'An evening full of emotion and heartfelt sentiments'
ON the wet and windy Thursday night of November 24, Mullingar Toastmasters gathered in the de Courcy Suite of the Greville Arms Hotel.
A smaller number than usual attended due to illness and other commitments called life but all insured this gathering would be an intimate affair and one to remember; an evening full of emotion and heartfelt sentiments rarely seen at that level.
President Lorraine Murphy opened the meeting at 8pm and handed it over to the night's toastmaster Damien Rooney who welcomed everyone and introduced the members who had roles.
Duty of the failte office went to John Coyne who, only last week joined the club, proving he is not afraid to get his hands dirty, hitting the ground running.
Grammarian for the evening was Linda Gavagan who choose swizzle as the word of the evening, a word that would be repeated many times throughout the night
On the clock as timer was Pauline McCabe, whose strict timing policy would keep everyone in check.
While welcoming everyone to the meeting, Damien remarked there was only one meeting left in 2022 and how quickly the first season of Toastmasters back in the room had passed. He asked attendees to forget about the long nights and short days of winter and imagine being transported to next summer. Where would we like to be? Answers included St Anne's Park in Dublin, the Caribbean, Morocco all the way to Australia.
There were three speakers on the night and the first up was newcomer Jacqui Wiley with her Icebreaker speech entitled My Three Dads. This was not a speech about three individuals but one man through three stages of life. This heartfelt speech was honest and at times emotional for everyone in the room. Jacqui’s timing and rhythm of language put everyone into an almost hypnotic trance as she told the story of her lovely dad. A standing ovation? Yes, and very well deserved.
Next up was Anke Van Bunau with her speech Flower Extravaganza. Anke was cool, calm and collected as she made us laugh and think about how, with the right team working together, anything can be achieved, and how one person can change the whole dynamic for the better.
The third and final speech entitled The Coin came from President Lorraine Murphy. She showed by flipping a coin and looking at a problem from a different angle, it can lead to the solution–or not. Sometimes we all just need to focus on the positive. And chocolate.
There were three evaluators - Pat Kenny, Geraldine Smith and Tony Viney, who gave honest and positive feedback to the grateful speakers.
Table topics was hosted by Derek Walsh. Derek got participants to dig deep with a line of topics that produced what can only be described as a collection of individual speeches in their own right. Derek matched each topic to each member knowing the outcome would be a showcase of free flowing emotional and intelligent answers.
Brian McLoughlin delivered his general evaluation like only he can. Brian has an ability to pick up on small things, giving vital advice to all in the room while keeping it light and entertaining.
As everyone retired to the bar, the consensus was that though the night was long and the day short, coming out on that Thursday night was a wonderful decision indeed.
For further information on how you can get involved in your local Toastmasters club, contact us on mullingartoastmasters@gmail.com, or on Facebook at Mullingar Toastmasters.