UCC Philosophical Society

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UCC Philosophical Society
Formation1850
TypeStudent society
Parent organization
University College Cork

The UCC Philosophical Society, commonly known as the Philosoph,[1][unreliable source?] is the largest debating society at University College Cork, Ireland. The Philosoph was founded in 1850, making it the oldest society at UCC.[1] The society carries out a number of functions, including weekly debates with guest speakers, participating in debating competitions, running workshops for the students of UCC to develop their public speaking skills and running debating competitions and workshops for schoolchildren (including the Denny Schools Debating Competition). In the 1960s, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Seán MacBride described the Philosoph as "the centre of independent thought in Ireland".[2] House meetings of the society are held every Monday evening during UCC's term time.[3]

UCC Quadrangle

Former members[edit]

The list of former auditors includes Sean O Riada and Eoin "The Pope" O' Mahony.[citation needed] Former presidents include Charles Haughey.[4][unreliable source?] Other members include professor Kieran Healy of the University of Arizona.[citation needed] Journalist Brendan O' Connor was a former recording secretary.[citation needed]

Competitions[edit]

The society runs several internal debating competitions each year. These include the 'George Boole Internal Maiden Speaker's Competition' (an event for first-time speakers), the 'Lord Mayor's Gold Medal' (and individual competition), and the 'Philosoph Mace' (a team competition).[citation needed]

In addition, the society funds speakers in competitions throughout Ireland and internationally. A number of Intervarsity competitions are hosted throughout Ireland and the UK which the society participates in such as the UCD Vice-President's Cup, the Oxford Union and Cambridge Union Intervarsities and the National Law Debates in Galway. The society also enters the John Smith Memorial Mace and the Irish Times competition.[citation needed]

Internationally, the society participates in the World Universities Debating Competition and the European Universities Debating Competition, and has had some success in international debating. For example, two UCC debaters members won the World University Debating Championship at Fordham University in 1986.[5]

As well as participating in competitions, the society also hosts competitions. It became the first Irish society to host the European Universities Debating Championships in 2005.[citation needed] UCC was also the venue for the World University Debating Championships in 1996 and in 2009.[6] The 2009 event was jointly hosted by the UCC's Law Society and Philosophical Society.[7]

The society hosts its own Inter-Varsity each December. It dates back to the Mercier Cup of the 1970s whose winners include Charles Kennedy.[citation needed] The Philosoph also hosts the Cork Invitational Intervarsity (IV), which hosted 80 teams in 2014.[citation needed]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Maume's History - UCC Philosophical Society". uccphilosoph.com. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Getting To Grips With The Bigger Questions". Irish Examiner. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  3. ^ "House Meetings - UCC Philosophical Society". uccphilosoph.com. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  4. ^ "List of Auditors". uccphilosoph.com.
  5. ^ O'Brien, Carl (18 February 2020). "Wit and warmth: The secret weapons of Irish debaters The first Irish Times Debate took place 60 years ago. Former student debaters look back". Irish Times. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Students show off the gift of the gab". Irish Examiner. 30 December 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Cork for second hosting of world debate event". Irish Examiner. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2024.

External links[edit]

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