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Ireland's political and cultural magazine
18 April-May 2025
April-May 2025 PB
Since the financial crisis the student
population has more than doubled but the
funding has only increased by about 20%
NEWS
S
eán Thim O’Leary is a third-year
student at Trinity College Dublin
(TCD), studying Political Science,
Philosophy, Economics, and
Sociology (PPES). They have been
actively involved in the university’s student
union, serving as a class representative since
2022 and as the first-ever union archivist.
O’Leary was chairperson of the TCD branch of
the Social Democrats, the largest political
party on campus.
In February 2025, O’Leary was elected
president of TCD Dublin Students’ Union, the
first openly nonbinary individual to hold the
position and attracting 29.13% of first-
preference votes.
JP: You were criticised during the campaign
for lack of commitment to the issue of Gaza in
your manifesto. Considering the high-profile
the Union had in that area in the past, such as
last year’s encampment, what are you planning
to do?
STO: I’ve been involved in direct action in
the past. I donated to the encampment and
sent out people to help the Union in my
previous role as chair of the Trinity Social
Democrats. But as a commuter, I struggled to
attend myself. I am still very keen on
facilitating the Union taking action where it is
relevant.
In my manifesto, I did mention that I want
the college fully accountable when it comes to
divestment. I believe that the college should
completely divest from Israeli institutions. I
want to work with people in the Union who
have experience, mainly the BDS (Boycott,
Divestment, Sanctions) committee. They have
the expertise and a number of great activists
within them. It’s the role of the president to
elevate activists.
I feel hopeful that the Union is going to be
able to achieve a lot this year, because it aims
to call out the government policies.
JP: Do you have any such policies in mind?
STO: Certainly. The government is failing
utterly on housing policy. Likewise, there
comes the matter of funding for higher
education. Since the financial crisis the
student population has more than doubled but
the funding has only increased by about 20%.
JP: Trinity’s big thing when it comes to
scholarships is ‘Schol’, exams in second year
that guarantee benefits adding up to tens of
thousands of euro to roughly 70 students a
year. They take place in person, in the middle
of the winter break, favouring those who live
in Dublin and do not have to work. Do you
intend to fight for any changes to how
scholarships are awarded to students?
STO: As president, it is not my role to pursue
changes with the scholar system. Obviously,
there needs to be a conversation in college
about how scholarships lock out students
from less privileged background.
JP: Ireland pays half the tuition for EU
students, regardless of economic status.
Student Universal Support Ireland is granted
on top of that, to help students with limited
income. But there are limitations, especially if
one wants to work or has dependents. How are
you planning to advance the agenda of those
students?
STO: Students from outside the EU are
tossed to the side across their education. They
ought to have the same rights as Irish
students. I want to make sure that the SU
continues to campaign for them and that
Trinity specifically is transparent about their
fee increases.
JP:Trinity has increased fees for international
students disproportionally in the past. Is it
ethical to do that in the middle of someone’s
study?
STO: Someone’s fees can go up year by year
with very little notice, which is outrageous.
Education is a right, and across the board fees
need to come down with the eventual goal of
eliminating them.
JP: It is not that the college lacks money.
Trinity used to own 1% of the land in Ireland,
and even now has many streams of revenue.
In the past, the Union has leveraged the
financial aspect of its operation to enforce
change, even as it put the ocers at risk. Are
you willing to do that?
STO: Without question, yes. Obviously, I’d
hope it doesn’t go to that stage, but it may
well. The college does have a large amount of
money, it really can’t justify the fact that
student services, especially counselling, are
egregiously underfunded. Students wait for
months for an appointment, down to one
month in case of an emergency.
The college just isn’t properly focusing on
student issues. I will make sure that at every
single level the college is held responsible,
even if that means taking other unconventional
approaches such as pursuing legal action.
The Thim Line
Jes Paluchowska interviewed Seán Thim
O’Leary, new President of TCD Student Union:
unconventional approaches to hold TCD
accountable
