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GAZETTE
MAY 1988
Younger Members News
THE YMC QU IZ DRIVE
Of all the Committees of the
Council of the Law Society,
perhaps the most varied is the
Younger Members. Each of the
Committees works within defined
parameters, except this one. For the
Y.M.C. has no boundary, political,
geographical or otherwise.
The Committee comprises a
dozen or so representatives from
t he various eche l ons of the
profession, s t a r t i ng w i th the
Professional Course, the Advanced
Course, the newly qualified, and
then the not-so-newly qualifieds.
They come from all the Provinces
and once a month, meet in Dublin.
It concerns itself with many
issues, one of wh i ch is the
Emigration Trail. This is close to the
hearts of all the Younger Members
of the profession, as up to 50 per
year are now leaving our shores.
Bar Associations in the U.S., U.K.
and E.E.C. are springing up and very
often the Y.M.C. is their line of
communication and home-base.
Communication is vital to the
life-blood of the Committee, which
has to feel the needs of the Younger
Members. Last year, with a view to
promoting the Committee, we ran
a pilot campaign to generate a bit
of interest around the country. We
held a series of Table Quizes, which
seemed a popular way to get every-
body in one room at the same time,
and the support we got was encour-
aging. It need also be said that the
work that was put in was enthus-
iastic, but what was most rewarding,
was the result - £5,500.00 for the
Benevolent Association.
The culmination of our fund
raising was the Dun Laoghaire Quiz,
which was attended by 400 people
(mainly solicitors). It was a warm
and giving host of participants,
who tried very hard to answer
some awfully difficult questions.
To carry the night, we needed
two pillars of the profession. In the
course of selection, it was decided
that both would be perpendicular
but with contrasting styles and,
accordingly, we went for an early
Corinthian and a more recent
Ionian. Moya Quinlan handled the
rowdy element, while Gerry Griffin
rubbed it in and managed to extract
the final shilling f r om t wo
anonymous bids f r om Frank
O'Riordan and Michael Peart.
The electronic score board was
devised, manufactured, erected,
controlled and operated by Brian
O'Connor, ably assisted by Dan
Murphy and it is a mark of their
success on the night that not a
single score was queried, despite a
tense tie-break towards the end.
John Larkin was the floor
manager with the inflexible smile,
which says " I 'm really worried, but
I don't show it". He was assisted
by Joe Swords, who brought most
of his family with him to make sure
the boys didn't make a mistake. It's
a measure of their efforts that
nobody noticed them all night.
There were so many prizes it
took most of the evening to give
them out. They were borrowed,
stolen or bought by Mi r i am
Reynolds and Roddy Bourke. That's
Miriam looking at you in the
photograph. We'd like you to
remember her, because we hope to
see Miriam elected to the Council
of the Law Society next year. Her
presence on the Council will ensure
the continuity of the work carried
out by the Y.M.C., which must have
a Council Member, if it is going to
be of any practical use.
There were, of course, many
others who gave their unfailing
attention to the success of these
nights over the year, to whom we
are all most grateful.
JUSTIN McKENNA
Younger Members Committee Quiz Night
Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire,
7
April 1988
At the microphone, Justin McKenna, (Y.M.C.) with Moya
Quintan, and Gerry Griffin,
Quizmasters.
Miriam Reynolds, Solicitor, Member of the
Younger Members
Committee.