A team from the University Philosophical Society (the Phil) have won the Grand Final of the European University Debating Championships (EUDC) in Zagreb.
Dylan McCarthy and Jack Palmer were one of over 150 teams from universities across Europe to compete at the first major international competition to be hosted fully in-person since 2020.
They are the first Irish team to win the Championship since 2010, and the first ever from Trinity. The pair beat teams from the University of Edinburgh, Sofia University and the London School of Economics to win the Grand Final of the competition.
Speaking to Trinity News, McCarthy, a Senior Sophister PPES student, said: “I love this game because I love real discourse. Me and Jack have benefited to no end from everyone who came before us, and we hope this achievement can serve some meaning beyond just a victory.”
They added: “We’ll be back again next year to take a crack at the World Championships, I’m sure.”
Jack Williams and Martha McKinney-Perry from the College Historical Society (the Hist) also advanced to the semi-final of the competition.
Last year, debaters from Trinity were ranked the first and second best speakers in Europe based on points, narrowly losing out to a team from Oxford University in the grand final. Caoimhin Hamill and Jack Synnott scored a record 26 out of 27 possible points at last year’s championship which was held online, breaking the record for the most points scored at EUDC previously held by Sally Rooney and Michael Burton, also from Trinity.
The World University Debating Championship 2023 will take place from December to January.
