Students from Hazelwood College in Dromcollogher became Ireland’s new school debating champions last week at the Helix Theatre in Dublin. the Concern Debating Competition saw 177 teams from all over Ireland competing this year. They proposed the motion that ‘achieving world peace is the defining task of the 21st century’ in a debate against runners-up Ursuline Secondary School from Thurles, Tipperary.
“We are absolutely delighted and so proud of our team. It means the world to them – there were tears of joy here this evening,” said Hazelwood’s team mentor and school teacher Catherine Shanahan.
The Hazelwood team (Aisling O’Connor, Amy O’Gorman, Regina Burke and Lucy O’Gorman) will travel to Brussels and The Hague to visit the European Parliament and The International Criminal Court as part of their prize.
Both teams were applauded by President Michael D. Higgins who sent them a message before the final in which he stated that it was critically important that young citizens engaged with issues of importance.
“Yours is the generation on which so much hope rests,” said President Higgins, who also praised the Concern Debates itself which was created in 1984 to encourage further debating about global issues among young people.