Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar will compete in the quarter finals of the Concern Debates Competition on Thursday, 14 March. The team includes TY students Dylan Kennedy, Kyle Faherty, Brian Wycherley, Daniel Coffey and Daniel Dupuis. Coláiste Mhuire teachers Siobhán Ní Dhomhnaill and Ellen Casey supervise the school’s junior and senior teams. Ms Ní Domhnaill established the club in 2022 to help students develop critical thinking, public speaking and research skills. “I was on a debate team when I was in school and it was my favourite extracurricular activity. I wanted to create a space for the boys to engage in debates with each other and to take part in competitions,” Ms Ní Domhnaill told Topic.
Debate team member Daniel Coffey told Topic that debating is “a great confidence builder” and said he enjoys the competitive aspect of debating. Coláiste Mhuire recently debated against Mercy Kilbeggan and Daniel said he enjoyed winning against what was “a strong team” from the neighbouring school.