County Tipperary school win 2026 Concern Debate Final

Lily Marchand, Éabha Cahill, Lily Murphy and Trudy Wilson from Ursuline faced Cross and Passion College from county Antrim in the final at the Helix, in Dublin, yesterday evening (Thursday 7th May).

“We are on cloud 9. We reached the semi-finals last year so we’d no idea we’d get this far again, and we’re delighted to have won the whole thing,” said Lily Murphy, captain of the Ursuline debate team.

“You can tell that everyone has put in so much work and so much effort, Cross and Passion in the final, Largy College who we debated in the semi final, and Rosscarbery in the quarter finals. You can tell that everyone is so passionate about what we’re doing and it’s just a beautiful atmosphere.”

As the winning team, the Ursuline students will receive an educational trip to Brussels and the Hague, while Eimear McAuley, Tiernan McAuley, Lydia Doherty, and Katie Ann McGinty from Cross and Passion are heading to London. 

The debates mark their 41st anniversary this year, and this is the second time Ursuline have been debate champions, having won previously in 1995.

Over 170 schools took part in this year’s programme, and debated subjects as wide ranging as fast fashion, Artificial Intelligence and the virtues (or not) of Western democracy.

"At its heart, the Concern Debates programme is about building an understanding of global challenges, developing critical thinking and encouraging young people to engage with the world around them,” said Georgina Eastaugh, acting head of Global Citizenship at Concern. 

“It is truly inspiring to see the level of dedication, skill and passion that has brought these two schools to the all-island final - reaching this stage is no small feat, and they should be immensely proud! We hope all participants come away feeling empowered to use their voices to advocate for positive change in their communities and beyond."

The debates were started in 1984 to promote positive dialogue and shared learning. Open to schools from all 32 counties, they’re run by Concern with support from Irish Aid and volunteer adjudicators.  A version for primary schools, run by regional education centres, was introduced in 2011 which engages over 220 primary schools across the island of Ireland each year. 

Any school interested in taking part in the next academic year’s debate programme, or anyone who would like to learn more about volunteering a couple of hours across the school year as an adjudicator, can email debates@concern.net.