The Irish Times Debate, Ireland’s oldest and most prestigious student debating competition, has returned for a new season.
Running since 1960, The Irish Times Debate is an all-island competition open to every full-time third-level student in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Its objective has remained unchanged for 66 years - to promote excellence in oratory and debating.
This year, for the first time, the debate series will be run in partnership with global law firm DLA Piper, a leading full-service law firm. DLA Piper advises domestic and international clients as part of the company’s global business across more than 40 countries.
Approximately 200 students entered the first round of this season’s competition, which involves participants speaking in teams of two. The successful speakers will progress to the 96 places available in the second round, at which stage each debate will be comprised of four teams of two people and four individual speakers.
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By early December, the starting field will have been whittled down to 48 students who will speak in the four debate semi-final rounds in January. A winning team and a winning individual speaker from each semi-final will progress to take the 12 coveted spots in The Irish Times Debate Final which will be held on Friday, February 26th, 2027.
The prize for the winning team is the Demosthenes Trophy (by sculptor Oisín Kelly). The winning individual speaker is awarded the Christina Murphy Memorial Trophy.
The winners are invited to go on a debating tour of the United States, which is hosted by Pax Rhetorica and the National Parliamentary Debating Society of America.
Previous winners include Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell, comedian Dara Ó Briain and the late broadcaster Marian Finucane.
Past champions of The Irish Times Debate
| Yr | Team | Individual | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Society | Speaker 1 | Speaker 2 | Society | Speaker | |
| 60 | King’s Inns | Aidan Browne | Charles Lysaght | Hist TCD | Neville Keery |
| 61 | Phil TCD | Hallam Johnston | Jack Daniels | L&H UCD | Peter Donnelly |
| 62 | QUB | John Murtagh | Michael Bowes Egan | Hist TCD | Ian Blake |
| 63 | L&H UCD | Patrick Cosgrave | Anthony Clare | RCSI | Desmond King |
| 64 | L&H UCD | Patrick Cosgrave | Anthony Clare | King’s Inns | Terry McMahon |
| 65 | Hist TCD | David McConnell | Cian Ó hÉigeartaigh | QUB | Eamonn McCann |
| 66 | Hist TCD | David McConnell | Cian Ó hÉigeartaigh | L&H UCD | Esmond Smyth |
| 67 | Philosoph UCC | Donnchadh Ó Corráin | Anthony J. Adolph | King’s Inns | Kevin O’Higgins |
| 68 | L&H UCD | Roddy Buckley | Dermot Gleeson | L&H UCD | Henry Kelly |
| 69 | QUB | Brendan Keenan | Derek Davis | Philosoph UCC | Anthony J. Adolph |
| 70 | L&H UCD | Neal Clarke | Donal O’Riain | L&H UCD | Adrian Hardiman |
| 71 | Hist TCD | Donnell Deeny | Gregory Murphy | Bolton Street | Marian Finucane |
| 72 | Hist TCD | Donnell Deeny | Frank Bannister | Hist TCD | Donnell Deeny |
| 73 | QUB | Billy McCrory | Jimmy Hughes | L&H UCD | Adrian Hardiman |
| 74 | Hist TCD | David O’Sullivan | James Connolly | NUU (New University of Ulster) | Alex Lowry |
| 75 | NUU | Michael Hughes | Kevin Cahill | King’s Inns | Brian Curtin |
| 76 | L&H UCD | Paul Gill | Gerry Danaher | Maynooth | Deirdre Murphy |
| 77 | Maynooth | Pat Hennessy | Gerry Maher | L&H UCD | Patrick Healy |
| 78 | Law Soc UCD | Conor Gearty | Donal O’Donnell | King’s Inns | Turlough O’Donnell |
| 79 | Law Soc UCD | Conor Gearty | John O’Donnell | L&H UCD | Maurice Biggar |
| 80 | L&H UCD | Maurice Biggar | Eugene McCague | King’s Inns | Brian Havel |
| 81 | L&H UCD | Charlie Meehan | Gerry Stembridge | Hist TCD | Sean Moran |
| 82 | Phil TCD | Michael Byrne | Gerry Foley | Philosoph UCC | Liam Plant |
| 83 | Lit & Deb UCG | Eoin O’Maoileoin | Damian Crawford | Hist TCD | Bill Maguire |
| 84 | Hist TCD | Eoin McCullough | Brian Murray | L&H UCD | Pat Whyms |
| 85 | Philosoph UCC | David Holland | Bryan Hassett | Hist TCD | Gideon Taylor |
| 86 | Phil TCD | Declan McCavana | David Keane | Lit & Deb UCG | Brendan Wilkins |
| 87 | Hist TCD | Aidan Kane | Paul Gavin | Lit & Deb UCG | Conor Bowman |
| 88 | Philosoph UCC | Adrian Hunt | Tim Murphy | Philosoph UCC | Robert Plant |
| 89 | King’s Inns | Maeve Collins | Pat Twomey | Law Soc UCD | Julian Clare |
| 90 | Philosoph UCC | Brendan Lenihan | Don O’Sullivan | Cadet School | Tom Clonan |
| 91 | King’s Inns | Tim O’Leary | Pat Treacy | L&H UCD | Barra Faughnan |
| 92 | L&H UCD | Johanna Farrelly | Pat O’Keeffe | Law Soc UCD | Cian Ferriter |
| 93 | Hist TCD | Brendan Foley | Gavan Titley | Philosoph UCC | Kieran Healy |
| 94 | L&H UCD | Dara O’Briain | Marcus Dowling | King’s Inns | Bernard Dunleavy |
| 95 | Philosoph UCC | Alan Roberts | Diarmuid Conway | Philosoph UCC | Gerry Hyde |
| 96 | King’s Inns | Helen Boyle | Paul McDermott | Hist TCD | Douglas Clarke |
| 97 | Debating Union UL | Seamus Doran | Padraic O’Halloran | SADSI | Matthew McCabe |
| 98 | Philosoph UCC | Muireann Ní Cinnéide | Elizabeth Barrett | Hist TCD | Paul Gleeson |
| 99 | L&H UCD | Caoilfhionn Gallagher | Bernadette Quigley | King’s Inns | Rossa Fanning |
| 00 | King’s Inns | Michael Deasy | Ronan Mullen | SADSI | Louise Rouse |
| 01 | Hist TCD | Bríd McGrath | Yvonne Campbell | Hist TCD | Aoife Titley |
| 02 | Hist TCD | Louis Mooney | Brendan Kelly | Philosoph UCC | Conor Buckley |
| 03 | L&H UCD | Leo Mulrooney | Colm Coyne | Hist TCD | Alison McIntyre |
| 04 | DCU | Ian Kehoe | Michael Moriarty | King’s Inns | Paul Brady |
| 05 | King’s Inns | David Whelan | Sam Collins | L&H UCD | Frank Kennedy |
| 06 | King’s Inns | Barry Glynn | Mark Murphy | Philosoph UCC | Diarmuid Early |
| 07 | Hist TCD | Ciaran Denny | David Boughton | King’s Inns | David Quinn |
| 08 | Hist TCD | Christopher Kissane | David Kenny | L&H UCD | Stephen Boyle |
| 09 | Hist TCD | John Gallagher | Andrea Mulligan | L&H UCD | Jeremy Kinsella |
| 10 | Hist TCD | Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin | Niall Sherry | Griffith College | Sean O’Quigley |
| 11 | Kings Inns | Áine Hartigan | Lorcan Price | TCD Law | Mark Thuillier |
| 12 | RCSI | Elizabeth Ahern-Flynn | Eoin Kelleher | UCD Med Soc | Michael Conroy |
| 13 | Bram Stoker Society,TCD | John Engle | Liam Brophy | Hist TCD | Kate Brady |
| 14 | SADSI | Dearbhla O’Gorman | Kieran O’Sullivan | UCD Med Soc | William Courtney |
| 15 | Phil TCD | Hugh Guidera | Ronan O’Connor | L&H, UCD | Eoin MacLachlan |
| 16 | SADSI | Ross O’Mahony | Aaron Vickery | L&H, UCD | Cliodhna Ni Cheileachair |
| 17 | UCD Law Soc | Aisling Tully | Dara Keenan | SADSI | Leah Morgan |
| 18 | UCD Law Soc | Aodhán Peelo | Cian Leahy | UDC L&H | Amy Crean |
| 19 | TCD Hist | Daniel Gilligan | Ronan Daly | King’s Inns | Kevin Higgins |
| 20 | TCD Phil | Aislinn Carty | Eoghan Quinn | UCD Law | Rachael Mullally |
| 21 | Maynooth Lit &Deb | Chikemka Abuchi -Ogbonda | Glory Anumudu | Hist TCD | Gabrielle Fullam |
| 22 | SADSI | Conor White | Ross Merriman | UCD LawSoc | Bevin Armstrong |
| 23 | SADSI | Ailbhe Noonan | Gavin Dowd | Munster TU | Oliver McKenna |
| 24 | King’s Inns | Ceara Tonna-Barthet | Ciara McLoughlin | SADSI | Clíodhna McHugh |
| 25 | UCD Law | Adrianne Ward | Rob Fitzpatrick | Lit & Deb, UG | Liam Boyce |
| 26 | TCD Hist | Anya Wilson | Athena Wu | SADSI | Cian Carew |
Hist TCD have the most team wins (17) and L&H UCD have the most individual wins (15). Hist TCD are the society with the most overall wins at 29 with L&H UCD at 26 overall.
