Trinity students Rory O’Sullivan and Daniel Gilligan reached the semi-finals of the 2017 European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) in Tallinn, Estonia. The EUDC is one of the biggest university debating tournaments in Europe.
O’Sullivan, a Junior Sophomore English and Greek student, and Gilligan, a Senior Freshman Law and Political Science student, represented the Hist in the annual debating tournament over the weekend.
4 Hist teams and 3 Phil teams competed in this year’s tournament, making up 7 of the 230 teams from university debating societies across Europe who competed in the tournament. Chris Costigan and Eoin O’Gorman of the Phil made it through to the partial double quarters, finishing 12th. Browne for the Hist and Courtney and Coleman, who were independent, broke as judges.
All participants took part in 9 rounds of debating over the 3 days. At each stage of the competition, debaters were given their motion 15 minutes before the start of the debate. They then had 7 minutes each to argue their side, and the winners were selected by experienced adjudicators.
Speaking to Trinity News about their participation and success in the tournament, Gilligan said: “Myself and Rory have known each other for a long time and have been debating together since school. It’s been really nice to have some success and especially to have a great set of supporters in the form of the rest of the Irish!”
Aside from O’Sullivan and Gilligan, Lorna Staines and Stephen James Barr, Jack Kennedy and Peter O’Donovan, and Clare Elwell and Conor O’Malley all debated for the Hist, while Hist members Caitríona Ní Bhriain and Julie Davis judged debates. Hist members Doireann O’Brien, Michael Coleman and Dee Courtney competed as Independent Adjudicators.
Sam Browne, Dee Courtney and Michael Coleman of the Hist were also breaking judges, and judged some of the outrounds. Courtney was chair judge of one of the quarter finals. She, along with Coleman, debated in the final round of the tournament last year.
Orla Delaney, Conn McCarrick, Orla Heatley, Mark Finn, Niamh Egleston, Harry Morris, Harry Higgins and Stepan Lavrouk also represented the Phil in Tallinn.
