UCD Law Society
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| Founded | 1911 |
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| Motto | Ar son na córa (In the pursuit of justice) |
| Auditor | Laura Hogan |
| President | Professor Joe McMahon |
| Patron | Professor Andrew J. Deeks |
The UCD Law Society is one of the largest student societies in Europe. Established in 1911 as 'The Legal and Economic Society', it has over 4100 members drawn from the various faculties of the University. Weekly Tuesday night debates during term are the Society's core activity. Individuals who have addressed the Society include President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, Former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Bertie Ahern and Former President of the E.U. Commission, Jacques Santer. The society's motto is "Ar son na córa" (in the pursuit of justice). Now in its 106th Session, the current Auditor is Laura Hogan.
As one of the two debating unions in University College Dublin, the Society gathers once a week to debate topical motions relating to students and other national issues of importance. This is the main activity of the society, typically taking place on Tuesday evenings in a lecture theatre of the Newman Building during term. Guest speakers related to the topic are often invited to engage with the motion and address the students. The annual Glamour Model debate and Government debate are two popular motions that often attract a significant audience. Attendance at house debates varies weekly, with debates attracting anywhere between 30 and 300 people. Motions often range from Northern Ireland politics to the relevance of the Students’ Union. The Law Society organised the first live Irish Presidential Debate which took place on Nominations day 2011 in Theatre L. The largest recorded attendance at a Society debate was the second Lisbon Treaty referendum debate on the 28th of September 2009, which had an attendance of over 1,000 students in O’Reilly Hall, Belfield.
The Law Society also regularly invites notable speakers to deliver individual addresses to the Society. Recent guests given the honour of address include former Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell in October 2009 and the former lead prosecutor of Slobodan Milosevic, Sir Geoffrey Nice QC in March 2010.
The Society awards Honorary Life Memberships to important individuals who have contributed significantly to their chosen field of human endeavour. The presentation of honorary life membership also affords the recipient with an opportunity to address the assembled members of the Society.
Recent recipients of honorary life membership include actors Patrick Johannes Adams, Sir Christopher Lee, Martin Sheen, John C. McGinley, Dirk Benedict, Jeremy Irons, and the late David Kelly and Leslie Nielsen, comedians Colin Murphy, Dan Antopolski and Bill Bailey, authors Tucker Max, Jung Chang and Noam Chomsky, political figures Ken Livingstone and Bill Clinton, sportspeople Cristiano Ronaldo, Pauleta, Jimmy White, Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell, Conor Rock, dancer Michael Flatley, supermodel Erin O’Connor and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney.
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