Mullingar school praised after national debating semi final

A Westmeath school debating team has been praised after making it to the semi-finals of the all-island Concern debates contest.

Dylan Kennedy, Brian Wycherley, Kyle Faherty and Daniel Coffey from Coláiste Mhuire CBS Mullingar made it to the last four out of the 177 participating teams, and, guided by their mentors, Siobhán Ní Dhomhnaill and Ellen Casey, they were runners-up in a debate at the Camden Court Hotel on Camden Street Lower in Dublin recently. They were up against Hazelwood College from Dromcollogher in County Limerick.

The Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar team were proposing the motion that ‘the current aid system is ineffective. It’s time to shift the power’; and they were congratulated for their efforts and achievements.

“The future is in excellent hands with these young debaters,” said Concern’s head of Active Citizenship, Lauren Wright.

Concern Debates is marking its 40th anniversary this year. The competition began in 1984 to encourage further debating about global issues among young people.

Well-known past participants of the competition include Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and television broadcasters Claire Byrne and Karen Koster.