Since 1770, the College Historical Society has recognised excellence by awarding Medals to students who demonstrate outstanding ability in History, Composition, and Oratory. Previous recipients include Bram Stoker, Douglas Hyde, Theobald Wolfe Tone, and Frederick Boland.

Click here to learn more the Medals of the Society.

Thank you very much to everyone who made a submission to the History and Composition competitions and to everyone who spoke in the debates of the Society

THE MEDALLISTS OF THE 253RD SESSION

Megan O’Driscoll was awarded a Gold Medal in Composition for her poem entitled, Opportunity Cost. Read Megan’s submission here.

Stephen Ryan was awarded a Gold Medal in History for his essay entitled “To what extent did environmental concerns shape global responses to the United States of America’s 1954 Castle Bravo Hydrogen Bomb test?”. Read Stephen’s submission here.

Áine Kennedy was awarded a Silver Medal in Oratory and the John Boland Memorial Prize for her speeches in the debates of the Society this session.

Thomas Francis and Daniel Byrne were both awarded the Marked Thanks of the Society for Oratory for their speeches to the debates of the Society this session.

the john boland memorial prize

Thank you very much to John and Ann Boland for their exceptional support for both the College Historical Society and Trinity College.

We wish to express our sincerest gratitude to them for their commitment to the cultivation of oratory and the encouragement of young people through projects like the John Boland Memorial Prize.

HOW TO win a medal

History and Composition submissions will re-open during the Michaelmas term and a panel of expert judges will nominate a Medallist in each category from those submissions.

Oratory returns are distributed at all our Wednesday night debates. Medals in Oratory will be awarded based on those oratory returns at the end of the year.