External Debating Competitions
LawSoc is proud to send teams to many external debating competitions, both domestically and abroad.
Domestically, LawSoc compete in intervarsity and open tournaments hosted in UCD and Trinity College Dublin.
We also have a successful history in the Irish Times Debating Competitions; LawSoc has won the competition x times, most recently in 2022.
LawSoc also compete in international debating competitions, including intervarsity competitions in Oxford University, Durham University, Rotterdam, and more.
We also send teams to the European University Debating Competition, which is taking place in Copenhagen this year.
FAQs
Q: Do I need experience to debate for LawSoc at external competitions?
A: No, absolutely no experience is necessary. Many debaters have made their competitive debating start in college with LawSoc, and have gone on to win domestic and international competitions.We have lots of facilities available for you to learn how to debate, and we frequently send first time speakers to debating competitions to represent the society.
Q: Is travelling for a competition with LawSoc expensive?
A: For the vast majority of international competitions, a "crash" service is offered, where you are placed with a host in the city we are travelling to. This is a free service. Depending on the competition being travelled to, we also often reimburse speakers for a portion of their travel costs.
Q: What is external competitive debating like?
A: Lots of fun! Anyone who comes back from an external competition will tell you about the interesting people they met and the fun they had. It is a very unique experience to travel to an external competition; there is spirited competition in the debates, but the organisers often organise social events for the evenings after the debates where everyone mingles and gets to know one another. You get to meet new people, make some new friends, and try something new, all in a new city.
Sign Up
To sign up for an external competition, keep an eye on our social media for signup links; they will be posted on the website as well.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]