Safety a ‘major priority’ as College Christmas festivities prove a hit in Cork

Thousands of University College Cork students dressed in Christmas jumpers and Santa took to the streets of the city yesterday to celebrate ‘College Christmas’.

The annual event has previously seen long queues outside pubs form early in the morning as students celebrate the end of the year.

This year’s College Christmas has been backed by the UCC Students’ Union (SU) for the second year in a row.

The SU implemented an online ticket that allowed access to some popular student bars in the city.

Former lord mayor of Cork and current chairperson of the UCC Area Residents’ Association, Catherine Clancy, said since UCC made College Christmas an official event, more supports are in place for those living in the surrounding estates and areas of the college, and this has worked “very well”.

“We were happy with the pre-meetings that took place and what we understand [is] if anyone has an issue that the community guards will be on hand and the student patrol are on hand, so if there’s any issues it will be dealt with.

“That system worked very well last year and Superintendent John Deasy has been fantastic.

“The community guards are connected to the residents’ WhatsApp, and if there’s any issues posted there, they can follow up,” Ms Clancy said.

She added that she hopes the students don’t end up “too unwell” after the festivities and everyone gets home safe.

UCC SU entertainment officer Kate Higgins told The Echo that student safety is a top priority for all involved at UCC.

“Since making College Christmas official, [safety] was one of our major priorities [along with] raising money for charity.

“We have met with all the different venues around the place and asked them what their procedure is for anti-spiking and what training their staff has,” she said.

“The online tickets will keep people off the streets and inside a venue where they can be taken care of,” Ms Higgins said.

The online tickets cost between €5 and €10, and all proceeds will go towards the three Raise and Give (RAG) charities chosen by the Students’ Union, which are the Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland, Concern Gaza Crisis Appeal, and the Dylan Quirke Foundation.

A spokesperson for UCC told The Echo that they are “providing supports” for the festive celebration.

“UCC’s Students’ Union has organised an event to mark the end of lectures for the first semester, similar to last year. As part of this, they have identified worthy charities that will benefit from fundraising from the day.

“UCC is providing supports for the initiative, and our community engagement officer is working closely with our SU and local community,” the spokesperson said.

On campus, The Rest, the main canteen for students, served a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings to line the stomachs of those intending to visit bars and nightclubs in the city later in the evening.

Meanwhile, the on-campus bar held a karaoke competition for eye-watering renditions of ‘Fairytale of New York’ to raise money for the three RAG charities.

The Student Community Support team, made up of students, started patrolling the campus and surrounding areas with coats, scarves, water, and snacks for those in need, reaffirming the SU’s priority of safety for those participating.

“With the Student Community Support, it is so, so important,” said Ms Higgins.

“We had it for Student Freshers’ Week and we do it for Raise and Give Week; it is a huge element of student safety,” she added.