The Literary & Debating Society was initially founded in 1795 as part of St. Patrick's College Maynooth and is the oldest society on campus. We believe that the written and spoken word are of equal importance, and therefore we give equal weight to all things literary or debating. We aim to promote freedom of expression, specifically by holding weekly literary and debating events such as house debates, literary circles, debating workshops and talks by guest speakers. Our objectives are to initiate, spark, and facilitate debate within the student body, with no subject too controversial to discuss. Joining Lit & Deb will be one of your best decisions in college as you'll have weekly events, frequent trips to other universities and a great group of people to look forward to. People join the Literary & Debating Society to gain a greater sense of self-confidence and to see different viewpoints on all sorts of diverse issues.