Schools Speaking Contest

Speakeasy Toastmasters to host Schools Public Speaking Competition.

Speakeasy Toastmasters Club are delighted to announce that the 12th Annual Speakeasy Schools Public Speaking Competition will take place on Thursday 30th November in the Hibernian Hotel,Mallow at 8.00PM.

The inaugural Schools Public Speaking Competition was held in 2006 under the guidance of then President, Mary Buckley. Participants came from Transition Year students in the Secondary schools in Mallow - Davis College, Patrician Academy and St Mary's School.

On that occasion, Emma Nyhan of St. Mary's Secondary School, Mallow won the Perpetual Trophy for Best Speaker and her school was awarded the Best Overall Team prize. From the outset, we have been fortunate to have the kind sponsorship and support from Mallow Credit Union and the Hibernian Hotel. We are grateful for their support for this competition. 

Since then the Competition has expanded enormously with participating schools coming from all over the North Cork region. Schools in Boherbue, Buttevant, Charleville, Doneraile, Kanturk,Millstreet and Mitchelstown.

Each year, students continue to inspire with their creativity, enthusiasm and honour. Topics selected range from the serious to the sublime, from the issue of consent to the joy of rugby, from fashion to peer pressure. Reflecting the diversity of our schools, our competition reflect the diversity of a changing Ireland. We hold fond memories of Davis College student, Radek Zuk who talked himself to victory with his hilarious account of his experiences as a young Polish immigrant in Ireland.

Each speaker delivers a 5 minute speech on a topic of their choice and are judged on their content and presentation. Each school is entitled to 2 participants. If your school is interested in participating and hasn't yet received entry details, please contact Helsa Giles at 0838858848. Guests are most welcome on this night. If you wish to be inspired by the youth of today and the leaders of tomorrow, mark the date, 30 November into your diary.

The Division B (North Munster) took place recently in the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick. The North Cork area was represented by Liam Jones (Fáilte Toastmasters) and Frank O'Driscoll (Fermoy) in the Humorous Speech Contest and Eilís O'Brien (Fermoy) and Pat Sexton of Speakeasy. 

Meena Verma  from Raheen Toastmasters, Limerick took the honours in the Humorous Contest with her 'Internet Dating' embarrassments garnering the most appreciation. In the Table Topics Contest, Pat Sexton came up trumps with his response to the question - 'If you were to lose one of your five senses, which would you least like to lose?'

Both Meena and Pat will go forward to the District 71 Final in Sheffield on the Weekend of the 4th of November. They will pit their skills against the best of Britain and Ireland.

The next Speakeasy meeting takes place on Thursday 2nd November in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow at 8.00PM. As always guests are always welcome. Speakeasy is dedicated to fostering and developing better communication skills. If you have wondered what happens at our meetings, or perhaps wish to learn an exciting new skill and communicate with confidence, our doors are always open. So come on in!

For more information, contact Helsa Giles - 083 8858848. Alternatively, you can visit our website speakeasytoastmasters.com or follow us on Facebook.