Participants in the ‘world’s longest debate’ organised by the Literary and Debating Society in the former University College Galway which ran for the entire month of February in 1995, including John Sweeney, Dave Finn and Aonghus O Domhnaill (pic 2)
They talked for 627 hours.
In stonewashed denim.
Mary Cosgrove writes:
“I was wondering if you could help us find people who lost 28 days of their lives to the world’s longest continuous debate in UCG (as it then was) almost 20 years ago. If any of the Broadsheeters have only a vague memory of February 1995, and that involves discussing ornamental fish, Joe Dolan and the phrase “keep talking”, we want them to get in touch at the Facebook page below.”
Lit N’Deb record breaker 1995 20th anniversary reunion (Facebook)
Jayzus. I wasn’t part of that, but boy did we look like crap back in the 90s, while thinking we were sh*t-cool. Having said that, tis still better than the “total hoor” look of a lot of the young ladies of today.
I know! They dress so sluttily yet won’t give it up? Bitches, right?
Word.
Some thatcher on yer one alright
Billy the Fish.
What was the motion for debate? “That this house has all the ??? in the world” The important part of that phrase has been obscured by the lighting.
Time.
“That this house has all the time in the world” – it was sponsored by Guinness who were using the song We have all the time in the World by Louis Armstrong in an advertising campaign at the time.
Thanks. I should have got that.
A mammoth undertaking
28 days of non stop talking, a lot of work went into the planning and organisation of it before a word was spoken. Thankfully the enthusiasm of the student body at the time was matched by their verbosity
Dave Finn is still round campus- and still attending the odd Lit and Deb unless I’m very much mistaken
Did the plaque with the names of the speakers ever go up on the wall of the Skeff?
I don’t think so. The minutes were lost so there’s no record of all the speakers.
Ha! Ain’t it always the way!
Ah that’s a pity… you’d think it would be hard to lose the minutes of a 28 day debate!
Not sure about the Skeff- but there’s a plaque with the name of all the former auditors down the back of the College Bar.
Not guilty, i was backpacking round india at the time.
Just as spectator 20 years ago wow I feel old.
Anyone who was involved and is interested in going please contact me
E mail address is on the facebook page