Poetic evening

Speakeasy Toastmasters has a great history of successful Theme nights. This year was Poetry Themed. There was a lovely warm and casual atmosphere at the meeting. All the chairs were in a circle which lended  itself to a less formal setting than normal. President Marie Lynes  explained the lay out of the meeting. A few topics from Topicsmaster Tony O’Regan, then a few minutes of a poem either , someone had written themselves or a poem that meant  something meaningful. A quick break for tea more poems and then a General Evaluation to round the evening off.

     Toastmaster Liam Flynn’s  love of poetry really shone through as he had a lot to contend with, the most ever speakers on one given evening. He started by telling us that  poetry was emotion written down on page brought to life when someone voiced it with passion. He even finished the night with a reading really getting into the spirit of the evening.

       Topicsmaster Tony O’Regan never disappoints when it comes to originality. He gave a few lines from a poem and asked the person receiving the topic to react to said quotes. Not an easy task but wonderful for a fun challenge.

       28 people read or even said off by heart poetry, ranging in time from 1 minute to 7 minutes. Irish poems, funny poems, leaving cert poems, personnel story’s, thoughtful quotations and even poems given to people by family members. Each and everyone was excellent and received the utmost attention when speaking. Each orator’s contribution was warmly applauded.

      Mary Buckley did a wonderful job as General Evaluator. Summing up the meeting with poise and elegance, finishing by reading a poem she’d only wrote that evening.

   A date for the diary, International Speech and Evaluation Competition March 31^st. The next meeting is on the 3^rd of March. Do come along for a great nights entertainment. Guests more than welcome and won’t be asked to speak. 8p.m. sharp Hibernian Hotel. For more information go to www.speakeasytoastmasters.com or follow us on facebook or twitter, or contact E.V.P. Brendan Foley 087 7938641 or  Marie Lynes 087 9746947.

A Great Use of Time

Toastmasters really is an enjoyable way to spend two hours every second Thursday with a jammed packed programme of five speeches, topics to  improve you impromptu speaking skills and evaluations to hone in on listening more effectively and practice the art of  giving positive feedback.

 Marie Lynes are President brought the meeting to order, warmly welcoming members and guests. Ray Ryan was Toastmaster for the evening doing a great job of running a very busy schedule. Bobby Buckley took the role of Timekeeper, and was really on the ball, paying attention and documenting in a timely fashion. Grammarian was Claire O’Connell whose word of the night was “procrastination”.

                                                               

We enjoyed five very varied and excellent speeches. Kieran Butler had a proposal “have a conversation with someone that doesn’t understand you”. His own personal experiences  with talking to people in a different language have taught him it’s fun, a great way to meet new people and see a new perspective. 


We had the privilege of hearing Helen Buckley from Cope Foundations Nice and Easy Club. ”Kitchen Hero” was the aptly titled speech, a hummus and colourful account of life in a kitchen. Theresa O’Reilly gave us a comprehensive insight into world of Irish Racing. The strict diet and measures some jockeys have to take to reach the ideal weight was fascinating. Donie Turner took us down a track with “Memories of the Mallow to Rosslare Railway” He used his natural gift as a story teller to bring us back to time gone by. Last but not least was Sean Corcoran with a speech entitled “What’s Happening” in relation to social media. For the last fifteen years he has done wonderful work keeping us up to date with not only a website but also a blog , twitter, facebook  and even linked in a great resource for all the club and anyone who wants to know more about the club.   

After a pleasant and chatty tea break, it was on to the second phase of the evening. Ann O’Donovan as Topics Master took a light hearted and yet thought provoking look at so many events that shape the contemporary scene. Helsa Giles as General Evaluator awarded Donie Turner best speech, Bridie O’Connell best Evaluator, she gave great encouragement with a few well chosen words of praise. Best Topic went to John Brennan.

 Speakeasy Toastmasters has another opportunity to take time away one, from the every day concerns and to propel our thoughts into new and exciting directions in the guise of our Club Theme Night. The Club Poetry Night is open to all guests and they won’t be asked to speak. 18^TH  Feburary 8p.m. Hibernian hotel. For more information contact Maire Lynes 087 9746947 or E.V.P. Brendan Foley 087 7938641 or www.speakeasytoastmasters.com