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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.