Power Ballads and Pet Peeves

Another Thursday Night and another wonderful Topics Session in Speakeasy. We traversed a road less travelled. In keeping with the time of the year,  Halloween raised its "ugly" head.  The modern day Americanised Halloween found little favour. However, one contribution was the annual nod to a famous Warren Zevon song - "Werewolves of London" which receives a huge surge in radio plays and Spotify Streams at this time. 

On the question of songs, differing suggestions on the Best Power Ballad were aired. Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was an interesting choice.  A long song from the early Eighties, it was a popular "clinger" during the slow set at various discoes. Kate Bush and her anthemic "Running on that Hill" was the "empowering ballad" for a member's Running exercises. Literally, the most humorous nomination was for AC/DC and "Thunderstruck". That's power!

Pet Peeves provoked a list of unmentionables but pride of place went to quiz nights where participants roll up to the Quizmaster and ask "do you have a spare biro?" And then we have hapless participants in Radio quizzes and one wonders - "Why are they on the radio? They haven't a clue!" 

Favourite fast food and takeout Restaurants evoked much discussion as did a question on favourite Irish expressions.  "Tóg go bog é" was a popular choice. But Speakeasy Toastmasters have no intention in "taking it easy".  We host our Halloween Meeting on this Thursday night,  29th October in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow at 7.45pm. 

As always,  everyone is welcome to attend. Guests are under no obligation to speak unless they wish to do so. For more information about this Club,  please check out our website speakeasytoastmasters.com , Instagram, on Facebook. 

Bobby Buckley receives an Appreciation Certificate  from Area Director  Philip O'Brien, for completing a level in Toastmasters Pathways Programme. 

Michael Cronin receives an Appreciation Certificate from Area Director, Philip O'Brien, for his completion of a Level in the Toastmasters Pathways Programme. 

Variety - the spice of Life!

If variety is the spice of life, then last week's Speakeasy Toastmasters Meeting was a flavoursome dish. We were treated to a menu of Autumnal Odes, flying cats,  triumph over adversity and Shakespearean drama. And that was only the speech programme. 

Don McSweeney began proceedings on a seasonal note with his recitation of John Clare's poem Autumn. John Clare was a "working class" poet who wrote about the changes in English rural life in the 1800s. His language was simple yet highly descriptive as his poem Autumn suggests. 

Juan Miguel Camarasa speech "Flying with the Cat" was a hilarious tale of transporting his mother's cat from Spain to Ireland.  Everything is going according to plan until he arrives at Airport Security and all hell and a cat breaks loose! And things escalated from there!

Michael Cronin presented "A Journey". This was the extraordinary story of Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh, Member of Parliament for Counties Carlow and Wexford in the 1860s. Born with  serious birth defects, he had no arms and feet. However,  his mother insisted that he enjoy the same opportunities as her other children. By the age of three he could master riding a pony and learned how to hunt, fish and paint! As a young man, he had several notorious affairs with servant girls in his house. As a result, his mother sent him off to travel Scandinavia and Russia down into India, encountering desert storms, forest fires, snow blizzards. But, he survived all this still found time to spend a month in a harem! Arthur's life was an extraordinary tale of triumph over adversity. 

Bobby Buckley's lengthy presentation "Silence"  was an entertaining look at his life as a teacher and the perennial nightmare of losing control of a class. Imagine then the chaos of bringing a bunch of pupils "the good,  the bad and the morons" to Shakespeare plays at The Abbey Theatre! It all culminated in a production of Hamlet when the students, having learned Hamlet's famous soliloquy, decided to recite it aloud at the appropriate time and applaud themselves for efforts for hijacking the lead performer! All in all it was a very satisfying conclusion to a hugely entertaining evening of speeches. 

Speakeasy will host it's next Meeting on Thursday, 29th October in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow at 7.45pm.   If you require assistance with that"Special Occasion" speech  or need to deliver reports at work, Speakeasy can assist you.  We ca help you overcome your anxieties. Halloween is in the air but no one will be frightened at our Meetings. Guests are always welcome to attend  and are never obliged to speak unless they wish to do so.For more information, please check out our website speakeasytoastmasters.com or Facebook.

Officers at last week's Speakeasy Meeting  - James McConville, Topicsmaster; Rachel Liston, President and Steven Day, Toastmaster. 

Juan Miguel Camarasa regales his audience at last week's Speakeasy Meeting 

Don  McSweeney delivers at last week's Speakeasy Meeting