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