Halloween is coming

Hello Mams and Dads out there - Yes - it is Halloween and you have been bonding with your offspring, and if my guess is correct – you are by now sending up silent prayers of thanksgiving for the stamina of the teacher who will be in charge for the rest of the term.



I have a solution to your dilemma - an enjoyable night out where you can sit back, be served a cup of tea or coffee, and best of all – should you desire to speak – you will be both heard and listened to - you have guessed - an evening at Speakeasy Toastmasters Club. Our Halloween meeting is on Thursday 2nd Nov. and no - you do not have to borrow your children’s costumes. Come as you are.



An enjoyable night is guaranteed. Our Vice President of Education Ann Buckley assures me that the programme promises to be good. That is one thing worth pointing out. The officers change for every meeting. Also the speakers vary, thus giving a chance to everyone who wishes to assume the different roles, and gain experience to get a fair chance.



Another item which I will touch on briefly is the forthcoming Schools Public Speaking Contest. The pupils at the three schools are working away at their speeches by now, and we are all anticipating a great night. This Contest is the brainchild of our President Mary Buckley. The members of the club are really enthusiastic about this event. My Granny had a theory – if you start young – be it music, dance, sport, or public speaking - you will have a better chance of succeeding; and she was right.

This Contest is being held on Thursday 16th November at 7.45 pm at the Hibernian Hotel Mallow. We are offering this magnificent chance to today’s teenager - who will be the adult of tomorrow, and on whom the smooth running of perhaps home, club or government will depend. The sky is the limit to anyone who wishes to aim high. The Schools competing are DAVIS COLLEGE; PATRICIAN ACADEMY; AND ST. MARY’S SECONDARY SCHOOL. May I take this opportunity to invite parents, fellow pupils and teachers to come along and cheer your favourite school along? Pencil the 16th Nov. into your diary and you will not be disappointed.



I now want to issue an “ INVITE” to past members; present members and future members to come along on THURSDAY - November 2nd. We have something different to offer every night. Guests - you will not be asked to speak unless you volunteer. A little bit of good news – THREE of our guests SINCE SEPTEMBER ’06 HAVE BECOME MEMBERS. That is the litmus test of any club – new members. Cead mile Failte roimh. If you need any further details phone Loretto at 087/4118132 or log on to our website www.speakeasytoastmasters.com

 

Thursday 19th of October

SPEAKEASY TOASTMASTERS MALLOW
Club Meeting

On Thursday l9th October the club hosted an exhilarating meeting. There were twenty five members and seven guests. There were both speeches and topics. The topics covered ranged from Mr & Mrs Michael Flatley to Steve Staunton to sumo wrestling. There were lively contributions from the floor. While the success of the Topic Session depends largely on the questions researched and posed by the Topics Master, it is the contributions from the audience that makes it really come alive. The set speeches were extremely interesting. All were delivered by experienced speakers. There was a great welcome for Caroline O’Connor – a guest speaker from the Middleton Club.

Caroline kept us riveted to her every word. Gary Sander a Toastmaster from a Club in Suffolk, England was the general evaluator. His evaluation of the Clubs performance was both complimentary and positive. Our next meeting is on Thursday 2nd November. Do come along - we would love to see you there. A warm welcome is guaranteed, and may we remind future guests that while we would welcome your contribution during the topic session, YOU WILL NOT BE ASKED TO SPEAK. Enquiries to our PRO Loretto at 0874118132 or log on to speakeasytoastmasters.com

TOASTMASTERS DIVISION FINAL

Humorous Speech and Table Topic Contest

On Saturday 21st October all roads led to the Great Southern Hotel, Cork Airport to the Division Final of the Humorous Speech Contest and the Table Topic Contest. The contestants hailed from West Limerick; Kerry; and Cork. The supporters come from all over Munster. They were suitably impressed, and entertained. A few guests went home all fired up to join their local Toastmasters Club, and take part in their programmes. They agreed that while as a guest, one can if one chooses, contribute. However as members their challenge would be greater. Who knows, perhaps we will meetthem next year as contestants.

Like all competitions there can only be one winner. The judges were very pleased with the high standard of the Contestants. The results are as follows –

Speech Contest 1st Place - Michael O’Donnell
2nd Place - Michael Cronin

Table Topics Contest 1st Place - Patrick Sexton
2nd Place - Orla Fitzgerald

A sincere and hearty congratulations to all from Speakeasy Toastmasters Club Mallow

 

Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest 14th Oct

The Contest was held in the Hibernian Hotel Mallow last Saturday night. Clubs from Charleville, Fermoy, and Mitchlestown joined the Mallow Club to Contest the Final. A really entertaining night was experienced by all who attended. The Speeches were ALL superb, and we extend a hearty congratulations to all contestants and particularly the winners. . The judges had great difficulty in choosing a winner. There was an army of Judges – well experienced toastmasters themselves. I did not envy them their job. However as the “cliché” goes we can only have one winner, and one runner up. The winner in the Humorous Speech Contest was Michael Cronin from SPEAKEASY TOASTMASTERS CLUB, Mallow, with a speech entitled “Life Long Learning” and the runner up was Mary Bradford from FAILTE TOASTMASTERS CLUB in Charleville. Her speech was “A Job Well Done”



Next came the Table Topics Contest. Each speaker got two minutes to speak

on the subject “ Were you disappointed that you were not invited to Michael Flatley’s Wedding” Here again the contestants were both original and spontaneous. Pat Sexton from the Speakeasy Toastmaster’s Club Mallow came first, followed by Jason O’Riordan from the Fermoy Toastmasters Club as runner-up.



The two winners will now go forward to the DIVISION FINAL which will be held at the Great Southern Hotel, Cork Airport on Saturday next 21st October. So on Saturday night let all roads lead to Cork Airport to cheer on the contestants from Mallow. Good Luck gentlemen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



The next item on the agenda is our Thursday Night Club Meeting which will be held at 7.50 p.m. at the Hibernian Hotel in l9th Oct. This will be an action packed meeting. We have great speakers lined up and again we are extending a hand of friendship and welcome to all those visitors who honoured our meetings since September, and to all who are thinking about coming - let next Thursday be the night. We gurarantee you a Cead Mile Failte, and a Cupa Tea with lovely biscuits. So do accept our invite for Thursday. Guests will NOT BE ASKED TO SPEAK unless they wish to do so, and then we will welcome their contribution. Further information can be had from our PRO Loretto at 087/4118132 or at our website speakeasytoastmasters.com

 

Meeting of October 5'th 2006

The big day has come and gone, but we will remember the witty Speeches and the clever replies to the Table Topics form all the contestants for a long time.

There could only be one winner in each section. The Humorous Speech Contest was won by Mike Cronin with a very very funny speech about Adult Education Classes.
Loretto Barry took second place. The Table Topics Contest was won by Pat Sexton.
Mary Buckley was in second place. Those that were not taking part sat back and enjoyed real comedy and humour.

Some new members expressed a wish to be able one day to stand up and be as good as the competitors. An insurmountable objective they thought.

However each speaker was once a guest looking in awe at how good previous Toastmasters were. Yes, you’ve got it – it is like roller blades – you look at them for a while and then you step on and you find that balancing is not impossible.

And to paraphrase Tiger Woods –the more you practice on them the better you get. We also had a Topic Session during the meeting which was very entertaining. We had contributions in this from three new members who volunteered to join in.

The topics ranged from Ladies Boxing to Would the modern wife polish her husband’s shoes just like her mother or grandmother. These generated a lively response and lots of laughter. Next date for your diary is Saturday, October l4th 2006 at 7.45 p.m. at the Hibernian Hotel Mallow.

Please note change of night – the reason is that this is the Area Final where the winners from Mallow Fermoy Mitchlestown and Charleville go forward.

A really good and funny night is guaranteed. Do come along and meet all the contestants and enjoy a cuppa and biscuits. Guests always very welcome, and they are not asked to speak unless they wish to do so. 

Meeting of October 21st

Were you at their last Meeting ??? I was, and it was fantastically enjoyable.

The topics session conducted by Vivienne Buckley was a full seventeen minutes of laughter. This Thursday they are having their Club Final of the Humorous Speech Contest and the Topics Contest.

This should prove a great night. Humour is or should be our sixth sense. It is what takes us through life’s wet and windy days. There are four contestants in each Contest. All experienced – all there with one aim – to come first and to represent their Club in the Area Final, and then to the Regional Final. The Club has got to the International stage before so here’s hoping and wishing each contestant the very best.

A note for your Diary - the Area Final will be held in Hibernian Hotel on Saturday 14^th October, at 7.45 p.m, where the Speakeasy finalists will meet the Fermoy Toastmasters; The Galtee Toastmasters of Mitchlestown; and Failte Toastmasters of Charleville.

Speakeasy will be delighted to meet guests from all these regions and to show them their “Mallow Hospitality”.

They are looking forward to seeing you there.

Further details may be had from their PRO Loretto at 087 4118132

Or log on to their up to date website - www.speakeasytoastmasters.com