Talk It Up is the name of the Lit and Deb’s schools development programme. Basically, it is all about letting you know what debating is and how to get involved. We want schools all over the West of Ireland to realise just how exciting debating is and what you can get from it.

Debating is something that secondary school students can get started on themselves in their own schools. Talk It Up aims to promote the establishment of student-run debating clubs in schools. A debating club is much easier to set up than you might imagine. It is just a group of students who meet regularly and hold debates. All you need is a classroom that's free at lunchtime or after school and a bit of organisation. The Literary and Debating Society at NUI Galway will be there to help you with any questions or problems: Just email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

On February 21st we are holding the first Talk It Up Mace, a one-day debating tournament open to all schools in the region, finishing in a grand final which sends two teams to compete in the prestigious National Mace Grand Final in March.

We give a basic introduction to debating on this site, but as well as that, we also run speaking workshops throughout the year. Don’t miss the first workshop on February 14th. Check out the Workshop section for details.

Talk It Up wants to get you up and speaking. So come along!