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GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
While my work in debaing and the TY module is a small part of the grounding in Rhetoric
the whole school ofers, I am immensely proud to see the boys who have come through Gonzaga
dominate the University socieies as they will the Law Library. There have been too many
commitee members in the various University socieies to name here, while the last ten years
have seen an amazing run of success in the pre-eminent debaing compeiion in the State: since
2003 eight Gonzaga past pupils – Leo Mulrooney (2000), Paul Brady (1998), Sam Collins and David
Whelan (2001); Barry Glynn (2002) and Mark Murphy (2001); Stephen Boyle and most recently
Seán O’Quigley (1998) – have won The Irish Times compeiion. Some of these gentlemen may
not necessarily have had the opportunity to speak compeiively while in the school (given the
embarrassment of riches we have sufered all these years) but all atended debates, paricipated
in open and generous classroom discussion and got involved in the development of arguments
around them. Some graduates of An Chómhdháil, on the other hand, may not have debated
ater Gonzaga but show the inluence of Rhetoric in their current occupaions: John Lynham
(1999), for example, professor in the University of Honolulu or Shane O’Brien (2002) of the Dead
Cat Bounce comedy group; even musicians such as Rob Broderick or John ‘Messiah J.’ Fitzgerald
(both 1999) have certainly beneited from the grounding in public speaking, argument and
performance they received here.
When we look at debaing and the legal profession the importance of Rhetoric in Gonzaga
is clear. Look a litle further, though, at other professions where Rhetoric is an essenial
component. Perhaps we should be especially graiied by the number of Gonzaga graduates
who have gone into educaion themselves, tempted perhaps by the appeal of such an open and
generous educaional experience. To name but a few, Walter Doolin (’80), Rory O’Donovan (’95),
Jusin Howlet (’97), Michael Clark and Mark Earley (both ’99), Patrick Boland (’00), Daniel Lynch
and James Ward (both ’02) have become teachers themselves, all from a college where this was
formerly quite rare (Oliver O’Brien, 1985 and Gareth Pelly, 1992, both outstanding rhetoricians
themselves, notwithstanding). The inspiraion that the atmosphere in Gonzaga provides has
resulted in many, many eloquent young men like the one quoted at the beginning of this piece,
who coninue to live the example they saw here; that is a strength worth preserving. I hope we
have the convicion to coninue to do so.
Lar Dufy
Laurence Dufy has taught English at senior and junior level in Gonzaga since 1993. His contribuion to
debaing in the college has brought outstanding successes in naional and internaional compeiion.
GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
While my work in debaing and the TY module is a small part of the grounding in Rhetoric
the whole school ofers, I am immensely proud to see the boys who have come through Gonzaga
dominate the University socieies as they will the Law Library. There have been too many
commitee members in the various University socieies to name here, while the last ten years
have seen an amazing run of success in the pre-eminent debaing compeiion in the State: since
2003 eight Gonzaga past pupils – Leo Mulrooney (2000), Paul Brady (1998), Sam Collins and David
Whelan (2001); Barry Glynn (2002) and Mark Murphy (2001); Stephen Boyle and most recently
Seán O’Quigley (1998) – have won The Irish Times compeiion. Some of these gentlemen may
not necessarily have had the opportunity to speak compeiively while in the school (given the
embarrassment of riches we have sufered all these years) but all atended debates, paricipated
in open and generous classroom discussion and got involved in the development of arguments
around them. Some graduates of An Chómhdháil, on the other hand, may not have debated
ater Gonzaga but show the inluence of Rhetoric in their current occupaions: John Lynham
(1999), for example, professor in the University of Honolulu or Shane O’Brien (2002) of the Dead
Cat Bounce comedy group; even musicians such as Rob Broderick or John ‘Messiah J.’ Fitzgerald
(both 1999) have certainly beneited from the grounding in public speaking, argument and
performance they received here.
When we look at debaing and the legal profession the importance of Rhetoric in Gonzaga
is clear. Look a litle further, though, at other professions where Rhetoric is an essenial
component. Perhaps we should be especially graiied by the number of Gonzaga graduates
who have gone into educaion themselves, tempted perhaps by the appeal of such an open and
generous educaional experience. To name but a few, Walter Doolin (’80), Rory O’Donovan (’95),
Jusin Howlet (’97), Michael Clark and Mark Earley (both ’99), Patrick Boland (’00), Daniel Lynch
and James Ward (both ’02) have become teachers themselves, all from a college where this was
formerly quite rare (Oliver O’Brien, 1985 and Gareth Pelly, 1992, both outstanding rhetoricians
themselves, notwithstanding). The inspiraion that the atmosphere in Gonzaga provides has
resulted in many, many eloquent young men like the one quoted at the beginning of this piece,
who coninue to live the example they saw here; that is a strength worth preserving. I hope we
have the convicion to coninue to do so.
Lar Dufy
Laurence Dufy has taught English at senior and junior level in Gonzaga since 1993. His contribuion to
debaing in the college has brought outstanding successes in naional and internaional compeiion.
