Irish Times Debating Competition Team Award goes to Trinity

Posted on: 25 February 2015

The team winners of the Annual Irish Times debating competition were Ronan O’Connor and Hugh Guidera of Trinity’s Philosophical Society, who proposed the motion ‘This house believes that the fourth estate failed the Irish people in their hour of need’,  along with individual winner, Eoin MacLachlan of UCD’s L&H society.

William Dunne of the Trinity Historical society was a runner up in the completion and Matthew Collins, also from the Philosophical society, was an individual finalist. Irish Times editor, Kevin O’Sullivan presented the awards at Maynooth University which hosted what proved to be a lively debate chaired by Fine Gael MEP, Brian Hayes.

Now in its 55th year, the Irish Times debating championship was established to promote excellence in oratory and debating and is open to students in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  Previous winners of the competition include journalist Eamonn McCann, Supreme Court judge Adrian Hardiman, broadcaster Marian Finucane and comedian Dara O’Briain.