On Thursday, 26 September, the Alpha de Beta Society hosted a debate on the motion “That This House Would Abolish The Seanad”, chaired by fifth year Niamh Maher. Fifth year and TY students were treated to an entertaining verbal joust between the opposing sides.
Fine Gael Councillor Mark Cooney was joined by Bower debaters Marion Gildea and Mairín Ryan in arguing that the Seanad is an expensive anachronism we can no longer afford, while Robert Troy of Fianna Fail teamed up with Bairbre O’Dwyer and Caroline Kinsella in making a case for its retention. After the debating was over, the motion was put to the house, and the Bower students voted to abolish the institution.
This was a very promising start to the year for the society members, who have already spent several lunchtimes debating current issues. The formal debate was organised by staff member Eamonn Hughes, who thanked the guest speakers for their time and their insightful contribution to the debate.
