Two Trinity students have been ranked as the best debaters in Europe at the European Universities Debating Championships (EUDC).
Representing the College Historical Society (The Hist), Jack Synnott and Caoimhin Hamill were ranked as the best and second best speakers at the competition respectively.
Synnott, a Senior Sophister Law and Politics student, and Hamill, a Junior Sophister Politics, Philosophy, Economics, and Sociology student, competed with over 250 debaters from all across Europe competed at EUDC, which was held as a hybrid event from Madrid.
Speaking on the motion “This House Supports a Multi-Speed Europe”, Synnott and Hamill scored a total of 26 out of a possible 27 points.
This surpassed the 25 point record set by former Hist members Sally Rooney and Michael Barton in 2013, meaning that Synnott and Hamill are now the top performing team in EUDC history.
Speaking to Trinity News, Synnott said that he is “delighted at the results of this year’s euros”. He said that it was “incredibly rewarding to debate at such a high level against excellent speakers from across Europe, and doing it with such a good friend and brilliant partner made it even better”.
Synnott continued to say that “competitive debating is genuinely one of the most enriching things [he has] ever done, allowing [him] to meet amazing people and meaningfully engage with complex and important questions”.
“I am so glad to have achieved what is hopefully just one instalment in a long and continuing line of successes for the Irish debating community” he concluded.
Speaking to Trinity News, Hamill said that he “really enjoyed the European Debating Championship” and “breaking the all-time record for most wins was the icing on the cake”.
However, he believes that “engaging in new challenges, experiences, and ways of thinking was the real victory though”, calling that process “genuinely life-changing”.
“I’m really grateful that Trinity supports the ability of its students in the Hist to debate and hope this access will only grow in the future” he concluded.
Also at EUDC, Hist speakers Jack Williams and Gabrielle Fullam advanced to the quarterfinal. Williams, a Junior Sophister Business and Politics student and Fullam, a Junior Sophister Politics, Philosophy, Economics, and Sociology student debated the motion “This House Supports Green Central Banking”.
