An extraordinary memoir of life as a debating coach
SPEECHES will well and truly be the centre of attention this Wednesday night, February 20, in the Riverside Park Hotel as well-known former Wexford county footballer and secondary school teacher James McGovern launches his latest book, which recounts his 32 years as a debating and public speaking tutor at St Mary’s CBS in Enniscorthy.
‘Stand Up, Speak Out – Memoir of a Public Speaking and Debating Tutor’ charts the extraordinary impact James has had on students at the Enniscorthy school, encouraging boys who may have been shy or lacking confidence to become national public speaking and debating champions.
The incredible level of success the school has had in the realm of public speaking over the last 30 years - recalled with great care and attention in the book – is James’ lasting legacy to the school and its students.
Tomorrow night’s launch, which is open to all members of the public, is sure to be an engaging affair. Sky News journalist Enda Brady, a former student of James, will launch the 300-page memoir.
John White, the former General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland, (ASTI) will be a guest speaker at the launch.
The students’ own accounts of their training and the schools, colleges and university teams they competed against all over Ireland, are presented in the book, which is illustrated with photographs.
The personal testimonies of a number of members of winning Enniscorthy teams, who are now adults, are featured, including Ian Kehoe, former editor of the Sunday Business Post, now a member of the board of RTE; Darragh Clifford, Deputy Editor with INM Regionals in Wexford; Emmett Moorehouse, a chartered tax adviser; Martin Breen, a veterinary surgeon in Canada; Neil Hughes, managing partner of Baker Tilly Ireland; Padraig Hall, accountant with Ferrybank Motors; Andrew Hughes, historian and author; Gerard Murphy, teacher; Laurence Doyle, corporate lawyer, and Jim Murphy, teacher.
During 32 of his 37 years as a teacher, James trained St Mary’s CBS teams to win the national Mental Health Association of Ireland Project, the Knights of Columbanus Public speaking competition and the prestigious university competition, the Phil Speaks.
He provided after-school training in public speaking and debating techniques to numerous students throughout the Enniscorthy area.
‘When they started, they were shy, lacking confidence and hesitant and it was most gratifying to see them grow in competence and confidence so much so that many of them, now adults, address tens and thousands and millions of people across the world’, said James.
‘Public speaking and debating should be mandatory subjects on the curricula of both primary and secondary schools,’ he suggested.
James has been a prominent GAA activist for most of his adult life. During the 1980s he played with the Starlights and was a member of the team that won the Wexford Senior football championship in 1983. He played with the Wexford Senior football team from 1984 to 1988.
He later trained Wexford Minor and under-21 football teams and also managed the Wexford Ladies football team. He has been involved with Glynn-Barntown GAA club since 1988 and he trained Horeswood to win the Wexford senior football championship in 2011.
He is also a member of the national education committee of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI).
The book, his third, marks his retirement from his 37-year career as a teacher.
He and his wife Bernadette, also a secondary school teacher, live in Killurin. They have three adult children, Claire, Susan and Eimear. ‘Stand Up, Speak Out’ is edited by Michael Freeman and is published by the Rosslare-based Three Sisters Press. The launch takes place at the Riverside Park Hotel, this Wednesday, February 20, at 7 p.m. and all are welcome.