Recollections of the past find new voice at Speakeasy Toastmasters

AT a recent function in Aras an Uachtaran, the actor Liam Neeson admitted that his greatest fear in life was speaking in public.

It seems surprising that a hugely successful actor would have such a fear. Yet, there is something quite reassuring in learning that the fear of speaking in public can effect people from all walks of life , regardless of their career success. If you feel like Liam Neeson about speaking before an audience,Speakeasy Toastmasters can help you.

Through their meetings, you can acquire the art of communication with ease and confidence and most importantly this can be achieved in an enjoyable,effective,self placed programme.

Speech delivery is an integral part of a Toastmasters Meeting. At each meeting,different members present speeches to gain experience on organising their ideas and to feel comfortable in front of an audience.

Speech subject matter is chosen by the speaker and usually reflects personal interests and viewpoints. As a result, Speakeasy meetings have hosted subjects as diverse as the legalising of marijuana to the art of thatching.

At their last meeting, a broad range of subjects were presented with historical events as a dominant theme. John Brennan presented a fascinating dissertation on Legal Tender entitled “Pounds,Shillings and Bitcoin -a brief history of money’. John took his audience back to a time before money was in use and bartering was in vogue. The Chinese were the first to introduce the unit of exchange in the form of IOU and now there is virtual currency in the form of Bitcoin.We live in an era of Contactless Payment and customers paying for mundane purchases with their watches.

History of a different kind was the theme of Verna Byrne’s speech. ‘Spikefrom past to present’ was an absorbing and fascinating look at Spike Island, a 104 acres Island at the mouth of Cork Harbour. APart from the rich history, Verna spoke of living on the Island as a young child, which brought a strong personal angle to her speech.

More up to date history formed the bedrock of Pat Sexton’s speech - ‘1968 Apocalypse’. Pat detailed the reasons why 1968 was an “Annus Horribilis”. This was a year of uprisings, suppressions, blood on the streets, the end of dreams - a year when hope turned to despair and idealism for a better future became an orphan.

It was the year when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were murdered, thus disenfranchising an entire younger generation of American voters.

In 1967 The Beatles sang ”All you need is Love” and The Rolling Stones sang “We Love You”. One year later they sang “Revolution” and “Street Fighting Man”.

So why such a change in such a short time? Youth turned angry and frustrated at the perceived injustices perpetrated by ‘ The Establishment’. Rioting in the streets of American Cities and all over the World seemed to rock the system but failed to overthrow it.

Conflict of a different nature was articulated by Liam Flynn with an interpretative reading from ‘ The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’. Jean Dominique Bauby, a French magazine editor, suffered a massive stroke which left him completely paralysed and speechless. Able to use one eyelid, he managed to “dictate” an extraordinary memoir. Liam brought to life the writer’s lonely existence and his flights of imagination that helped him rise above his circumstances.

This interpretative piece rounded out an exciting programme of speeches.

A key aspect of each Toastmasters Meeting is the Evaluation section. Each speaker is assigned an Evaluator whose role is to provide positive and detailed feedback. This reinforces the mutually supportive environment at meetings - people building people.

Michael Cronin, Marie Fitzpatrick, Noel O’Connor and Don McSweeney provided insightful, thoughtful and constructive recommendations to all the speakers. At the meeting’s conclusion, awards were presented for outstanding contributions, including John Brennan, Best Speaker and Marie Fitzpatrick, Best Evaluator.

In other news, Speakeasy participated in The Davis College Model United Nations which took place over four days last week in City Hall, Cork. This is the brainchild of Jose Horte of Davis College.

Since 2014 this project has grown spectacularly to involve schools from all over Ireland and beyond.

Each student plays the role of a Delegate to the UN and debating important motions on important issues like AIDS, the refugee crisis, weapons stockpiling and disabilities.

At the event’s closing ceremony, Pat Sexton was Guest Speaker and Club President Helsa Giles presented awards to various participants for outstanding Leadership and Communication.

Speakeasy is privileged to be involved in such a worthy event and congratulate Jose and the staff at Davis College for their achievements.

The next Speakeasy Toastmasters meeting takes place in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow on Thursday, January 25 commencing at 8pm. Check out speakeasytoastmasters.com or follow on Facebook.