Conor Power
Maynooth University
Covid-inflicted quarantine and PhD research make for quite an isolating combination. But last Thursday I found that those feelings of seclusion disappeared at the DMC’s first event: the Virtual Quiz.
Not knowing any of the members of the group made me quite apprehensive to join the Zoom call. Given the many awkward silences and interruptions that the video-conferencing app often creates, I was initially worried that meeting a bunch of (near) strangers online would be an anxiety-ridden hour or two. However, there was no need for fear. When I first joined the call I was met by smiles and waves from some both familiar and unfamiliar faces. And the fun and laughter commenced almost straight away, although some of it was at my well-deserved expense. Rachel was discussing her hiking expeditions. I don’t know her neck of the woods very well, so I was confused by the giggles which were the only response I got to my earnest question:
“Can you see whales from the Dublin Mountains? I didn’t know they were in the Irish sea?”
Until I was informed by Anika and Rachel that it was in fact the view of Wales instead. Oops.
In between discussion of food, fonts, and furniture (mostly a table/cooler from Lidl which I am buying as soon as they’re in stock), there was some actual quizzing done. There were rounds on animals, composer quotes, history, literature, film trivia, and much more. Needless to say, a few of us were rather embarrassed by our lack of knowledge on some of the pictures and quotes concerning our favourite composers. But despite my blunders in that round, I made up for it in the animals round (mostly by pure luck – thank God for multiple choice!). And now I have a handful of random animal facts I like to spurt at my parents during the odd silences at the dinner table:
Giraffes have no vocal cords!
Slugs have 4 noses! (Don’t ask me why)
(And my favourite) a group of hedgehogs, is called a prickle!!
I could go on about all the other laughs we had. But I think it best to conclude with a quote from Hannah as we were all going our separate ways:
“My cheeks hurt from laughing so much.”
If that doesn’t sum it all up, I don’t know what will.
Also I did win the quiz ...it may have been after others’ points had to be amended - but I’ll take it!
Conor Power is currently in the first year of his PhD at Maynooth University where he is studying the use of the heroic idiom in the film scores of John Williams.