Dunshaughlin public speaking competition brainchild of three local students

A public speaking competition which attracted over 80 students from over a dozen schools to Dunshaughlin, was the brainchild of three Dunshaughlin fifth year students.

The FÁS Pubic Speaking competition at Dunshaughlin Community College attracted a large number of participants, with some travelling from as far away as Waterford for the final.

The Community School hosted the final this week.

The competition was the brainchild of fifth year students Tadhg Higgins, Áine Mooney and David Griffin.

FÁS was founded on the acronym, ”Ag Foglaim, Ag Áitiú, Ag Samhlú” meaning, “Learning, Persuading and Imagining,” the core values that the team wished to encapsulate in the competition. The team’s aim was to create an environment where their peers could grow their confidence in a fun and friendly atmosphere without the combative edge of normal debating.

The FÁS team’s success was due to extensive support from the Dunshaughlin and Dunboyne communities. They were sponsored by Healy’s SuperValu, The Parcel Concierge and Sweet Planet Home Bakery.

The competition was independently adjudicated by a team of ten judges from Phoenix-Tara Toastmasters which is based in Dunboyne. This gave the competition gravitas as each participant knew they were being judged in a fair and respectful manner by experienced public speakers. The school and FÁS team are immensely grateful to Toastmasters and would encourage anyone over 18, interested in improving their presentation skills to get in contact with them.

Each competitor spoke for five minutes on the night’s theme of, ‘The Future.’ The theme inspired a diverse range of interpretations from the Housing Crisis to Climate Change with students talking movingly about their own experiences. Ultimately, the competition was won by Alex McArdle from St Mary’s College who took the star prize of a Lenovo Laptop back to Dundalk. Dunshaughlin Community College will be hosting the competition again next year again and would encourage all senior cycle students in Meath to follow them on our social media.