Aubrey Receives Trinity Alumni Award

Aubrey with Trinity’s Linda Doyle

he annual Trinity College Alumni Awards highlights the profound impact on a local, national and global scale of its past pupils.

And that impact is, usually, for good.

“Through their innovation, leadership, and character,’ goes the blurb, ‘these distinguished individuals embody the values and ethos of Trinity. They are exceptional professionals and represent our shared vision for a world enhanced by education, altruism and perseverance.’

And now, with March’s 120 nominations having been whittled down to just 10, the 2023 winners were honoured last night. And they are Rory Carroll, Alan Dargan, Anne Enright, Pat Gilroy, Susan Hopkins, Paul Johnston, Kenneth Jones, Eva Pau, Rotini Rantsiou and local-ish lad, Aubrey McCarthy.

In accepting this award, the Tiglin founder remarked, “I take this award on behalf of those who currently are living on our streets, who cannot find the will to lift their heads because they believe that their identity is found in their substance abuse, those who have been affected by domestic violence or have been displaced by war.”

Aubrey McCarthy has long been aware that addiction is a major adversary of Irish society. It is the fuel behind much of the pain and destruction we see and hear about across all sectors of society. From marital breakdown and domestic violence to the erosion of mental health and the marginalisation of vulnerable homeless people, addiction has been a key causal factor.

Aubrey digs in with the Higgins 29JUNE21

Having experienced the force of addiction that blew through his family as a young child, Aubrey knew that education was a route to escape both the present and the future painful effects that addiction caused. Setting up Tiglin, a charity that provides an option to escape addiction and homelessness, Aubrey knew that this was a means of sending the ladder back down to give a way out for those who were caught in these societal traps.

“There is nothing more dehumanising than being powerless to change your circumstances,” he continues. “I am grateful to have been given the Grace to change mine and to be able to provide a means for others to change theirs.”

Accompanying Aubrey on the night was the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland, Her Excellency Laryssa Gerasko, who thanked Aubrey for opening the doors to over 100 Ukrainian nationals and for making them feel welcome and at home in Ireland.

“Charity is wasted when it only reaches down,” said Gerasko. “It has to reach out; it has to be one human soul reaching another human soul in a way that offers hope and not just the contents of your hand.”

Aubrey received this award on the grounds of the University, which is only “a stone’s throw away” from Tiglin at the Lighthouse, a homeless cafe which serves over 400 meals daily and provides vital supports and pathways out of homelessness. Several Trinity alumni expressed the desire to get involved with the café, which delighted Aubrey.

Tiglin, in all its services, from homeless supports to rehabilitation programmes to supported housing and accommodation for those who have been displaced, strives to find a means to offer much more than a handout.

Their focus has been on a means of progress so that potential can be realised and reached – education and employment play a key role in this process.