Celebration and anticipation with Mullingar Toastmasters

Mullingar Toastmasters enjoyed an evening of celebration and anticipation at the Greville Arms Hotel – celebration for the success of two members, Brian McLoughlin and Niamh Tubridy.

In an impromptu guard of honour, Brian received rapturous applause for securing first place for his humorous speech at the Divisional Final in Athlone, and Niamh for her exceptional performance in table topics there.

Taking their seats, members and guests were welcomed by club president, Geraldine Smith, who handed the floor to the Toastmaster, speech evaluators, fáilte officer, timekeeper, grammarian and general evaluator to explain their roles.

First speaker, Gareth Coburn, in his icebreaker speech entitled Third Time a Charm, held the audience in awe as he charted his personal journey from golf-playing bachelor to stay-at-home husband… managing to fit in a professional interest in coffee machines and abattoirs.

Next, Jacqui Wiley, with ‘Sleep Hygiene’ advised saying goodbye to TV and mobile phones in the bedroom, and cutting down on coffee and alcohol before you hit the sack.

Last, speakers, Linda Gavigan, with a speech called, To Lead or Not to Lead, said that the best leaders are democratic, always striving to get the best out of people. Sorry Mussolini!

Speech evaluations followed. Anthony Viney, Derek Walsh, and Philip Howlin highlighted the positive aspects of the speeches, while stressing the importance of gestures and eye contact.

After a break for coffee and chat, Topicmaster, Ian Cahill, cruised effortlessly through a series that included: if you were invisible, family traditions, and favourite teachers and hiding places. That generated a variety of thought-provoking, off the cuff responses.

As timekeeper, Lorraine Murphy, thanked speakers for not racing through too many red traffic lights, Anke Von Bunau, as grammarian, highlighted memorable phrases of the evening, including the sanguine use of the word of the night, ‘Sanguine’.

General evaluator, Pauline McCabe, then presented an overview of the meeting, repeating the words of one of the speakers who described the event as ‘Clever and classy’.

President, Geraldine Smith, closed the meeting and wished Brian success at the District Final in Portlaoise in May 2024.

The next meeting of Mullingar Toastmasters is at the Greville Arms Hotel on December 14 at 8pm.