Haigh a chairde!
My name is Niall Daly, and I am the President of Maynooth Students’ Union. I first came to Maynooth from Longford – yes, THAT place – in 2018 (a while ago, but not nearly as long as Lucas). It’s safe to say that I jumped head first into student life, ended up repeating a year, switched my degree and deferred two years to serve on the Maynooth Students’ Union Executive – as the Vice President Education and Deputy President last year and now as the President. It’s been a journey, but you can rest easy knowing that I’ve nearly seen and done it all.
President, huh? What does that mean? As the President of your students’ union, I am the Chief Spokesperson and Representative of you and the 15,000 other students of Maynooth University and St. Patrick’s Pontifical University. It is my job to ensure that your rights are upheld within the university, as well as on a local and national level. In short, I try to ensure that you have the best possible experience as you undergo your Maynooth journey. I am also the Chief Executive Officer (pure notions, right?) of the organisation, so with the support of my Executive, I run the day-to-day operations of the union as well as manage the dedicated staff team who look after the various areas of the organisation and help to ensure that students are always at the forefront of what we do.
When I was in first year, I didn’t even make it to the Maynooth Students’ Union talk at Orientation. If you made it that far, good job, but joking aside, you might be wondering, what is a union and more specifically, what can Maynooth Students’ Union do for me? The mission of the Union is to provide for, promote and defend the interests of our members. Put simply, student life can be sh*t, and your students’ union works to make it less sh*t for you. We provide representation for students on all levels, elevating your voices and making sure you are heard at important university, local and national committees and meetings. We offer peer support and signposting services where you can come and talk to a friendly face about any issues you may be facing and we also manage a number of student-run services around campus.
Whether you're starting first year, final year or a postgraduate programme, this will likely be the best, most unique and fastest year or few years of your life, and Maynooth Students’ Union will be there to support you every step of the way.
Don't be a stranger, and never be afraid to reach out,
Niall Daly
president@msu.ie / +353 1 708 6436 / +353 87 908 3602