Irish Times Debate: UCC and Kings Inn students progress to final

University College Cork and the Kings Inn came out on top in the last of four semi-finals of the Irish Times Debate, which was held on Sunday.

Matt Mullen and Tony O’Halloran from UCC’s Law society were awarded the top team prize, while Fionnan Long from the Kings Inn was the top individual speaker. Each will progress to the final debate which is scheduled for June.

The motion up for debate: “This house has faith in the future of disability justice post-Covid”, sparked passionate speeches and challenging interjections from opponents.

Mr Mullen, arguing against the motion, said the over-embrace of technology, as governments seek to trim budgets post-pandemic, will hamper real inclusivity.

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“Individuals will simply be asked: ‘Why don’t you work from home?’... It is actually disastrous if you think that would be acceptable. The reason for that is because these are difficult problems with no easy solutions,” he said.

Also against the motion, Mr Long argued that ableism is a “paternal smile masking latent prejudice”. He was one of the few speakers to draw upon specific stories of people with disabilities to demonstrate the challenges they faced. He spoke of a couple with Down syndrome who were not allowed to marry, as it was claimed the man “could not possibly know what he was doing”. Mr Long described such restrictions imposed on the pair as “demeaning and deeply frustrating”, and he said people with intellectual disabilities are too often “infantilised” and institutionalised.

Coronavirus restrictions

Now in its 61st year, the Irish Times Debate for 2021 was held online due to coronavirus restrictions. The digital format did not stop the participants from wearing black tie, at least from the waist up. Spectators were warned that speakers did not necessarily believe in the position they were advocating for.

The semi-final was chaired by disability activist, sports journalist and Irish Times contributor Joanne O’Riordan. Ms O’Riordan was born with a rare disability known as Total Amelia. At the age of 15 she challenged the Irish government on its proposed cuts to disability payments, which led to the move being reversed. She commended the speakers for their contributions, although she pointed out that she found it jarring for people who have disabilities to be described as “disabled people”, as it suggests they are defined solely by their disability.

Sunday’s event was the last of four semi-finals held throughout April, ahead of the Irish Times Debate final scheduled for June. The Irish Times Debate is the pre-eminent debating competition for third-level students in Ireland and has been since its inception in 1960.