World’s oldest debating society undertakes fresh world record bid in Dublin

Fresh from securing official recognition as the world’s oldest university debating society, Trinity’s “Hist” is chasing a second Guinness World Record by attempting the longest ever marathon debate.

The debate, which got under way at 10.07am on Sunday morning, is scheduled to continue until just after 2pm on Monday.

“Everyone is in good spirits,” said the Hist’s auditor, or chairperson, Áine Kennedy. “They are enthusiastically offering points of information ... we’ll see how long that lasts.”

A total of 26 motions are up for debate by the panel of eight bleary-eyed speakers and include motions from every decade of the 253-year-old society’s existence.

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Each motion up for debate offers a glimpse into the issues which dominated the minds of society members at the time.

The very first on the agenda of the society in 1770, and which kicked off the record-breaking bid on Sunday, questioned whether “Egyptian law which ordained the perpetuation of professions from father to son was a beneficial institution”.

Others include “is luxury beneficial to society?” (1805); “that emigration could be a remedy for Irish distress” (1830s); “whether the growth of journalism is beneficial to society” (1859); that “a system of proportional representation is desirable” (1885); and – an apt one from the 1929 – “that record-breaking competitions are absurd”.

The format of debates at the Hist are four speakers for each side of the debate, while all eight sit around a large oak table. For the purposes of the record attempt, the same panel of eight people is required to debate each motion.

They include students Kate Henshaw, Mary Woods, Tom Francis, Anna Sawicka, Daniela Williams, Ziyad Anwer, Caoimhin Hamil and Sebastian Dunne-Fulmer.

The rules include that speakers can speak for up to eight minutes each on the motion at hand and all must remain present and engaged. A five-minute break is permitted for each hour of debate, as well as short breaks for meal times.

[ ‘The Hist’: A Trinity College Dublin forum for debate, transformative ideas … and self-regarding speechifying ]

The record bid is being overseen and supported by volunteers, expert chairs, timekeepers and independent witnesses, including an official from Guinness World Records.

“Volunteers are running frantically around and we’re recording it on about 10 different cameras,” said Kennedy. “We’re probably over-prepared with snacks such as chocolate, jellies, fruit and endless supplies of Koka noodles, microwaveable rice and Red Bull.”

It also marks the society’s official recognition this week as the world’s oldest debating society.

“When we were planning celebrations, we thought, what better way to celebrate than to try for a second world record,” added Kennedy. “The fact that we’ve so many people interested and so many volunteers is testament to the level passion, commitment and talent at the Hist.”