Running continuously since 1960, The Irish Times Debate is an all-island competition open to every full-time third-level student in the Republic and Northern Ireland. Its objective has remained unchanged for 66 years: to promote excellence in oratory and debating.

The new partnership covers the full season - from the opening rounds in late October through to the black-tie grand final on Friday 26 February 2027. DLA Piper will present the trophies at the grand final, which will be chaired by Attorney General Rossa Fanning SC, a former winner of the competition.

This year’s competition is convened by Ciara McLoughlin, who won the Demosthenes Trophy for King’s Inns in 2024 with Ceara Tonna-Barthet.

268 students from debating societies and colleges across the island registered before entries closed on 6 October. First-round debates run at UCD, DCU, TU Dublin and UCC starting from October 24th, followed by a second round in late November and four semi-finals in January. Twelve finalists - four teams and four individual speakers - will then contest the Grand Final before an audience of more than 350.

The winning team receives the Demosthenes Trophy, sculpted by Oisín Kelly, and the best individual speaker receives the Christina Murphy Memorial Trophy. Since 1980 the National Parliamentary Debate Association of America has invited the three winners on a three-week tour of the United States, a tradition now carried on by Pax Rhetorica, Centre for Global Dialogue.

The grand final adjudicating panel includes the editor of The Irish Times, the president of the host college, Professor Brent Northup of Pax Rhetorica, and two former winners.

The competition’s roll of honour reads as a who’s who of Irish public life. Former winners include Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell, the late Supreme Court judge Adrian Hardiman, ambassador of Ireland to Germany, Maeve Collins, human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, broadcasters Marian Finucane and Henry Kelly, and comedian Dara Ó Briain. President Michael D. Higgins and former President Mary Robinson both reached the final.

Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, editor of The Irish Times, said: “The ability to argue well is more important than ever. For 66 years The Irish Times debate has given students from across Ireland a stage on which to test ideas, hone their rhetorical skills and become better listeners. We are delighted to welcome DLA Piper as Presenting Partner for this wonderful series, and I look forward to seeing a new generation of speakers take their place on the roll of honour.”

Maura Dineen, country managing partner, DLA Piper Ireland, added: “As DLA Piper continues to establish its presence and ambition in Ireland, we are proud to become the first-ever presenting partner of The Irish Times Debate, one of the country’s most respected institutions. The Debate has a remarkable legacy of bringing forward influential voices across law, public life and business, and that makes it a natural fit for a firm like ours, where critical thinking, advocacy and the ability to navigate complex issues are central to what we do. 

“We are delighted to support this next chapter of the competition and look forward to meeting this year’s participants and following their progress through to the grand final.”