Semi Finalists Announced for 2019 National Schools' Debate

The Town Hall building in Stornoway was the setting for the first two rounds of the National Gaelic Schools’ Debate which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday the 5th and 6th of November.  The judges; Iain Steven Morrison, Agnes Rennie and Boyd Robertson, certainly had their work cut out whittling sixteen teams down to four.  The four teams who have reached the semi-final stages of this year’s competition are Inverness Royal Academy B, Bishopbriggs Academy A, Sir E Scott School and Liniclate School.

The first semi-final draw will see Inverness Royal Academy B against Liniclate School.  In the second debate of the evening Bishopbriggs Academy A will be against Sir E Scott School.   

The semi-finals will be held at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel in Edinburgh on Wednesday 4th December 2019.   The Final will be held the following evening, Thursday 5th December in the main chamber at The Scottish Parliament and will be broadcasted live on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal.

The topic for the debate between Inverness Royal Academy B and Liniclate School will be “Gadgets like Fitbits are helpful to keep us healthy.” Bishopbriggs Academy A will debate against Sir E Scott School on the topic “It is better to follow than the be first.” The winner of Debate A will face the winner of Debate B in the final on the topic “In twenty years, the proper Gaelic communities will be in the big cities.”