Summerhill College

Mental Health Ireland Public Speaking Competition

For years we have known the benefits of positive mental health in Ireland so it is only appropriate that the younger generation are educated in this area. To assist in this Mental Health Ireland have been running a national public speaking competition for over twenty five years. This provides Senior Cycle students with an opportunity to explore the issue and to improve their skills in public speaking.

Summerhill College actually won the competition in 1989 but unfortunately since 1992, we have not progressed beyond the county finals of the competition.

In 2011 however things are most certainly looking up, with our team winning the county finals and therefore progressing to the advanced stages of the competition.

The Summerhill team features Barry Brennan, Cian Tuohy and Thomas Endersby. In the county final these three spoke for a combined eighteen minutes about the possibility of a formula for contented living. We faced stiff opposition from a confident-sounding Mercy College team and a very professional St. Attracta’s team from Tubbercurry but we managed to win with some typical Summerhill determination.

In just two weeks the pressure will crank up for the North West finals of the competition.

Donegal will be the venue and we hope that the same Summerhill determination will see us through.

Thomas Endersby