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| Formation | 1846, as the Literary and Scientific Society |
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| Type | Student debating union |
The Literary & Debating Society is a student society at the University of Galway. It was founded as the Literary and Scientific Society in 1846, and incorporated into the then Queen's College, Galway, in 1852. It has as its objective "the promotion of oratory among the students of the University, and the faculty of clear thinking and sound reasoning upon matters which may be deemed to be of vital importance".[citation needed]
The Literary and Debating Society of the University of Galway (also known as "Lit & Deb") was founded in the 1840s.[1] At an early meeting of the society, John J. Gibson reputedly outlined the purpose of the society, stating that:[1]
"[the society will] elicit the latent sparks of genius in a few individuals, and send forth men of enlightened views and cultivated tastes [.. and that those men may..] issue forth from this hall, who, vying with the great spirits of the past, shall illumine the future"
During the 1960s, tensions began to develop between the society and the college authorities. In 1960, a debate on the motion "That the death-knell of Sinn Féin has sounded", due to be chaired by Owen Sheehy-Skeffington, was banned by the college authorities, leading to questions in Dáil Éireann. In 1964, during the auditorship of Michael J. O’Connor, the society was suspended from the college following an incident involving a poster. The Lit & Deb found refuge during this suspension with the Dominican Nuns at Taylor's Hill, and held several debates in the Rosary Hall of their school there.[citation needed]
The society soon returned to the college and resumed its meetings in the Greek Hall. The auditor's chain of office was introduced in 1965, under the auditorship of Michael D. Higgins.[2]
The President’s Medal is the society’s highest accolade. Originally it was an award given to members who excelled in the field of oratory however it fell out of use in the 1950s. In recent times, the committee has resurrected the award and it is now an accolade that recognises the achievements of those outside the society, who excel in particular field. Among the recipients of the award are; Roddy Doyle, Ardal O'Hanlon, Patrick McCabe, Prof. Noam Chomsky, US Senator Mike Gravel, Congressman Bruce Morrison, Desmond Tutu,[3] Nobel Prize winner Prof. Edmund Phelps[4] and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Bertie Ahern was presented with the President's Medal in his hotel after the event on campus had to be abandoned because of a demonstrations by students.[5]
The society has a strong involvement in external debating, with several winners of the Irish Times Debating Competition[6] and the World University Debating Championship among its alumni.
The Lit & Deb traditionally publishes two magazines.[7] "U.C.G.", the college annual, was founded as "Q.C.G." in 1902, and had responsibility for its publication entrusted to the society in 1914. "Criterion", a literary magazine which was founded by the college's now defunct Arts Society in the 1950s, was revived by the Lit & Deb during the 2001-2002 session, with the responsibility of its publication given to the Literary Convenor, a member of the society's committee.
The Lit & Deb also has a connection with schools debating, and hosts the West of Ireland section of the All-Ireland Schools Debating Competition.[8] It also runs workshops and tutorials for secondary school debaters.[citation needed]
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