Thursday, December 18, 2003

18 Dec

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

A cracker of a meeting.

Everyone was treated to a very festive and fun night out last week during the Speakeasy Toastmaster’s Christmas meeting. The venue was wonderfully decked out with Christmas lights, candles, crackers and tinsel, and the great man himself was also in attendance (Ho Ho Ho!). We were fortunate that his better half, Mrs Clause (aka Mary Buckley), also took time out of her busy schedule to organise the topics session for the night.
Having warmed up with a glass of mulled wine, members and guests were welcomed by President Pat Duggan and the meeting was underway. Toastmaster for the night was Michael Dineen who took us all through a lively and entertaining programme of speeches and topics. And indeed a great night was made even more special by the inclusion of an ‘Icebreaker’ speech – which is in fact a member’s very first speech. This was delivered by Margaret Buckley who shared with us a wonderful speech entitled ‘25 year holiday’ which described the highlights and events of the 25 years she has lived in Mallow while continually being mistaken for a visitor – a cockney accent is hard to shake off! There is no doubt that Margaret has plenty of material available to her for the many speeches we are looking forward to hearing in the future.
Jeremiah Ronayne evaluated Margaret’s speech, which was followed by a speech from Elizabeth O’ Brien entitled ‘A time for giving’. Elizabeth shared with us some Christmas and New Year’s memories, culminating with that New Year’s Day when she received the proposal – but no ring! That was soon sorted out on the very next day when, following an education in diamonds, they eventually picked one from the wide and diverse selection. Eugene O’ Connell evaluated Elizabeth’s speech.
Vivien Buckley entertained us with a hugely funny story about a Christmas dinner that went very wrong – involving a tug-of-war over the turkey between Vivien and the next door neighbour’s St Bernard. The moral of the story was in the title ‘It always pays to tell the truth’ and suffice to say that the speech evaluator, Fiona Herbert, spoke for us all when she said she would probably decline any invitation to dine at Vivien’s! At least until she gets the fence fixed.
Kieran Buckley had us all spellbound with the narration of a short play he had written himself for this evening entitled ‘The Present’. It was a beautiful and simple but emotionally complex Christmas tale which evoked in all of us the different feelings of sadness, worry, loneliness and eventually, happiness. Kieran’s speech was evaluated by Pat Sexton.
Mrs Clause (Mary Buckley) made sure that as many people as possible were on their feet to speak during the Topics session. This was done with the aid of a series of wrapped ‘seasonal’ surprises, including a Santa figure, a snowman, a piece of Christmas tree, Christmas cards, a bottle of sherry, a plum pudding, all of which she gave out as subjects for topics. Things took a non-seasonal turn when the contents of pulled crackers formed the basis of the topics – these included a motorbike and a scorpion – what would you find to say about a plastic scorpion? The whole session was great fun with occasional input from the man himself, Mr Clause (aka John Murphy) Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Our next meeting is after Christmas, on Thursday, 8th January and, as usual, guests are very welcome to attend. The meetings start at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

Thursday, December 11, 2003

11 Dec

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Notes for publication on 11th December.


At the Speakeasy Toastmasters meeting on Thursday night, 27th November, Jeremiah Ronayne entertained us with a speech entitled ‘A head for heights’ which described his own lack of a head for heights! He shared with us the trauma of climbing Mont Blanc in a series of cable cars culminating in a stomach-dropping free fall at the peak. And then having to face into the return journey knowing exactly what to expect! He keeps his feet firmly on the ground now, in every sense.
This speech was evaluated by Joan Linehan.
The final speech of the evening came from Sean Corcoran who spoke to us about ‘Going beyond our club’. While toastmaster’s activities in our own club help us to develop speaking and leadership skills, we can get extra practise and improve ourselves by participating in contests as competitors as well as judges, counters, timers and audience members. Sean finished up his speech by sharing with us some interesting insights into what can happen when you do ‘go beyond your club’! He described the eventful trip he and other club members had when they recently went to Edinburgh to support Kieran Buckley and Gerry O’ Callaghan in the District conference. I’m sure we didn’t hear the half of it!
The topics session took an interesting and novel turn when Dierdre Linehan took on the role of topics master! The lines were drawn and the members divided – into teams to fight it out in the battle of the topics. Another battle was the subject of one of the topics, i.e. the battle of the talk shows, ‘Who wins on Friday night -Dunphy or Kenny?’ Other topics included the ideal Christmas gift and - do you get your partner what they want or what they need? Some might not have liked the scoring system but didn’t the best team win?

Our next meeting is on Thursday, 11th December and as it’s our last meeting before Christmas it will be a FUN night - in keeping with the season that’s in it! This would be an excellent night to come and visit as a guest.
As usual, the meeting starts at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

Thursday, December 04, 2003

4 Dec

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Notes for publication on 4th December.

At the outset of the meeting on Thursday night both Kieran Buckley and Gerry O’ Callaghan extended sincere thanks to all those who had wished them well in the District finals in Edinburgh last week. They felt particularly privileged to be participating at a conference which was headed up by a fellow Speakeasy Toastmaster, Jeremiah Ronayne, who is the current District Governor (for Ireland and the UK).
John Dillon’s speech entitled ‘From cave to gallery’ was the first of a fine selection of speeches on the night’s programme. John shared with us his love of visiting art galleries and described the evolution and historic role of painting from prehistoric right up to modern times. He encouraged us all to experience the pleasure and power of art in Irish and other galleries. Michael McMahon evaluated John’s speech.
‘In the beginning’ was the title of Michael Buckley’s speech which was a very entertaining and humorous account of how life began. He could not accept the Theory of Evolution preferring to believe that only God could have made such perfect specimens as men. Interestingly, Michael explained the disappearance of the dinosaur as being the result of a lack of room on the ark. This speech was evaluated by John Stack.
With a speech aptly entitled ‘Mallow’s Icon’, Mary Buckley delivered a beautiful and moving speech describing a wonderful, well-known and well-loved person – the late Sr Rosarie, may she rest in peace. Mary gave us a lovely insight into the many achievements of this incredible nursing sister who spent 45 years devoting herself, her compassion and her energy to the people of Mallow. She is mourned as a very great loss to this town. Jerry Mulcahy evaluated Mary’s speech.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, 11th December and as it’s our last meeting before Christmas it will be a fun night - in keeping with the season that’s in it! This would be an excellent night to come and visit as a guest. As usual, the meeting starts at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters club you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, November 27, 2003

27 Nov

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Notes for publication on 27th November.

Members and guests at the meeting held on the 13th November heard Sean Lynch describe the importance and significance of the sayings and beliefs we learn as children, in a speech entitled ‘On my mother’s knee’. The information we receive throughout life may be positive or negative and will determine how well we will react to the situations and crises we may encounter. Noel O’ Conner evaluated Sean’s speech. The final speech of the evening was evaluated by Vivienne Buckley and was given by Gerry O’ Callaghan who had us all in gales of laughter when he delivered his prize-winning speech – ‘Toby’s Eulogy’ to the club for the second time. It gets funnier with every delivery, and I believe he gave a fine performance in Edinburgh during the District finals held on 14-16th November. By all accounts both Gerry and Kieran Buckley did us proud – again! It was a wonderful achievement for them to get to that level of competition – well done again lads.
A lively and entertaining Topics session was held following five wonderful speeches. Topics master for the evening was Mary Stack who started by asking Pat Duggan whether he enjoyed exercise or was he a ‘couch potato’. There was plenty of discussion following this topic as people debated the finer points of Pat’s favourite exercise which is hill-walking. Members and guests heard about the merits of Kilimanjaro versus Carrauntoohill - but maybe we should just take up farming if we all want to do is get wet and cold, muddy and exhausted? Other topics which were discussed included - the smoking ban, how to answer the dangerous question ‘does my bum look big in this?’ and best ever inventions. Don’t worry, guests are never asked to directly respond to a topic! However, every topic is open for discussion to everyone present once it’s thrown out to the floor.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, 27th November and, as usual, guests are very welcome to attend. The meetings start at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters club you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, November 20, 2003

20 Nov

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Notes from meeting held on Thursday, 13th November, 2003.

This week’s meeting opened with a warm welcome from our president Pat Duggan, who also took the opportunity to congratulate Kieran Buckley and Gerry O’ Callaghan on their recent success in the finals of the Division A Humorous speech and Topics competitions. On behalf of the club he also wished them the very best of luck in Edinburgh at the District finals.
The toastmaster for the evening was Ray Ryan who took us all through the meeting in a very smooth and polished manner. With his relaxed but professional manner, Ray made everyone feel comfortable and ensured that the meeting was a success.
The first speaker was Eileen Corkery who spoke about dyslexia, describing the trauma and difficulties associated with this condition which affects a surprising number of people, especially males. With the use of beautifully descriptive language Eileen guided us into the world of dyslexia, displaying her own obvious understanding and compassion for those with the condition. Eileen’s speech was evaluated by Michael Cronin. Next on the programme was Eugene O’ Connell, with a speech entitled ‘A voice in History’. The voice he spoke about was that of the 13th century middle-eastern poet and writer, Rumi whose vision of the world was inclusive of all religions and whose teachings are particularly relevant today as world leaders attempt to put in place a road map to peace in the middle-east. Pat Sexton evaluated Eugene’s speech. ‘Food for thought’ was the title of Michael Buckley’s speech which described the use of the Hay diet. Michael explained how certain food groups can be combined but that others, like the protein and starch food groups, need to be eaten at separate times in order to ensure complete digestion. Proper food combining can lead to a healthier and longer life. Michael’s speech was evaluated by Angela Sheehan.


Our next meeting is on Thursday, 27th November and, as usual, guests are very welcome to attend. The meetings start at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters club you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, November 13, 2003

13 Nov

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Congratulations, Gerry and Kieran!

Very well done to toastmasters Gerry O’ Callaghan and Kieran Buckley who each won first prize in the ‘Division A’ Humorous speech and Topics contests held last Saturday night, 1st November, in Blarney. Gerry won the Humorous speech competition with a wonderfully funny speech entitled ‘Toby’s Eulogy’. Toby was a rat, by the way. Kieran Buckley took first prize in the Topics competition. Both Gerry and Kieran made their way to these finals having first won the club competition and then the Area finals. Again, congratulations to both!

During our own meeting held on Thursday, 1st November, there was a lively and entertaining topics session conducted by the Topicsmaster for the night, Tim Ahern. The topics session as usual allowed members and guests to speak in an impromptu fashion on just about anything and this evening was no different. Topics included the ideal holiday, pre-nuptial agreements, obesity and growing old quietly. A number of people had some interesting ideas on the reasons why women live 8 years longer than men. And how would YOU introduce Ryanair’s Michael O’ Leary?

Our next meeting is on tonight, 13th November and, as usual, guests are very welcome to attend. The meetings start at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

Thursday, November 06, 2003

06/11/2003

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Notes from Speakeasy Toastmaster’s meeting (Thursday, 30/10/03)

On Thursday evening last, toastmaster Gerry Kelleher entertained fellow members and guests alike with a speech devoted to his new best friend, his mobile phone. His new friend provides him with tips, advice, jokes and most importantly keeps him in touch with his other best friends. In return Gerry keeps his best friend well kitted out in all the latest covers. Michael Cronin evaluated Gerry’s speech. Next on the programme was Elizabeth O’ Brien with a speech entitled ‘Three for a girl, four for a boy’. This very clever and entertaining speech described how Speakeasy could potentially raise funds for a local charity by publishing a calendar of male club members – a twist on the recent movie ‘The Calendar Girls’. We can’t wait! Tony O’ Regan evaluated Elizabeth’s speech. We had a visitor from the Thomond club in Limerick - Noreen O’ Brien, with a speech entitled ‘Love yourselves’. This uplifting speech was inspired by wonderful individuals including Nelson Mandela, and described three things to do to love yourself; stand tall, believe in yourself and approve of yourself. We should tell ourselves every day ‘I appreciate who I am, I love who I am.’ This speech was evaluated by Sean Lynch. Next up was Vivienne Buckley with a very moving speech called ‘Brian’s story’. Vivienne described how this blond, blue-eyed, 10 year old boy overcame very serious injuries and his mother’s ultimately fatal illness to become a gold medallist at the recent Special Olympics. With his wonderful personality, Brian was a huge hit during the games and especially during the host town’s programme. Eugene O’ Connell evaluated Vivienne’s speech. The final speech of the evening came from Sean Corcoran, who described the ‘Distinguished Club’ awards. Sean outlined the goals which must be met in order for a club to be presented with a Distinguished club award. This year Speakeasy is again aiming to achieve a ‘President’s Distinguished club’ award, which means that the club must meet at least 9 out of the 10 goals provided by Toastmasters International. And this means more ribbons for the club banner!


Our next meeting is on Thursday night, 13th November and, as usual, guests are very welcome to attend. The meetings start at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

Thursday, October 30, 2003

30 Oct

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

A mixed bag of Topics

The members of Speakeasy Toastmasters club heard five wonderful, entertaining and informative speeches last Thursday night in Chapel Lane. After the usual tea/coffee break it was back to business with the Topics session. This is the part of the meeting where individual members are asked to speak on a topic provided by the Topics Master – who was Angela Sheehan on this occasion. Typically topics can be on any subject - the main objective is to get people speaking for approximately 2 minutes, in an impromptu way. Anyone can ‘add-on’ to the topic with their own views, and speak for approximately a minute. On this evening the ideas for the topics came as ‘one-liners’, or were pulled from either of two bags; one which contained single words and the other contained a wide range of objects. For example, the objects presented for discussion included a golf ball, a rubber pint of Guinness and a boomerang. The boomerang sparked off very diverse responses including - being cautious of ‘boomerang’ words (which can come back to haunt you), holidays in Australia, and world cup rugby. The best topic award for the evening went to Margaret Buckley who entertained us with her account of a recent win on a scratch card.

Congratulations: Speakeasy Toastmasters club would like to heartily congratulate our four club members who did exceptionally well in the Area 17 Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests held in Fermoy last Tuesday, 12th October. Well done to Jerry O’ Callaghan and Michael Cronin who were in first and second place in the Humorous Speech contest, and equally well done to Kieran Buckley and Vivienne Buckley who won first and second place in the Table Topics Contest.

Date for your diary:
Saturday, 1st November, Division A final will be held in Blarney.
14 – 16th November, District Conference will be held in Edinburgh.


Our next meeting is on Thursday night, 30th October and, as usual, guests are very welcome to attend. The meetings start at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters club you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, October 23, 2003

23 Oct

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Smoking, tyres, a wedding…. Frank… and Warren Who?

You’d have been forgiven for having thought that you were in a comedy club last Thursday night at the Speakeasy Toastmasters meeting because there were non stop laughs from start to finish. And it wasn’t even the night of the Humorous speech competition. Even on serious subjects speakers managed to raise a few laughs - which can be a difficult thing to do.
Our first speaker of the night was Anne Buckley who very capably defended our right to smoke ….we all know they’re bad for us but surely self-imposed discipline is better than state-enforced prohibition? The speech was very capably evaluated by Ray Ryan. ‘Are you ready to retyre?’ asked Tim Ahern, and followed that up by asking if we were losing our grip….and we began to realise that this was no ‘typo’. Tim was talking about the need to check and replace your tyres on a routine basis before they cause a trip to the car repair shop, the hospital or worse. Mary Buckley evaluated Tim’s speech and as usual did a fine job. Fiona Herbert described her wedding day as ‘A dramatic tale’ and shared with us the wonder, excitement and anticipation she felt on the morning of her wedding. She gave a wonderful and humorous insight into the chaos that followed through the preparations – there was no mention of preparing a bathroom rota in any of the wedding magazines she had consulted! In with all the happiness and memories she felt somewhat sad at the prospect of leaving home for good. Eileen Corkery was the evaluator of this speech and gave a concise and excellent evaluation. ‘Thanks Ralph’ was the title of the speech given by Jeremiah Ronayne who spoke in praise of Ralph Smedley who was the founder of Toastmasters International. Ralph Smedley set up the first Toastmasters club in a YMCA club in the US. The first speeches were given at mealtimes and as such he called it a Toastmasters club, although the main function of the organisation was to help people with public speaking, in general. He went on to form a number of clubs in America and Canada which were separate from the YMCA. Today there are in the region of 10,000 toastmaster clubs worldwide. Jeremiah’s speech was evaluated by the experienced Noel o’ Connor. The final speech of the night came from Pat Sexton who asked and answered the question ‘Warren who?’ This speech was delivered as an appreciation for a musician – Warren Zevon - who was greatly admired by the music world but remained generally unknown by the album-buying public. Zevon’s music was described to us as strange and dark, with ‘a lot of blood in these epic tales’. The evaluation was given by the brave Michael Cronin – and it has to be described as the most hilarious evaluation that most of us had ever heard!

Our next meeting is on Thursday night, 30th October and, as usual, guests are very welcome to attend. The meetings start at 8:00 pm and we ask everyone to be at The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) at 7:50 pm.

If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters club you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, October 16, 2003

16 Oct

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

More tales from the Humorous Speech Competition

The fourth speech given on the night of the Humorous speech competition came from Michael Cronin who described with great humour how he went about getting a tooth implanted, in a speech called ‘Long in the tooth’. This tale involved an unexpected visit to the gynaecologist, an astronaut fantasy on the dentist’s chair, loads of blood and finally a paralysing bill – the price of six whitehead bullocks! ‘Toby’s Eulogy’ was given by Gerry O’ Callaghan, who arrived complete with small, black, coffin-shaped box, (containing poor Toby, we assume). Toby, it turned out, was a rat who had departed this life after a very full and adventurous life as a party animal, who was partial to ‘a drop’. Toby was killed by a dropped collection plate – fulfilling the prophesy that he would come in contact with money. More laughter followed with Sean Corcoran’s description of his attempt to reach his godchild’s christening on time, despite the best efforts of his brother-in-law, his injured ‘Keith Woods lookalike leg’, a wrong turn and a faulty clutch. The return home was no better as an apparently full petrol tank turned out to be running on empty. Thirteen years later Sean is still looking for the lesson to be learned from it all! The final speech of the evening came from John Dillon who shared with us a wonderfully humorous account of his attempts to understand the meaning of ‘Pen names and poetic licence’ while testing the patience of his unfortunate teacher with all of his questions. But the teacher’s annoyance was nothing to the aggravation caused to John by the hated ‘Gifford’ who knew everything including what John was ‘trying to say’.
The competition was won by Michael Cronin and in second place was Gerry O’ Callaghan. Congratulations to both and best of luck in the forthcoming Area final in Fermoy, on Tuesday, 14th October at 8:00 pm. Guests are welcome to attend.

Our next meeting is on Thursday night, 16th October and as usual, guests are very welcome to attend.
If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters club you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, October 09, 2003

9 Oct

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Humorous Speech Competition

Speakeasy Toastmaster Club members and guests were treated to a great night’s entertainment last Thursday night on the occasion of the Humorous Speech competition. Seven competitors provided loads of laughs with seven very diverse but very funny speeches. The first speaker of the night was Angela Sheehan with a speech called ‘Run, Mummy, Run’ which described how she went from being a committed walker to a first time Mini-Marathon runner, to her own and her family’s surprise. However, in the end they weren’t a bit surprised when she did manage to make it to the finishing line. In the next speech we were entertained by Ray Ryan’s descriptions of how he had been tormented by wasps all of his life and we were all encouraged to take up arms against them in an ‘Autumnal Slaughter’. Make sure that you pulverize the wasp well however, because they have been known to come back to life. Another of Nature’s creatures featured in Vivienne Buckley’s speech entitled ‘Do you realise how important I am?’ In her role as head of Team Ireland this summer she came in very close contact with an elephant who did not realise how important she was. Nor did the members of the Civil Defence who were all determined that she would not enjoy a night out during the recent world games in Dublin. However Vivienne concluded that the really important people there had to be all of the members of Team Ireland, even including the lassie who described her as ‘the little one with the big mouth’!
Toastmaster for the night was Rita Foley who expertly acted as contest chair for the competition. A wide range of topics were provided by Dermot Meaney and included such subjects as the planning laws, David Beckham’s possible return, recycling, increasing the retirement age, and what you would do with a Lotto win. During the Table Topics session, members also spoke about farming as a new career and whether or not Christmas comes too early.

Our next meeting is on Thursday night, 16th October and as usual, guests are very welcome to attend.
If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, September 25, 2003

25 Sept

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow



Speakeasy club president Pat Duggan welcomed the large number of members and guests to the second Toastmasters meeting of the year. Our Toastmaster for the evening was Gerry O’ Callaghan who took us all through the evening’s programme which was packed with speeches, table topics and a table topics competition.
The first speaker was Ray Ryan who strongly disagreed with John Yeats – Autumn is NOT the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. It is the time for ‘Autumnal Slaughter’ as his speech title indicated. He urged everyone to join him in killing every wasp on sight as they had tormented and terrorised him since boyhood. Things took a completely different turn as we were treated to a wonderful demonstration on how to create ‘Sweetie Street’. Margaret O’ Regan described, with all the necessary ingredients, how to ice and decorate a kid’s birthday cake. The finished article was complete with front gardens and name plates and Margaret gave a colourful description of the important people who lived here in the ‘Shrewsbury road’ of birthday cakes…including the International Sports Event Organiser Vivienne Buckley and the politically connected ‘O Callaghans. You could possibly learn about the art of cake decoration during one of the evening classes suggested by Noel O’ Conner in his speech entitled ‘Activities’. Noel outlined all of the social and personal benefits of taking up either a physical or mental activity for the Winter months. Finally we heard a very moving story from Marie Fitzpatrick who shared with us a chance encounter which lead to a friendship with a family of fellow tourists in the Blasket Islands. Marie described the despair, horror and finally hope felt by that family after the discovery that their son was found to be suffering from a very serious illness.
As always each of the speeches was evaluated by club members. On this occasion we heard four excellent evaluations from John Dillon, Fiona Herbert, Michael Donegan and Pat Sexton. The role of evaluation is very important in providing the speakers with very valuable feedback and helps them to improve their public speaking techniques.
Every speech is timed and as such the role of Timekeeper is very important. On this evening both William Healy and Anne Buckley did an excellent job as Timekeepers for the regular speeches and during the Topics contest.
Another important part of the meeting – the Table Topics session was conducted by Vivienne Buckley. Topics directed at fellow toastmasters included what would you most like to do before you die, what drives David Blaine, the dangers of the internet and the quality of airline service. As usual there was a spirited and interesting response to these topics.
Don’t forget ….next Saturday, 27th September, Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow will have an information stand at Tesco’s Mallow, from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. It will be attended by members of Speakeasy Toastmasters and who will be delighted to chat with any member of the public about the club, it’s activities and our own personal experiences and achievements.

As usual, guests are very welcome to attend club meetings. If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, September 18, 2003

18 Sept

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Second meeting of 2003/2004

With such a terrific start to the year last Thursday night, Speakeasy Toastmasters club is looking forward to their second meeting on Thursday, 18th September at 8:00 pm during which night the club Table Topics Contest will be held. This is a competition where toastmaster members are asked to speak briefly and off the cuff on a given topic – usually leading to a very interesting and entertaining night. The first and second place winners go on to compete in the area finals to be hosted by Fermoy Toastmasters club on the 14th October.

During last week’s meeting Jeremiah Ronayne gave a speech during which he presented the club with the ‘President’s Distinguished Club’ award. In many ways the club’s success has been due to the commitment and hard work of individuals like Jeremiah who go on to contribute equally well at international level within Toastmasters. Jeremiah has a very challenging role this year as Area Governor covering all of the toastmasters clubs in Ireland and the UK and represents this district in the US – a very big job! As a club we are very proud of Jeremiah’s success within toastmasters worldwide.

Do you know what Toastmasters can do for YOU?….Find out on Saturday 27th September when Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow will have an information stand at Tesco’s Mallow, from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. It will be attended by members of Speakeasy Toastmasters and we would be delighted to chat with any member of the public about the club, it’s activities and our own personal experiences and achievements.

As usual, guests are very welcome to attend club meetings. If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters you can ring Angela at 022 51071 or Sean at 022 22755 for information. Or you can log onto our website; www.clix.to/speakeasy. The club’s e-mail address is speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, September 11, 2003

11 Sept

Speakeasy Toastmasters Mallow

Terrific first meeting of 2003/2004

The incoming president Pat Duggan opened the meeting with a very warm welcome to all members and especially all of the many visitors including those from the newly formed Macroom club. He also wished Jeremiah Ronayne all the very best of luck for the coming year in his new role as Area Governor. Toastmaster Eileen Corkery took us all through the programme for the evening, introducing some very fine speeches. Michael Cronin was the first speaker of the night with a short speech entitled ‘Back to the Good Times’ in which he ‘toasted’ the club itself and asked ‘what brings us all back for more’ to Speakeasy Toastmasters each year? The answer was summed up by Michael as ‘learning, laughter and lasting friendships’. Michael’s speech was evaluated by Dermot Meaney. Next up was John Murphy who spoke about the short stay he had recently in Dublin where as his speech title indicated ‘I walked among people but was invisible’. He described how he commuted by bus and train and on foot and realised that the other commuters on his route took no notice of anyone including himself. They were tuned into their own choice of media via the earpieces he noticed in virtually every ear. He described how glad he was to get back to Mallow where he would be frequently stopped for a word or two about the latest match or some other topic as he walked from A to B, and he realised he was happy to be no longer invisible. John’s speech was evaluated by William Healy. The third speech of the evening came from Michael Walsh with a highly entertaining speech about his schooldays at the ‘Partition Academy’ entitled ‘Back to School’. We heard some classic excuses about why he didn’t have his speech with him – including having brought the wrong copy! Michael described how he enjoyed his first day but on the second day had a new experience – he didn’t want to go. It was a hilarious account of his days in both primary and secondary school. He really enjoyed his schooldays but only now realises it! Kay Quirke had the pleasure of evaluating Michael’s speech. On a more serious note we heard from Tony O Regan who spoke about the importance of implementing high yielding farm methods in order to meet the demands of the projected worldwide population explosion. With a speech entitled ‘The mud on your shoes’ Tony lead us through some very surprising statistics including the fact that the worldwide population is increasing by 80-85 million consumers/year ‘i.e. another Mexico every year’ and will peak at 8 or 9 billion people by 2050. This means an extra 3 billion people to be fed and a doubling of food demand as a result. He concludes that high yielding efficient farming practises rather than low yielding organic methods are essential in order to meet increased food demand while leaving room for essential wildlife habitats. Tony’s speech was evaluated by Claire O’ Keefe. Our final speaker of the evening was the new Area Governor Jeremiah Ronayne who presented the immediate past president Pat Sexton with the ‘President’s Distinguished Club’ award. With a short speech entitled ‘Here’s to your success’ from the Special Occasions manual, Jeremiah explained that Speakeasy Toastmasters had won this award having achieved 10 out of 10 goals last year and were one of only 10 clubs in our district to do so. He commended Pat Sexton on his contributions to the club from it’s beginnings and especially as president to the club in it’s 10th year. Margaret O’ Regan evaluated Jeremiah’s presentation. The speeches were followed by a very entertaining Topics section which was conducted by John Stack. Topics ranged from summer activities to penalty points, new farming proposals, the smoking ban and legalisation of cannabis. The topics initiated lively discussions as usual with plenty of contributions from members and guests. With such a terrific start to the year, Speakeasy Toastmasters club is looking forward to their second meeting on Thursday, 18th September, during which night the club Table Topics competition will be held. As usual, guests are very welcome to attend club meetings. If you would like to know more about Speakeasy Toastmasters you can ring 022 51071 or 022 22755 for information.

Thursday, May 29, 2003

29 May

“The Conspiracy” was the title of Noel O’Connor’s speech at the Speakeasy Toastmasters Meeting on Thursday May 15’th. The aim of Noel’s speech was “Bringing History to Life” in which he had to “understand the purpose of stories of historical events or people and to use the storytelling skills developed in the proceeding projects.” “ The topic I am covering tonight is The Donaraile Conspiracy,” said Noel as he went on to tell us that the story started in the year 1829 and it had its origins in the days of the White boys which started in Co. Tipperary. Noel then went on to tell us of the people involved in the conspiracy, how it evolved and how it ended in the courts with the famous Daniel O’Connell defending, successfully most of those charged. Noel presented many fascinating facts and dates all delivered without the use of notes.
Claire O’Keeffe evaluated Noel’s speech.
Michael Cronin was next to the lectern with an advanced speech from The Speciality Speeches Manual, Stage 3. Sell A Product in which he had to “understand the relationship of sales technique and persuasion.”. The title of Michael’s speech was “The Prescription”. “I have the answer, something that will inspire, invigorate, make you happy, give you wisdom, and even at times make you very mad and no it’s not a new wonder drug from the Pfizer Corporation” began Michael. Who went on to explain that for the most of us quotations were what we saw at the bottom of a calendar page but tonight he had the answer and he was going to sell it to us. It was “The Little Book” series of quotations in which there were six books, “one for every mood that we may have” Michael read a selection of quotations from the books, such as. “George W Bush on Pollution, “It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment it’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.” And from the Rev. Ian Paisley, “I never made an inflammatory statement in my life”
Tony O’Regan evaluated Michael’s speech.
And the final speaker of the evening was Elizabeth O’Brien with a speech entitled “What’s Another Year?” Elizabeth was completing her 41’st Toastmasters speech and qualified for the Advanced Toastmaster-Gold Award. Elizabeth told us that it was 8 years ago since she gave her first speech in Toastmasters. She then brought us on a journey over the last 8 years telling us of her achievements both in Toastmasters and outside culminating in her recent marriage to William Healy, also a member of Speakeasy Toastmasters. Her fellow Club members enjoyed immensely, all of Elizabeth’s speeches over that period of time and are eagerly looking forward to many more in the future.
Pat Sexton evaluated Elizabeth’s speech.
Angela Sheehan then conducted a Table Topics session with a difference. Instead of her giving the members a topic to speak on she allowed them to choose one themselves by dipping into a paper bag (recyclable of course) and speaking for two minutes on the word that they picked out. “Stress” was the lucky dip word that William Healy choose for himself. “Tidy Towns,” was the topic that Ray Ryan got. Tim Ahern pulled “Mobile Phones” from the bag and “Tipping” was Pat Sexton’s topic.
Joan Lenihan conducted the evaluation session in which all the speakers received feedback from their assigned Evaluators who were in turn evaluated by Joan. Joan also evaluated the meeting as a whole and then presented ribbons to Micháel McMahon for best speech, Kieran Buckley for Best Evaluation and Pat Sexton for best topic.
The Speakeasy Toastmasters Club meet tonight, Thursday May 29’th in the Hibernian Hotel, Chapel Lane, for the last meeting of this season. It is the Club’s CTM night in which a number of members will receive their Competent Toastmasters Award.
As always, Guests/Members of the public are very welcome to attend Club meetings and will never be asked to speak. For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, May 22, 2003

22 May

Last Thursday Night, May 15’th was one of two very special nights in the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club calendar. It was the night in which 5 members reached their Advanced Toastmaster Award. Toastmasters, Jerry Mulcahy, Micheál McMahon and Noel Ó’Connor, ATM-Bronze (ATM-B). Michael Cronin, ATM-Silver (ATM-S) and Elizabeth Ó’Brien, ATM-Gold (ATM-G).
President, Pat Sexton opened the meeting by welcoming the 40 members and guests and Introduced the Toastmaster for the night, John Murphy. It was John’s first time as Toastmaster and as he introduced himself and explained the function of his role and told us to think of him as “a best man at a wedding”. John introduced the other officers for the night, Topicsmaster, Angela Sheehan. General Evaluator, Joan Lenihan. Timekeeper, Mary Buckley and Sergeants At Arms, Kay Quirke and Elaine Ó’Donovan.
John then introduced the first speaker of the evening, Michael Walsh who was presenting a Stage 8 speech entitled “The Little Rose”. “There are three certainties in life”, began Michael, “we are born, we live and we die”. He then went on to outline his views on death, funerals etc with just the right blend of humour for such a sensitive subject and pointing out that people can spare the time to attend funerals and maybe it would be more beneficial to spend the same amount of time with the person when they were alive. Michael finished by reciting a poem called “The Little Rose” which began with the line “I would rather have a little rose from the garden of a friend, than to have the choicest flowers when my stay on earth must end”
Sean Corcoran evaluated Michael’s speech.
After Michael it was the turn of Jerry Mulcahy to take the lectern with a speech entitled “The Roots”. Jerry was speaking from the Speciality Speeches Manual, “Speaking Off The Cuff” in which he had to prepare and deliver an impromptu speech. Jerry had 5 speeches prepared for the night but was called to deliver just one which was chosen by Michael Donegan just seconds before he took the lectern. Jerry began by telling us the history of the “Allotment” which was a small piece of ground that families grew vegetables on and were issued just after the 2’nd World War. The people who worked these allotments became experts at managing the ground and also at waste management. Crops were harvested only when they were to be eaten and Jerry pointed out the differences between the fresh vegetables from the allotments and the dried and frozen vegetables that are sold today.
Michael Donegan evaluated Jerry’s speech.
“Pity The Poor Millionaire” was the title of Micheál McMahon’s speech which was a project from The Storytelling Manual, “The Moral Of The Story”, the aims of which were, to understand that a story can be entertaining and yet display moral values and to “create” a new story that offers a lesson or moral.
He told the story of Johnny Collins who was born in 1885 and was the youngest of 21 children, 16 of whom survived. He was reared by the 5 sisters who were the stair steps immediately ahead of him. These sisters kept Johnny wrapped in cotton wool and they were inseparable all their lives. Eventually Johnny was the only one left alive, rich but naïve to the ways of the world.
Kieran Buckley evaluated Micheál’s speech.
Topicsmaster Angela Sheehan then kept us both entertained and on our toes with her chosen topics.
“What annual televised event is a must for you?” she asked Deirdre Lenihan who had to speak unprepared for 2 minutes. “Was President, Mary McAleese, correct to air our dirty laundry in public” she asked Donal O’Leary. This topic also produced “add-ons” when Jerry O’Callaghan, Joan Lenihan, Micheál McMahon and Dermot Meaney all had their say on the subject. “Is it a good idea to introduce 3’rd level fees again?” was the topic that Ellen Broderick was asked. Ray Ryan and Pat Sexton had opinions on this one. On a subject that was aired on the Joe Duffy Show during the week, “What do you think of students going for foreign holidays after finishing their exams?” Was the question that Marie Fitzpatrick was asked which prompted an add-on by Joan Lenihan.
“Studies show that Irish people are becoming obese, what do you think what can be done about it” was the topic that Jeremiah Roynane was asked.
President, Pat Sexton presented certificates to Toastmasters, Jerry Mulcahy, Micheál McMahon and Noel Ó’Connor, ATM-Bronze (ATM-B). Michael Cronin, ATM-Silver (ATM-S) and Elizabeth Ó’Brien, ATM-Gold (ATM-G). Pat also made a presentation to Jeremiah Roynane to mark Jeremiah’s recent election to District 71 Governor. District 71 encompasses all Toastmasters Clubs in Ireland and Great Britain and the members of Speakeasy Toastmasters are both honoured and delighted that one of their fellow Club members has been elected to such a high profile position in Toastmasters International. Congratulations also to Speakeasy Members, Dermot Meaney who was appointed District 71 Secretary and Tony O’Regan who has been appointed District 71 Treasurer.
The next and final meeting of Speakeasy Toastmasters takes place on May 29’th in the Hibernian Hotel, Chapel Lane and will be the Club’s CTM Night.
As always, Guests/Members of the public are very welcome to attend Club meetings and will never be asked to speak. For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, May 15, 2003

15 May

At the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club meeting on the Thursday 1’st May “Them Bones, Them Bones” was the title of a speech delivered by Barry McCarthy. Barry was delivering a speech from the Advanced Manuals in which he had to, “Prepare a report on a situation event or problem of interest to the audience and answer questions from the audience” Barry brought along Dennis whom he proceeded to hand from the pillar. Dennis was of course a skeleton and Barry brought us through the body’s skeletal system. He explained the purpose of the different bones, their make up and injuries that bones may receive. When he had finished his presentation he conducted a very informative question and answer session.
Pat Sexton evaluated Barry’s speech.
The final speaker of the evening was Noel O’Connor with a project from the “Storytelling Manual”, “The Touching Story”, the objectives of which are “to understand the techniques available to arouse emotion and to become skilled in arousing emotion while telling a story”. The title of Noel’s speech was “ A Bundle of Joy” in which he told the story of the birth of his last foal. “Mare’s are the only animal in the world that can stop labour and start again when no one is watching” said Noel as he went on to tell us of short life of the foal.
Tony O’Regan evaluated Noel’s speech.
After the speeches Topicsmaster Ray Ryan kept us entertained with his topics. “Do you think that the property price boom will continue” he asked Tim Ahern who had to speak for two minutes without preparation.
“A charge €4 per bag of rubbish is being introduced, do you think it is fair?” was the topic that Mary Buckley answered. “If you were elected President of Toastmasters International what would your slogan be?” he asked of Jeremiah Roynane which brought some humorous interjections from other members.
After the topics session General Evaluator, Micheál McMahon conducted the evaluation session, which is the part of the meeting, where the speeches are evaluated. As there are no instructors etc in Toastmasters, it is the members themselves who tell the speakers what way they fulfilled the aims of their speeches and issue recommendations. Micheál also evaluated the meeting and expressed his opinion on the way it was run and how the officers performed. He also presented ribbons to, Noel O’Connor for best speaker, John Murphy for best topic answered and best evaluator to Tony O’Regan.
The next meeting of The Speakeasy Toastmasters Club is tonight, Thursday 15’th of May and will be the Club’s ATM night. As always, Guests/Members of the public are very welcome to attend Club meetings and will never be asked to speak. For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, May 08, 2003

8 May

At the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club meeting on the 1’st May in The Hibernian Hotel, ( Chapel Lane) Mallow, President, Pat Sexton welcomed the 40 members and guests and introduced Jerry Mulcahy who was Toastmaster for the evening. Jerry explained his role and introduced the officers for the evening who were Ray Ryan, Topicsmaster, Timekeeper, Deirdre Lenihan, General Evaluator, Micheál Mc Mahon, and Sgt. At Arms, Elaine O’Donovan and Kay Quirke. As there was a busy programme and the AGM as well Jerry started the programme immediately and introduced the first speaker of the evening, Ann Buckley. Ann was presenting a Stage 2 speech entitled “Fairytale Come True”. “As children we are fed on romantic fairytales of happy couples which rarely tell us what happens to these couples when they move on with their lives.” Said Ann, who went on to tell us about the effect of modern living and which can result in stress. Ann pointed out the various different conditions that can lead to stress and ways to avoid them. She also had a handout for everyone in the audience.
Angela Sheehan evaluated Ann’s speech.
After Ann it was the turn of Guest Speaker, Michael Buckley from the Crusaders Toastmasters Club with a stage 4 speech entitled, “Farewell To Famine” which was the story of Thomas Hoar who was born in 1795 and went on to be ordained a priest and then Parish Priest in Wexford. It was the time of the famine and Fr Hoar organized a mass exodus to Arkansas where the local bishop was looking for Catholic families to populate his dioceses. The decadences of these emigrants can be found there to this day.
Michael Cronin evaluated Michael’s speech.
Next to the lectern was Michael Donegan with a speech from and Advanced Manual entitled “The Bill”.
“Ladies and Gentlemen we are gathered here this evening at this memorial service to pay tribute to our dear friend Bill who passed away just a few short weeks ago” began Michael who told the story of Bill who left his native Mayo and took the emigrant boat to England. Michael traced Bill’s life, working on the building sites, coming home and working in Dublin. Meeting Maureen from our own town and coming to live locally and his involvement in the local community to his death.
Eileen Corkery evaluated Michael’s speech.

Topicsmaster was Ray Ryan who kept us on our toes and entertained with some his topics. “If you found a €50 note on the street, what would you do with it?” he asked Michael Walsh, whose answer had us “in knots” laughing. Add on’s were provided by Deirdre Lenihan and also having her say on the topic was guest, Ciara O’Keeffe.
“How do you define a true gentleman”, Kay O’Keeffe was asked, which produced an “add on” by Pat Duggan.
“What was the most difficult topic you were ever asked at a Toastmasters meeting” was asked of Marie Fitzpatrick.
John Murphy was asked, “Have you any summer holiday planned”?

Speakeasy Toastmasters AGM.
The AGM of the Club was also held on Thursday, which began with Club Secretary, Angela Sheehan reading the minutes of the last AGM. Reports were presented by the outgoing officers, Sgt. At Arms, Kay Quirke, PRO Sean Corcoran, Treasurer, Jerry Mulcahy EVP Pat Duggan and President Pat Sexton.
The members of the incoming committee for (September) 2003-2004 are, President, Pat Duggan. Vice President Education (EVP), Sean Corcoran. Vice President Public Relations (PRO), Angela Sheehan. Vice President Membership, Mary Buckley. Secretary, Ray Ryan. Treasurer, Micheál Dineen. Sgt. At Arms, Deirdre Linehan, John Murphy and Michael Walsh.

The next meeting of The Speakeasy Toastmasters Club in on Thursday 15’th of May and will be the Club’s ATM night. As always, Guests/Members of the public are very welcome to attend Club meetings and will never be asked to speak. For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Monday, May 05, 2003

5 June

Last Thursday evening the 29’Th of May in Chapel Lane, The Hibernian Hotel, saw the final meeting in the current Speakeasy Toastmasters Club calendar. 42 members and guests attended to hear Pat Sexton preside over his final meeting as President of the Club. It was another very special meeting as two of the members were achieving their CTM Award, (Competent Toastmaster) Mary Buckley and Sean Corcoran. Two more members achieved Advanced Toastmasters Awards, Jeremiah Roynane, ATM-S (Advanced Toastmaster- Silver) and Barry McCarthy, ATM-B (Advanced Toastmaster Bronze). Pat Sexton also presented plaques to the first President of the Speakeasy Club, Joe O’Connor (1993-94) and Ann Coughlan (1994-95) and he outlined the fantastic contributions the both had made the Club and that it was their leadership when the Club was in it’s infancy that made the Club the success that it is today. Pat also made a presentation to Club Members Ellen Broderick and Micháel Dineen who are getting married during the summer.
Pat Duggan (incoming President) was Toastmaster for the evening and he introduced the other officers on the programme, Jerry Mulcahy, Topicsmaster; Timekeeper, Tim Ahern; General Evaluator, Michael Cronin and Sgt’s at Arms Elaine O’Donovan and Kay Quirke.
The first speaker of the evening was John Murphy with a Stage 2 Speech entitled “The Part We Play” and his evaluator was Kay Quirke.
“Soul Searching” was the title of Barry McCarthy’s speech which was from the Advanced Manuals and Margaret O’Regan was his Evaluator.
Jeremiah Roynane’s speech was a monologue with the title “What Are They Marching For?” and was evaluated by Marie Fitzpatrick.
“Waste Not” was the title of Sean Corcoran’s speech which was evaluated by Claire O’Keeffe and the final speech of the night was “Life Is What You Make It” by Mary Buckley which was evaluated by Eileen Corkery.
Topicsmaster, Jerry Mulcahy kept us entertained and alert with his chosen Table Topics. “Couples may now chose to get married anywhere, what is your opinion on this?” he asked Eileen Corkery. Margret O’Regan and Michael Cronin had their say on this topic also, with Michael offering the use of his silage pit for anyone interested. “Is Mallow in need of a top grade hotel?” was the topic for Noel O’Connor. “Is Ireland too dear for tourists?” was Sean Corcoran’s topic and Mary Stack had a contribution to this topic. “Do we have a two tier health system” was the topic for Claire O’Keeffe with Barry McCarthy offering his opinion also. “Do Traffic Wardens do a good job?” was the topic for Micheál Dineen and Pat Sexton had his say here. “Should there be more emphasis on safety during the summer holidays?” Jerry Kelleher was asked and Mary Stack had an opinion on this one and finally “Was there a reason for England’s, no vote, in the Eurovision Song Contest?” was Joe O’Connor’s topic with an add on from Ellen Broderick.
On Sunday 25’th of May, the Club’s Annual Magical Mystery Tour took place in which members left Mallow by bus at 11.30 am to a destination know only to Club President, Pat Sexton. After a journey which took us through Limerick and Ennis and on through Gort towards Galway, we found ourselves gazing at the beautiful scenery along the southern shores of Galway Bay as we passed through Kinvara and Ballyvaughan before arriving at our destination which turned out to be The Alwee Cave. The day remained sunny and warm and we spend a pleasant couple of hours in the vicinity of the cave, including a guided tour of the cave itself. Then it was off again on a journey which took us through the wonderful Burren for our next stop which turned out to be the Cliffs Of Moher where another hour of so was spent admiring the beautiful scenery. The return journey took us along the coast as far as Lahinch and then it was back as far as Limerick where we had a beautiful meal in The Unicorn. On the final leg of the journey back to Mallow members of the group showed that they had more talents than public speaking as “the crack was ninety”
Club Meetings resume again on September 4’th when another exciting, action packed, entertaining year for Speakeasy Toastmasters begins. Information on the Club, photographs and events in from the Club’s activities can be seen by surfing to the Club’s Website, www.clix.to/speakeasy

Thursday, May 01, 2003

1 May

Speakeasy Toastmasters Club.
At the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club meeting of Wednesday 17’th of April Jerry Mulcahy delivered an advanced speech entitled “Encourage and Recommend” in which he told us how the benefits that he got from the members evaluating his speeches in the Club gave him “the courage and the idea to start a Toastmasters Club in Cope Foundation”. The name of the Club is “The Nice And Easy Toastmasters Club. Jerry gave us an insight into how this Club operates; the assistance that he got from the other Toastmasters clubs and also the many benefits that that the members of “Nice And Easy” get from being involved in a Toastmasters Club.
Jerry’s speech was evaluated by Tim Casey.
Also delivering an advanced speech was Jerry O’Callaghan whose project was to make an after dinner speech and he choose to make the speech at his “retirement function” (just for Toastmaster purposes). It was entitled “Reflections” and was a humorous look at his working life, the people he knew over the years and the people who influenced him.
Marie Fitzpatrick evaluated Jerry’s speech.
The final speech of the evening was a Toastmaster Educational Session, which was delivered by Immediate Past President, Dermot Meany. Dermot informed the attendance how Toastmaster Club Committees work, the positions available on the committee and the function of the different roles. This was a timely speech by Dermot as the Club AGM takes place tonight, Thursday 1’st of May.
Topicsmaster Mary Buckley entertained us with such topics as “Childrens birthday Parties”, Elaine Ó’Donovan was asked. This topic also produced “add ons” from Pat Duggan, Deirdre Lenihan, Mary Stack and Tony Ó’ Regan. “The number one addiction in Ireland today is” was the topic given to Jerry Kelleher. “There’s no show like a Joe show” was the topic that Kieran Buckley had to speak for two minutes on. “Tied to Mama’s apron strings” Tony Ó’ Regan was asked and it prompted, “Add ons” from Jeremiah Roynane, Pat Sexton and Jerry Ó’Callaghan. The topic Eileen Corkery was asked was, “Would the price of easter eggs or the calories worry you most?” and Jerry Mulcahy and Marie Fitzpatrick had their say on this one.
Jeremiah Roynane conducted the evaluation session and presented ribbons to Angela Sheehan for best speech,
Kay Quirke as best evaluator and Jerry Kelleher as best topic.

Tripartite Meeting, Fermoy.
Members of Speakeasy Toastmasters enjoyed a very pleasant evening in the company of Toastmasters from Crusaders
Toastmasters Club and Fermoy Toastmasters on Tuesday evening, April 21’st.
The evening was hosted by Fermoy Toastmasters and also included the Area Final of the Tall Tales Contest.
Speakeasy Members who took part on the program were Deirdre Lenihan who delivered a Stage 3 speech, Kay Quirke evaluated an advanced speech, Sean Corcoran competed in the Tall Tales Contest and was the winner of the event, and Michael Cronin was General Evaluator.

10’th Aniversary Celebration Night
Almost 100 Toastmasters and Guests attended the Club’s 10’th Aniversary Celebration night in the Hibernian Hotel on Saturday last, 26’th April. Toastmaster for the evening was Tony O’Regan who introduced five memorable speakers and speeches from the last 10 years. The speakers were Matt Lawlee, Joan Lenihan, Eileen Corkery, Kieran Buckley and Jerry Kelleher. Club President, Pat Sexton spoke on the history of the club and also on the Presidents of each year and the invaluable contributions that each made to the Club. The Presidents were, 1993/94 Joe O'Connor, 1994/95 Ann Coughlan, 1995/96 Matt Lawlee, 1996/97 John Stack, 1997/98 Marie Fitzpatrick, 1998/99 Jeremiah Roynane, 1999/00 Kieran Buckley, 2000/01 Michael Cronin’
2001/002 Dermot Meaney. Pat made a presentation to each, and in turn received a presentation from Club Secretary, Angela Sheehan. Speakeasy members were delighted to see so many past members of the Club present and also the many friends from other Toastmaster Clubs who joined in the celebrations.

AGM.
The next meeting of Speakeasy Toastmasters Club will take place tonight, Thursday 1’st May at 8pm Sharp. The Club will also hold their AGM tonight at the conclusion of the regular club meeting.
For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, April 24, 2003

24 April

Speakeasy Toastmasters Club.
10Year Anniversary Celebration Evening.
Members and friends of the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club, Mallow will celebrate 10 very successful years with a Celebration Evening in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow on Saturday 26’th April. The evening will consist of Dinner, a short selection of memorable speeches and a 60’s/70’s disco.
It will be a marvelous opportunity for present and former members from the Speakeasy Club and members of other Toastmasters Clubs in the Division to meet and renew friendships.
Meeting of Wednesday 16’th.
Members and guests attending the meeting of Wednesday 16’th of April experienced, once again, what can only described as a feast of typical toastmasters entertainment as seven highly entertaining and informative speeches were delivered on the night.
President, Pat Sexton welcomed the 40 members and guests and introduced John Dillon was Toastmaster for the evening John explained his role and introduced his fellow officers for the evening, Topicsmaster Mary Buckley, Timekeeper, Ann Buckley, General Evaluator, Jeremiah Roynane and Sgt’s at Arms, Kay Quirke and Elaine O’Donovan.
The first speaker of the evening was Deirdre Linehan with a Stage 2 speech entitled “It’s A Fat Thing”. “We are all consumers and we must all eat to live but have you thought of the facts about what you eat?” began Deirdre, as she wet on to explain to us about the fat content of various foodstuffs.” She explained where to find the nutritional value of foodstuffs using items from a typical basked and more importantly, how to convert figure out the true fat content of an item when only the weight of fat is given and that is, one gram of fat is nine calories.
Michael Walsh evaluated Dierdre’s speech..
Then it was the turn of John Holmes with a Stage 3 Speech entitled “Always Look On The Bright Side”. “Let me take you back to the era of the seventies”, began John who went on to tell us of an incident that happened to him when he was going to college. It was a potentially embarrassing situation, going around the school with a handbag, but the end result was ok.
John’s speech was evaluated by Kay Quirke.
After John it was the turn of Micheál Dineen with a Stage 4 Speech intriguing title of “Let Your Body Do The Talking”.” Communication is not just about what you say, if fact is it far more to do with how you say it”, said Micheál as he went on to tell us the importance of body language as you speak to someone. Examples of non-verbal communications include, eye contact, facial gestures, body motion, body posture and vocal tone.
Micheál then went on to give us some examples of body posture and the different kind of handshakes and what they may mean.
Pat Duggan evaluated Micheál’s speech.
“Who is Paul Kane?” was the title of Angela Sheehan’s Stage 7 Speech. Angela told us of the time she lived in Canada and one day going to an art gallery in Ottawa and seeing works by a painter named Paul Kane. She discovered that he was born in Mallow on Sept. 10’th 1810. He painted many pictures of the native Indians. Angela read 3 excerpts from the book “Wanderings of an Artist”.
Sean Corcoran evaluated Angela’s speech.
The next meeting of The Speakeasy Toastmasters Club is on Thursday 1’st May at the usual venue in The Hibernian Hotel at 8pm sharp
For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, April 17, 2003

17 April

Speakeasy Toastmasters Club.
At the Speakeasy Toastmasters meeting in The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) on April the Guest Speaker, was Eugene O’Connell with a speech entitled “The Last of the Bonesetters” in which he told the story of the Bonesetter and their place in Irish History and the other various roles that they played in Irish Society. Eugene was doing a Stage 7 Speech from “The Communication and Leadership Manual” the objectives of which were “to bring together and apply the communication skills that he has learned in the preceding projects”
Michael Donegan evaluated Eugene’s speech.
The final speech of the evening was by Barry Mc’Carthy and was entitled “The breath of life”. It speech was from the “Speaking to Inform” manual in which Barry spoke about the importance of first aid at the scene of an accident. Barry also gave a very comprehensive demonstration on the correct way to perform CPR using a mannequin.
Joan Lenihan evaluated Barry’s speech.
After the speeches Topicsmaster Kay Quirke entertained us with here topics. “New Time” was the topic she asked Mary Stack who had to speak for two minutes without any preparation. “Your favourite TV programme as a child” was asked of Eileen Corkery. Jerry Mulcahy was asked “Have you kissed the blarney stone”. “Rural Electrification” was what Jerry Mulcahy spoke for two minutes on. “The long finger” for Joan Lenihan and “what would be the qualities of a Rose of Tralee escort?” for Barry Mc’Carthy. Other Toastmasters provided Hilarious “add on’s” which is where members join in a particular topic for a period of one minute.
General Evaluator, Jerry Mulcahy conducted the evaluation session and awarded ribbons to Mary Buckler for “Best Speaker”, Joan Lenihan for “Best Speaker” and John Murphy for “Best Topic”.
Congratulations to Club members, Eileen Corkery and Pat Sexton who came third in the Division A Final of the International Speech and Evaluation Contests, respectively that were held in The Southcourt Hotel in Limerick last Saturday night. A large contingent of Speakeasy members was present to support Eileen and Pat both of whom gave brilliant performances on the night.

10’th Anniversary Celebration
Calling all ex Speakeasy Toastmasters. Plans are well under way for a celebration night consisting of a meal, a short selection of memorable speeches from the last ten years and dance which will take place in The Hibernian Hotel on Saturday 26’th of April at 8.30pm sharp. Tickets are €25 each and can be obtained from any Club member.
This will be an ideal opportunity for members past and present to meet, relax and have some fun.

The next meeting of The Speakeasy Toastmasters Club is on Thursday 1’st of May.

For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, April 10, 2003

10 April

Club President, Pat Sexton opened the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club meeting on April 3’rd in The Hibernian Hotel (Chapel Lane) and the welcomed the 40 members and guests promising a lively and entertaining night because as well as the normal programme it was the night of the Tall Tales Contest which was the first time that this was held in the Club.
Pat then introduced the Toastmaster for the night Tim Ahern who explained his function and introduced the other officers for the night. Topicsmaster, Kay Quirke. Timekeeper, Dermot Meany. General Evaluator, Jerry Mulcahy, and Sgt at Arms, Ann Buckley and Kay Quirke.
The first speaker was Toastmaster, John Holmes with a speech entitled “The Importance of Listening” in which he told us of the time he was in Hospital and the other patients that he met there. They each had a story to tell and needed someone to listen to them. John was completing his second speech from the Communication and Leadership Programme in which he had to “Convince the Audience of his earnestness, sincerity and conviction on a subject he thoroughly understood and to confront and control any nervousness he may have” in a time of Five to Seven minutes. William Healy evaluated John’s speech.
As there are no instructors etc in Toastmasters International other Club members provide feedback to the speakers on how they fulfilled the aims of their speech and any improvements that need to be made in the form of an Evaluation.
The next speaker of the evening was Ray Walsh with a speech entitled “The land of Dreams” in which Ray told us of the first attempts to interpret dreams, the theories of Freud and Jung and the research that has taken place since. Ray was completing his third speech in Toastmasters in which he had to “Organize his thoughts into a logical sequence that leads the audience to a clearly defined goal and to build a speech outline that includes an opening, body and conclusion” The time allowed for Ray’s speech was Five to seven minutes.
Pat Sexton evaluated Ray’s speech.
Mary Buckley was completing her ninth Toastmasters speech with the title of “Adults must lead the way”. The purpose of Mary’s speech was “To present a talk that persuades the audience to accept your proposal of viewpoint. To achieve this persuasive effect by appealing to the audience’s self-interest, building a logical foundation for agreement and arousing emotional commitment to your case “ Mary told us of the problems that excessive and binge drinking is causing in Ireland today. She presented facts from her research to us and declared that parents should not leave it to someone else to take action.
Tall Tales Contest.
This was the first time that Speakeasy Toastmasters held a Tall Tales Contest and there were entries from four members.
Deirdre Lenihan with a speech entitled “An Unlikely Love Story”. John Dillon’s speech was entitled “Balls”.
Sean Corcoran, “The Board” and Jerry Mulcahy with “Cobblers”.
Pat Duggan was Chief Judge and the judges were the audience. Pat Sexton explained the techniques of judging and the marking system. After a hilarious half an hour the Chief Judge and Counters, Pat Sexton and Angela Sheehan retired to count the score. While the count was in progress Topicsmaster, Kay O’Keeffe kept the audience entertained with her topics session. The winner of the Tall Tales Contest was Sean Corcoran and runner up was Jerry Mulcahy. Sean and Jerry will represent the Club in the Area Final in Fermoy on Tuesday 22’nd of April hosted by Fermoy Toastmasters.
Congratulations to Eileen Corkery who won the area final of the International Speech Contest and Pat Sexton who won the Area Final of the Evaluation Contest and both of which were held in The SMA Hall in Wilton on Friday 28’th of March hosted by Crusaders Toastmasters Club. Pat and Eileen are now through to the Division Final which will be held in the Southcourt Hotel in Raheen, Limerick on Saturday night 12’th April at 8PM
Best of luck to them both.
10’th Anniversary Celebration
Plans are well under way for a celebration night consisting of a meal, a short selection of memorable speeches from the last ten years and dance which will take place in The Hibernian Hotel on Saturday 26’th of April at 8.30pm sharp. Tickets are €25 and can be obtained from any Club member.
This will be an ideal opportunity for members past and present to meet, relax and have some fun.

The next meeting of The Speakeasy Toastmasters Club is on Wednesday 14'th April

For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, April 03, 2003

3 April

At the meeting of the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow (Chapel Lane) a speech entitled “Ask Not” was presented by Jeremiah Roynane. This was an advanced speech the objectives of which were, “to understand the structure of an effective speech. To interpret a famous speech in 8-10 minutes”. Jeremiah choose a speech that was delivered by the late U.S. President John F Kennedy in the early 1960’s.
He choose it given the situation world wide at present as it is full of ideal, promise and hope but said Jeremiah
“Forty years later the hopes and ideals are as far away now as they were then”.
Barry McCarthy evaluated Jeremiah’s speech.
The final speaker of the evening was Elizabeth O’Brien who was presenting an educational session from “The Successful Club Series”. Elizabeth brought us through the Toastmasters International Education Programme which she said was divided into two tracks, one being Communication and the other Leadership. Toastmasters do not have to stay with one track but can do both at the same time. Elizabeth, using acetates explained in detail what was involved and what the rewards were. It was a very enjoyable and informative session which benefited the more experienced club members as well as the newer ones.
In the second part of the meeting, Topicsmaster, Ellen Broderick kept us entertained with some enjoyable Table Topics. “Would you welcome legislation to ban smoking in the workplace? “ she asked Tim Ahern, who had to speak for two minutes with his answer. Then to Angela Sheehan, “Was it ok for Hello Magazine to take photos of Chaterine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas’s wedding?” This topic proved very popular with other members providing humorous “add ons” (one minute duration). And to Michael Walsh, “Do you agree with the reporting with fraudulent claims?”
General Evaluator, Kieran Buckley, then conducted the “Evaluation Session”. Kieran presented ribbons for Best Speech to, John Murphy. Best Evaluation to Barry McCarthy and best topic to Michael Walsh.
Club Meeting Tonight April 3’rd
Speakeasy Toastmasters Club meet “tonight” in The Hibernian Hotel and it will be the club round of the “Tall Tales” contest. The meeting starts at 8pm Sharp and entry is €4 and members of the public are very welcome to attend. Non Club Members are never asked to speak but may join in the Topics Session if they wish.
10’th Anniversary Celebration
Plans are well under way for a celebration night consisting of a meal, a short selection of memorable speeches from the last ten years and dance which will take place in The Hibernian Hotel on Saturday 26’th of April at 8.30pm sharp. Tickets are €25 and can be obtained from any Club member.
This will be an ideal opportunity for members past and present to meet, relax and have some fun.
Dates for your Diary
Tonight, Thursday 3’rd of April sees the Club holding its Tall Tales Contest.
On Saturday 12’th April the Divisional Final will be held in Southcourt Hotel in Raheen, Limerick.
On Tuesday 22’nd of April there will be a Tripartite meeting hosted by Fermoy Toastmasters which will include the Area Final of the Tall Tales Contest.
For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

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Thursday, March 27, 2003

27 March

President, Mr. Pat Sexton opened the forthnightly meeting of the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow (Chapel Lane) by welcoming the 40 members and guests. Pat also informed members
That nominations are now being accepted for Toastmaster of the Year within the Division and the criteria for
The award. He then introduced the Toastmaster for the evening, Tony O’Regan who is a member of Speakeasy
Since the Club was founded, ten years ago. Tony explained his duties and the introduced the officers for the evening, Topicsmaster, Ellen Broderick, Timekeeper, Pat Duggan, General Evaluator, Kieran Buckley and Sgt. At Arms, Mary Buckley and Ray Ryan. He informed the meeting that this was a very special night for the Club as a member was giving his first speech, called an “Icebreaker” speech.
That member was Toastmaster, John Murphy and the title of his speech was, “Decisions on Ice”.
John began his speech by telling us walking up one night so silence, going up on deck to find that the ship he was serving on was stuck in ice “as far as the eye could see”. He told us about growing up in Millstreet, how receiving a Christmas present of a CB Radio started him on a path that saw study for the Maritime Radio Communications General Certificate, Radio Officers Course. After qualification John worked all over the world for a number of years and on the day his ship was stuck he decided that it was time to get a job onshore. John now works for as a Communications Technician for a well known organization. Speakeasy members are eagerly awaiting further speeches from John to learn more about his globetrotting experiences.
Michael Walsh evaluated John’s speech.
Next to the Lectern was Michael Cronin who was conducting an educational session from the “Better Speaker Series” with the title “Beginning Your Speech”. “There are certain criteria to have a good beginning to your speech”, said Michael and he took us through various techniques such as when to introduce the topic, the importance of establishing rapport with the audience and an introcuction that should not take too long. Ideally 5-10% of the duration of the speech. Michael’s speech was of great benefit to new and experienced members alike.
After the tea break is was time for the Table Topics session with Topicsmaster, Ellen Broderick. This is the part of the meeting where members are asked to speak for two minutes on a particular subject (topic) without any preparation and where Toastmasters hone their speaking “off the cuff” skills.
The following were some of Ellen’s topics (how would you have answered?) and the members that were asked. “What do you think is the Irish fascination with Cheltenham?” Tony O’Regan. “Was You’re A Star anything more than a con job” Deirdre Lenihan. “Should we as a Nation be proud to be Irish” Jerry O’Callaghan. “Do you think that the penalty points system is working in practice” William Healy.
Tenth Anniversary Celebration night.
Plans are well under way for a celebration night consisting of a meal, a short selection of memorable speeches from the last ten years and dance which will take place in The Hibernian Hotel on Saturday 26’th of April at 8.30pm sharp. Tickets are €25 and can be obtained from any Club member.
This will be an ideal opportunity for members past and present to meet, relax and have some fun.
Thursday 3’rd of April sees the Club holding its Tall Tales Contest
On Saturday 12’th April the Divisional Final will be held in Southcourt Hotel in Raheen, Limerick.
On Tuesday 22’nd of April there will be a Tripartite meeting hosted by Fermoy Toastmasters which will include the Area Final of the Tall Tales Contest.
For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, March 20, 2003

20 March

At the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club round of the International Speech Contest which was held in the Hibernian Hotel on Thursday the 6’th of March, “That’s Life” was the title of Jerry Mulcahy’s speech. “Fools, Gligíns, Amadán’s Óinseach’s were some of the words to describe people with a disability, wheither it was speech or appearance, mild or severe” said Jerry as he told us of the lack of understanding towards people with disabilities. Jerry told us of the Polio outbreak in 1957 where perfectly healthy people found themselves now found themselves with a disability. The founding of the Polio and Aftercare Association in 1963 and how people cope with someone with a disability in the Family.

After Jerry it was the turn of Elizabeth O’Brien with a speech entitled “The Game Of Life”. Elizabeth began with an extract from the words of the theme tune of the 70’s TV series MASH and told us that in the year 2000 there were 415 deaths from suicide which was on par with the amount of people killed on the roads that year.
“Think of the budget and money that was spent into rightfully preventing road deaths. Think of the budget that is spent and put into organizations such as The Samaritans and Aware”.

Next to the lectern was Angela Sheehan and the title of Angela’s speech was “Céad Míle Fáilte?” “I am left alone on my own in this world” began Angela quoting from an article in a Sunday Newspaper shortly before Christmas recalling the tragic story of a family of Turkish Kurds who died in a container and were discovered in an industrial estate in Wexford. She asked the question “what kind of a céad míle fáilte” are people from different races getting in Ireland and cited various incidents to prove that they are not.

The final speaker of the night was Michael Cronin with a speech entitled “Doing What I Can”, in which he reminded us of the “must haves” of this life. The most up to date mobile phone and new Kike runners etc. “We are a slave to addiction and must have things that we do not want” said Michael, pointing out that runners ae made in sweat shops where workers get 40cent for every €100 pair of runners. The world produces enough food to feed everyone but unjust trade agreements are a major cause of food shortages. If everyone does a little to prevent injustice it can make a large difference.

While the Judges votes were being counted Topicsmaster Kay Quirke kept us entertained with a Table Topics session. “Bupa v VHI” was the topic that Michael Donegan had to speak, unprepared, for two minutes on.
“Boys will be boys and girls will be mothers” was the topic that Tony O’Regan was given which produced add-on’s from Brian O’Farrell and Breda O’Keeffe.

Area Governor, John Skeates who was also Chief Judge for the evening, addressed club members before announcing the winners and runners up.

Winner of the Speakeasy round of the International Speech Contest was Tim Casey with Michael Cronin, second and in third place was Eileen Corkery. Tim and Michael now represent Speakeasy in the Area Final in
The SMA Hall in Wilton, hosted by the Crusaders Club on Friday 28’th of March.

More dates for your Toastmaster Diary, Thursday 3’rd of April sees the Club holding its Tall Tales Contest
On Saturday 12’th April the Divisional Final will be held in Southcourt Hotel in Raheen, Limerick.
On Tuesday 22’nd of April there will be a Tripartite meeting hosted by Fermoy Toastmasters which will include the Area Final of the Tall Tales Contest.
Speakeasy Toastmasters Club meet again, tonight, Thursday March 20’th in the Hibernian Hotel.
Members of the public are very welcome to attend all Speakeasy Toastmasters Meetings.
For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, March 13, 2003

13 March

On Thursday night March 6’th the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club held their Club round of the International Speech Contest in Hibernian Hotel, Mallow. President, Pat Sexton opened the meeting by welcoming members and guests from other toastmaster clubs. He welcomed especially non-toastmaster guests and Area Governor, John Skeates who was Chief Judge for the Contest.
Pat then introduced the Toastmaster for the evening, Pat Duggan and Topicsmaster, Kay Quirke and also
informed the attendance of the wonderful night that we had at the Sports and Leisure Awards and mentioned
the members of Speakeasy Toastmasters who were involved in other Clubs.
Toastmaster Pat Duggan then took control of the meeting and reminded us all to switch our mobile phones
on “when the meeting was over”. He explained his role as Toastmaster/ Contest Chairperson which was to
conduct the contest according to the rules of Toastmasters International and that the purpose of the contest was
“to provide an opportunity for speakers to improve their speaking ability and to recognise this as an encouragement to all. It is also to provide an opportunity to learn by observing the more proficient speakers
who have benefited by their Toastmaster Training”
The rules of the contest were, speeches must be between five and seven minutes in duration and contestants
Would be disqualified if their speeches were less than four minutes and thirty seconds or longer than seven
Minutes and thirty seconds.

A draw took place before the meeting to decide the order of the speakers and first to the lectern was
Michael Walsh with a speech entitled “Changing Your Swing”. “My speech this evening is to encourage you
To see beyond what you think you are capable of” said Michael. “We as individuals are our own worst critics, we can see the good in everybody else’s abilities before we can see it in our own”. He said that a survey was
Carried out in America in a number of schools and the school whose teachers constantly praised the pupils
Got way better results than the schools whose teachers constantly derided their pupils.

The next speaker was Sean Corcoran with a speech entitled “A Bug on a Bug”. Sean’s speech told the story
Of “The Varroa Mite” which now infects honeybees in Ireland. He traced its history from when it was first
Discovered in Honeybees in The Dutch East Indies in 1903 to it being discovered in Co. Sligo in 1998.
In a few years time the only honeybees left alive in Ireland will be those in beekeepers apiaries but only in
Apiaries of beekeepers who continuously treat their bees as there no cure for the mite as of yet.

Next to the lectern was Tim Casey with a speech entitled “Tracks In The Snow”. “The place is Canterbury,
I am walking along a country road, it’s snowing” began Tim as he told a story that began 30 years earlier.
He remembered Ralph and Fred (affectionately known as Frankenstein because he had part of his brain
removed). Bozo who used to be a clown in a circus. Eddy, who came from Cork and spent most of his time
in intuitions.

After Tim it was the Turn of Eileen Corkery with a speech entitled “Feel the Fear” “Scéin is the Irish word
For terror” said Eileen as she told us of the things that “scéined” her. “What are you afraid of?” she asked the
Attendance saying that fear is a human condition, and gave numerous things that people fear. Fear can be turned on it’s head to become a positive force in all our lives

The Table Topics session was conducted by Topicsmaster for the night, Kay Quirke. “Lent, what does it
Mean to you” she asked Micheál Dineen. “Female Vets” was the topic that Brian Ó’Farrell had to speak
For two minutes on. “Random dope testing” was the topic that she asked Tim Ahern.

Judges for the contest were, Michael Donegan (Speakeasy), Charlotte Barrett (Crusaders), Jacinta Ó’Connor
,Lillian Mulcahy and Liam Metcalf (Fáilte) and Brian Ó’Farrell (Fermoy)

Winner of the Speakeasy round of the International Speech Contest was Tim Casey with Michael Cronin, second and in third place was Eileen Corkery. Tim and Michael now represent Speakeasy in the Area Final in
The SMA Hall in Wilton, hosted by the Crusaders Club on Friday 28’th of March.

More dates for your Toastmaster Diary, Thursday 3’rd of April sees the Club holding its Tall Tales Contest
On Saturday 12’th April the Divisional Final will be held in Southcourt Hotel in Raheen, Limerick.
On Tuesday 22’nd of April there will be a Tripartite meeting hosted by Fermoy Toastmasters which will include the Area Final of the Tall Tales Contest..
Members of the public are very welcome to attend all Speakeasy Toastmasters Meetings.
For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, March 06, 2003

6 March

International Speech Contest.
The Speakeasy Toastmasters Club are holding the Club Contest of the International Speech Contest tonight, Thursday 6’th March in the Hibernian Hotel. This meeting is one of the Highlights of the Club’s year with the winner and runner up representing the Club in the Area Final. Mr John Skeates, Area 17 Governor will also be visiting the Club tonight.

At the Club’s meeting on February 20 The Club held their Evaluation Contest. In this contest a Demonstration Speech is given and the entrants evaluate the speech. They are then given 5 minutes to write their notes, which are then taken from then and only given back when they begin to give their evaluation, which must be between 1.5 to 3.5 minutes in length.
The Demonstration Speech was given by Brian Mc Loughlan from the Mullingar Toastmasters Club.
Brian, whose work brings him to the area, is a regular visitor to Speakeasy Toastmasters. This is the first time that he has given a speech and members are already looking forward to the next one.
The title of his speech was, “The Psychology of Manhandling Stress” and was a hilarious look at how stress affects our lives. “Today’s man is a stressed man” began Brian, who said that there was now stress getting our of bed in the mornings, driving to work, working, going home, watching Coronation Street even sleeping was stressful. After doing a lot of research into this he found the solution in the Woman’s Own Magazine. He came to the conclusion that the answer to mans stress problems was……..woman.
The contestants were Sean Corcoran, Michael Cronin, John Holmes, Margaret O’Regan, Pat Duggan and Pat Sexton. The winner was Pat Sexton and in second place, Michael Cronin. Pat and Michael will now go on to represent Speakeasy Toastmasters in the Area Final on Fri. 28 Mar 03 hosted by Crusaders at SMA Hall Wilton at 8pm
Chief Judge was Jeremiah Roynane and judges were Michael Mc’Mahon, Jerry Mulcahy, Tony O’Regan, Michael Travers (Glanmire Toastmasters), Eugene O’Connell and Jerry Long (Crusaders Toastmasters Club)
Ushers/Counters, Rita Foley and Ray Ryan.
President, Pat Sexton made a presentation to Brian McLoughlan. He then handed control of the meeting to Topicsmaster Tim Casey for a short TableTopics session.

Dates for your Toastmaster Diary
Area Final will take place on Fri. 28 Mar 03 Area Final of Speech Contest and Evaluation Contest hosted by Crusaders at SMA Hall Wilton at 8pm
The Divisional Final will take place in the Southcourt Hotel, Raheen, in Limerick on April 12’th at 8PM.
On Sat.19 Apr 03 Tripartite Meeting in Fermoy, hosted by Fermoy Toastmasters and incorporating Area Final of Tall Tales Contest
10’Th Anniversary Celebrations
Plans are at an advanced stage for the Club’s 10’Th Anniversary Celebrations which will be held in
The Hibernian Hotel on Saturday 26’Th of April.


Members of the public are very welcome to attend all Speakeasy Toastmasters Meetings.
For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, February 27, 2003

27 Feb

The fortnightly meeting of The Speakeasy Toastmasters Club was held on the 24’th of February in the North Cork Enterprise meeting room where the 40 members and guests were treated to a wonderful evenings entertainment. President, Mr. Pat Sexton opened the meeting by welcoming the attendance especially the guests who came from The Crusdaders Club in Cork City, The Glanmire Toastmasters Club and pupils from the Transition Year at the Nagle Rice School in Doneraile. Pat extended a special welcome for Brian Mc Loughlin from the Mullingar Toastmasters Club who was guest speaker for the Evaluation Contest. He then introduced Tim Casey as Topicsmaster and Michael Walsh as Toastmaster for the evening who with himself made up the “Three Wise Men”.
Michael Walsh then explained his role for the evening saying that he remembered Leonard Sachs in the same role in “The Good Old Days” on TV and if we thought he was going to be like that we could “forget it”. Michael then introduced the other members of the Club who were performing other duties for the evening. Sgt. At Arms, Elaine O’Donovan and Mary Buckley. Mary was also General Evaluator.
Timekeepers were John Murphy and Grant March.

Michael then called on the first speaker, John Dillon who was giving a Stage 5 speech the objectives of which were “To explore the use of voice volume, pitch, rate and quality to your speaking and to apply the principles of a well-developed voice to a particular speech”. The time allowed for the speech was five to seven minutes.
The title of John’s speech was “The Skellig Story”. “The rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronglold” began John as he recited Psalm 30 V4. He went on to tell us of the history of the islands with regard to the monks who lived there and the hardships they endured. The Viking raids of the 8’th century, the birds of the islands and the present day Interpretive Centre.
Mary Stack evaluated John’s speech.

The next speaker was Jeremiah Roynane who was speaking from the Humorously Speaking Manual, Stage 2 and the objectives of the speech were to “Prepare a serious speech that opens and closes with humorous stories and to prepare a closing story that emphasis the speeches main points”. The title of Jeremiah’s speech was “Is It Really Free?” and was about “free” education. He pointed out that while quiet a lot was free but sending children to Pre-School, extra curricular activities and attending grinds due to the points system was very expensive. The biggest deficit in his view is the building programme. “In total, for the entire country this year 12 new schools will be built” said Jeremiah, pointing out that a substantial amount of the cost of these new schools will have to be raised locally.
Michael Donegan evaluated Jeremiah’s speech.

The final speaker in this section of the meeting was Margaret O’Regan with a speech entitled “Holiday Jab”. It was a speech from “Speaking To Inform Manual”, the objectives of which are,” to analyse the knowledge level of the audience regarding your chosen subject and to focus your presentation at the audience level of knowledge. Use at least one visual aid to enhance the audience understanding”
“Some of you here in this room have travelled to remote areas of the world, and I don’t mean Ballybrack”, said Margaret as she pointed out that International Travel is very popular and all the indications are that it will remain so and that this has certain “health implications and complications not just for the individual traveller but for the community at large”. There is a resurgence of Malaria, TB, Syphilis, and Diphtheria. These were thought to be on the decline but are now on the increase again. She told us of the precautions to take before and after visiting certain parts of the world.
Pat Sexton evaluated Margaret’s speech.

After the speeches, control of the meeting was handed to Topicsmaster Tim Casey whose job it was to ask members to speak for two minutes on a subject of his choosing. After a lively and entertaining Table Topics Session session followed by the Evaluation part of the meeting which was conducted by Mary Buckley. Mary also handed out award ribbons (her personal choice) for best speaker, Margaret O’Regan,
Best evaluation, Mary Stack. Best Table Topic, Pat Duggan.
International Speech Contest.
The next meeting of the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club will take place on Thursday 6’th of March and will be 1’st heat of the International Speech Contest. The winner and runner up will go on to represent the Club in the Area Final which will take place in Cork at the end of March. This is a night not to be missed.

Members of the public are very welcome to attend all Speakeasy Toastmasters Meetings.
For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net

Thursday, February 20, 2003

20 Feb

Speakeasy Toastmasters Club.

Toastmasters meetings can also cover issues such as learning how to present an educational seminar. At our last meeting on 6th February, Effective Evaluation”. This presentation of this Seminar is one of a Elizabeth O’Brien presented an educational seminar on “The Art of number of requirements necessary to achieve specific Toastmaster Educational Awards – in Elizabeth’s case; it was her final requirement to achieve ATM–Gold award.

Elizabeth was our Seminar co-ordinator for the night– and the Seminar began with Elizabeth giving an Educational talk on Evaluations. What makes Toastmasters a unique learning activity is the system of evaluation. There is no instructor in a Toastmasters club – we all take turns to evaluate or assess each other’s speeches.

During the Educational talk, Elizabeth was required to use an overhead projector to show slides with key comments relevant to effective evaluation – such as the correct language usage for evaluations, to personalize evaluations by saying “my reaction was…”. The difference between “evaluation” (i.e. focus on what should be done and tactfully give specific methods for improvement); and “criticism” (i.e. focus on what should not be done by simply pointing out strengths and weaknesses – saying things like “good speakers do it by”) was highlighted as criticism should not part of effective evaluation. Other key issues were addressed such as evaluate the speech, and not the speaker.

Audience interaction was required during the presentation – workbooks were distributed to audience members to answer key questions such as “why do we want to become better speakers” and “how do you build self-esteem when you evaluate”. Elizabeth then summarized audience responses on a flip chart and reviewed the answers in light of data provided by Toastmasters International on these important issues.

An evaluation workshop was then conducted with 3 stage speeches and 3 evaluations. Instead of a General Evaluator, Elizabeth asked for audience participation, again emphasizing the key issue that in Toastmasters learning is by doing amongst your peers. At the conclusion of the meeting, the participants in the Seminar - the co-ordinator, the three speakers and the three evaluators - were all awarded Participation Certificates from Toastmasters International.

The Evaluation Seminar was a timely exercise given that our Club Evaluation Competition takes place at our next meeting, tonight, 20th February.
Change of Room
Members and Guests, please note that there is a change of room again this week. Please enquire at reception for directions.

For further information on the Club contact Sean on 086 6054784 or Pat 087 2364240 or visit the Club’s Website at www.clix.to/speakeasy. Email, speakeasymallow@eircom.net