Team from UCC wins 'Irish Times' debate

By John Connolly, in Waterford 

A team from the University College Cork Philosophical Society has won the final of the 1998 Irish Times debate.

In a closely fought debate on the motion "That this House believes that Ireland should put social justice before a tiger economy", the team of Ms Muireann Ní Chinnéide (21) and Ms Elizabeth Barrett (19), both from Cork, lifted the Demosthenes trophy for Cork in Waterford Institute of Technology last night. 

Mr Paul Gleeson of the Trinity College Dublin Historical Society won the Christina Murphy Memorial trophy for best individual speaker.

The final, chaired by Mr Dick Spring, the former leader of the Labour Party, had been dominated by the University College Dublin Literary & Historical Society which had three teams participating.

In the end the L & H had to be content with second place for the team of Ms Caoil fhionn Gallagher (21) of Portmarnock, Dublin, and Mr James McDermott (23) of Clontarf, Dublin.

The runner-up in the individual speaker competition was Ms Bríd McGrath (19) of Cappawhite, Co Tipperary, also of the TCD Historical Society.

Ms Helen Boyle, a barrister and convener of this year's debate, described the final as one of the closest she had witnessed.

"The most difficult debates to judge are always the closest ones and there was very little difference between the teams and the individual speakers tonight," she said.

The UCC Philosophical Society and Mr Gleeson will participate in a debating tour of the United States later this year as part of their prize, when they will compete against US debaters.

The team competitors last night were Mr Ian Walsh and Mr Rossa Fanning of the University College Dublin Literary & Historical Society; Ms Muireann Ní Chinnéide and Ms Elizabeth Barrett of the University College Cork Philoso phical Society; Mr James McDer mott and Ms Caoilfhionn Gal lagher (UCD Literary & Historical Society); and Ms Bairbre O'Neill and Ms Gillian Sinnott (UCD Literary & Historical Society).

 The individual speakers were Mr Stephen Vaughan (UCC Law Society); Ms Bríd McGrath (Trinity College Dublin Historical Society); Mr Colm Ó Conaill (UCC Philosophical Society) and Mr Paul Gleeson (TCD Historical Society).

 The adjudicators were Ms Síle Sheehy, head of Education Services, The Irish Times; Prof Robert Trapp, Willamette University, Oregon and president of the National Parliamentary Debate Association; Mr M.R. Griffin, Director, Waterford Institute of Technology; Ms Ella Shanahan, Editor, Education & Living, The Irish Times, and Mr Tim Murphy, lecturer in law, University College Cork.

 Ms Boyle, the convenor, is a former team winner of the debate with the King's Inns in 1996.