Law Education for Schools
November 2017
As part of our TY Programme in Scoil Mhuire, Barrister James T Fahy visited our school to run a two day law programme. This programme took place on the 7th and 9th of November in our school. His main aim was to inform us on the basics of law in Ireland and to familiarise us students with the Irish Constitution. Basically, as he put it ‘to teach what they don’t teach at school’.
On Tuesday the 7th of November, our year group was enlightened by all things civil law. We learned many relevant facts about the several different courts, the roles of lawyers, different civil case examples etc… The information we learned is basic but it’s information that will prove valuable in our future and which is vital in developing an understanding of law. Mr Fahy also explained on how he stumbled into his career and advised us not to overplan, that you’ll usually find your path when you least expect it. He showed us many different civil cases in Ireland which fuelled heated debates and mixed opinions.
On Thursday the 9th of November, we were educated on the fundamentals of criminal law. Mr Fahy prepared an interesting presentation on several criminal cases. We were also given the chance to act out a mock trial which was a new and unusual experience for all of us. Some students enjoyed cross examining their peers while others struggled with giving the witness accounts.
Overall, we learned a lot of information in two days but the message was delivered in a fun and light-hearted way which made the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable. Mr Fahy would recite articles from the constitution and follow it with quotes from ‘Goodfellas’. Now and again he’d throw in the cúpla focal, hoping that we would understand!! We’ve seen law as a career in a whole new light. Many of the us Transition Year students weren’t even thinking about law but now understand the system and have been inspired by Mr Fahy’s determination and work ethic. We would not have seen this without this programme. It’s probably been one of the most enjoyable, educational programmes yet this year.
Written by Ada Kenny