The Irish Times Debate at 60: How changing topics reflected the ages

1960

“That this house regrets the divergence of the sciences from the humanities in the modern university.”

Team winner: Charles Lysaght and Aidan Browne (King's Inns)
Individual winner: Neville Keery (TCD Hist)

1961

I want to go back to college. Do I qualify for any grants or financial supports?

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The Irish Times Debate: ‘It was die or be killed’

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The Batman effect: How roleplay boosts children’s academic achievement

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Wit and warmth: The secret weapons of Irish debaters

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Motion unknown

Team winner: Hallam Johnston and Jack Daniels (TCD Phil)
Individual winner: Peter Donnelly (UCD L&H)

1962

“That people have the right to be wrong”

Team winner: John Murtagh and Michael Bowes Egan (QUB)
Individual winner: Ian Blake (TCD Hist)

1963

“That the lights are going out in Europe”

Team winner: Patrick Cosgrave and Anthony Clare (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Desmond King (RCSI)

1964

“That Ireland has nothing to offer the world”

Team winner: Patrick Cosgrave and Anthony Clare (UCD L&H)
Individual Terry McMahon (King's Inns)

1965

“That Ireland’s need is socialism”

Team winner: David McConnell and Cian Ó hÉigeartaigh (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Eamonn McCann (QUB)

1966

“That this house would rather live in any age other than its own”

Team winner: David McConnell and Cian Ó hÉigeartaigh (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Esmond Smyth (UCD L&H)

1967

Team winner: Donnchadh Ó Corráin and Anthony J Adolph (UCC Philosoph)
Individual winner: Kevin O'Higgins (King's Inns)

1968

“This house would retain PR”

Team winner: Roddy Buckley and Dermot Gleeson (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Henry Kelly (UCD L&H)

1969

“That domination by religious denominations over the legislative processes of a society is a barrier to social progress”

Team winner: Brendan Keenan and Derek Davis (QUB)
Individual winner: Anthony J Adolph (UCC Philosoph)

1970

“That western democracy has failed”

Team winner: Neal Clarke and Donal O'Riain (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Adrian Hardiman (UCD L&H)

1971

“That politics is an honourable profession”

Team winner: Donnell Deeny and Gregory Murphy (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Marian Finucane (Bolton Street)

1972

“That this house would reject a united Ireland brought about by violence”

Team winner: Donnell Deeny and Frank Bannister (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Donnell Deeny (TCD Hist)

1973

Motion unknown

Team winner: Billy McCrory and Jimmy Hughes (QUB)
Individual winner: Adrian Hardiman (UCD L&H)

1974

“That the politicians have betrayed the people”

Team winner: David O'Sullivan and James Connolly (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Alex Lowry (NUU)

1975

“That western democracy cannot right the growing threat of Communism”

Team winner: Michael Hughes and Kevin Cahill (NUU)
Individual winner: Brian Curtin (King's Inns)

1976

Motion unknown

Team winner: Paul Gill and Gerry Danaher (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Deirdre Murphy (Maynooth)

1977

“Dulce et decorum est pro Patria mori”

Team winner: Pat Hennessy and Gerry Maher (Maynooth)
Individual winner: Patrick Healy (UCD L&H)

1978

“That Ireland is dancing at the crossroads”

Team winner: Conor Gearty and Donal O'Donnell (UCD Law Soc)
Individual winner: Turlough O'Donnell (King's Inns)

1979

“That talking ballot boxes are no compensation for the loss of national identity”

Team winner: Conor Gearty and John O'Donnell (UCD Law Soc)
Individual winner: Maurice Biggar (UCD L&H)

1980

“That Ireland needs an Ayatollah”

Team winner: Maurice Biggar and Eugene McCague (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Brian Havel (King's Inns)

1981

“That the two nation theory is a cultural myth”

Team winner: Charlie Meehan and Gerry Stembridge (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Seán Moran (TCD Hist)

1982

“That politics in Ireland has become a media game”

Team winner: Michael Byrne and Gerry Foley (TCD Phil)
Individual winner: Liam Plant (UCC)

1983

“That the unilateralists are the appeasers of the 1980s”

Team winner: Eoin Ó Maoileoin and Damian Crawford (UCG Lit & Deb)
Individual winner: Bill Maguire (TCD Hist)

1984

Motion unknown

Team winner: Eoin McCullough and Brian Murray (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Pat Whyms (UCD L&H)

1985

“The Irish party political system fails to meet the needs of the people”

Team winner: David Holland and Bryan Hassett (UCC Philosoph)
Individual winner: Gideon Taylor (TCD Hist)

1986

“That Band Aid is no substitute for radical surgery”

Team winner: Declan McCavana and David Keane (TCD Phil)
Individual winner: Brendan Wilkins (UCG Lit & Deb)

1987

“That the GAA has made a positive contribution to the development of Irish society”

Team winner: Aidan Kane and Paul Gavin (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Conor Bowman (UCG Lit & Deb)

1988

“That Dublin at 1000 is both dirty and dear”

Team winner: Adrian Hunt and Tim Murphy (UCC Philosoph)
Individual winner: Robert Plant (UCC Philosoph)

1989

“That British justice for the Irish is a flawed process”

Team winner: Maeve Collins and Pat Twomey (King's Inns)
Individual winner: Julian Clare (UCD Law Soc)

1990

“That this house would be European first and Irish second”

Team winner: Brendan Lenihan and Don O'Sullivan (UCC Philosoph)
Individual winner: Tom Clonan (Cadet School)

1991

“That this house would prefer a woman at the top”

Team winner: Tim O'Leary and Pat Treacy (King's Inns)
Individual winner: Barra Faughnan (UCD L&H)

1992

“That investigative journalism undermines the due process of the law”

Team winner: Johanna Farrelly and Pat O'Keeffe (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Cian Ferriter (UCD Law Soc)

1993

“That the natural government for Ireland is coalition”

Team winner: Brendan Foley and Gavan Titley (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Kieran Healy (UCC Philosoph)

1994

“That the private lives of public figures are of no concern to the body politic”

Team winner: Dara Ó Briain and Marcus Dowling (UCD L&H)

Individual winner: Bernard Dunleavy (King's Inns)

1995

“That this house would pay for a college education”

Team winner: Alan Roberts and Diarmuid Conway (UCC Philosoph)
Individual winner: Gerry Hyde (UCC Philosoph)

1996

“That this house believes the punishment should fit the crime”

Team winner: Helen Boyle and Paul McDermott (King's Inns)
Individual winner: Douglas Clarke (TCD Hist)

1997

“That this house would support public funding of political parties”

Team winner: Seamus Doran and Padraic O'Halloran (UL Debating Union)
Individual winner: Matthew McCabe (Sadsi)

1998

“Ireland should put social justice before a Tiger economy”

Team: Muireann Ní Cinnéide and Elizabeth Barrett (UCC Philosoph)
Individual winner: Paul Gleeson (TCD Hist)

1999

“This house would deport all refugees”

Team winner: Caoilfhionn Gallagher and Bernadette Quigley (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Rossa Fanning (King's Inns)

2000

“This house would call a halt to the Tribunals of Inquiry”

Team winner: Michael Deasy and Rónán Mullen (King's Inns)
Individual winner: Louise Rouse (Sadsi)

2001

“This house agrees Sinn Féin has a place in this Republic’s government”

Team winner: Bríd McGrath and Yvonne Campbell (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Aoife Titley (TCD Hist)

2002

“This house regrets the American response to September 11th”

Team winner: Louis Mooney and Brendan Kelly (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Conor Buckley (UCC Philosoph)

2003

“This house believes that history will judge Ahern’s Ireland harshly”

Team winner: Leo Mulrooney and Colm Coyne (UCD L&H)
Individual winner: Alison McIntyre (TCD Hist)

2004

“This house regrets the restrictions on the media’s freedom of speech”

Team winner: Ian Kehoe and Michael Moriarty (DCU)
Individual winner: Paul Brady (King's Inns)

2005

“This house would tie development aid to human rights”

Team winner: David Whelan and Sam Collins (King's Inns)
Individual winner: Frank Kennedy (UCD L&H)

2006

“This house believes history will judge Haughey harshly”

Team winner: Barry Glynn and Mark Murphy (King's Inns)
Individual winner: Diarmuid Early (UCC Philosoph)

2007

“This house believes that a neutral Ireland cannot fulfil its global responsibilities in the 21st century”

Team winner: Ciaran Denny and David Boughton (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: David Quinn (King's Inns)

2008

“This house believes that Ireland owes a debt of gratitude to the Catholic church”

Team winner: Christopher Kissane and David Kenny (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Stephen Boyle (UCD L&H)

2009

“This house believes the partition of Ireland should remain permanent”

Team winner: John Gallagher and Andrea Mulligan (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Jeremy Kinsella (UCD L&H)

2010

“This house believes that Ireland owes a debt of gratitude to Fianna Fáil 1926-2010”

Team winner: Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin and Niall Sherry (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Seán O'Quigley (Griffith College)

2011

“This house would default”

Team winner: Áine Hartigan and Lorcan Price (King's Inns)
Individual winner: Mark Thuillier (TCD Law)

2012

“This house would abolish prisons”

Team winner: Elizabeth Ahern-Flynn and Eoin Kelleher (RCSI)
Individual winner: Michael Conroy (UCD Med Soc)

2013

“This house would emigrate”

Team winner: John Engle and Liam Brophy (TCD Bram Stoker Society)
Individual winner: Kate Brady (TCD Hist)

2014

“This house believes the Irish political system has served the people well”

Team winner: Dearbhla O'Gorman and Kieran O'Sullivan (Sadsi)
Individual winner: William Courtney (UCD Med Soc)

2015

“This house believes the fourth estate failed the Irish people in their hour of need”

Team winner: Hugh Guidera and Ronan O'Connor (TCD Phil)
Individual winner: Eoin MacLachlan (UCD L&H)

2016

“That 2016 should be the last time Ireland commemorates the Easter Rising”

Team winner: Ross O'Mahony and Aaron Vickery (Sadsi)
Individual winner: Clíodhna Ní Chéileachair (UCD L&H)

2017

“This House believes the women of Ireland should strike to repeal the Eighth Amendment.”

Team winner: Aisling Tully and Dara Keenan (UCD Law Soc)
Individual winner: Leah Morgan (Sadsi)

2018

“This house believes that Ireland has failed its youth”

Team winner: Aodhán Peelo and Cian Leahy (UCD Law Soc)
Individual winner: Amy Crean (UCD L&H)

2019

“This House would rescind Ireland’s position of neutrality in favour of a European standing army”

Team winner: Daniel Gilligan and Ronan Daly (TCD Hist)
Individual winner: Kevin Higgins (King's Inns)