Trinity students Jack Synnott and Caoimhin Hamill last week advanced to the grand final of the 2021 European University Debating Championships, overtaking another Trinity duo as the highest-performing team in the competition’s history.
Representing the College Historical Society (The Hist), the pair were named the best and second best overall speakers respectively, an accolade previously awarded to Trinity alumna and author Sally Rooney.
Due to coronavirus restrictions, this year’s competition took place as a hybrid event in Madrid, with some debates held on site and others online. Universities from across the continent submitted some 250 debaters as competitors. Representing Trinity at the highest level were Synnott, a final-year law and politics student and a former University Times deputy news editor and Hamill, a third-year politics, philosophy, economics and sociology (PPES) student.
In the preliminary rounds, the pair earned 26 out of a possible 27 points, surpassing a record of 25 set by former Hist members Sally Rooney and Michael Barton in 2013. This makes Synnott and Hamill the best performing team in the competition’s history.
Competing in the grand final, Synott and Hamill spoke in favour of the motion “This House Supports a Multi-Speed Europe” – the belief that different parts of the European Union should integrate at different levels depending on the political situation in each country. Facing teams from the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics and the University of Jerusalem, the two were ultimately eliminated by Oxford’s Oskar Sherry and Rachel O’Nunain.
In a press statement, Synnott said: “I’m overjoyed at the results of this year’s Euros. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to debate at the highest level among the best speakers in Europe.”
He added that Hamill was “a brilliant partner and even better friend”, thanked the Irish and international debating communities for their support and expressed hope for “a long line of Hist victories to come”.
Hamill said the experience was “a privilege”.
“Our success required hard work, strategic thinking and the strength of character to overcome many obstacles. I’m proud of what we achieved and the impact we’ve had on competitive debating”, he said. What he valued even more, he added, was “all the extensive preparation, exciting rounds and riveting speeches we went through to reach it”.
The Hist saw even more success at the competition thanks to third-year business and politics Student Jack Williams and third-year PPES student Gabrielle Fullam. As a team, the two reached the quarter finals, where they debated the motion “This House Supports Green Central Banking”. Earlier this year, Fullam won the individual award at the Irish Times Debate grand final.
The achievements at the European Debating Championship have further cemented the Hist’s status at the top of the college debating sphere. In the last year, members of the society have advanced to the outrounds or knockout stages of 173 competitions, and won 27 of them.
The Hist Debates Convenor Sébastien Dunne Fulmer praised the students’ efforts, saying: “The Hist has had a massive upswing in competitive success over the last two years, due in no small part to Caoimhin and Jack.”
They commended the society’s ability to recover from the pandemic, and on behalf of the Hist, wished Jack the best of luck in graduation.
