The final of this year's Irish Times Debate takes place in The Chapel of Waterford Institute of Technology this Thursday, February 19th, at 7.30 p.m. The motion for the debate is that "This House believes that Ireland should put social justice before a tiger economy" and the chairman for the evening is Dick Spring TD.

The competitors, dominated by the UCD L&H, are: Caoileann Gallagher and James McDermott (UCD L&H); Ian Wright and Rossa Fanning (UCD L&H); Bairbre O'Neill and Gillian Synott (funnily enought, UCD L&H); and Muireann Ni Chinneide and Liz Barrett (UCC Philosoph, hooray!). The individual speakers are: Brid McGrath (TCD Hist); Paul Gleeson (TCD Hist); Steven Vaughan (UCC Law Society) and Colm O Conaill (UCC Philosoph).

The adjudicators for the evening are: Sile Sheehy, head of education services,

The Irish Times ; Professor Robert Trapp of Willamette University, Oregon, president of the US National Parliamentary Debate Association; M R Griffin, director, Waterford Institute of Technology; Ella Shanahan, editor, Education & Living, The Irish Times ; Tim Murphy, lecturer in law, UCC, and a former team winner of the Irish Times Debate.