Classical Sideshows Some marginal happenings at UCD Greek and Roman Civilization classes by Vic Connerty Yesterday my grandson asked me if I had ever been kidnapped. I was going to say no but then remembered an episode during a 1st Year Greek and Roman lecture in the 90s and told him about that. Later I thought of some other related episodes in lectures and tutorials and decided to bring them together here. I was approached by some members of Amnesty International about staging a stunt in one of my lectures in Theatre L to publicise their Society and increase their membership. The stunt would involve the theatre being invaded by some students, masked and showing violent intent. They would grab me and haul me up the steps through the door and out to captivity. I agreed as long as it was five mins from the end of the lecture. When I went into L to give the lecture I found the door that I had designated as my exit door was locked. When the time came and my captors burst into the theatre and made for me, they dragged me up to the door which was locked. I tried to tell them that that door was no use but they didnt hear because of the racket. So from there I was taken, protesting weakly, to the next door and I was gone. It was only then that I wondered who would collect my books and notes. And only then did I realise that no one in the class had tried to rescue me. Shame! Another publicity request came from someone on the committee of Arts Day. Would I be prepared to be dangled from the balcony of Bewleys in Grafton St. to promote Arts Day? I would be rescued by some firemen. The accumulation of words like dangled, balcony, Grafton St and rescued meant a quick er...no. Though I could have been more polite and said I didnt get where I am today by being dangled from Bewleys balcony. Arts Day was also the setting for an event that took place at the beginning of a 1st GRC lecture in Theatre Q in April 1996. This was the formal presentation of the cheque to the representative of the Simon Community, the chosen charity for the money raised by students from various events and activities on Arts Day in February. The Simon Community which helps the homeless had been founded by some UCD students in 1963 and I was happy that my lecture be used for this occasion. At the end of the speeches and the presentation of the cheque , John Hassett, the chaplain who was behind the idea of Arts Day, presented me with a gift of a football signed by numerous Liverpool footballers. His nephew had been over to Anfield for trials and John had asked him to bring back a football signed by as many players as he could find. Among the the signatures I can make out now are those of Ian Rush, John Barnes, Jamie Redknapp and Nigel Clough. When theyd all gone I still had the lecture to give. It was the last of the year so was advisory (about exams and what lay beyond). The football sat on the lectern throughout my talk and it remained untouched till Id finished. What any passer-by peering through the porthole from outside thought was going on I know not. No more than what anyone looking in from outside would have made of the picture of the swimming elephant I used to put up at the beginning of the first term. This was to encourage the students to make it on time to the 9 am lectures which were part of the 1st GRC experience. That elephant was in the logging business and lived on an island adjacent to its place of work. It had to swim to work and never failed to make it on time. Not a person this time but a fruit. A kiwi fruit in Theatre M. I was concluding a 1st year lecture on the subject of political violence in the streets of Rome in the 50s BC when a door was opened and I saw something travelling fast in my direction. It turned out to be a kiwi fruit which went past my right ear and thudded into the blackboard behind. I should have caught it. But I just said to the class: you see what I mean. Thats what it would have been like if you were addressing a crowd from the rostra in the forum of Rome, only there would have been more than one hurler and more than one missile and their aim would have been better. The last lecture intrusion Ill talk about went on for some years in the late 80s. For a while it became the tradition that in the last Roman History lecture of the first term near Christmas a disguised former student would come in towards the end of the lecture. She (as it turned out) came down the steps of the theatre and presented me with a box of chocolates and a peck (twice literally when she was dressed as Tweety Pie one year and the next year as a seagull). Then off without a word. I told the students that this was the spirit of former GRC students come to greet the present generation and that that was the end of the lecture (cheers). I eventually identified the student and of course the surprise element faded after that. It was a lovely ritual that everyone associated with the end of a long term and the approach of happy times. Tutorials were obviously much smaller affairs and unexpected entries were rare. On one occasion, a Law student whom I knew from his schooldays - hed been in the same class as my son - came in while the tutorial was underway, smiled and told the class the weekend score from Anfield : Arsenal had beaten Liverpool. He never missed a chance to bait me on the few occasions this happened. His sister was in that tutorial group but I dont think he came in on any family business. This next episode relates to the door of my room, K207, rather than to the room itself. In 1988 on a Tuesday morning (14 May) I arrived to find a large blue and yellow Wimbledon rosette stuck on my door. The purpose of this was to rub in the defeat of Liverpool by Wimbledon in the FA Cup Final the previous Saturday. I knew only one student who supported Wimbledon so I knew who it was. All good fun. The following year I came in (20 May) to find a big red and white Liverpool rosette on my door. This was to mark Liverpools extra-time victory over Everton in the Cup Final the previous Saturday. That was nice. Wimbledon are no more and Liverpool are no longer the all-conquering side they once were. The two students are now living in Rome and the Wexford countryside respectively and I have never forgotten their gestures. These are some of the sideshows my grandsons question prompted. There were others that havent come to mind since yesterday. But dont forget: these were unusual occasions. The norm over the years was the routine of uninterrupted lectures, tutorials, reading, essays, discussions and exams. Wasnt it?
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 10:36:46 +0000
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