This week secondary school pupils from across Scotland made their way to Stornoway for the preliminary rounds of the Gaelic Secondary Schools Debating competition. An Lanntair in Stornoway was the setting for the first and second rounds of the prestigious competition which is celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary. The judges Joy Dunlop, Iain MacAulay and Angus MacLennan, certainly had their work cut out choosing the four teams who would proceed to the final stages of the competition. The four teams who have reached the semi-final stages of this year’s competition are Àrd-sgoil Gàidhlig Ghlaschu v Àrd-Sgoil Sheumais Ghilleasbuig and Sgoil Sir E Scott v Àrd-Sgoil Phort Rìgh
The semi-finals will be held at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh on Wednesday 27 November, starting at 6.30pm. The Final will be held the following evening in the Scottish Parliament and will be broadcasted live on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal from 7pm. The event will also be livestreamed.
Tanya Davies, Project Director of Spiorad na Mara, the proposed offshore wind farm located off the west coast of Lewis, who are the main funders of the 2024 competition said:
“We’re proud to be supporting this initiative and the important contribution it makes to Gaelic language learning. Those involved have gained many valuable lifelong skills and I would like to congratulate all those who participated. I wish the four teams who have reached the semi-final stages all the best in their preparations ahead of the final rounds in Edinburgh”.
Commenting on the two days of competitions, Joy Dunlop, added:
“On behalf of the judges I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the teams who took part in the debates over the last two days. It was apparent that a huge amount of preparatory work had taken place and all competitors are to be commended for the excellent entertainment and thought-provoking debates they showcased. On this, my third and final year as judge, I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience and the Deasbad really is one of the jewels in the crown of the Gaelic language. On this, the 25th year since the competition began, it is a hugely important event and I would like to see more schools participating in the coming years.”
