University Philosophical Society

Membership of the society is open to all Undergraduate and Postgraduate students, as well as all staff members of Trinity College. It offers four year membership to students of the university.

In 1683, natural philosopher and political writer William Molyneux (b. 1656) founded the Dublin Philosophical Society, with the assistance of his brother Sir Thomas Molyneux and future Provost St George Ashe. They intended it to be the equivalent of the Royal Society in London (with which it maintained cultural ties) as well as the Philosophical Society at the University of Oxford. The society was traditionally a paper reading society; however it also included many demonstrations of the latest science and mathematical endeavour of that era. The first meeting on 15 October 1683[1] was in the Provost's lodgings at Trinity College Dublin, a location where members continued to meet.

Sometime after December 1683, Provost Robert Huntington became the society's first Senior Patron, promising protection and assistance, a role the Provost of Trinity College still holds. While at the time no particular precedent existed for Trinity College to recognise it, it can be considered the college's first such society.

On 1 November 1684 William Petty was elected as the first President of the society, and William Molyneux elected as its first Secretary. The current numbering takes this as the first session of the University Philosophical Society.

Oscar Wilde, member of the society in the 19th century

In November 1842,[4] to mark the original session date the Dublin Philosophical Society was fully reformed under its original name, traditionally meeting on Mondays, to cater for those Trinity College students too young to join other societies in Dublin. The first meeting took place in Marlborough Street.[5]

At the time, undergraduates were not allowed to join most College societies, such as the College Historical Society. It then became the Dublin University Philosophical Society in February 1843[3][4] when it was recognized by the college, with then Provost Franc Sadleir reassuming the traditional role of Senior Patron.

During this time the society had its rooms in No. 4 (now House 4) in Parliament Square[6] with larger meetings taking place within the Examination Hall.

In 1860, the Dublin University Philosophical Society changed its name to the University Philosophical Society. The society claims to be the oldest, student, paper-reading, and collegial society in the world.[3] As of the 1960s, the society still dated its foundation back to 1853, describing the 1969 session as its "116th".[7]

Among the notable events held was the demonstration of an early telephone by Stephen Yeates in 1865.

The society suffered greatly, with the rest of Trinity College during the First World War. Ireland was still part of the British Empire during the outbreak of the war and so many Irish enlisted. However, there was a diverse mixture between members who predominantly described as being part of the Protestant Ascendancy and those who believed more in Irish republicanism.

The 1937 Reading Room, Memorial to members of the college who died during the First World War

The meetings and overall strength of the society was massively diminished during the period, with there being no Inaugural Meeting from 1913 until 1919 after the end of the war.

From 1913 to 1916 ten officers of the society resigned their positions to enlist. Minutes from the time mention that many more members of the society would go on to enlist, however their names went unrecorded.

In 1919 the names of eight past officers and members of council of the society who had been killed during the war was read aloud at the Opening Meeting.

• James Austin, President 1913-1914.
• AEL West, President 1915-1916.
• Reverend Everard Digges La Touche, Seceratary 1907-1908.
• JHF Leland, Treasurer 1909-1910.
• Walter Osborne Varian, Treasurer 1915-1916.
• JS West, Registrar 1914-1915.
• Francis George McGibney, Member of Council 1912-1913.
• William Kee, Member of Council 1914-1915.

Of them and those other members who gave up their lives, we can only say that while the University Philosophical Society stands they shall not be forgotten, since such men, by their deaths, have conferred on their Society, and on all connected with them, an honour that does not fade.

— Society Records, extract from the first Opening meeting of the Society in 1919.

The Irish War of Independence began shortly after the beginning of 1919, public and political will to remember those lost during the war was weak. This meant that the names of many more members of the society who were also killed during the First World War went unrecorded by the society.

The Second World War, had a lesser effect on the society, though one notable President of the early 1940s was lawyer, Nigerian independence activist and Supreme Court Chief Justice Udo Udoma.

In 1953, the society held a centenary celebration, commemorating its "First Hundred Years" of existence.[8]

Seal of the Dublin University Elizabethan Society

The first female students were admitted to the college in 1904, however they were unable to join any of the student societies that existed at the time. In response to this the Dublin University Elizabethan Society (more commonly known as The Liz and later, The Eliz) was founded in 1905 by the first woman student of the university Isabel Marion Weir Johnston.[9] The society was a female-only debating society, having sent teams to the Irish Times National Debating Championship from relatively early in the competitions history. It also hosted many debates, paper discussions, group discussions and the Eliz Garden Party (within Fellow's Square) which was considered one of the social highlights of Trinity term in the college. Each year the society welcomed esteemed guests to speak on topics regarding the history, the societal limitations of women and feminism. These included such guests as Ninette de Valois, dancer and founder of The Royal Ballet, who visited in late 1964 to celebrate the society's 60th year.[10]

The society had its rooms in No.6 (now House 6) in Parliament Square, housing many amenities for female students within the college, including one of only a handful of female toilets on the campus.

As mentioned in the following section, over the years there had been great debate within both the University Philosophical Society and the Dublin University Elizabethan Society regarding a merger of both societies into one. There was strong individual opposition within both societies however, with a vote in 1968[11] by the Eliz rejecting a merger. However, in 1981 the Dublin University Elizabethan Society merged with the University Philosophical Society, which vastly increased female membership and increased debating within the society.

Today as a symbolic gesture, the highest ranking female officer of the Phil is accorded the honorary title of President of the Elizabethan Society.

It was the 1953/54 session of the Phil that first welcomed in long overdue gender equality advances: Women were at last allowed to attend public business meetings and then also to speak at them (provided though Standing Orders were suspended!). What is more, at the end of that session, membership was actually even opened up to them. Sadly though, this final breakthrough proved short-lived as the College Board after a gap of only one term – and although it had no direct constitutional jurisdiction here – in early 1955 voted down female membership for that year pending possible reorganisation of the Major Societies.[12] It was an understandable decision perhaps from the Board's point of view except that even more sadly such restructuring was never led by them as announced or indeed subsequently. While reorganisations and possible mergers between the Phil and the Hist and the Phil and the Eliz and the Phil and the SRC (Student Representative Council) + the Eliz surfaced variously at periodic intervals actual plans ‘with legs’ never seemed to result. Divisions and maybe feelings of self-interest within and between the different factions, the continuing unwillingness/inability of the college for some reason to meaningfully grapple with this process and, what is more, effectively address the issue of student union type facilities that were commonplace in other institutions of higher education all seemingly presented insurmountable hurdles.

Indeed, it wasn't until session 1963/64 that a further vote taken by the Phil on the admission of women, although it was lost by only 3 votes. Some advances were though made: From that session onwards, it was agreed that women could at last reply to papers read to the Society and, in 1965, Joanna Walmsley became the first woman to read her paper to the society. (It was entitled "Tolstoy - Realist or Moralist?").[13] One of concerns held over the years had been that the Society's facilities were generally inadequate for a larger mixed membership. In session 1967/1968.[14] opposition even led then President of the Phil (Gordon Ledbetter) to resign in exasperation.[14] It was a matter though that wasn't going to go away. At the first Council meeting and a subsequent private business in the following session (1967–68), this aspect again prominently featured as a concern. There were also many in the Phil who felt the way forward would be achieved through revisiting the idea of a merger with the Eliz to form a super sized Major Society. However, even setting to one side the thorny issue of finding satisfactory accommodation for such a body, it also turned out to be the case this time - as it had previously that the Eliz just weren't sufficiently interested such a proposal. (That was of course to change some years later).

With such topics under the spotlight, a feeling though also started to emerge from the active membership that discussion was going around in circles once again. The halfway house with regards to female participation was just unsatisfactory. For quite sincerely held reasons of equal rights and inclusivity and indeed on a practical level to revitalise our business and expand membership the Society had to try and go it alone regardless. So a motion calling for women to quite simply be admitted as full members was proposed, debated at Private Business on 30th. November 1967...and was elatedly passed! [15] The then President of the Phil (Geoff Goolnik) pointed out to those gathered that restrictions on female membership had in fact been a matter of convention as gender was never once mentioned in the then current Laws – unlike with those of the two other Major Societies, viz.the Eliz and the Hist (College Historical Society).

At the following private business meeting held on 5th. December three women were proposed and voted in as members – including the then President of the Eliz (Elizabeth Hall) who was appropriately nominated by Goolnik and seconded by ‘Gully’ Stanford, the then Auditor of the Hist, in his capacity as an ordinary member of the Phil! Finally, the first female member to address the Society after it had become gender free, Gráinne Monks, was also elected on 1st. February 1968 as the first female member of Council.

In Trinity News’ edition of 25 November 1953, an anonymous female contributor had declared that "The bar to the admission of women to [the other] major societies ...is a real deprivation to everyone – to College women, to the members of the societies, themselves and, most important, to the University".[16] Fifteen years and five days later the Phil at least eventually, permanently and proudly righted that wrong.

Today the University Philosophical Society is one of the largest student society within the college and Ireland. Its meetings include weekly paper readings and debates. Additionally it invites many internationally esteemed guests each year, regularly interviews with public figures, which have included Al Pacino, Desmond Tutu, Angela Merkel and Stephen Fry.

The society has a presence on the competitive debating circuit. Having first won the Irish Times National Debating Championship in 1961 the society has gone on to win and place in several other well known debating competitions. These include the John Smith Memorial Mace, World Universities Debating Championship, Irish National Law Debates, Cork IV and the UCD Vice Presidents' Cup IV.. In 2022, Dylan McCarthy and Jack Palmer from the Phil won the European Universities Debating Championships in Zagreb, becoming the second Irish team to win the championships and the first from Trinity.

The society runs several internal debating competitions each year. These consist of:

• The Eamon O'Coine Memorial Maiden Speaker's Competition (or "Maidens"); for first-time speakers in college.
• The Jeremy Clarkson Memorial Debating Competition (or "Clarkies"), consisting of a series of regular weekly debates.; satirically named after TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Formerly known as The Maggies, after former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher
• The Elizabethan Society Memorial Pro-Am Competition (or "Lizzies"); a competition whereby experienced debaters (Pros) are teamed with less experienced speakers (Ams).
• The Isabel Marion Weir Johnston Memorial (or "Izzy's"); is an internal competition for all members of the society. It is named in honour of the first woman to enter Trinity where she went on to found the Elizabethan Society which later merged with the Philosophical Society.
• The J.P Mahaffy Memorial (or "Mahaffy's"); named after former President of the society John Pentland Mahaffy internal debating competition for Junior Freshman ("fresher") teams of two.

Each year, normally in January, the society jointly with the Hist hosts the Claire Stewart Trinity IV. Before 2015 this consisted of the Trinity Invitational and the Dean Swift Intervarsity. In 2015, the Trinity Invitational was replaced with Trinity Women's Debating Competition.[18]

• Robert Stawell Ball, ex-Sch., Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Lowndean Professor of Astronomy and Geometry at the University of Cambridge. President, 1860–61.
• Valentine Ball, geologist. Treasurer, 1863–64.
• J.B. Bury, ex-Sch., historian, classicist, Byzantinist and philologist.
• George Coffey, scholar of Irish history and cultural revivalist. President, 1880–81.
• William Macneile Dixon, British academic and author, Regius Professor of English Language and Literature, Glasgow. President, 1889–90, Librarian, 1888–89.
• Mervyn A. Ellison, ex-Sch., astronomer and authority on solar flares. President, 1931–32, Treasurer, 1930–31.
• William Hugh Ferrar, classical scholar. Treasurer, 1855–56.
• John Pentland Mahaffy, ex-Sch.,[3] classicist and polymath scholar. President, 1858–59.
• Vincent Arthur Smith, Indologist, historian and member of the Imperial Civil Service. President, 1868–69.
• W. J. M. Starkie, Greek scholar.
• William Stokes, doctor and professor of surgery.
• John Lighton Synge, mathematician and physicist. Treasurer, 1917–18.
• Ernest Walton, ex-Sch.,[3] physicist and Nobel Laureate. Member of Council, 1925–26.
• Trevor West, Sch., mathematician and Senator. Treasurer, 1959–60, Registrar, 1958–59.
• William Wilde, Irish otolaryngologist and ophthalmologist and polymath, father of Oscar Wilde, member[1]
• Bertram Windle, British anatomist, archaeologist, scientist and writer. Librarian, 1877–78.

• Norman Rodway, ex-Sch., actor.
• John Butler Yeats,[3] artist and father of William Butler Yeats.

• Daire Brehan, Irish broadcaster, barrister and actress. Secretary, 1976–77.
• Sarah Carey, columnist and broadcaster. Registrar, 1991–92.
• Marc Coleman, economics editor of Newstalk and columnist for the Sunday Independent. Secretary, 1992–93.
• Ken Early, journalist and sports broadcaster. Steward, 1998–99.
• Alex Massie, prominent Scottish journalist. Steward, 1996–97.

• James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Attorney-General for Ireland, Solicitor-General for Ireland, Member of Parliament and later first Chairman of the Free State Senate.
• Richard Cherry, Attorney-General for Ireland and Liberal MP. Secretary, 1879–80.
• Gerald Fitzgibbon, ex-Sch., Solicitor-General for Ireland, 1877–78 and Lord Justice of Appeal. Secretary, 1857–58.
• Jonathan Pim (1858-1949), Solicitor-General for Ireland, Attorney-General for Ireland and Lord Justice of Ireland in the aftermath of the Easter Rising. President, 1883–84, Secretary, 1882–83, Librarian, 1881–82.
• Udo Udoma,[3] former Justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court, former Chief Justice of Uganda. President, 1942–43, Secretary, 1941–42, Librarian, 1940–41.

• Edmund John Armstrong, poet. President, 1864–65.
• Samuel Beckett, ex-Sch.,[3] dramatist and poet, Nobel Laureate.
• Kate Cruise O'Brien, author.
• Edward Dowden, poet and critic. President, 1862–63, Secretary, 1861–62.
• Standish James O'Grady, author, journalist and historian. Secretary, 1866–67.
• Bram Stoker,[3] novelist and short story writer. President, 1868–69, Secretary, 1867–68.
• Oscar Wilde,[3] author, playwright and poet.
• Gabriel Fielding,[23] author and poet. Nom de plume of Dr Alan Barnsley 1935–1939. Winner Silver Medal in Oratory 1939.

• Charles Austin Thomas Robert John Joseph ffrench, 6th Baron ffrench, 1868–1955. Deputy Lieutenant of County Galway.
• Charles Edward MacDermot, The Mac Dermot, Prince of Coolavin, 1904–47. Registrar, 1883–84. His son and successor, Charles John MacDermot (Prince of Coolavin, 1947–79), was also a member.
• Martin Morris, 2nd Baron Killanin, Conservative peer. Secretary, 1888–89.

• Gerald Brunskill, Unionist MP. Treasurer, 1887–88, Registrar, 1886–87.
• Nessa Childers MEP, Member of European Parliament. Registrar, 1977–78, SMC 1976–77.
• Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. Secretary, 1993–94.
• Cecil Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth, Liberal MP, businessman and brother of press barons Lord Northcliffe and Lord Rothermere. Registrar, 1889–90.
• Caesar Litton Falkiner, Unionist MP. President, 1885–86, Treasurer, 1884–85, Librarian, 1883–84.
• George Noble Plunkett, anti-treaty republican, member of the First Dáil and Ireland's first Minister for Foreign Affairs, 1919–21.
• James Wallace Quinton, chief commissioner of Assam from 1889 until his murder by rebels in Manipur in 1891. President, 1855–56, Secretary, 1854–55.
• Robert Rowlette, TD, Senator and doctor. Secretary, 1895–96.

• Hugh Dunlop Brown, President of the Irish Baptist Association, theologian and prominent unionist.
• John Baptist Crozier, Anglican bishop. President, 1874–75, Secretary, 1873–4, Treasurer, 1872–73.
• Ralph Creed Meredith, chaplain to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. President, 1910–11, Secretary, 1909–10.
• Charles D'Arcy, ex-Sch., Anglican bishop. Treasurer, 1883–84.
• James Walsh, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, 1908–18.