As Greece faced the prospect of exiting the Euro, teams of students from St Mary’s College and CBS in Naas debated whether a similar move would be in Ireland’s best interests in the second annual Moloney & Co. Solicitors Naas Inter-Schools Debate on Monday 14 May. The clear winners were St Mary’s College, who supported the motion “Ireland should stay in the Euro.”
Labour Party Chief Whip Emmet Stagg and Liam Moloney judged the teams from the Naas schools. The team of girls argued that Ireland is now inextricably linked with Europe and that rejecting the Euro would have a detrimental effect on Ireland’s relationship with other EU countries. They also argued that Ireland’s national wealth since Ireland joined the EU had significantly increased and that leaving the Euro would cause trading difficulties for international companies based in Ireland and that bringing back the Punt would be a logistical nightmare.
The team from CBS, coached by Barry Flood and winners of the Moloney & Co. Solicitors Naas Inter-Schools Debate 2011, comprised Ronan Mac Giolla Rua, Conor Davis and Cormac Clare. They argued strongly against retaining the Euro, remaining within the EU but exchanging the Euro for a ‘Punt Nua’ with import substitution and export of Ireland’s rich energy resources to secure and stabilize the economy and escape from the Euro zone two-speed economy. Darren Cunningham from CBS acted as Timekeeper for the Debate.
Commenting on the debate afterwards, Deputy Emett Stagg said, “I’m really very impressed with the quality of the research done by both the teams.”
He also recalled the last debate he attended in 1961 when, forced to defend communism, he had been boxed and lost a tooth, adding he was pleased the Naas Inter-Schools Debate had been very civilised in comparison.
All participants received vouchers for a local book shop and the winning team of Ann Marie Byrne Rachel Fleming and Hannah Crowley along with coach Raymond Dillon adjourned to the new premises of Moloney & Co. Solicitors where Liam Moloney presented the perpetual trophy.
Liam Moloney thanked the pupils from both schools for their hard work and excellent preparation. Moloney & Co. Solicitors recently moved to 4A North Main Street in Naas and continues to provide expert and comprehensive service on every aspect of the law with special emphasis on medical negligence, employment law and personal injury. Moloney & Co. Solicitors have launched their new website www.moloneysolicitors.com where a comprehensive overview can be found of the services the firm provides.
16th May 2012
ENDS
