Former taoiseach Charles J. Haughey was a "man of flaws, but a leader of vision", according to the victorious King's Inns team in the final of the Irish Times Debate 2005-2006 at NUI Galway.
The Moriarty tribunal could find no policy changes linked to payments which Mr Haughey received while in office and history would "bring a sense of perspective" in terms of his contribution to the Irish economy and society, the winning speakers, Mark Murphy and Barry Glynn, argued during the final.
They were opposing the motion that "This house believes history will judge Haughey harshly". Both were awarded the Demosthenes Trophy by the presiding judge, Irish Times Editor Geraldine Kennedy, while the Christina Murphy Memorial Trophy for the individual winner was presented by her to Diarmuid Early, of the Philosophical Society of University College Cork. He also opposed the motion.
"Haughey reined in public expenditure at a time when our economy was a basket case and the only thing keeping Ireland out of the Third World was the weather," Mr Murphy said, while Mr Glynn noted that "history paints in broad strokes . . . and when the wind whispers through the trees, it will whisper the name of Haughey".
Corruption dated back to the foundation of the Irish State, Mr Early said, citing the late Éamon de Valera as an example. Although Mr Haughey "might have been the first to get caught", history would show that he "was not the first" corrupt public figure. By "giving the population a figurehead", he had restored the "confidence of the nation".
The three winning students were among a starting field of 300 in the 46th annual debating final, which was hosted by the NUI Galway Literary and Debating Society, represented by auditor Stephen Nolan and recording secretary Patrick Cluskey.
The second-placed team comprised Luke Ryder and Francis Kiernan of the Philosophical Society of Trinity College Dublin, while the individual runner-up was Louisa Ní Eideain of the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin. All three were speaking in favour of the motion.
The chairman was Senator David Norris and the adjudicators were Geraldine Kennedy, Editor of The Irish Times (presiding judge); Prof Brent Northup, chair of the communications department at Carroll College, Montana and NPDA coach; Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, president of NUI Galway; Kerida Naidoo, barrister and former convenor of the Irish Times Debate; and Aoife Titley, former individual winner (2001) and former convenor of the Irish Times Debate.
The motion was defeated during a show of hands among the audience. Convenor for the event was Leo Mulrooney, former debate winner and formerly of the UCD L&H. The three winners will participate in a debating tour of the US at the invitation of the National Parliamentary Debate Association of America.
