“You Don’t Look a Day Over 40!” – The Gown Turns 70 and Still Got It
Celebrating Seven Glorious, Chaotic Decades of Queen’s University Belfast’s Student Voice
By Ellen Lundy
If the walls of Queen’s University Belfast could talk, they’d probably start by gossiping about who was last seen stumbling out of the Union Bar at 2am or debating whether it’s ever socially acceptable for a third-year to set foot in Babba. However, if you really listen, lean in past the echoes of last-minute McClay cramming and post-exam existential dread, you might just hear a whisper. A whisper of an idea. An idea born in 1955. One that’s grown louder every year since.
Happy Birthday, The Gown!
70 has never looked so sassy.
Once Upon a Deadline – The Birth of The Gown
Believe it or not, there was a time when Belfast students survived without TikTok, ChatGPT or Hatfield pints. In 1955, Richard Herman, a US medical student, somehow found the time between dissecting cadavers to start Ireland’s longest-running student newspaper. Yes, while you struggle to roll out of bed for your 9am, Herman was over here crossing the Atlantic, enrolling in medicine and casually launching a publishing legacy.
It forces one to question if they are truly pushing themselves to their limits.
The first issue? A modest eight-page tabloid, hot off the press on April 26, 1955. Fast forward to today, and The Gown is still standing, albeit, older, wiser and considerably more caffeinated.
Making Headlines in Hard Times – The Gown During the Troubles
Ironically, The Gown thrived during one of Northern Ireland’s darkest chapters. While the North was in turmoil, this little student newspaper held its ground, reporting not just on the Troubles, but on global politics, too.
Run entirely by volunteers (because why get paid in money when you can be paid in experience), the paper pulled off groundbreaking interviews with the likes of Gerry Adams and covered international conflicts from Berlin to the Balkans. One writer, Danny Smyth, even had an article published just hours after the Berlin Wall fell. Coincidence? Maybe. Divine journalistic intervention? Definitely.
During this time, The Gown didn’t just report history – it made it, scooping up awards like the Irish Times Best Student Newspaper in Ireland and the Education Times Young Newspaper Competition. Not bad for a bunch of students fuelled by plain pasta and righteous indignation.
Ctrl, alt, dlt: The Internet Era Dawns
As the world logged on, The Gown had to make the leap from print to pixels. One can only imagine the moment the first editor had to Google, “What is a domain name?” But, like a caterpillar emerging like a butterfly from their cocoon, adapt they did. Today, The Gown boasts tens of thousands of readers online, and our writers carry the torch with the same bold, irreverent spirit that’s kept us going for seven decades.
Yes, the world may miss the smell of fresh ink and the chaos of print night, but we’ve traded that for digital reach, snappy headlines and articles that can go viral before you can even think of a funny caption.
Back in Black (and White Ink): The Return of Print
What’s next? Something iconic. To celebrate the big 7-0, The Gown is throwing it back with a physical print edition this academic year. Yes, actual paper – you know, the thing your granny read news on. It’s old. It’s offensive. It’s omnipotent. I love it.
As an independent paper, we survive on the blood, sweat and late-night tears of our editors, plus a sprinkle of sponsorship magic. The fact that we’re still here is a tribute to the dedication, passion and sheer chaos-wrangling powers of generations of student journalists.
Listen to the Walls – They Know Things
So next time you’re speed-walking through campus trying not to cry about an overdue essay, pause and listen. You might hear the stories of 70 years of students who came before you – those who questioned power, documented history and maybe got into a bit of trouble along the way.
And you might just hear The Gown whisper:
“We’re not going anywhere.”
SOURCES:
https://alumni.qub.ac.uk/gown-at-60
https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2015/news/student-newspaper-celebrates-60-years-with-exhibition
