Lit & Deb
The Literary & Debating Society of Maynooth University is a student-run society in Maynooth University.[1] It was initially founded in 1795 as part of St. Patrick's College Maynooth and is the oldest society on campus. The society believes that the written and spoken word are of equal importance, and therefore the society promotes both the debating and literary sides of the society equally. The society aims to promote freedom of expression, specifically by holding weekly literary and debating events. Its objectives are to initiate, spark, and facilitate debate within the student body. It operates under the Maynooth Students' Union as one of Maynooth University's Clubs & Societies.
Literary
Literary circles
The society hosts Literary Circles on a weekly basis. These meetings are forums in which both writers and readers can share their own writing, as well as pieces of writing that they wish to share with the group. Group discussion is encouraged and constructive criticism is offered between members.
Poetry slam
The society hosts a poetry slam each semester. Competitors perform up to two poems of up to three minutes in length. It is judged by a panel of three judges, including the society's Literary Convener if they are not a competitor themselves. Notable past judges include Maynooth University's lecturers Dr. Conrad Brunstrom, Dr. Moynagh Sullivan, plus the slam poets Oisín McKenna and Lewis Kenny.
Debating
House Debates
Maynooth Literary & Debating Society hosts house debates on a regular basis in the college. The purpose of these debates is to facilitate discussion among members about current issues and affairs, as well as motions about morality. Notable debates in recent years include This House Supports Same-Sex Marriage, This House Supports the Death Penalty, and This House Would Legalise Prostitution.
Maynooth Open
The Maynooth Open is a debating inter-varsity competition open to all university debating societies.[2] The competition was founded in 2010.[3] It uses the British Parliamentary Debate format, the style used in the World Universities Debating Championships. It consists of 4 rounds of 7-minute speeches, with the top 8 teams breaking to open motion semi-finals, and the final 4 competing in the open final & black tie gala.
Maidens Competition
The society hosts an annual debating competition for novice speakers. The competition is open to all society members who have not competitively debated at university level before. The competition is run by the society's internal competitions convener. There are two preliminary rounds, followed by the semi-finals and the final.
Aoife Begley Memorial Schools Competition
The Aoife Begley competition is an annual secondary schools debating competition hosted and run by the Literary & Debating Society in Maynooth.[4] The competition is aimed at Senior Cycle Students. The majority of entries to date come from schools in the Greater Dublin and Kildare area, although it is not unknown to see schools from further away, such as Laois or Wexford. The competition is named after Ms. Aoife Begley, a past auditor of the society. Aoife Begley died while convenor of the then Secondary Schools Competition, and so the society renamed the competition in her memory.
Guest Speakers
The society hosts events with guest speakers on a variety of topics. Notable guest speakers to date include the Irish broadcaster George Hook, who spoke at a debate on the topic of renewable energy. In 2014 the society welcomed the author Louise O'Neill who spoke about her debut novel 'Only Ever Yours', feminism, and writing.
See also
- UCC Philosophical Society
- College Historical Society (Trinity College, Dublin)
- University Philosophical Society (Trinity College, Dublin)
- Literary and Historical Society, University College Dublin
- Literary and Debating Society (NUI Galway)