John Smith Memorial Mace
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| University Parliamentary Debating |
| World University Debating Championship |
| Regional Championships |
| Australasia · Europe John Smith Memorial Mace · North America |
| National Championships |
| Australia · Canada · Ireland |
| National Organizations |
| APDA · CUSID English-Speaking Union · NPDA |
| Styles |
| Australasian · British Parliamentary |
| Lists of debaters |
| Global · Canadian |
| Clubs |
| Cambridge · Glasgow · Otago Oxford · UBC · Cork · Western Ontario TCD Hist. · TCD Phil. |
The John Smith Memorial Mace (known between 1954 and 1995 as the Observer Mace) is the foremost student debating competition in the British Isles and Ireland. It was founded as the Observer Mace in 1954 by British journalist Kenneth Harris and sponsored by the Observer newspaper until 1995. The English-Speaking Union has overseen the competition since 1993. In practice, much of the organisational work is done by regional conveners.
The competition was held annually except in 1977, when no tournament was organised. The most successful institution is the Glasgow University Union, the first of whose fifteen wins was in 1955, the second year of the competition; the most recent was in 1995.
Recent winners of the Mace include Lincoln's Inn, Cambridge University, University College Cork[1], and University College Dublin.
| Year | University | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | King's Inns | Barry Glynn & Mark Murphy |
| 2005 | Lincoln's Inn | Sebastian Isaac & Fionar Dewar |
| 2004 | Cambridge Union Society | Nicholas Tan & Harriet Jones-Fenleigh |
| 2003 | University College Cork Law Society | Cian Murphy & Stephen Coutts |
| 2002 | Lincoln's Inn | George Payne & Dennis Kavanagh |
| 2001 | University College Dublin | Colin Walsh & Paul Brady |
| 2000 | Trinity College, Dublin - Philosophical Society | Fergal Davis & Bob Cuffe |
| 1999 | University of Edinburgh | Andrew Jessop & Richard Wilkins |
| 1998 | University of Edinburgh | Colm O Cinneide & Ben Foss |
| 1997 | Trinity College, Dublin - Philosophical Society | Alex Massie & Matthew Magee |
| 1996 | University of Edinburgh | Bob Dalrymple & Stephen Magee |
| 1995 | Glasgow University Union | Manus Blessing & Duncan Hamilton |
| 1994 | Oxford Union Society | Rufus Black & Rod Clayton |
| 1993 | Gray's Inn | David Langwallner & Alan McLean |
| 1992 | Glasgow University Union | Paul Sinclair & Robin Marshall |
| 1991 | Middle Temple | Adam Deacock & Jeremy Callman |
| 1990 | Glasgow University Union | Graeme Cleugh & Andrew Peterson |
| 1989 | Trinity College, Dublin - Historical Society | Anthony Whelan & Malachy McAllister |
| 1988 | University College, Cork | Adrian Hunt & Tim Murphy |
| 1987 | Glasgow University Union | Jardine Simpson & John Fletcher |
| 1986 | King's Inns | Dermot Horgan & Damien Crawford |
| 1985 | Glasgow University Union | Michael McKirdy & Angus McIver |
| 1984 | U.C.Dublin Lit & Hist | Shane Murphy & Patrick Whyms |
| 1983 | Glasgow University Union | Michael Macfarlane & John Nicholson |
| 1982 | Glasgow University Union | Charles Kennedy & Clark McGinn |
| 1981 | Lincoln's Inn | Oliver Wise & Anthony Trace |
| 1980 | Middle Temple | Nicholas Mostyn & John Lyons |
| 1979 | University College, Dublin | Donald O'Donnell & Conor Gearty |
| 1978 | University College, Dublin | Donald O'Donnell & Conor Gearty |
| 1977 | No tournament | |
| 1976 | Inner Temple | Oliver Ross & Martin Russell |
| 1975 | Inner Temple | Ian Bullock & Edward Croff |
| 1974 | Glasgow University Union | Alistair Burrow & Martin MacLachlan |
| 1973 | Ealing College, London | B Hawkins & R Meaton |
| 1972 | Glasgow University Union | Alan Gamble & Alistair Robertson |
| 1971 | Inner Temple | J M Aspinall & D M Singham |
| 1970 | University College, Cardiff | J Crook & N Jenkins |
| 1969 | Cambridge Union Society | R Dhavan & N Stadlen |
| 1968 | Strathclyde University | John Hutchinson & Victor MacColl |
| 1967 | Glasgow University Union | Colin MacKay & Matthew McQueen |
| 1966 | Trinity College, Dublin - Historical Society | D J McConnell & C O Heighheartaigh |
| 1965 | Bristol University | R Marshall-Andrews & David Hunt |
| 1964 | University College, Dublin | Anthony Clare & Patrick Cosgrove |
| 1963 | Glasgow University Union | Donald Dewar & Malcom MacKenzie |
| 1962 | Glasgow University Union | A Gordon Hunter & John Smith |
| 1961 | Edinburgh University | Russell Johnston & David Harcus |
| 1960 | University College, Cardiff | Vincent Kane & Mary O'Neill |
| 1959 | University College, Dublin | Godfrey Agbim & Owen Dudley Edwards |
| 1958 | Birkbeck College, London | E Dalrymple-Alford & F Crawford |
| 1957 | Glasgow University Union | Ronald Anderson & James Gordon |
| 1956 | Glasgow University Union | Roger McCormick & J Scott Bernie |
| 1955 | Glasgow University Union | J Dickson Mabon & Andrew Kennedy |
| 1954 | Ruskin College, Oxford | Tom Megahy & William McCarthy |
[edit] The International Final
The International Final is held in Spring. There are four places in the final, awarded to the English, Scottish and Irish regional champions. The fourth place was awarded in a repechage for several years but in recent years the Welsh champions rejoined the competition, at which time speeches were reduced from ten to nine minutes long.
[edit] Notable winners
The competition has been named since 1995 in honour of John Smith, former leader of the Labour Party, and winner of the Mace for Glasgow University Union in 1962. Other former winners include Charles Kennedy, Donald Dewar, Lord Hunt of Wirral and Professor Anthony Clare.
[edit] References
- Hutton, Will. "The journalist who saved The Observer. Appreciation: Kenneth Harris.", The Observer, July 3, 2005.
- List of Mace winners on britishdebate.com
- [http://flynn.debating.net/ List of past winners
