St Aloysius School has a long tradition in debating and has had many successes in this area over the years. Teams and individuals from the school have compete in a wide range of competitions each year including the Schools’ Competition run by The Philosophical Society, UCC along with the Junior Debating National Mace.

Local interschools competitions are also held throughout the year including an annual St Aloysius Junior Mace Competition. There is a strong tradition of senior students developing their leadership skills and mentoring junior students in the art of debating.
Individual students also participate in public speaking competitions such as the Soroptimist Public Speaking Competition.

The culture of public speaking and debating spread beyond The St Al’s Debating Society. We have seen much success in recent years with teams representing the school each year in The Gail Linn Irish debates.