Finishing on a High

 Noel O’Connor acted as our Toastmaster for our last meeting of 2024 last Thursday. To open, Paul Murphy treated us to a poem he composed himself, entitled ‘Toastmasters’!

In his speech, ‘A Tune for the Road’, Bobby Buckley gave us an insight into a method he has developed for sparking inspiration for speeches. He walks a familiar route with a favourite song playing on a loop. As he allows ‘the beat to take him along’, he keeps an open mind and observes what is around him. And hey presto, he is sometimes surprised by an idea that culminates in a speech! The challenge? ‘Can we all produce a walking speech?’

‘How I Got into Heaven’ was the intriguing title of Michael Cronin’s speech. Michael was in fine jocose form as he related his yarn as the last of three desperate men seeking to justify their admittance to Heaven by St Peter. Space does not permit me to elaborate on how Michael found himself naked in a fridge being flung from a fifteenth-storey apartment balcony!

Pat Sexton bemoaned his decision to go AWOL from school for a day in his speech, ‘Things that Happen While You are Planting Your Potatoes’. ‘After enduring years of boredom’ at a local secondary school, Pat claimed that there was more excitement in that one day than in the four years preceding it. This was a school tale in which he feels justice was served.

Claire O’Connell certainly challenged members with her original topics. ‘Who was your best friend when you were 21?’ evoked some emotional responses, while ‘What is your least favourite TV programme?’ aroused passionate ones, ranging from ‘Love Island’ to ‘Wheeler Dealers’.

‘What celebrity would you like to be married to?’ warranted a careful reply from a married member. ‘Could you produce a tasty dish with a mixture of vegetables and fruit?’ and ‘The use of AI in educational assignments’ also elicited varying responses.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to making it a very lively and entertaining meeting. We look forward to our next meeting on Thursday, January 9th. Why not make it part of your New Year’s resolutions? Come along to one of our meetings. You will be made very welcome and will not have to say a word unless you want to.

Paul Murphy (poem), Bobby Buckley, Michael Cronin, and Pat Sexton (speeches)

The evaluators: Donal Jones, Brendan Foley, and Trevor O'Sullivan

Toastmaster Noel O'Connor, Topicsmaster Claire O'Connell, and President Bobby Buckley

Food For Thought

 Last Thursday’s meeting was a very enjoyable one, and as usual, this was due to a combined effort. Thank you to Brendan Foley, who acted as our genial host/Toastmaster for the evening, and to Frances Lowry, who performed the demanding role of Timer very efficiently.

Michael Cronin began the contributions by titillating the interest of the audience with an extract from a poem by John Donne, written over four hundred years ago: ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed.’

‘That’s Why I’m Here’ was the title of veteran Toastmaster Pat Sexton’s speech. Pat admitted to never having suffered from glossophobia but attributed his skill in coping with daunting and intimidating situations to his involvement in Toastmasters. He expressed his continuing satisfaction in seeing people blossom and grow in confidence through their experience at Toastmasters.

Rachel Liston shared her yoga journey with us in a speech entitled ‘Balance.’ Finding that her coordination and short height were causing her difficulties, she decided to embark on a yoga course for fitness and balance. She shared the joy of finding herself feeling rather inflexible in a room full of yogis and a super supple instructor. But she persevered and signed up for a yoga retreat. Here, she succeeded in doing the most difficult task of all, according to the instructor: she learned to lie utterly still and quieten her mind. At the end, she showcased her skill at the tree pose for us all!

In ‘A Girl Called Happy,’ Claire O’Connell assured us that the true source of happiness and contentment comes from within. It is not to be found in having possessions or the perfect body. We are constantly being ambushed by ads telling us what we need. If we could take control and learn to be thankful for all we’ve got, she argued, we could all find our happy selves.

In ‘Do the Right Thing,’ Marie Lynes gave us a timely reminder of the long struggle it took to win universal suffrage for us. In a world where only a minority of people enjoy democratic rights, she urged us to value our vote and use it wisely.

Jillian Harris had a food theme running through the topics she posed for members to speak on, off the cuff. “What food could you imagine living on for the rest of your life?” Helsa’s roast chicken dinner seemed a far more attractive prospect than Michael’s choice of tapioca or Don’s choice of quinoa! The topic of palm oil aroused strong feelings and helpful suggestions on how to avoid it. Brendan admitted his ability to cook but expressed his aversion to culinary snobbery.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to another evening full of cheer and variety.

Our final meeting for 2024 will be on Thursday, 12th December. Why not come along? Everyone is welcome!

The Top Table

The Speakers

The Evaluators

Congratulations and Best of Luck Pat

 Pat Sexton was awarded first place in both the Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests for Division A of Toastmasters, held in Cork on Sunday afternoon, November 24th.

He emerged victorious over eight other contestants in each category. With a speech entitled ‘Antarctica’ he regaled the audience with an account of a chilling journey to Mullingar in his brand-new Tesla. The Topic, which the competitors were presented with to speak off the cuff, was the single word, ‘Why?’ Pat’s reply was clever and entertaining. He argued that Why can be a very negative question if applied continuously to Life’s woes, but the question: `Why Not?` can encourage a much more positive attitude to Life’s challenges.

Representing a plethora of Cork and Kerry clubs, Pat will now go on to represent Division A in The District Contests, which will be held in Solihull in England in May. There, he will compete against representatives from eight other Divisions from Ireland, Scotland, Northern Wales, Northern England, the Midlands and the East of England. Best of Luck, Pat!

Pat Sexton and Division Director Nicholas O'Neil

Sharing their journeys

 On November 14th we enjoyed a very entertaining and varied programme thanks to our V.P.E, Paul Corcoran. Marie Lynes acted as Toastmaster/ MC for the evening. Helsa Giles opened the presentations with an excerpt from the beautiful nostalgic prose piece by Dylan Thomas ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales.’

Brendan Foley gave us a very graphic account of his experience on the 30th of April 2023 in his speech, ‘The Wall’. That was the day he hit the mystical wall! He was over 9 miles into the Limerick half marathon when, ‘like a wounded gazelle’ he found he could not move. A former non-believer in ‘the wall’ he felt totally depleted. But he paused, gathered himself and finished the course. We were all on that run with him.

In his speech’ Moral Architecture’, Michael Cronin took us on a different journey. He described his visit to Fota House, the ancestral home of the Smith Barry family. He noted the grand decor of the formal rooms in contrast to the simple unadorned rooms in the servants’ wing. He was very impressed with the guide’s attention to detail, including her explanation of the use of mirrors in the main reception room. One could socialise at one end of the room, yet keep an eye on interactions in other parts of it. Michael also admitted to feeling compelled to count the chimney pots!

In ‘How Does Your Garden Grow’ Don McSweeney described his journey from having no gardening experience to becoming a passionate organic vegetable gardener. In spite of aphids and pigeons, he has managed to produce many kinds of vegetables from brussels sprouts to mangetout. He takes pride in the fact that he does not use chemicals or pesticides, but works with Nature instead of harming her. He has acquired some very valuable knowledge, including the recipe for a very foul smelling nettle tea to feed one’s vegetables. He is currently investigating the new concept of ‘no dig gardening’. Don kept us all captivated in spite of intentional disruptions by members. He was also demonstrating his skills in managing a difficult audience. Very well done, Don. You managed it all with your usual grace.

‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ was the title of Trevor O’Sullivan’s inspirational speech. Trevor began by creating a scenario: ‘Imagine, you are in a deep sleep. You wake. A miracle has happened! What does it feel like? What does it look like? What is different? He assured us that the barriers to our success are often obstacles we place there ourselves. It was an energising speech and gave us plenty of food for thought.

Pat Sexton was our mischievous Topicsmaster for the meeting. Members were asked to speak on topics such as: ‘Imagine you are a dictator for a day; state one change that you would make, that could change everything’ , ‘He who can, does, he who cannot, teaches’, G.B. Shaw, do you agree? Members were also asked to speak on topics of a single word or two e.g. ‘Yes’ , ‘Why Not?’ There was no shortage of humour or wit in the replies.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, 28th November in the Hibernian Hotel. We are always happy to welcome guests. There is no pressure to speak. There is a charge of €7 to cover the room hire and refreshments.

Topicsmaster Pat Sexton, Toastmaster Marie Lynes, and President Bobby Buckley

The Speakers

The Evaluators

Halloween Meeting

Our Halloween meeting was very entertaining and a little different! Pat Sexton conducted the meeting as Toastmaster. Claire O’Connell presented one of her own poems with the timely title, "To the Devil’s Tune."

The audience was invited to play a more active role in the speakers’ presentations. Paul Corcoran's speech, titled "The Making of a Wedding," drew on his expertise as a marriage celebrant. He gave a clear account of the process of creating a wedding ceremony and outlined a great range of interesting and meaningful options that prospective couples can choose from.

The underlying aim of Paul’s speech, however, was to showcase his skills in managing a difficult audience. Audience members were assigned roles by the Toastmaster prior to the meeting. Faced with various disruptions, Paul demonstrated how to stay calm, address, and defuse challenges. He didn’t ignore interruptions but took control, using direct eye contact, respectful interactions, and refocusing the audience's attention on the presentation. It was good fun and a masterclass on handling a challenging audience!

In his speech, "Reflection on My 2024 Humorous Speech," Bobby Buckley used self-deprecating humour to great effect. But Bobby also had another task—he needed to initiate and manage a question-and-answer session with the audience. He handled this with his usual aplomb. Bobby began with, “Are humorists born or made?” By asking the first question himself, he avoided any awkward pauses and immediately engaged the audience. He addressed all questions with ease and courtesy, leading to a fascinating discussion on humour.

Paul Gallagher led the Topics Session with a variety of light-hearted yet probing questions. One member admitted to being “allergic to coffee snobs,” while another confessed never actually having done a job interview! When asked what book should be compulsory for students, The Twits by Roald Dahl was suggested for primary school and To Kill a Mockingbird for secondary. What do you think?

Congratulations to Pat Sexton, who won both the Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests at the Area Contests in Tralee on Saturday, November 2nd. He will represent the Area in the upcoming Division Contests.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, November 14th, at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow. Everyone is welcome, and there’s no pressure on guests to speak.

Helsa Giles, Paul Corcoran, Bobby Buckley, Marie Lynes, and Claire O'Connell all played roles in the Halloween meeting.

Toastmaster Pat Sexton, President Bobby Buckley, and Topicsmaster Paul Gallagher

Speakeasy Toastmasters say ‘We Want it Now’

Another great night of entertainment at Speakeasy Toastmasters with a competitive edge; the Humourous Speech and Table Topics contest was the clubs first competition of the year and served up a wonderful fayre.

Club president Bobby Buckley welcomed all to the meeting particularly Area Director Anne Lawlor from Tralee Toastmasters, before handing over control of the meeting to Contest Chair Rachel Liston.

Claire O Connell was first up with her speech entitled ‘Boxed Up’. By her own admission Claire’s was what she called a serious speech with some injections of humour telling us of our toxic relationship with technology. Bemoaning the fact that the human aspect is even gone from shopping Claire wondered why do we have a ‘we want it now’ culture.

Next up to the lectern was Pat Sexton with a speech entitled Antartica, a rather tongue in cheek tale of his journey in his new Tesla to Mullingar. By journeys end and so down on power with no radio, no heaters and a car full of cranky passengers Pat wondered if the great explorer Tom Crean had ever suffered range anxiety. Having reached his destination at a sooty smoke, gas guzzling service station Pats parting shot to his audience was ‘why should I care about future generations; what has posterity ever done for me?’

Contestants for the Table Topics contest were Helsa Giles, Pat Sexton and Claire O Connell who battled it out with their views on the topic ‘What colour best describes your personality and why’.

Competitors and all present enjoyed a well earned break with teas and coffees before our meeting resumed with table topics.

Our Topics Master was Frances Lowry from Failte Toastmasters Charleville with a hugely entertaining and eclectic range of topics such as ‘What are you grateful for?’, ‘What motivates you to go to work?’.

Competition results were announced by Contest Chair Rachel LIsting and Pat Sexton was announced as our winner on the double claiming the Humourous Speech and Table Topics titles. Pat will now progress to the Area Finals being held in Tralee on 2^nd November.

We will endeavour to do it all again at our next meeting and you are most welcome to attend, it all takes place on Thursday 31^st October in The Hibernian Hotel at 8:00pm.

Awards: Speakeasy Toastmasters Contest Chair Rachel Liston presenting Pat Sexton with his certificate of participation in the Humourous Speech Contest

Speakeasy Toastmasters VP Education Paul Corcoran, President Bobby Buckley and Area Director Anne Lawlow (Tralee Toastmasters)

Looking After Ourselves and Our Planet

 Our president, Bobby Buckley, opened the meeting and referred to three well-known icons who have recently passed away - Kris Kristofferson, Maggie Smith, and Mary O’Rourke all rest in peace.

Michael Cronin, as MC for the evening, conducted the meeting with his usual ease and charm.

Amanda Conway gave a very confident presentation of a charming poem, ‘My Favourite Place To Be’.

Well-being of the individual and of our planet were themes running through Thursday’s meeting. In her speech, ‘Just An Email’, Rachel Liston shared her positive and enlightening experience of working under the guidance of a mentor, in spite of her initial reservations.

Paul Corcoran described his absolute delight in acquiring his ‘new best friend’ in his speech, ‘A New Journal’. He certainly convinced many in the audience of the joys and benefits of keeping a journal.

In his enthralling speech, Don McSweeney introduced us to the model of ‘The Doughnut’. The area between the two rings of the doughnut is considered a safe and just place for humanity and the planet to live. Living within these boundaries, all people’s basic social needs would be met and the safety of our planet would be secured. Right now, this model seems to offer us the best hope of a healthy future.

Helsa Giles, Brendan Foley, and Marie Fitzpatrick all gave positive and insightful evaluations of the respective speeches.

In a lively and very enjoyable topics session, Noel O’Connor posed questions about native plants that are under threat in Ireland, prejudices about drivers of electric cars, and opinions on what is an ideal holiday. Some aspired to an ecologically ethical holiday with Manchán by train, while others looked forward to braving the Greenways! Many opinions were exchanged in a respectful and often humorous way.

We left the meeting with plenty of food for thought and the prospect of the next meeting to look forward to on the 17th of October. This should be a very entertaining evening with a contest of Humorous Speeches and Table Topics.

Everyone Welcome!

Toastmaster: Michael Cronin, President: Bobby Buckley, Topicsmaster: Noel O'Connor

Evaluators: Helsa Giles and Marie Fitzpatrick.

Speakers: Paul Corcoran, Rachel Liston, and Don McSweeney

Indian Summer at Speakeasy

"Confidence building, leadership skills, and goal setting were just 3 of the gifts I acquired in Toastmasters." This was how Margaret O'Regan described her journey through Toastmasters in a wonderful speech at last week's Speakeasy Toastmasters meeting.

"Just so you know" was an inspiring recollection of how Speakeasy has helped Margaret in many aspects of life. From dipping the toe in the water by presenting an occasional speech to becoming immersed in various leadership roles, Margaret reflected on how Toastmasters can be a positive experience.

She also reflected on the charisma of former Club President, Jeremiah Ronayne, and how his influence shone brightly during the recent marathon cycle from Malin Head to Mizen in his memory, which has been a spectacular fundraiser for Marymount Hospice in Cork.

Michael Cronin has a reputation for humour, and his speech "The Heart of the Matter" did not disappoint in that regard. He spoke of his fascination with advertising and marketing, referencing the famous adverts for Harp with Sally O'Brien, Barry's Tea and the Train Set, and the Wonderbra billboard campaign of the mid-nineties. He has wondered if there is a market in North Cork for Rolex watches because of the recent billboard displays in Mallow. Currently, he has become enthralled by the Bon Secours campaign announcing its open-heart surgery programme. He wonders if making such a programme so readily available will encourage people to throw caution to the wind in terms of lifestyle and diet because a trip to the Bons is so convenient.

Trevor O'Sullivan gave us "A Tale of the Unexpected from LinkedIn." Having joined the ranks of the self-employed, Trevor decided to build his social media presence on LinkedIn. This site is designed as a networking opportunity for businesspeople to advertise their expertise. And then, he waited and waited for enquiries to flood in. Alas, nothing happened! But eventually, just as he was losing all hope, a "digital marketer" contacted him, offering all sorts of options for "creating content," which came with a hefty price tag! In life, you get out what you put in, but on LinkedIn, no such guarantees exist!

In the poetry corner, Jillian Harris presented a thoughtful and enjoyable poem called "Kitchen." It described the usual items you may find in the kitchen—the pots, pans, ladles, the beetroot and turmeric, and the well-used table. But the child is now grown, and the nest is empty—a reflection on the inevitable passing of time.

All speeches were comprehensively evaluated by the team of Claire O'Connell, Bobby Buckley, and Don McSweeney. "Evaluate to motivate" is the motto we apply to feedback we give our members. In this instance, humour was very much in vogue in the appraisal of the speakers.

Noel, Margaret, and Brendan - our cycle crew

Top Table: Toastmaster Rachel Liston, President Bobby Buckley, Topicsmaster Helsa Giles

Speakers: Trevor O'Sullivan, Margaret O'Regan, and Michael Cronin

Evaluators: Don McSweeney,  Claire O'Connell, and Bobby Buckley

Nostalgia and New Beginnings

Paul Gallagher acted as Toastmaster/ MC for our first meeting of the new season. To open, Marie Lynes presented the poem of the evening, The Wild Swans at Coole by W.B. Yeats.

Bobby Buckley presented the first speech, ’The Magic Of a Speech for Me’. In it he took us on a humorous and nostalgic tour of the Mallow of his youth in the 1950’s. He shared his passion, challenges and ultimate success in the activity of long distance running. He recalled a previous speech that he gave in this club, ‘The Man on the Bike’, a tribute to his father, his coach. He confessed that giving that speech about his early experiences proved very cathartic for him. He expressed the hope that his example would motivate other members to create and share a speech from their own life journeys.

Paul Corcoran has been busy over the Summer refurbishing and remodelling our club website. In his speech, ‘Like and Subscribe, he gave a clear and informative talk on how somebody can set about building a strong social media presence. He explained how key information can be put on many platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X and Whatsapp and then all made more accessible by combining them on Linktree. He even solved the mystery of using a QR code for some of us technophobes. We are now even on Google Maps! He hopes many will ‘Like’ us and become followers.He succeeded in presenting a clear and engaging speech on a technical subject. 

Michael Cronin evaluated Bobby’s speech and Pat Sexton evaluated Paul’s. They both presented interesting and positive evaluations.

Rachel Liston posed a great variety of topics for members to express their opinions on, in the course of the evening.. Her topic on ‘What does Autumn signify for you?’ elicited a very emotional response from Jillian. She evoked images of golden and crimson leaves in New England, the taste of apple and cinnamon, memories of nuts and berries and Halloween. Pat, in contrast, declared he felt that the aura of Autumn is much diminished for him, since the much anticipated, annual G.A.A. finals are no longer played and celebrated in September. On the question of ‘Who would you pay €400 for a ticket to go to see?’ There was only one dissenting voice to Don’s reply ‘Nobody’.

A very enjoyable night was had by all with some very welcome guests. 

Our next meeting is on Thursday the 19th of September in the Tudor Room, upstairs, in the Hibernian Hotel.

Everyone is welcome and no pressure to speak.

Bobby, Rachel, and Paul

Pat, Michael, Bobby, and Paul

A New Season at Speakeasy Toastmasters

Speakeasy Toastmasters begins its new season of meetings on Thursday the 5th of September at 8pm in the Hibernian Hotel. Meetings are held on a fortnightly basis.

So our next meeting will be on the 19th of September and so on.

Guests are always most welcome.

So, what can you expect at a Toastmaster meeting?

Meetings last approximately two hours.

We begin the night with three or four prepared speeches by members and

sometimes a short poem. The speeches are usually between 5 and 8 minutes in

length. They can cover a wide variety of subjects reflecting the diversity of interests

of our members. It has been remarked by many that they have never left a meeting

without hearing something interesting or learning something new!

Next comes the impromptu speaking or Topics Session. This can be a very

entertaining part of the meeting. A different member takes on the role of Topics

Master at each meeting. The Topics Master calls on individual members to speak on

particular topics for two minutes and then anyone else can choose to add a

contribution for one minute. Guests will NEVER be called on to speak by the Topics

Master but are always welcome to offer a one minute add on if they wish to.

Halfway through the meeting we have a welcome 15 minute break for tea/coffee,

biscuits and chat. This is a good time to ask any questions you may have about

Toastmasters. Members will be happy to chat and answer them.

final part of the meeting is called the Evaluation Session. Individual members

give a short constructive evaluation of the prepared speeches. Here, speakers

receive great encouragement and advice for future speeches. In this session,

listening skills are developed as much as speaking ones. It requires the evaluators to

listen attentively to the presentations and offer positive suggestions. In observing

others, members can be inspired to try different techniques in their own speeches.

Members can take on different roles each meeting. For example, as Toastmaster,

they may act as MC for one meeting but may choose to give a speech or act as an

evaluator in subsequent meetings.

A favourite Toastmasters’ motto is ‘we learn best in moments of enjoyment’.

Many have gained confidence and communication skills at Toastmasters.

Come as a guest for as long as you like and, if you decide to join as a member, you

can be sure of a warm welcome and plenty of support.

Usually we charge everyone €7 to attend. This covers the room hire and

refreshments but our first meeting is free for guests!

So why not come along on the 5th of September, sit back, observe and enjoy!

For more information see www.speakeasytoastmasters.com 

Incoming Speakeasy Toastmasters President Bobby Buckley pictured at The Spa House in Mallow.

Marie, Helsa and Claire in good spirits at Toastmasters

Marie, Jill and Trevor are looking forward to a new season at Toastmasters