Christian Brothers College
From UCC Philosophical Society Wiki
Christian Brothers College is a Cork school. It has one of the oldest schools debating societies in the country, having been founded in 1911. The society was transformed by Sean Lydon, a teacher in the school, and a former auditor of the Philosoph. It was re-worked to be similar to the Philosoph, and retains a similar structure and constitution.
The CBC Debating Society is known for its lively Friday meetings (one of the few schools in the country to hold a debate every week as a matter of course) and bizarre Private Members Time motions ("That this house would worship the devil" being proposed by one Conor O'Brien among others). In recent years it has had enormous success in the field of schools debating - winning both the Munster Schools' Debating Competition and Munster Schools' Mace Debating Competition in the same year (2004/2005) - a first that has yet to be repeated. The school also sent Ross Frenett to the World Schools' Debating Championships in both Stuttgart and Calgary, the latter time as captain. CBC also has the distinction of having 2 former World Schools' champions among its alumni in Stephen Coutts and Cian Murphy.
The CBC Debating Society organises two internal competitions each session, both individual competitions. One, know as the Prize Debate, is for first year students only. The other, The Gold Medal, is open to students of all years, and is passionately contested. The tow debates are held on the same night near the end of the school year and are preceded by the Declamation Competition where pupils recite prose extracts for memory.
CBC is also noted for the national schools' debating competition it organises every year, The Sean Lydon Memorial Mace and also the regional competition for Junior students the Cork City Schools' Debating Competition.
Presidents of the CBC Debating Society
2008-2009: Owen Murphy
2007-2008: Ian Chisholm
2006-2007: Conall Ó Deasmhúnaigh
2005-2006: James Mooring
2004-2005: Mark Collins
2003-2004: Mark Collins
2002-2003: Cian Cotter
2001-2002: Mark O'Connor
2000-2001: Eamonn O'Flaherty
1999-2000: Eamonn O'Flaherty
Achievements
Winner- Best Speaker: (in the final) Sean Lydon Memorial Mace 2008 November (Aodhrua Fitzgerald)
Finalists: Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2008 (Owen Murphy & Gearoid Wrixon)
Winners: Munster Schools' Mace Debating Competition 2007 (Ian Chisholm & Conall Ó Deasmhúnaigh)
Finalists: Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2007 (Ian Chisholm & Conall Ó Deasmhúnaigh)
Finalists: Munster Schools' Mace Debating Competition 2005 (Kevin O'Toole & James Mooring))
Winners: Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2005 (Conor O'Brien & Cian Hargrave-Murphy)
Runner-Up: Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2005 (John Gleeson)
Finalists: Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2005 (Aidan Long & Owen Carroll)
Runner-Up: National Schools' Debating Competition 2005 (Conor O'Brien)
Quarter-Finalist: World Schools' Debating Championships 2005 (Ross Frenett)
Winners: Munster Schools' Mace Debating Competition 2004 (Ross Frenett & John Gleeson)
Finalists: Munster Schools' Mace Debating Competition 2004 (Conor O'Brien & Mark Collins)
Top Tab: College Historical Society Mace 2004 (Ross Frenett & JP Frenett)
Winners: CUS Mace 2004 (Ross Frenett & JP Frenett)
Winners: All-Ireland Schools' Debating Competition 2004 (Ross Frenett & JP Frenett)
Runners-Up: Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2004 (Ross Frenett & JP Frenett)
Winner - Best Speaker Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2004 (Ross Frenett)
Finalists: Munster Schools' Mace Debating Competition 2003 (Ross Frenett & Mark Collins)
Runners-Up: Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2003 (Ross Frenett & JP Frenett)
Runners-Up: Munster Schools' Debating Competition 2002 (Cian Murphy & Eamonn O'Flaherty)
Runners-Up: National Schools' Debating Competition 2002 (Cian Murphy & Eamonn O'Flaherty)
Winners: World Schools' Debating Championships 2002 (Cian Murphy & Stephen Coutts)
See Also
Munster Schools' Debating Competition
All-Ireland Schools' Debating Competition
School Website
