Well Done Pat and Everyone

Trevor O’Sullivan guided us through last Thursday’s Club Contest meeting with ease.

Liam O’Flynn opened with a deceptively simple poem, Millstreet Hospital. This very touching piece was written by the Cullen-born ‘poet of the people’ and Oxford academic, Bernard O’Donoghue.

In his speech, Conclave and Me, Bobby Buckley shared his experience of going to this Oscar-nominated film.

In his signature self-deprecating style, Bobby described how he joined the grey brigade in the cinema for Conclave as if attending Latin morning mass. He introduced us to the theme of the film: The Pope has died, and Cardinal Lawerence, played by Ralph Fiennes, finds himself with the unenviable task of conducting the conclave. Bobby concentrated on the compelling performance delivered by Fiennes.

The Cardinal has to ‘manage’ the intricate machinations at work within the conclave while struggling with his own ‘dark night of the soul.’

He highlighted a central speech given by the Cardinal in the film, where he abandons his notes and speaks from the heart. He declares that he rejects ‘the heresy of certitude.’ It was a masterful performance, and Bobby wondered if it would affect the eventual election result. He admitted that he was genuinely taken aback by the unpredictable ending. It was a very eloquent, humorous speech that aroused our interest without spoiling any of the tension and suspense in the film.

Pat Sexton wrestled with some timeless mysteries in his speech, The Threads of Life. The tragic and untimely passing of young, vibrant individuals has mystified mankind for aeons. In Greek mythology, the three sisters, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, were depicted as spinning and cutting the threads of individual human destinies.

Pat referred to two individuals that he knew who passed away last year. Ellen at 100 and Joe at 19 would appear to be very different, but they both shared a zest for life. They both lived life to the full but also accepted that they could not alter its end. The Greeks believed that the happiest people were those who discovered the spirit of ‘entheos’ within. So, Pat concluded that we must accept that we cannot change our Fate, but we can choose to live life to the fullest with enthusiasm and passion.

Margaret O’Regan presented the test speech for contestants to evaluate. The subject of her talk was Maria Fitzherbert. Margaret presented Maria’s story in her usual relaxed, humorous style.

Born in July 1756, Maria Anne Smythe, a Catholic, was married at eighteen to a wealthy widower, Edward Weld. Unfortunately, by the age of twenty-five, she had been widowed twice. Luckily, her second husband, Thomas Fitzherbert, left her a house in Mayfair and an annual income of £1,000.

Though she had no shortage of suitors, Maria was reluctant to get involved in another relationship. However, in 1784, she met George, the Prince of Wales, and he was infatuated with her. She became his longtime companion, and they were secretly married in 1785. However, as heir to the throne, he was not permitted to marry a Catholic. His marriage to Maria was disregarded, and he married the much more suitable and wealthier Caroline of Brunswick.

In time, Caroline too was abandoned for another. But the future King George IV did leave ‘all his worldly property to my wife Maria, the wife of my heart and soul’ in his will. Her letters to him were discovered under his pillow, and he requested to wear an eye miniature of her around his neck when he was dying.

Margaret embellished this story with many interesting and amusing details. ‘Does this prove that love endures in spite of all?’ she asked the audience.

At the end of a very entertaining evening, Pat Sexton was awarded first place in both the Club Speech and Evaluation Contests. He will represent Speakeasy Toastmasters in the Area Final of these contests in Tralee on Sunday, March 2nd.

Our next meeting of Speakeasy Toastmasters will be on Thursday, March 6th, in the Hibernian Hotel. Everyone is welcome.

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Margaret O'Regan, Test Speaker, and Contest Chair Trevor O'Sullivan.

Bobby Buckley receiving the Second Place award from Trevor O'Sullivan at the Speakeasy Toastmasters Club Speech Contest.

Pat Sexton receiving the First Place award from Trevor O'Sullivan at the Speakeasy Club Speech Contest.

Life Stories

On Thursday last, Jillian Harris presented a varied programme that included two very welcome guests from the Rathfarnham Toastmasters Club in Dublin.

Our president, Bobby Buckley, opened the presentations with a nostalgic poem that he composed himself. He was inspired by the Mallow Scribes Anthology. His closing lines were:

"I reminisce with this anthology’s verses
While my old town has passed away in RIP.ie and hearses."

In his engaging speech, My Front Pages, Don McSweeney introduced us to some of the "friends" that have influenced him on his life’s journey. These companions are the books, mostly signed by the authors, that chart his development and interests.

Gay Byrne’s signed autobiography would be of interest to many who grew up in the heyday of The Late Late Show and The Gay Byrne Show on the radio. Monty Don’s signed gardening book marks the beginning of a growing passion that Don has for nurturing plants and vegetables. He is the appreciative owner of a first-edition signed copy of Michael Smith’s Unsung Hero, which celebrates the feats of Tom Crean, the hardy survivor of three Antarctic expeditions.

Ailis O’Sullivan, one of our guests from the Rathfarnham club in Dublin, delivered a very entertaining speech, What’s in a Name?. She confessed that she was one of a myriad of families that share her surname, O’Sullivan, from South Kerry. She reminded us of the common practice of identifying different families by referencing the Christian names of fathers, grandfathers, etc., or by referring to a specific occupation associated with a family, e.g., the Coopers.

She empathised with a fellow O’Sullivan namesake, the Caherciveen-born reporter Donie, who experienced great difficulty explaining that no, he was not automatically related to every American O’Sullivan who originally hailed from Kerry! Underlying her humorous presentation, Ailis delivered a thoughtful message. She stressed how a name can identify who you are, who your kin are, and where you came from. It is a privilege that has been denied to many in the past, who were assigned numbers. Many of our own Irish emigrants lost their correct names going through Ellis Island.

We were delighted to welcome the celebrated bilingual journalist, poet, and children’s writer, Áine Ní Ghlinn, to our meeting. She gave a wonderful demonstration of her storytelling skills in her speech, Things Aren’t Always What They Seem. She took us into the world of an excited five-year-old awaiting the arrival of what she believed was a dignitary.

We shared the child’s feeling of anticipation and then her ensuing one of deflation. The child’s expectations were built on her perception of a "posh" name and a "grand" place of birth. As adults, we too can make rash judgments based on names, colour, and creed. Áine reminded us that often:

"Níl mar a shíltear, bítear."

Trevor O’Sullivan’s speech title was I Love It When a Plan Comes Together. He outlined his vision of becoming a sought-after leadership coach in an earlier speech. In this one, he gave an account of the circuitous route he took to achieve his goal.

He described his efforts to use digital marketing and joining Business Network International. Finally, he contacted a former colleague who knew his skills, and ultimately, Trevor was offered a very satisfying position. His enthusiasm was infectious when he declared, "Now I have the vision and the plan!"

Our next meeting is a contest one. This will be a very entertaining evening, so why not come and observe on Thursday, the 20th of February at 7.45 pm?

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Speakers, Trevor O'Sullivan, Áine Ní Ghlinn, Don McSweeney and Ailis O'Sullivan

Evaluators: Paul Gallagher, Pat Sexton, Marie Lynes, Michael Cronin

Toastmaster Jillian Harris, President Bobby Buckley and Topicsmaster Liam Flynn.

January Sails

 Acting as Toastmaster for the evening, Helsa Giles guided us through last Thursday’s meeting with her usual ease and grace.

Claire O’Connell began the presentations by sharing a very apt poem with us that was penned by her father. In January Sails, he expresses his impatience with this “landlocked” month in graphic nautical terms. He advises us to “anchor” our heart by the fireside and “check the sails against the bitter winds that blow.” His relief at January’s eventual departure is palpable in the line, “Now the year begins at last.”

In his speech, The Hit I Want, Brendan Foley extolled the virtues of natural dopamine hits. This feel-good hormone and chemical messenger have numerous benefits for our health and sense of well-being when generated by our own activities. He advocated “cold water plunging” as a major source of this natural hormone. However, he assured the less courageous among us that all types of exercise, listening to pleasant music, reading, writing, and social activities like Toastmasters can also provide us with this positive chemical. He was very persuasive in his argument that these natural sources were far preferable to the instant but fleeting hits to be had from alcohol, drugs, or social media.

In a very evocative speech, No Smoke Without Fire, Paul Gallagher presented a thoughtful reflection on our Irish identity and the place of the fireside at its heart:
“Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin.”
He evoked memories of people cooking and gathering around the fire. Here was the focal point of the family and often the community. The embers of the fire of a departing emigrant family were sometimes placed in the neighbours’ hearths as a symbol of hope for returning someday.

In contrast, today, Paul observed that people live in separate rooms with evenly controlled temperatures and social media for company. Has the soul of our homes been lost in our modern, heated, chimneyless abodes? he mused.

Twisting to a Different Consciousness was the intriguing title of Bobby Buckley’s speech. Originally from Mallow, Bobby has lived much of his life in Dublin. In this speech, he took us on a walk along one of his favourite routes near Rathfarnham. He shared little vignettes of history with us along the way. He took us to the Arch where a traveller was wrongfully executed for a murder that the local landlord, who accused him, committed himself.

He described the thunderous waterfalls along our route and the cross at the base of one of them. As we walked by the River Dodder, he conjured up a shocking image of all the bodies being swept along by it in Famine times. He explained that this accounted for the location of a morgue and a pub in this spot. The pub, The Dropping Well, is still in business.

By a strange stroke of serendipity, Bobby discovered that his great-grandfather worked in this area as a junior gardener and won the hand of the daughter of a local landowner. Bobby found a record of their marriage in the register at Classon’s Bridge. We thoroughly enjoyed our journey with him, and he concluded by challenging each of us to take the audience on our own personal tour.

What an interesting evening we had, and that was before we got to the Topics Session!

President: Bobby Buckley, Toastmaster: Helsa Giles, and Topicsmaster: Pat Sexton.

Evaluators: Marie Lynes, Rachel Liston, and Claire O'Connell; Speakers: Bobby Buckley and Paul Gallagher.

A New Year’s Resolution

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

It’s that time of year again when we reflect on our lives and make resolutions.

Usually, we think in terms of “losing” something, like a bad habit, but perhaps we should consider “finding” something—like a new interest or skill.

The ability to communicate with clarity and confidence is an invaluable life skill and can transform your life. It can help you speak more effectively at work or in social situations. It can even prepare you to give that wedding or special occasion speech.

Toastmasters offers people the opportunity to develop these skills in a friendly and helpful environment.

The founder of Toastmasters, Ralph C. Smedley, believed that “We learn best in moments of enjoyment,” and we certainly abide by that motto at Speakeasy Toastmasters.

A Toastmasters meeting consists of:

• A session of prepared short speeches and evaluations by members.
• A session of impromptu speaking on various topics. These topics can be trivial or informative but are always entertaining.

A Toastmasters meeting isn’t just about speaking—it also helps develop listening skills. Guests will never be called on to speak unless they volunteer.

And, of course, the tea break is a vital part of each meeting! It’s a great opportunity to ask questions and chat.

So why not make it your New Year’s resolution to come along to a Speakeasy Toastmasters meeting and be entertained? Guests are always welcome.

Our first meeting of 2025 will be held on Thursday, January 23rd, and meetings will continue on alternate Thursdays in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow.

For more details, visit: linktr.ee/speakeasymallow