On Wednesday 10th of December the All-Ireland Science Debating champions and the National Model UN winning debaters visited the Right Honorable Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Christy Burke in the Mansion House. Mr Sheahan and Mr Quinlan accompanied the students on their visit. The Lord Mayor greeted each student separately by name as he welcomed him to his home. He then proceeded to present a beautifully illustrated certificate to the school.
Then he recounted a brief history of the 300 year old house and filled us in on his very busy schedule which lasts from 7 A.M. in the morning until 11 p.m. in the evening, 7 days a week. There is no let up in this busy programme, and his staff see to it that he gets to all his appointments and engagements on time. He meets hundreds of people in any one week and attends countless meetings. He also does soup runs and visits the homeless people of Dublin city at night. The students then asked him questions about his work and he answered them in an easy and comfortable manner. Mr Sheahan then presented the Lord Mayor with a Past Pupils’ tie as a token of thanks for so graciously receiving us.
There was then an opportunity to take some photographs in front of the fireplace in one of the reception rooms where photographs are customarily taken of prominent visitors to the city like Nelson Mandela and so on. Mr Quinlan took the photographs on behalf of the school while a lady photographer from the Lord Mayor’s staff took some for the official site of the Mansion House.
Finally, Mr. Burke promised the boys that he would bring them back and personally give each an official certificate and a tour of the house including the living quarters upstairs. He congratulated them fulsomely for having achieved so much against the odds in the field of debating. It was a rewarding and uplifting experience for all present.