The final of the Soroptomist Public Speaking Competition for Second level students was held recently in the K-Club, with eight finalists debating topics including women’s empowerment, health and democracy.
Holly Rogan, St. Angela’s was crowned the overall winner, taking home the Perpetual Mildred O’Brien Trophy, plus an Apple iPad and a prize worth €1,000 for her school. Holly delivered an impressively strong and thought-provoking performance on ‘Empowerment of Women’.
To reach Sunday’s event, the 8 finalists had passed through challenging local and regional heats. The competition was sponsored by HSBC for the first time and saw a total of 303 students from over 180 secondary schools around the country compete for a place in the final.
Schools in Waterford City, Gorey, Ennis, Mullingar, Tralee, Athlone, Limerick and Swinford were represented in the final with the contestants judged on their style of delivery, presentation and knowledge demonstrated. Moya Murphy, National Convenor, Soroptimist International Ireland praised the high standard of this year’s participants saying: “
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