Trinity Ball sells out in record time

The Trinity Ball 2010 has sold out in a record two days, after students lined up across Front Square to purchase one of 7,500 tickets despite long queues and consistent rain.
It took 4 hours for tickets to be allocated on the online registration system, and the number of tickets which could be paid for online via PayPal were quickly exhausted.
In an event Students’ Union Entertainments Officer Mick Birmingham describes as his “best achievement yet”, College will see over 30 Irish and international acts perform, including gold record producer Dizzee Rascal and German Punk duo Digitalism. The €78 price tag will provide students with an 8-hour event spanning across 5 stages on Campus.
Birmingham says the Ball is the “most highly anticipated night of the year”, describing its as an “unparalleled event in Trinity”. The last of the tickets were sold out on the morning of Friday 26th February.
UCD Students’ Union Entertainments Officer, Mike Pat O’Donoghue, contradicted Birmingham by describing the UCD Ball as “far exceeding its lesser rival, the Trinity Ball”. O’Donoghue based his comment on the size of the UCD Ball, which has a capacity of 8,000, making it Europe’s largest private party by 500 attendants. UCD describes itself as “Ireland’s premier university” on the very same basis, compromising the largest student body in the country.
However, a number of UCD students have expressed their discontent at the Ball headliners, Jedward. O’Donoghue describes the pair as an “Irish pop sensation”. He says “they’re on everyone’s minds at the moment and they appeal to a large cohort of UCD”.
To the contrary, a facebook group petition to “Egg Jedward at the UCD Ball” has 707 fans, with members refusing to pay the €35 entry fee.
A group to boycott the UCD Ball describes the headliners as “talentless eejits”, whilst enjoining students to refuse to buy tickets until the act list is changed. Tickets for the UCD Ball went on sale on 23rd February, and have yet to sell out.
There have been no such complaints about the Trinity Ball lineup, which despite the higher price tag, boasts a number of internationally renowned acts. Winner of the 2010 BRIT Award for Best British Male, Dizzee Rascal has received media attention for both his music and controversial image.
The British Home Secretary has accused him of “glorifying gun culture and violence”, and one of the artist’s lyrics reads: “I’m a problem for Anthony Blair”.