The Irish Times National Debating Championship is a debating competition for students in higher education in Ireland. It has been run since 1960, sponsored by The Irish Times. While most participants represent institutions in the Republic of Ireland, institutions in Northern Ireland are also eligible.

History The Union of Students in Ireland approached The Irish Times in 1960 to secure sponsorship for an Irish equivalent of the Observer Mace, a debating competition started in Britain in 1954. The "Debating Union of Ireland" was formed for a time, but later The Irish Times would appoint a student convenor each year, often a previous year's winner. Until the 1970s, the best teams and individual went on to compete in the final of the Observer Mace. (The Mace no longer has an individual competition.)

In 1979, Gary Holbrook of Metropolitan State College of Denver was on sabbatical at Trinity College Dublin and was impressed with the debate. In 1980, he persuaded Coors Brewers to sponsor a debate tour of U.S. colleges for the winning team and individual speakers. The Irish were struck there by the very different approach of American debaters. Holbrook subsequently organised "Friends of the Irish Debate", sponsored by The Irish Times and Aer Lingus, to make the tour annual. The tour is now organised by the U.S. National Parliamentary Debate Association.

In 2010, a special celebration marked the debate's 50th anniversary.

Format The competition is generally considered the most prestigious in Ireland, due in part to the additional media attention provided by its sponsor, but also the status of some of the former winners, and the US tour which forms part of the prize. Running between November and February, it operates on a knockout basis, with the initial entrants (usually between 150 and 170 teams) being whittled down over successive rounds, culminating in a Grand Final with four teams and four individuals competing for team honours (The Demosthenes Trophy) and an individual prize (The Christina Murphy Memorial Trophy).

The format of the competition is now unique in third-level debating, combining team and individual roles. The first round consists solely of team entrants, from which both teams and individuals progress, thus creating subsequent rounds featuring both. Individuals may be selected from a team at any stage of the competition, including to win the competition at the final stage. The winning individual cannot be selected from the winning team, though this restriction was not observed in the 1972 competition, where Donal Deeny took both prizes. In that year, the judges nominated Kathleen Boyle to progress to the Observer Mace individual competition.

The only other competition to adopt the same format is the All-Ireland Schools' Debating Competition.

Winners

By year YearTeamSocietyTeamSpeaker 1TeamSpeaker 2IndividualSocietyIndividualSpeaker1960King's Inns Aidan Browne Charles Lysaght TCD Hist Neville Keery1961TCD Phil Hallam Johnston Jack Daniels UCD L&H Peter Donnelly1962QUB John Murtagh Michael Egan TCD Hist Ian Blake1963UCD L&H Patrick Cosgrave Anthony Clare RCSI Desmond King1964UCD L&H Patrick Cosgrave Anthony Clare King's Inns Terry McMahon1965TCD Hist David McConnell Cian Ó hÉigeartaigh QUB Literific Eamonn McCann1966TCD Hist David McConnell Cian Ó hÉigeartaigh UCD L&H Esmond Smyth1967UCC Philosoph Donnchadh Ó Corráin Anthony J. Adolph King's Inns Kevin O'Higgins1968UCD L&H Roddy Buckley Dermot Gleeson UCD L&H Henry Kelly1969QUB Brendan Keenan Derek Davis UCC Philosoph Anthony J. Adolph1970UCD L&H Neal Clarke Donal O'Riain UCD L&H Adrian Hardiman1971TCD Hist Donnell Deeny Gregory Murphy DIT Bolton Street Marian Finucane1972TCD Hist Donnell Deeny Frank Bannister TCD Hist(St Mary's, Belfast) Donnell Deeny(Kathleen Boyle) 1973QUB Billy McRory Jimmy Hughes UCD L&H Adrian Hardiman1974TCD Hist David O'Sullivan James Connolly NUU Alex Lowry1975NUU Michael Hughes Kevin Cahill King's Inns Brian Curtin 1976UCD L&H Paul Gill Gerry Danaher Maynooth Deirdre Murphy1977Maynooth Patrick Hennessy Gerry Maher UCD L&H Patrick Healy1978 UCD Law Soc Conor Gearty Donal O'Donnell King's Inns Turlough O'Donnell1979UCD Law Soc Conor Gearty John O'Donnell UCD L&H Maurice Biggar1980UCD L&H Maurice Biggar Eugene McCague King's Inns Brian Havel1981UCD L&H Charlie Meenan Gerry Stembridge TCD Hist Sean Moran1982TCD Phil Michael Byrne Gerry Foley UCC Philosoph Liam Plant1983UCG Lit & Deb Eoin O'Maoileoin Damian Crawford TCD Hist Bill Maguire1984TCD Hist Eoin McCullough Brian Murray UCD L&H Pat Whyms1985UCC Philosoph David Holland Brian Hassett TCD Hist Gideon Taylor1986TCD Phil Declan McCavana David Keane UCG Lit & Deb Brendan Wilkins1987TCD Hist Aidan Kane Paul Gavin UCG Lit & Deb Conor Bowman1988UCC Philosoph Adrian Hunt Tim Murphy UCC Philosoph Robert Plant1989King's Inns Maeve Collins Pat Twomey UCD Law Soc Julian Clare1990UCC Philosoph Brendan Lenihan Don O'Sullivan Cadet School Tom Clonan1991King's Inns Tim O'Leary Pat Treacy UCD L&H Barra Faughnan1992UCD L&H Johanna Farrelly Pat O'Keeffe UCD Law Soc Cian Ferriter1993TCD Hist Brendan Foley Gavan Titley UCC Philosoph Kieran Healy1994UCD L&H Dara Ó Briain Marcus Dowling King's Inns Bernard Dunleavy1995UCC Philosoph Alan Roberts Diarmuid Conway UCC Philosoph Gerry Hyde1996King's Inns Helen Boyle Paul McDermott TCD Hist Douglas Clarke1997UL Debating Union Seamus Doran Padraic O'Halloran SADSI Matthew McCabe1998UCC Philosoph Muireann Ní Chinnéide Elizabeth Barrett TCD Hist Paul Gleeson1999UCD L&H Caoilfhionn Gallagher Bernadette Quigley King's Inns Rossa Fanning2000King's Inns Michael Deasy Rónán Mullen SADSI Louise Rouse2001TCD Hist Bríd McGrath Yvonne Campbell TCD Hist Aoife Titley2002TCD Hist Louie Mooney Brendan Kelly UCC Philosoph Conor Buckley2003UCD L&H Leo Mulrooney Colm Coyne TCD Hist Alison McIntyre2004DCU Ian Kehoe Michael Moriarty King's Inns Paul Brady2005King's Inns David Whelan Sam Collins UCD L&H Frank Kennedy 2006King's Inns Barry Glynn Mark Murphy UCC Philosoph Diarmuid Early2007TCD Hist David Boughton Ciaran Denny King's Inns David Quinn2008TCD Hist Christopher Kissane David Kenny UCD L&H Stephen Boyle 2009TCD Hist John Gallagher Andrea Mulligan UCD L&H Jeremy Kinsella2010TCD Hist Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin Niall Sherry Griffith College Dublin Sean O'Quigley 2011King's Inns Lorcan Price Áine Hartigan TCD Law Soc Mark Thuillier 2012 RCSI Eoin Kelleher Elizabeth Ahern-Flynn UCD Med Soc Michael Conroy 2013TCD Phil Bram Stoker Club Liam Brophy John Engle TCD Hist Kate Brady2014SADSI Dearbhla O'Gorman Kieran O'Sullivan UCD Med Soc William Courtney 2015 TCD Phil Rónán O'Connor Hugh Guidera UCD L&H Eoin MacLachlan2016SADSI Ross O'Mahony Aaron Vickery UCD L&H Clíodhna Ní Chéileachair 2017 UCD Law Aisling Tully Dara Keenan SADSI Leah Morgan2018UCD Law Cian Leahy Aodhán Peelo UCD L&H Amy Crean2019TCD Hist Ronan Daly Daniel Gilligan King's Inns Kevin Roche2020TCD Phil Eoghan Quinn Aislinn Carty UCD L&H Rachael Mullally2021MaynoothRí AnumuduChikemka Abuchi-OgbondaTCD HistGabrielle Fullam2022SADSI Ross Merriman Conor White UCD Law Bevin Armstrong2023SADSI Ailbhe Noonan Gavin Dowd MTU Debating Society Oliver McKenna2024King's Inns Ciara McLoughlin Ceara Tonna-Barthet SADSI Clíodhna McHugh2025UCD L&H Adrianne Ward Rob Fitzpatrick Lit & Deb University of Galway Liam Boyce2026TCD Hist Anya Wilson Athena Wu SADSI Cian Carew

By society Society University Team wins Individual wins College Historical Society (Hist) Trinity College Dublin 16 11 Literary and Historical Society (L&H) University College Dublin 12 15 Law Students' Debating Society of Ireland King's Inns 9 10 UCC Philosophical Society (Philosoph) University College Cork 6 7 Literary and Scientific Society (Literific) – Queen's University Belfast 3 1 University Philosophical Society (Phil) Trinity College, Dublin 4 0 Law Society University College Dublin 3 3 Solicitors' Apprentice Debating Society of Ireland Law Society of Ireland 3 5 Literary and Debating Society (Lit & Deb) University of Galway 1 3 RCSI Debating Society Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland 1 1 – New University of Ulster 1 1 – St. Patrick's College, Maynooth 1 1 – Dublin City University 1 0 Law Society Trinity College Dublin 1 0 Bram Stoker Club Trinity College Dublin 1 0 – University of Limerick 1 0 – Griffith College Dublin 0 1 – Cadet School 0 1 – Dublin Institute of Technology 0 1 Medicine Society University College Dublin 0 2

Notable participants Many winners have gone on to have successful careers in law. Former winners in the legal field include Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland Donal O'Donnell, Supreme Court judge Adrian Hardiman, former Managing Partner and Chairman of Arthur Cox (law firm) Eugene McCague, High Court of Ireland judges David Holland (judge) and Cian Ferriter, Senior Counsels Paul Anthony McDermott, Rossa Fanning, John O'Donnell, Dermot Gleeson, Aidan Browne, and Gregory Murphy, King's Counsel at Doughty Street Chambers, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, professors Conor Gearty, Kieran Healy and Charles Lysaght, and Circuit Court judges Esmond Smyth, Kevin O'Higgins, and Brian Curtin. James Connolly, winner in 1974, was Vice Chairman of the Bar Council of Ireland and recently chair of public inquiries in Dublin.

David O'Sullivan, winner in 1974, became secretary general to the President of the European Commission. Maeve Collins, winner in 1989, is a former Irish Ambassador to Vietnam and now a Director General within the Irish Department for Foreign Affairs. Neville Keery, 1960 winner, was a member of the 12th Seanad, and later Head of Libraries of the European Commission.

Other well-known former winners include broadcasters Anthony Clare, Henry Kelly, Derek Davis, Cian Ó hÉigeartaigh, and Marian Finucane; comedian Dara Ó Briain; and writers Eamonn McCann, Gerry Stembridge, Kevin Cahill. The losing finalists in 1966 included future Presidents Mary Robinson and Michael D. Higgins. Tánaiste Mary Harney and Minister Mary Hanafin also appeared as finalists.

References

External links The Irish Times Debating Competition Website The Irish Times on Colm Flynn's website