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The Irish Times National Debating Championship is a debating competition for students in higher education in Ireland. It has been run since 1960, sponsored by The Irish Times. While most particpants represent institutions in the Republic of Ireland, institutions in Northern Ireland are also eligible.

The competition is generally considered the most prestigous in Ireland, due in part to the additional media attention provided by its sponsor, but also the status of some of the former winners, and the US tour which forms part of the prize. Running between November and February, it operates on a knockout basis, with the initial entrants (usually between 150-170 teams) being whittled down over successive rounds, culminating in a Grand Final with four teams and four individuals competing for team honours (the Demosthenes trophy) and an individual prize (the Christina Murphy Memorial trophy).

The format of the competition is unique in third-level debating, combining team and individual roles. The first round consists solely of team entrants, from which both teams and individuals progress, thus creating subsequent rounds featuring both. Individuals may be selected from a team at any stage of the competition, including to win the competition at the final stage. The winning individual may not been selected from the winning team, though this restriction was not observed in the 1972 competition, where Donal Deeny took both prizes.

The three winning speakers tour selected colleges in the United States as guests of the National Parliamentary Debate Association.

Past champions

Notable participants

Psychiatrist Anthony Clare, Supreme Court judge Adrian Hardiman, broadcaster Marion Finucane and comedian Dara O'Briain are all former winners of the competition, while former President of Ireland Mary Robinson and former Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland) Mary Harney have been finalists.

References

1. ^ "Hist wins Irish Times debate". Trinity College Dublin (2007-02-01). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
2. ^ "Hist wins Irish Times debate". The Irish Times (2008-03-01).

External links

• List of Irish Times winners

• Current Irish Times Debating Competition Website

• The Irish Times on Colm Flynn's website