University College Dublin (UCD) Agricultural Science Society (AgSoc) has announced MS Ireland and Tiggy’s Trust as the charities it will fundraise for through its events and activities for its 100th anniversary year.

The society has been back campus since students returned last month and already has had a suite of successful events in its first few weeks including a "welly walk" through Dublin city.

The UCD AgSoc is one of the biggest student societies in the country and last year alone, raised €60,000 for its two charities, Hooves 4 Hospice and the Irish Community Air Ambulance. The society fundraises through a series of events such as the well-known "Ag Week" and raffle, which take place on and off the UCD Belfield campus.

Charities

AgSoc says MS Ireland provides information, specialised services and support to the MS community in Ireland, on a national, regional and local level.

It says that more than two-thirds of the 9,000 people living with MS in Ireland access these resources and that all those affected by the condition rely on MS Ireland to advocate on their behalf on the issues that affect their quality of life.

Tiggy’s Trust was set up to honour the memory of Tiggy Hancock, a talented rider who sadly lost her life in a riding accident in 2021.

The trust uses funds raised to assist young horse riders by offering mental health support, providing training and education. It aims to help these young equestrians achieve their goals and increase awareness of safety measures for horse riding.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, AgSoc auditor Ciara Byers said: “I’m delighted that we have chosen our charities for this year. This year we have lots of events planned to mark the 100th anniversary of AgSoc in UCD.”

Committee

The AgSoc committee who will lead the society’s membership in its fundraising endeavours this year is headed by Byers.

The committee’s treasurer is Sinead O’Sullivan and secretary is Mark O’Grady.

Eilish Gill will look after careers for the society and Emily Williams, Rioghan Mac Ginneartai and Rachel Corley will manage the well-known "Teashop" in the UCD Agricultural Science building.

Auditor of the UCD Agricultural Science Society Ciara Byers.

Isla Sexton, Niamh Murphy and Matthew Murphy will organise the highly anticipated "Ag Ball" and "Mystery Tour" and Marie Gray will cover all things sponsorship-related.

Niamh Gunn and Jane Ann Duff will organise and oversee sports for AgSoc’s members while Roisín Scully will run the society’s social media accounts.

Aideen Bates and Emma Geoghegan will support agricultural science students studying abroad, through their "foreign affairs" committee roles, and the society’s debating teams will be led by Ciara Fox.

Representatives

Amy Kenny, Kayla Tarpey and Amy Woods are third year reps to the committee, Cliona Beirne and Joe Kennedy will represent second years and Sean Cato and Rachel Crowe will represent first years.

Students and anyone looking to support AgSoc’s fundraising efforts this year can find out more through following the society’s social media accounts.