Dateline TEL AVIVFebruary 8th, 1998The Castleknock, Co Dublin, debating team, winners of the Irish Secondary Schools' Debating Competition, represented Ireland in the World Schools' Debating Finals in Israel earlier this month. Their teacher coach, Dick Wafer reports:We won five of our eight debates and a split decision against Scotland, eventual world runnersup, before seeing our chances of reaching the finals of the World Schools' Final evaporate. Robert Philpott qualified for the individual final - only eight went through to the final of that competition.

The Irish team were, to a person, most impressive. Although it's only our third time to be represented internationally, we have put our individual stamp on the competition.

Eventual winners were Australia, who won that controversial motion That This House Would Continue To Prosecute World War 11 Criminals . That final took place in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in the presence of, among others, our ambassador Brendan Scannell.

So, while citizens queue in Jerusalem for gas masks (tourists are not permitted them) and while Patriot missiles are on alert in the Negev desert, we debated That This House Would Turn Our Swords Into Ploughshares . It's a colourful world!