Photo: {Sean Butler, winner and Dan Colley, Auditor of Lit & Deb}

Sean Butler was the winner of the Internal Mace Debating Competition held by the Literary and Debating Society. Sean won the prize of dinner and a movie for two at Galway's luxury G Hotel. "The G Hotel is a great supporter of our society and have been amazing hosts to our speakers including Bob Geldof and Desmond Tutu" said Auditor, Dan Colley. Butler won the final of the society's prestigious competition, fighting out three preliminary rounds and the final which was contested by 7 other student debaters on Tuesday 24th February.

The final motion was "That This House Would Ban Televised Death" which Butler opposed, giving a stirring defence of free media and telling the audience and adjudication panel that "Jade Goody has as much right to die in front of TV cameras as you do at home in your bed" and going on to say that it was a natural part of life that we should all be prepared to face. Chief Adjudicator, Julie Maher, a graduate student of Cambridge University, said "This society is dedicated to the promotion of great oratory and enlightening analysis and we had a particularly good example of it tonight".