Debating at Our Lady's.At Our Lady's, students are given the opportunity to develop their communication skills through participation in debating and public speaking at various levels. In the junior school students often get the first taste of debating through taking part in class discussions and informal debates. Then in fifth year they are given a chance to compete for a place on teams that represent the school in various competitions. Apart from helping students to develop their logical thinking, organising and communication skills, debating has taken on a new significance in the context of the new leaving cert. English programme where the language paper makes specific reference to "the language of argument" and "the language of persuasion." Debating in the school has a long tradition dating back to before the amalgamation of the Mercy Convent and the C.B.S., For many years Sr. De Lourdes and Sr. Geraldine entered teams in competitons like those run by Muintir na Tire and Gael Linn. In the C.B.S. the boys took part regularly in the Gael Linn competition.
Concern Debating Team 2009 : Clara O' Brien, Saoirse Timmons Gráinne Maxwell, Emer Shelly and Aisling O' Shea
In recent years, however, the Concern debating competition has dominated the agenda. After struggling for a number of years to reach the standard set by some traditional debating schools Our Lady's made its big breakthrough in 1996 when the team which included Joseph Fogarty, Caroline Timmons, Cora Barnes and Murtagh Brennan won the All Ireland Final of the competition. Joseph Fogarty followed up this success the following year by winning the All Ireland Individual Final of the UCC Philosophical competition. Since then Our Lady's has been to the forefront and in 2000 the team of Conor Malone, Marguerite Bourke, Josephine Ryan reached the last eight of the competition before it was abandoned due to the foot and mouth outbreak.
 In debating, however, success in never measured in trophies. The real achievement is to overcome one's fears , stand up and deliver a coherent argument in the given time and over the years many students who began very nervously learned to harness that nervousness and become really accomplished debaters.
Above : Colm Ryan and Murtagh Brennan who represented Our Lady's in the UCC Philosphical Society debating competition in 1998.
Above : Deirde Ryan and Bridin Jones who represented the school in 1999. |
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