TCD Historical Society Wins Irish Times Debating Team Award

Posted on: 23 February 2009

Students, John Gallagher and Andrea Mulligan, of Trinity College Dublin’s Historical Society were the winning team of  the Irish Times Debating competition on Friday February 20th last with the opposing motion: This house believes the partition of Ireland should remain permanent.

David Hopkins of TCD Historical Society won the individual runner-up title and Shane Farragher and Josephine Curry also of the TCD Historical Society claimed the runner-up team prize. This is the third consecutive year that the Trinity College Historical Society has won the Irish Times Debating competition, which is Ireland ‘s biggest and most prestigious debating contest.

A total of 12 speakers competed in the final of the competition, with over 300 debaters from colleges in the Republic and the North participating in this year’s event, which is celebrating its 49th anniversary. Former winners of the competition include broadcaster Marian Finucane, comedian Dara O’Briain, Justice Adrian Hardiman, and Professor David McConnell. The winners will travel to the United States as guests of the National Parliamentary Debate Association where they will undertake a tour of some of the finest debating colleges in the States.

Irish Times debating team winners John Gallagher and
Andrea Mulligan of TCD’s Historical Society