Irish Colleges And Their Urban Legends...

We started digging after the first urban legend below was brought to our attention, the thought of a Brazilian football international playing for the UCD reserve team was too good to not turn into an article. The more we dug, the more we found. These are a collection of the best urban legends that have come from Irish colleges, bear in mind that we are well aware that they may all be completely false, but we must point out that as crazy as many of them may seem we haven't made any of them up. You are free to Google for yourself... We're also sure that these only scratch the surface so if there are any we've left out don't hesitate to get in touch so we can bring you all a complete guide.

Sócrates played for the UCD Reserve team in the 1970s.

The origins of this long established urban legend are flaky but it goes a little something like this: Sócrates, the famous Brazilian soccer player, studied medicine in Dublin in the late 1970s and during his time here played for the UCD reserve team. But, there are also a few alternative versions to the tale. An article in The Irish Times from 1986 is the earliest known reference to the story. It states as fact that Sócrates played for Shelbourne Football Club during his time studying in the “College of Technology, Kevin Street”. It should be said that Sócrates did indeed study medicine while in college but he graduated from the ‘Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto’ in São Paulo. There's also the little fact that Sócrates himself admits to never having been in Ireland.

Trinity students, did you bring your sword today?

A legend from Trinity now that says if you order a brandy (sometimes port) during an exam they have to give it to you. Also told as...in Trinity you are allowed to drink a pint of porter during your final year exams provided you are wearing a sword and scabbard. However, the last student to try this got dragged in to meet the Junior Dean the day afterwards and was fined for no gown and no sword.

There is a secret tower where lecturers can get a drink in U.C.D.

Also told as.... There is a "secret" bar in UCD for staff only. Also told as...the bar isn't such a secret as everyone knows about it...It is also most definitely not in the water tower.

In trinity its illegal to walk across the courtyard without your hat...

Shouldn't everyone be forced to wear a hat in fairness?!

The president of trinity can still hang one catholic a year from the bell tower...

Em...we're not so sure this one would stand up in court.... can someone get their hands on the rule book for us please?

The UCD Tunnels

There is a network of tunnels under UCD, mostly for electricity cables and such...and although the tunnels do exist, the legend remains that loads of the doors leading into them have keys hidden around them. It is also believed the teenage mutant hero turtles have long been flushed out and are now in hiding...

And Trinity have their own tunnels too..

Under Front Square and the west end of the college... Supposedly there is/was one linking TCD with RSCI that they used during the Easter Rising of 1916 to transport ammunition.

Haunted DCU...?

There are several stories about various rooms in DCU being haunted. Room T101 being one such room... very convenient... and Orwellian... hmmmm

The sinking library...

Not college specific but every campus apparently has a library that's supposedly sinking, because the engineer who designed it forgot to include the weight of the books...

Don't look at the clock..

In NUI Maynooth you don't look at the clock on the south campus. Once upon a myth, a student apparently looked at the clock and saw that he was late for class. While running from the south of the campus to the north he ran into a priest and didn't apologise because he was in a rush. The priest then set a curse/prayed to god that the student would fail all his exams and he did, so now if anyone looks at the clock, they'll fail their exams.....WITCHPRIEST!!!