Three Mullingar Toastmasters members publish books
Mullingar Toastmasters hosted its bi-annual open night on September 26. This year, Toastmasters International is celebrating 100 years and Mullingar Toastmasters is proud to showcase the talent within the club which has been in existence for more than a quarter of that time.
The meeting had a literary theme influenced by Mullingar Literary Festival, which is next year, and most importantly celebrating three members of the club who have had their books published in the last year.
Club president Deirdre Bigley opened the meeting and handed over to Pat Kenny, who guided members through the agenda. Each attendee was greeted by Deirdre Lynch, who noted that there were 10 guests, along with club members. John Coyne demonstrated the ‘traffic light’ system for notifying speakers when their time is running short.
Author Lorraine Murphy, who has published three best-selling books, has said being a member of Toastmasters and the skills she has learned were a key part of her literary development. Lorraine’s most recent book, ‘He loves me not’ went straight to number six on Amazon’s Best Psychological Thriller list.
Tony Viney wrote an excellent book loosely based on his own travels as a non-accidental tourist in the middle east and his friendship with the famous deceased war correspondent Robert Fisk.
Brian McLoughlin, who has inspired a generation of writers in Mullingar in his Inklings writing club, has written his hilarious take on a local theatre group in a future society.
Chairperson of the Mullingar Literary Festival, Laurence Meehan, was a guest speaker and shared the vision of his committee in bringing a writing festival to a town that is steeped in writing history, from James Joyce to Jonathan Swift. The Mullingar Literary Festival is on July 4-6, 2025.
Derek Walsh gave a speech highlighting his vision as an area director for Toastmasters International.
The evaluators for the evening, Anke Von Bunau, Deirdre Bigley and Eilish Fox, provided constructive feedback to each the speakers on content and delivery.
Jacqui Wiley, Toastmasters and Inklings member, dazzled with interesting and thought-provoking table topics, the purpose of which is to challenge attendees to improve impromptu speaking.
General evaluator, Pauline McCabe, provided feedback on various aspects of the meeting, which allows the club to identify areas of improvement. A note of thanks to Angela Afieghe, division public relations manager, for attending and supporting the club.
If you missed the open night, don’t worry, as the next meeting is the Humorous Speech and TableTopics Contests, which guarantee a laugh, at at the Greville Arms Hotel at 8pm on Thursday, October 10, and new members are welcome.
If you have any questions, make contact on Facebook or mullingartoastmasters@gmail.com.