April Showers of Celebration!

Preparations are at an advanced stage,speeches are being polished and the welcome mat is being laid out for Speakeasy Toastmasters 25th Anniversary Celebration Night on Saturday 14th April in the Hibernian Hotel,Mallow at 8.00PM.

To commemorate this important milestone,members past and present (and hopefully,future)will gather together to be entertained by a stellar cast of speakers.It will be a night where we wear the rose tinted spectacles as we travel down memory lane.An outstanding lineup of memorable speeches is promised.Renowned speakers like Matt Lawlee,Michael Cronin, Gerry O'Callaghan will regale us with Humorous Speeches from their outstanding archives.They will be joined by three members of the extended Buckley Clan, Vivienne ,Bobby and Kieran with further memorable contributions.The programme will be rounded out by Joan Linehan,Deirdre Linehan, Kieran Butler and Michael Walsh.

It promises to be a night of reflection, motivation and laughter, a night when members will bask in the achievements of the club and a night when guests can see Speakeasy Toastmasters at it's finest. We extend an invitation to the everyone to join us on this special night.The dress code is casual and refreshments will be served.

Meanwhile, Speakeasy Toastmasters' Meeting Season continues relentlessly.At our recent meeting we were treated to four fine speeches encompassing humour,fashion,history and poetry.Claire O'Connell presented a wonderful slice of absurdist humour entitled- "Do you live in the Douglas area?" The advantage of waking at 8.30 AM and being at work at 8.45 proves irresistible to Claire.But, she must find a man with similar passions tor Douglas and marry, not for love, but for a shared mortgage.And it seems that doing the "downward facing dog "at Yoga in the local gym is a good way to attract a man.Alternatively, she can try the "pen pals " page in "Ireland's Own".We wish  Claire every success in her dual quest for man and house in the Douglas area!

Helsa Giles did a relaxed talk on fashion and confidence - "Hints and tips". Don't follow fashion, create your own was her core message.She described how W.B. Yeats' muse,Maud Gonne could bring a presence to any room with her sense of style.She detailed a number of practical ideas which found favour with both genders at the meeting.

Liam Flynn dealt with the tragic fallout of Civil War in "Brother against brother".He described the broken lives it leaves in it's wake, the refugees it creates and the long term bitterness it causes.He dealt movingly with our own Civil War which divided Irish families and communities.To conclude,he wished for a commemorative "Day of reconciliation" to close the chapter on Ireland's tragedy.

Mary Moynihan presented a "Monodrama".Her brief was to present an Interpretive Reading of a writing that is filled with an inner drama and self - questioning.Her chosen piece was "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufreck" by T.S. Elliot.This well known and hugely influential poem was delivered with style and aplomb by Mary who captured the inner conflict of the piece.

Mary Moynihan & Evaluator Pat Sexton

Each speech was evaluated comprehensively and sensitively by the assigned evaluators, Kieran Butler, Theresa O'Reilly,John Brennan and Pat Sexton.The evaluation section of our meetings plays a significant role in assisting members as they strive to develop and improve their speaking skills.

Topicsmaster of the meeting was Sean Corcoran. He encouraged participants to engage in a game of bluff and,as a result,this session ended up having more hot air than a Dáil Éireann Seanad Debate and more "bull" than you'd find at Kanturk Mart! Kieran Butler eloquently sold the prototype of a device to hijack elections.On the subject of aliens,Bridie O'Connell asserted that "it's calmness out there in space, the aliens are us". Gerry O'Callaghan was given the onerous challenge of spending a thousand Euros while Ray Ryan fantasied about traveling into space with Elon Musk. Don McSweeney confessed that when he reaches the ripe old age of eighty he will wonder " how will I spend the second half of my life?"

Mohammed Omar, Mary Moynihan & Pat Sexton.

At the meeting's conclusion, awards were presented to Liam Flynn - Best Speaker; Pat Sexton - Best Evaluator; Kieran Butler - Best Topic.The motto that is mentioned often in Speakeasy is "We learn most in moments of enjoyment". By that yardstick, our last meeting was a richly rewarding experience.

To experience "The Speakeasy Experience" for yourself, why not drop in to our next meeting which takes place in the Hibernian Hotel,Mallow on Thursday,5th April at 8.00PM. Guests are always welcome and will not be obliged to speak unless they wish to do so!

For further information about our Club, please check out our website speakeasytoastmasters.com or on Facebook.Alternatively,contact Helsa Giles -083-8858848.