But now down the lane, heads together again,
They came strolling along arm in arm.
"Billy-O," I called out. He looked all about.
Breeda jumped with a squeal of alarm.

"I'm up here, you dunce." "Oh, how was the dance?"
"I haven't been in," I replied.
"The guards came around, the escape route was found,
And the ladder is laid on its side."

"Sure you're in a fine pickle," said Bill with a giggle,
"You're lucky we came by at all."
He pushed and I pulled till the ladder was hauled
Out of sight at the top of the wall.

I leapt through the air to a roof that was there
And wondered if all the Crew made it.
A voice made me freeze -- "Pint of Guinness, please."
I saw it was Paddy who said it.

He sat in a trance, sadly wetting his pants,
So I let him continue his prattle.
I climbed down a tree to where I could see
That others had fallen in battle.

Young Thomas lay prone with his head on a stone,
Lovingly hugging his Jameson.
Two naked feet, like slabs of fat meat,
Stuck out of the hedge I found Seamus in.

I followed the trail of the heroes who failed
To the Quad*, where the music was loud.
There stood, broadly grinning, surrounded by women,
The Limerick Rake, looking proud.

I was feeling much bolder, till a hand on my shoulder
Told me I was caught by police.
"Come with us, sir. We'd like an answer
As to how you got into this place."

"Hold on," said the Rake. "You've made a mistake,
For I have his ticket with me."
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a ducket
That made me both legal and free.

"Hold on, my friend," I said. "You could have entered
This Ball by the main college gate.
Why did you call for a crawl up the wall,
When you already had tickets paid?"

The Rake laughed and said, with his hand on the head
Of a fox with a smile on her face,
"Now you know that the fun and the thrill of the hunt
Is not in the kill, but the chase."

I left at five, and glad to survive.
Some never recovered at all.
For no one stayed sober the night we went over
The wall to the Trinity Ball.

Agent Smith

the shop in house 6 will be open.

cuckoo

Last year i was living in one of the areas of campus that were in the midst of the ball. I bought a ticket, collected it on the day down in goldsmith and presented it and myself at the accommadation office to get my special wristband.

I then passed the ticket on to a friend of mine who'd agreed to buy it from me.

That night security did the room check, looked at my wristband and checked there was nobody hiding in the room. I was dressed up and wandering around the campus by 8.30pm watching final touches being done to stages and tents - nobody gave me a second look. As i had the wristband i was able to get in and out of my room all night (there are security on the front door of every house), bring plates of toast out to people and carry drink in and out in my roomy handbag.

And, my friend got in to the ball with 'my' ticket no problem.

As for the morality of not buying a ticket? I know i agreed to the rules and regs of living in rooms, but it can be a pretty crap experience knowing you have zero rights, and that all the fancy tenancy law in the land doesn't mean diddly squat within the gates of trinners. For example, on the evening of the ball i was tucked up in bed, catching up on missed sleep from an all nighter finishing assignments and boosting energy levels for the night ahead. The room checker knocked on my door, woke me up enough to groggily shout 'wait a minute' and began to climb out of bed. However, he let himself in with his pass key and opened the door to find me (in my underwear) with one arm in my dressing gown. I screamed 'get out!', he backed out all embarassed and the kerfuffle brought the junior dean down upon us who assumed i was 'causing trouble'. Funnily enough my outrage at strange men letting themselves into my room AFTER i've asked them to wait a moment was brushed away.

A free night at the ball went some way towards making up for that.

ApeXaviour

cuckoo wrote:

The room checker knocked on my door, woke me up enough to groggily shout 'wait a minute' and began to climb out of bed. However, he let himself in with his pass key and opened the door to find me (in my underwear) with one arm in my dressing gown. I screamed 'get out!', he backed out all embarassed and the kerfuffle brought the junior dean down upon us who assumed i was 'causing trouble'. Funnily enough my outrage at strange men letting themselves into my room AFTER i've asked them to wait a moment was brushed away.

A free night at the ball went some way towards making up for that.

Good story..

This forum was startin to get really boring, thanks for that..

gom

ApeXaviour wrote:

Good story..

This forum was startin to get really boring, thanks for that..

I've been in far more of a lud state than that when I got visited.
Bloody hell! Can a man not lie in bed for a siesta without a RoomChecker coming barging in and finding me on my bed all in combat readyness?

The lack of rights for tenants of TCD is radiculus really. This evening I was thinking of getting the Accommodation office to give me a copy of their Health and Safety audit and a copy of their 'FIRE POLICY'.
Seen as any action taken in regards to the rooms falls under the label of 'FIRE POLICY' I would like to see just what it says. Trinners really does go for a cheapo option on the INsurance policy I'd assume...

As for false imprisonment. I'd think that it is still possible to exit your room with escort to front arch(and beyond). Just wouldn't be expecting readmittance until 9am the next day..

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

Not sure how strict the thing is about resident wristbands. Last year's ball was a bit crazy for me, and it ended up with someone biting my wristband off (all in the name of good clean fun). Still woke up the next day in my room...

...just wish i could remember the ball itself!