Category Archives: general

HAPPY TIMES AT FERMOY TOASTMASTERS

Although we were still only in November, at the latest Fermoy Toastmasters meeting on Tuesday, the 18th, there was more then a hint of the spirit of Christmas all around. The hotel foyer was bedecked with trailing festive garlands and illuminated by two magnificent Christmas trees ablaze with stars and lights imparting a lovely seasonal atmosphere. And this sense of anticipation of a time of joy and celebration gave an added zest to what was to prove a memorably happy and successful meeting.

Our President, Mary Whelan, set a very genial note for the evening with the warmth of her welcome to all members and guests present. Then Fanahan Colbert as toastmaster or chairman seamlessly guided proceedings along with accomplished skill and charm and introduced the speakers to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience. A good topics session makes for a great meeting by its ready spontaneity in getting everyone involved thinking briskly and speaking impromptu, bringing to its fullest expression the Toastmaster ideal of participation by everyone – though I should point out that guests are not asked to speak, although are very welcome to do so at the appropriate time if they wish.

John Quirke with all of his vast commitment and engaging style was brilliant in the role of topicsmaster, rolling out a stimulating array of themes wry, humorous, ironic, thoughtful and whimsical which drew a huge and impressive response with eagerness and flair together with a marked proliferation of add-ons as so many wanted to come in to share their views and ideas, their wisdom and insight drawn from the richness of life’s experience. That is what we are all about: the mutual generosity of spirit and the shared dedication to something that we all love doing and which everyone can so hugely enjoy and so enhance their lives.

We then had three very fine and excellent set speeches of great diversity and interest.  One of our new members, Padraig Murphy, delivered a very original and well-crafted talk simply entitled The Telly. Not your usual take on the social impact of the glowing screen that rules the living room nowadays, but rather a journey of very personal milestones through the years with the television set at the centre of every scene. He captured his boyhood excitement of getting up early on Saturday mornings to watch weekend programmes for younger viewers; then took us briskly forward to the evening he came with his fiancé to tell his family of the joy of their engagement punctuated by the add-breaks throughout the favourite soap operas. Then he told us of his Mother’s switching off from television drama with the onset of serious illness, something with which I can readily identify recalling our own dear Mother going the same way. Finally, the wheel came full circle with his sharing his young family’s enjoyment of television today on the ongoing journey of life. All of these episodes were told in the present tense which gave them a powerful immediacy that brought the audience right into the heart of the moment.

One of our best loved members, Eilish Ui Bhriain, gave a beautiful presentation that touched upon something so important when she said that to be alone too much is a sure recipe for gloom and despondency, while coming here to our meetings and looking around the room filled with smiling faces brings great joy and gladness to the heart. Taking on an assignment from the Humorously Speaking Manual which requires the speaker to address a serious topic framed by a humorous opening and closing, Eilish told us of the life of the comic actor and writer, Spike Milligan, born of Irish parents and who fought in the North African campaign during the Second World War. A severe mortar wound left him with lifetime psychological wounds manifested in bi-polar depression, but Spike found salvation and redemption from his inner demons through his power to make people laugh. His comic style and work can still be seen online, much of it marked by a pervasive cynicism tempered by good feeling. Eilish brought something of Spike back to life again for those of us who remember him, while offering a very absorbing informative introduction to those coming to his legacy and achievements for the first time.

Frank O Driscoll used exactly the same template to construct and deliver a very different but highly accomplished speech, taking the old nursery rhyme of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and weaving it so skilfully and adroitly into the huge controversy of our time today that is the whole issue of water charges. Frank identified the issue as one of going straight down the middle: when the Government introduced property tax, they were careful to grade and balance the measure, setting limits on what homeowners would be asked to pay. But the water charges in their original version were a sloppy and ill-judged piece of work, leaving everyone fearing the imposition of enormous bills that they just could not afford. The result was the rebirth of street politics in this country that took on an ugly and nasty turn. But Frank’s presentation was so strikingly light and airy, given with a smiling face and with gentle words and great charm, so very clever and well thought out. This is the hallmark of the true professional, outstanding Toastmaster and brilliant friend that Frank is to us all.

There followed worthy and illuminating evaluations for each of our speakers in turn from Kieran Connolly, Kevin Walsh and Jerry Hennessy, with a very fine overall assessment from John Sherlock. Our very welcome guest speaker of the evening, Michael Cronin of Mallow, gave us a very informative talk on the art of good evaluation, while Area Governor Noel O’Connor spoke of his continued support and encouragement for the club.  The art of enjoyment is the delight of being in Toastmasters. Why not find that sparkling enjoyment for yourself by coming to our next meeting on December 2nd, at the Grand Hotel, Fermoy, on Tuesday evening next, December 2nd, at 8.15 pm.  For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100

NOVEMBER SO BRIGHT AT FERMOY TOASTMASTERS

 

Club president Mary Whelan congratulating John Quirke on winning the clubs topics competition
Club president Mary Whelan congratulating John Quirke on winning the clubs topics competition

With the month of November we have reached the dark time of the year, but a very bright and

pleasant time at Fermoy Toastmasters, an opportunity to fire the imagination, to make and listen to the joy of human speech, stimulated by new thoughts and fresh ideas, above all to be among so many dear and wonderful friends in a warm and convivial atmosphere, sharing in the music of laughter and to be inspired by what we can all do coming together in generosity of spirit and mutual support. All this in a warm, comfortable and brightly-lit meeting room with tea and coffee served half-ways through with the pleasure of genial conversation and cordial social interaction. These are the things that delight the heart and bring us comfort and cheer and make life so amply well worth the living whether now and at all times of the year.

Our President, Mary Whelan, welcomed all with sentiments of kindness, grace and charm that instantly had all at their ease and in the frame of mind to enjoy and to participate fully in the programme ahead. Control was passed to the Toastmaster of the evening, Kevin Walsh, who guided proceedings along with gently but enthusiastically. The topics session was conducted by Kieran Connolly who offered a lovely selection of subjects avoiding the great controversies of our time in favour of such human and appealing aspects of everyday life ranging from Fermoy recently winning the County Final to getting over the ‘flu, from sketching your dream holiday and on to hair-styling, to mention but a few, with everyone getting involved, having something to say, humour to share and wisdom to impart, leaving us with something valuable and enriching to take away home with us later. Every initial response is of two minutes’ duration with add-ons of one minute or so with Jerry Hennessy our diligent time-keeper ringing the bell to mark the precious interlude that accords to each their right to speak and be heard while signalling the courtesy of concluding your remarks to give someone else a chance.

Membership of Toastmasters teaches you so much about life and how to be happy in it. You learn to appreciate yourself and others in a deeper and very special way, each making a unique and special contribution while always drawing pleasure, inspiration and enjoyment from the efforts, talents and accomplishments of your fellow members and friends. The whole concept is so beautifully and ingeniously balanced in such an effective and harmonious way. In coming to our meetings, we leave behind a pressurised world and enter into a relaxed and happy place where we can all truly be ourselves and find new wellsprings of originality and success that is so pleasantly satisfying and fulfilling. You have only to ask of yourself to give it a go. It is always so easy to find excuses for doing nothing. But if you are prepared to answer the challenge and are prepared to think, speak and listen in a new and vibrant way, you will be most pleased and delighted by the personal rewards that come your way. Everyone has so much good and truth and humanity to give, so many stories to tell and ideas to share. This is the forum where direct communication brings out the best in us all like nothing else can.

We were blessed by three excellent speeches, beginning with our cherished friend Mairead Barry telling us her personal view of the sufferings and sacrifices of the generation who exactly a century ago bore the horrors of the Great War. In a deeply poignant and moving presentation, she told us of how right and proper it is to honour the memory of the fallen of that terrible war, counting its terrible cost, admiring the bravery of those who fought, drawing lessons from the arrogance and folly that makes wars possible, celebrating the power to heal and forgive in goodness and compassion that builds a peace and better world for the generations to come. Michael Sheehan gave a well-crafted and researched talk told us of Horrible And Not So Horrible Histories, taking us on a very seasonal and appropriate journey through the traditions of Halloween and also evoking the other great moment of significance that week in Guy Fawkes Night, a traditional time in England for celebratory fireworks marking the failure of the Gunpowder Plot and the triumph of the Protestant Reformation, even if in today’s very changed world Fawkes has now become an ambiguous symbol of opposition to all forms of intolerance and conformism.

Finally, a very welcoming visiting member from Mallow Club, Helsa Giles, dressed with impeccable style and elegance serving to underscore her telling of the early life of the great French fashion icon, entrepreneur and perfumier, Coco Chanel, in her extraordinary rise from abject poverty to great wealth and acclaim, a magnificent testimony to the power of the human spirit told with winning directness, clarity and grace by Helsa, whom we look forward to seeing again very soon.

All of our speakers on the night were well evaluated in turn by Fanahan Colbert, Johanna Hegarty and Eilish Ui Bhriain, with an overall summation from the general evaluator John Kelly.

At 7.30 pm on this Friday, November 14th, a special commemorative Mass for all deceased members of the very many clubs and association in Fermoy will be held in St. Patrick’s Church, in which Fermoy Toastmasters will be represented and a Candle Of Remembrance will be placed on the altar with the names of those no longer with us but whose memories we treasure, including inter alia Niall Brunicardi, Padraig O’Braoin, Pat Noonan, Oliver Langley and Eilish Dunlea.  We salute their dedication and service and from their heavenly home they smile upon and bless the ongoing mission and life of the club they loved so much and enhanced so greatly. The story continues next Tuesday evening, November 18th, in the Grand Hotel, at 8.15 pm. For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100.

FERMOY TOASTMASTERS: SO GOOD FOR YOU.

 

Club president Mary Whelan with Toastmaster for the evening John Kelly and our inimitable smiling Topicsmaster, John Sherlock at our meeting on August 21st
Club president Mary Whelan with Toastmaster for the evening  John Kelly (left) and our inimitable smiling Topicsmaster, John Sherlock at our meeting on August 21st

We enjoyed a very lovely time at our meeting in the Grand Hotel on Tuesday, October 21st. It is gratifying to receive a warm welcome from our greeter at the door setting a relaxed and genial tone for the members and visitors for the evening ahead. Club President Mary Whelan rises to her wearing the chain of office with the names of all her predecessors stretching back four and a half decades so richly symbolic of a proud and distinguished tradition. The gavel comes down on the sounding block; the meeting is called to order; there is a sense of eagerness and anticipation for what the next two hours have in store.

There have been countless such meetings held over the years, but each such occasion on every second Tuesday throughout the season from September to May is unique and special with its own beautiful once-off content and flow, sparkle and originality which is always so refreshingly new and innovative. Control is passed to the Toastmaster or chairman of the evening, John Kelly, who exemplifies by his many years of dedication and commitment to this club its finest achievements and its promise of endless enjoyment and personal growth for all who are willing to give it a try.

John Sherlock with his easy relaxed style and ready sense of humour was called upon to fulfil the role of topicsmaster at relatively short notice. Through the years many stars have shone in the firmament of Fermoy Toastmasters: John is one of the most outstanding and best of all. To him this year has been given the most challenging of roles as Educational Vice President to make out the programme of all our meetings ensuring that they are varied, stimulating and entertaining. A daunting task it would be if it were not for the motivation, enthusiasm and generosity of spirit of the members who are eager and delighted to make their contribution and play their part, as they did yet again with such remarkable energy and zest during what was such a bracing and invigorating topics session encompassing such themes as being from Cork is a badge of perfection to the telling of little white lies, the traditions of Halloween to what you would do if you were Minister for Transport  and the pleasures of going for a walk, to mention but a very few.

We enjoyed the pleasure of three very different but highly impressive speeches. One of our new members, Margaret Goggin, gave a very polished speech on the rival extremes of generosity and meanness, citing the three personality types of spendthrift who squanders money with reckless carefree abandon and never cares about tomorrow. The frugal, who are careful and considered in their spending and have a deeply-felt respect for the value of money, whose minds are not closed to kindness but who want to see that they receive value for every penny they spend. And then there is the cheapskate who buys only what is shoddy and trashy and is altogether lacking in any sense of rightful pride in what they have or who they are. Margaret skilfully wove these strands together pointing the way to a healthy and positive relationship with money and material things in general that can be achieved by bringing all of these human these traits into a creative and harmonious balance.

Jerry Hennessy brought vividly to life the story and achievements of Fr. William Casey of Abbey Feale in West Limerick, hero of the Land League and champion of the oppressed and downtrodden, who in the late nineteenth century defied the rack-renting landlords and organised successful boycott campaigns in favour of the evicted and the dispossessed. He made a huge contribution to the cause of bringing the mighty propertied interests to their knees and obliging the British Government to arrive at a fair and equitable resolution of the Land Question. But as Jerry told us in his illuminating presentation, Fr. Casey also understood the importance of expanding and developing the human spirit in his ardent support for Gaelic games and in the music of the brass band that he founded, their melodious strains often heard wafting through the warm summer evenings of Abbey Feale then as they still do today. The story of a great man so well and aptly told, a truly remarkable priest who stood with his people and fearlessly led their struggle against the social injustices of his time, his example still holding a powerful resonance in our time as Pope Francis once again urges the pastors to be ever among their flocks in all of their pressing needs and concerns.

Our third and final speech was from Padraig Murphy who took us on a very different journey to the present moment where far too people actually live. In a very lucid and elegant style, Padraig depicted the extent to which we are creatures of habit and routine, our attention span far too narrow leaving us open to memory loss, losing car keys, forgetting appointments, daydreaming vacantly, relating how one man totally forgot to drop his child to school one morning while en route to work until called back to reality by a light juvenile voice from the back seat, whereupon he just had to turn around and drive back again. As Padraig so amply demonstrated, we all remember the past and our minds are filled with the hopes, anxieties and dreams of the future, but the vital present moment scarcely merits a thought. A timely and relevant message delivered with grace, skill and humour.

All three speeches were evaluated in turn by Kieran Connolly, Michael Sheehan and Eilish Ni Bhriain, with a very fine concluding general evaluation from Eddie O’Sullivan. And so our evening concluded with a warm glow of satisfaction and pleasure shared by all, the hallmark of a successful and pleasant gathering that sends everyone home Toastmasters. Toastmasters are good for you.  Why not try that out for yourself at our next meeting in the Grand Hotel, Fermoy, on Tuesday next, November 4th, at 8.15 pm. For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100.

NIGHT OF HUMOUR AT FERMOY TOASTMASTERS

Club President Mary Whelan congratulates  Frank O'Driscoll  on winning the recent Club Humorous Speech Contest.
Club President Mary Whelan congratulates Frank O’Driscoll on winning the recent Club Humorous Speech Contest.

We celebrated a very significant milestone in our season with the annual Humorous Speech and Topics Contest held on the evening of Tuesday, October 9th in the Grand Hotel. On a dark and very wet night, we were joined by very welcome colleagues and friends from our sister clubs in Mitchelstown, Mallow and Charleville for an evening of laughter and entertainment, of gaiety and cheer.

Speeches are limited to seven minutes’ duration, governed by a system of lights operated by the timekeepers – on that occasion, so capably done by Margaret Goggin and Jerry Hennessy – carefully monitoring the stopwatch: green is switched on at five minutes, amber at six, red at seven, after which contestants have thirty seconds’ grace to finish. This is a powerful discipline which obliges participants to be clear in their own minds as to what they want to say, cutting away all that is superfluous and unnecessary; then come to the lectern, make their speech and then resume their seat with the satisfaction born of real achievement. All of our contestants well fulfilled their task within the set time limits with three beautiful and very different speeches that gave pleasure and enjoyment to the listeners.

Kevin Walsh took a whimsical look at that perennial aspect of the human condition – the all too prevalent tendency to broken promises. People failing to turn up, not keeping their appointments, not doing what they said they would do, perhaps the story is best told in a light-hearted and humorous way for it is in the very comedy of life we find the deepest and most profound truths. Then we had Frank O’Driscoll giving a wonderful and timely performance as a mock Seanad by-election candidate that also more than touched on the issue of promise for is there any profession more bound up with promising things and usually not delivering on them but that of the politician?

In his ever winning relaxed and genial style, Frank told of all the amazing things he will do with gondolas on the river and the local hospital will become a centre of excellence for something or another, finally adopting a parody of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ refrain that showed yet again how short is the distance between the sublime and the ridiculous. It was a very well-crafted and funny speech taking a satirical sideswipe at the nonsense and idiocy of so much that passes for our contemporary political culture. Finally, we had a very memorable entry by Johanna Hegarty told with great gusty and exuberance of the comedy of errors, accidents and incidents that buffeted her attempts to embark on a trip to Liverpool, her attempted progress there complicated by near eve-of-departure plumbing leaks and straying cattle among other things, leaving her so tired that indeed the stimulus and enjoyment of her holiday was just what she needed. A truly lovely, markedly animated and human speech that was most entertaining and pleasurable.

After every speech the judges were allowed a minutes’ silence to mark their score sheets with a two minute interval after all the contestants had finished to make their final deliberations. Then to the accompaniment of the tearing off of ballot papers the counters gather the votes which are then brought to a place outside the meeting room where the figures are totted up and a result duly arrived at to be announced at the conclusion of the meeting.

Our second competition of the night was the Topics Contest aptly based on the theme of ‘Laughter Is The Best Medicine’, with another three fine participants: David Walsh, John Quirke and Patrick Kavanagh.  With the exception of the first speaker, the contestants leave the room and are called back in one at a time and it is only then they find out the theme to which they are asked to respond impromptu.  Each in turn gave thoughtful and witty spontaneous entries, emphasising the importance of laughter in brightening our path through life, warming the heart and offering uplift to the spirit, dispelling the shadows and revealing the joyful vivid colours that surround us. Then it was time for the votes to be counted followed by the tea break, where everyone could relax and chat over a steaming cup of tea or coffee, the air punctuated with laughter and a steady hum of light and genial conversation making for a truly great and marvellous atmosphere of the kind that you only get when friends meet together in relaxed conviviality.

Proceedings were kept moving at a brisk and engaging pace by Fanahan Colbert as toastmaster and genial host for the evening, while Brian O’Farrell made a very welcome return to the club enthusiastically and zestfully assuming the role of topicsmaster at several interludes, with a range of themes encompassing among so much else everything from the privatisation of democracy to the burning of refuse, the reading of books to the lost art of cursing well and the abuse heaped on officials, referees and players in GAA matches, all serving to foster a most engaging and lively atmosphere with everyone thinking swiftly, speaking effectively and so enjoyable sharing the fruits of their unique individual ideas and experience.

Then the winners were announced: John Quirke and David Walsh as Winner and Runner-Up respectively in the Topics contest, with Frank O’Driscoll and Kevin Walsh in the First and Second positions in the Humorous category. Both the first and second-placed speakers go on to the next round of competition, the Area Final in Mitchelstown to be held shortly. We wish them all every success.

Our President, Mary Whelan, thanked everyone for their support and goodwill, praising the great generosity of spirit that alone makes everything possible. And that great spirit of eagerness and readiness to play our part in the name of shared friendship and mutual inspiration can be seen and enjoyed again at our next meeting on this coming Tuesday, October 21st, in the Grand Hotel at 8.15 pm. We look forward to seeing you. For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100 or log on to toastmastersfermoy.com or find us on Twitter @ FermoyT

AUTUMN JOY AT FERMOY TOASTMASTERS

Some members of the Fermoy Toastmasters Club pictured at our meeting on Sept 26th 2014
Some members of the Fermoy Toastmasters Club pictured at our meeting on Sept 26th 2014

The Fermoy Toastmasters Club came together for their second meeting of the current autumn season at the Grand Hotel, Fermoy, on the evening of Tuesday, September 23rd.

Our gatherings commence on time at 8.15 pm and we ensure their completion just two hours later which allows scope for each to make their individual contributions and to share in the listening pleasure of the meeting in all its richness and diversity, returning home feeling pleased and happy for having been there. There are corporate clubs – especially in America and a few even here in Ireland – who meet in the early morning to fire people up for the challenges of the working day ahead. But we in Fermoy and indeed in most clubs, see our organisation as a place of leisure and recreation, of entertainment and conviviality, an activity of the evening time, those gentle mellow hours that can so often be the very best part of the day when the demands of care and responsibility are set aside so that all may relax and enjoy an interlude of eloquence and friendship, of social interaction and positive self-learning in a fun and pleasurable way.

Club President Mary Whelan with Toastmaster Johanna Hegarty (left) and Topicsmaster David Walsh at our meeting of September 23rd 2015
Club President Mary Whelan with Toastmaster Johanna Hegarty (left) and Topicsmaster David Walsh at our meeting of September 23rd 2015

Our President Mary Whelan extended a warm and hearty welcome, setting the keynote for the gathering with all of her great kindness and warmth that instantly sets everyone at their ease and in a receptive frame of mind for what is to follow. The whole essence of what we do is based on a ready generosity of spirit for we are all here to build each other up, to be with dear friends and to achieve personal growth through rewarding and fulfilling meetings.

On behalf of all the members, our President extended a special expression of sympathy to Michael Sheehan on the recent passing away from this life of his dear mother Theresa, who was a most pleasant and gracious lady whose memory will always be most highly cherished and treasured.  Our thoughts are with Michael at this sad time and it was indeed so very gratifying to see him with us that evening and to welcome him most warmly to our meeting.

Johanna Hegarty as toastmaster of the evening conducted the proceedings with admirable verve and panache that was highly motivational and uplifting. David Walsh acted as topicsmaster presenting a selection of themes and challenges to the membership that evoked a bracing, thoughtful and engaging response. The purpose of topics is to get everyone actively involved and thinking on their feet as they speak briefly but off the cuff on a subject about which they have received no prior notification. No one is left out and indeed particular care is taken to ensure that those members or visitors from other clubs who are not on the programme are given their chance to have their voices heard. Participation and involvement are at the heart of all that we do. A meeting has not delivered on its promise if even one member is left in silence. Guests are of course never asked to speak although if the spirit so moves them at the appropriate time, we are delighted to hear from them. As topics progress, a scintillating atmosphere develops with a powerful sense of horizons expanded with thoughts flowing freely and all becoming fully engaged. David’s selection of topics ranged from the decline of Cork GAA, winning the National Lottery, the legacy of Ian Paisley, while the imposition of water charges drew a very wide and lively great response.

We had two very beautiful and very different set speeches. The first was from Eilis Ui Bhriain who have a lovely and gentle presentation on the place in Irish life and culture of the bicycle, especially the old traditional High Nellie, telling of how if these fine old machines could talk they would have many a good story to tell. Not least of romantic evenings when young people rode home from the dance hall on the handlebars full of the joys of life. Nowadays an enterprising Englishman, Marty Mainwaring, is running a thriving business in Cappamore restoring old High Nellies brought to him from all over the country, some dredged up from the bottom of rivers and canals, for while the accessories may be lost to rust and time, the steel chassis is almost indestructible and from this such fine old machines can be recalled to their former glory. A really lovely speech, told with so much charm, grace and human warmth that makes every visit Eilis makes to the lectern so special and outstanding.

One of our new members, James Keating, took us to meet the Three Wise Men: not the Christmas kings from an Orient land, but the three great sages of soccer punditry, John Giles, Eamon Dunphy and Liam Brady who filled our screens during last summer’s World Cup as they have done through so many momentous football tournaments over the years. James marshalled an impressive array of biographical facts about these great luminaries of the sport and how their many differences of style and personality gives their TV panel analysis such a winning edge like no other in the world for their noteworthy frankness and passion for the game. They are James’ heroes and he told their story in a very measured, succinct and elegant style that gave us all a refreshing and new depth of insight into individuals who have become such a familiar, sometimes controversial but always much loved part of our popular culture.

Our speakers then received the wisdom, advice, praise and constructive encouragement of evaluators Fanahan Colbert and John Quirke. None of us are on our own: we learn from each other in friendship and respect, exchanging ideas and understanding in the ever greater advancement of our craft. And the more we share, the more we gain in enjoyment. We hope that you will come along to share in the pleasure and laughter of our Humorous Speech and Topics Contest that will be held on Tuesday evening next, October 7th, at 8.15 in the Grand Hotel. We look forward to seeing you. For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100 or log on to toastmastersfermoy.com or find us on Twitter @ FermoyT.

FIRST NIGHT OF NEW SEASON FOR FERMOY TOASTMASTERS

On a very beautiful September evening, it was such a real joy for the members and friends of the Fermoy Toastmasters Club to resume their regular fortnightly gatherings on Tuesday, the 9th, at the Grand Hotel, beginning as always precisely on time at 8.15 pm, for an equally precise conclusion two hours later.

It was great to be back again among so many genial familiar faces and a very special pleasure to meet a number of first time guests. It was in that open-hearted and welcoming spirit that our President, Mary Whelan, inaugurated the meeting and the new season that stretches before us like a river of great promise. She spoke from the heart of her joy and pleasure at being among friends on this special evening and warmly thanked the members for their continuing enthusiasm and dedication that has sustained our club for so very many years as we embrace the challenges of the future. We are so honoured, delighted and privileged to have Mary’s leadership for the coming year.

Control of the meeting was then passed to David Walsh who introduced the speakers and guided proceedings along with flawless skill and assurance, setting everyone at their ease and with his eloquent and thoughtful words greatly enhanced the meeting and built up a genial and conducive atmosphere that had us all giving of our very best.

This was underscored during our two topics sessions both before and after the tea break in a dazzling performance from Jerry Hennessy offering a whole series of entertaining, challenging and stimulating themes. A good topics sessions makes for a great meeting and this was truly one of the very highest quality with members asked to give their ideas and reactions impromptu to everything from the cancellation of the Garth Brooks concerts to the assertion that while you can buy fashion you are born with style, from the whimsical as to how should Queen Elizabeth be made welcome to Fermoy to the importance of breakfast as the first meal of the day.  These and so many more elicited a huge variety of crisp, witty, engaging responses that were especially memorable for their wisdom, insight and humour, such as Eilish Ni Bhriain’s comment on fashion that by dressing in what you are comfortable you will always look good in it, or Mairead Barry’s brilliant response when asked about what makes for the truly Good Things in life, that it is all the things that are forbidden!

Between the first topics session and the tea break, we had three very fine set speeches. Unlike topics, these are the fruits of the considered thought and reflection of the speakers distilled from their own reflection and experience. Kevin Walsh spoke on the theme of patience to which he was drawn after recently seeing an irritated van driver angrily sounding his horn at two frail elderly people attempting to cross the road.  Our high-tech instant society has spawned a fretful impatient culture that makes for stressful and pressurised lives. He went on to say that it is those who are prepared to bide their time who win the day like the lady who calmly and determinedly sat in the waiting room of an insurance company office who were trying to avoid paying her claim and who stayed there until she received what was rightfully hers. This particular section of Kevin’s address was very well received by the audience.

Then we had a sensitive and gentle account from one our newest members, Margaret Goggin, of her discovery of the richness that cats can bring to your life when she opened her home and kind heart to an abandoned feline. Never having had one before as a domestic pet, the whole experience was a learning curve as the cat – named ‘Maisie’ – gained a very comfortable home with every care and attention, while Margaret gained a new source of satisfaction and enjoyment. As she wryly observed, dogs may have masters, but cats have slaves. But it is a gentle and rewarding slavery. At the heart of this sweet discovery was how any initial uncertainty soon gave way to the joy of curiosity as the mysterious world of the cat revealed its happy secrets.

This was such a lovely speech and marks Margaret’s second assignment from the Communication & Leadership manual, drawing her material from her own experience which is always the richest and best source of inspiration for all good speechmaking and storytelling. In such a short time Margaret is making an outstanding contribution to our club and we look forward to the pleasure of her continuing participation and support far into the future.

Our third speaker of the evening was Mary Murphy who told us of how as a left-handed person or southpaw she underwent what turned out to be the ordeal of an Alpine skiing holiday some years ago. She recounted vividly and animatedly with lively gesture and ready humour of her efforts to negotiate the hazards of descending snow-covered mountainsides for beginners only to repeatedly fall and tumble helplessly, not to mention the dizzying fear of vertiginous heights when looking down from cable-cars over plunging dramatic gorges and crags. No champion skier she proved to be, she told us, and that is surely no bad thing, for while skiing at its most proficient may well be very exhilarating, it is as so many (like Michael Schumacher) have found out to their great cost a dangerous and hazardous sport.  Mary is a person of dignity, charm and grace who brings a very special quality of friendship to our club, something assuredly far more valuable and impressive than all the world’s mountain peaks.

No speaker stands alone, they receive the ready appreciation of the meeting as well as positive feedback and encouragement from designated evaluators, a role discharged so effectively by Fanahan Colbert, Frank O’Driscoll and Kieran Connolly, the latter evaluating Mary’s misadventures on the slope in the same animated style with which she had made her speech and was the very well-deserved winner of the Best Evaluation ribbon. Johanna Hegarty as General Evaluator then gave her overall impression of the meeting hailing it as a good and positive beginning to what will surely be a great season ahead.

And it is just the beginning. A long and wonderful journey of enjoyment, personal growth and pleasure beckons. We hope you will join us for our forthcoming meeting in the Grand Hotel, on Tuesday evening next, September 23rd, at 8 .15 pm.  For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100 or log on totoastmastersfermoy.com or find us on Twitter @ FermoyT.

New Season at Fermoy Toastmasters

Handing on the chain of tradition: Outgoing president, Gerry Hennessy congratulates our president for 2014-15, Mary Whelan.
Handing on the chain of tradition: Outgoing president, Gerry Hennessy congratulates our president for 2014-15, Mary Whelan.

Next Tuesday, September 9th at 8.15 in the Grand Hotel, Fermoy Toastmasters are Back!

Even as the barbecues are put away, the evenings are growing shorter and the swallows are testing their wings for their southerly migration, autumn beckons us to come into the bright cheerfulness of the new season of Fermoy Toastmasters Club. We look forward to the buzz of genial chatter as you approach the meeting room door standing open in wide welcome, the joy of seeing familiar happy faces again and the hope of the new eager faces of very welcome guests, to shaking hands and asking did you have a good summer before the emphatic sounding of the gavel brings the meeting to order for two hours of quick thinking and the eager spontaneity of quick response, of listening with pleasure to the many colourful contributions of others and winning the fulfilment of knowing you have offered something so richly and uniquely your own to the meeting. We look forward to going back to the music of great humour and the building of a wonderful atmosphere born out of beautiful expression, the sharing of ideas and experience together with the enjoyment of companionship and togetherness with truly lovely people. Back so many moments of laughter and applause, of wit and originality, of pleasure and enjoyment launching us on another bracing and exhilarating journey of Toastmasters.  Except ours is never a journey of going back, but of ever and always moving further ahead to brighter and better places in life. That’s why you always come home from a Toastmasters meeting with a warm high feeling with stimulus and elation.

This club has played a pivotal and illuminating role in the leisure and recreational life of this community for almost four and half decades. Its appeal is timeless and evergreen through all seasons for all of its activities are a great celebration of life.   There you find all the things that make us better people and the world a kinder place: mutual encouragement and support, generosity of spirit and the freedom of the imagination, members bringing alive in a very powerful way the richness of their own lives and the fruits of their own research with that clarity of expression that comes from brevity and the sharing of your discoveries to an audience of friends. The essence of the craft is participation and motivation. No one falls asleep at a Toastmasters meeting. It moves along at a brisk pace and is highly invigorating and expansive, like walking along the shoreline with a bracing sea breeze in your face. It gives you the opportunity to channel your gifts and talents in a vivid and exciting way that makes for great enjoyment and immense satisfaction even as you share in the uplifting feeling of supporting and encouraging your fellow members in all that we are building and achieving together.

Guests can be fully assured that they will never be asked to speak, but may do so at the appropriate time if the spirit moves them. There is never any criticism, but positive feedback in the form of constructive evaluation praising all that has been achieved and pointing the way to ever further progress. This is a very special form of active self-learning where proficiency is gained and wisdom attained not by passively sitting through a lecture, but by joining in a brilliant willingness to give it a go, finding within your self ever greater depths so as to reach beyond to ever greater heights of accomplishment and personal renewal. No one tells you what to say or what to talk about: instead you find the thrill of using your own words to give wings to your own ideas and inspiration. If you give it a fair chance, you will be amazed by what fun it really is and the amount of pleasure and personal enrichment there is to be had and to share.  We are a group where everyone is a winner and we all grow ever stronger in the success and achievement of each and every one of us.

At the heart of what we do are the arts of communication and leadership. When Fermoy Toastmasters first embarked on its journey, there were no such things as mobile phones, Internet or social media. All of these means of communication have made our lives so much better in so very many ways. But there will never be a substitute for the warmth of human contact and personal interaction, of people relating to each other directly and at ease in each other’s company, sharing in the experience of a great harnessing of creative energy and in having a very lovely and enjoyable time together for that is how all of us, as human beings, most effectively and powerfully give each other comfort and support on life’s journey.

In our club as in every club throughout the world we are there to build and enhance each other and thereby secure the mutual progress and betterment of all. Together we can move mountains and attain heights far beyond the reach of any of us acting alone. We are a happy club, a group of great friends who like noting better than to gather for our club meetings for the months between September and May enjoying the convivial atmosphere and the good cheer of sharing in the enjoyment of what we love. And the more who come to share and participate in our activities, the greater the entertainment and attainment of everyone. We are a warmly welcoming group, our door is open to everyone and we invite you to come in – friends old and new alike – to tell us something of your story, share something uniquely and precious for its being solely your own, for we all have so much insight, wisdom and depth to offer, to receive and to learn from our fellow members and friends. It is an unending voyage of personal discovery and growth, of pleasure and happiness.

We look forward to seeing you at our first meeting of the new season in the Grand Hotel on Tuesday next, September 9th, at 8. 15 pm.  For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100 or log on to toastmastersfermoy.com or find us on Twitter @ Fermoy

This club has played a pivotal and illuminating role in the leisure and recreational life of this community for almost four and half decades. Its appeal is timeless and evergreen through all seasons for all of its activities are a great celebration of life.   There you find all the things that make us better people and the world a kinder place: mutual encouragement and support, generosity of spirit and the freedom of the imagination, members bringing alive in a very powerful way the richness of their own lives and the fruits of their own research with that clarity of expression that comes from brevity and the sharing of your discoveries to an audience of friends. The essence of the craft is participation and motivation. No one falls asleep at a Toastmasters meeting. It moves along at a brisk pace and is highly invigorating and expansive, like walking along the shoreline with a bracing sea breeze in your face. It gives you the opportunity to channel your gifts and talents in a vivid and exciting way that makes for great enjoyment and immense satisfaction even as you share in the uplifting feeling of supporting and encouraging your fellow members in all that we are building and achieving together.

Guests can be fully assured that they will never be asked to speak, but may do so at the appropriate time if the spirit moves them. There is never any criticism, but positive feedback in the form of constructive evaluation praising all that has been achieved and pointing the way to ever further progress. This is a very special form of active self-learning where proficiency is gained and wisdom attained not by passively sitting through a lecture, but by joining in a brilliant willingness to give it a go, finding within your self ever greater depths so as to reach beyond to ever greater heights of accomplishment and personal renewal. No one tells you what to say or what to talk about: instead you find the thrill of using your own words to give wings to your own ideas and inspiration. If you give it a fair chance, you will be amazed by what fun it really is and the amount of pleasure and personal enrichment there is to be had and to share.  We are a group where everyone is a winner and we all grow ever stronger in the success and achievement of each and every one of us.

At the heart of what we do are the arts of communication and leadership. When Fermoy Toastmasters first embarked on its journey, there were no such things as mobile phones, Internet or social media. All of these means of communication have made our lives so much better in so very many ways. But there will never be a substitute for the warmth of human contact and personal interaction, of people relating to each other directly and at ease in each other’s company, sharing in the experience of a great harnessing of creative energy and in having a very lovely and enjoyable time together for that is how all of us, as human beings, most effectively and powerfully give each other comfort and support on life’s journey.

In our club as in every club throughout the world we are there to build and enhance each other and thereby secure the mutual progress and betterment of all. Together we can move mountains and attain heights far beyond the reach of any of us acting alone. We are a happy club, a group of great friends who like noting better than to gather for our club meetings for the months between September and May enjoying the convivial atmosphere and the good cheer of sharing in the enjoyment of what we love. And the more who come to share and participate in our activities, the greater the entertainment and attainment of everyone. We are a warmly welcoming group, our door is open to everyone and we invite you to come in – friends old and new alike – to tell us something of your story, share something uniquely and precious for its being solely your own, for we all have so much insight, wisdom and depth to offer, to receive and to learn from our fellow members and friends. It is an unending voyage of personal discovery and growth, of pleasure and happiness.

We look forward to seeing you at our first meeting of the new season in the Grand Hotel on Tuesday next, September 9th, at 8. 15 pm.  For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100 or log on to toastmastersfermoy.com or find us on Twitter @ FermoyT

AGM time again at toastmasters

On Tuesday, May 13th, at their AGM in the Grand Hotel, the members of the Fermoy Toastmasters Club reached the conclusion of yet another great and memorable season.  It is always an occasion of mixed sentiments and emotions: gratitude and pleasure of  the enjoyment and successes of these past months, a tinge of sadness saying adios for a while to dear friends and colleagues while looking forward to the promise of summer and beyond that the joyful reunion and new beginning that beckons in the early autumn when we will reassemble with fresh ideas and renewed inspiration for another sparkling season of wonderful speaking, great listening and personal enhancement with zestful enthusiasm and mutual good fellowship.

Our President, Jerry Hennessy, called the meeting to order for the final time for his current term. His leadership has been truly outstanding, setting a relaxed and genial keynote for all our meetings by being unfailingly pleasant, helpful and encouraging to everyone and thereby bringing out the very best in us all. Jerry has worn the chain of office with pride, pleasure and distinction for the past twelve months winning a special place in our affections. He thanked all the members for their support throughout the year and offered very special praise to our Educational Vice President (EVP), Mary Whelan, for all of her dedication and commitment, her kindness, warmth and grace that made participation in all the varied tasks that go to make up a good meeting such a very great pleasure.  We now look forward to Mary leading our club into another season and another year as our incoming President.

Our Toastmaster of the evening, John Quirke, then assumed control of proceedings with all of his vast experience, wry humour and affable style that always makes for a very congenial and outstanding occasion. The first half of the proceedings were notably invigorated with a very bracing topics session from Eddie O’Sullivan who took us on an interesting and rewarding journey from what you might talk about if you ever sat down to tea with Queen Elizabeth, to the proposed partial restoration of the old local Mallow-Waterford railway line as nature walk, from medical cards to the over 70s to the winning of the Eurovision Song Contest by the bearded lady from Austria. Eddie had given much careful thought to his selection of topics which evoked a rich and varied response that soon built up a brilliant and uplifting atmosphere. A good lively topics session makes for a most entertaining meeting because it gets everyone thinking swiftly and eagerly responding, releasing that creative latent in everyone.

While it may have been our final meeting of the current season, there was no sense of winding down. On the contrary we struck a note of eagerly ahead on the never ending journey to ever greater achievement. And this optimistic spirit could not have been celebrated and affirmed in any better or more emphatic way than that on this special evening the club was honoured and delighted to hear two Icebreaker speeches where new members presented a brief and succinct introduction of themselves.

Our first speaker was Margaret Goggin who told us of her happy upbringing in North Cork, her wide-ranging travels to many parts of the world that impressed her most powerfully with the richness of what we have at home, her pursuit of a career in accountancy and her coming to Fermoy Toastmasters seeking to learn and to enjoy as we in turn will be illuminated and enriched by her participation and contribution in the coming years in what is above all a circle of friends dedicated to enjoyment and fun.

Margaret was followed to the lectern by Patrick Kavanagh who touched on a few expansive themes of a very engaging life on the long and arduous journey that has taken him and his wife not alone across immense distances of land and sea but also through assessment and red tape to the goal of adoption of a beautiful little Mexican girl to whom they have given a home of comfort and great love. Patrick also elucidated something of his professional role as a change management strategist to the commercial sector and also spoke of his athletic prowess as an Iron Man competitor mastering the three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running.

Our two new members and friends had both made very impressive debut performances and were made most warmly welcome to the club by their respective evaluators, Kevin Walsh and John Sherlock, who wished them all the very best in their going forth into the Promised Land of personal growth and accomplishment in the arts of thought and expression with such very cordial and lovely people.

Then it was time for our Tea Break, something which we don’t talk enough about, for it is an interlude of relaxation and chat, of good company and warm humour that fills everyone with a bright inner glow of peace and contentment. Then we had our business section of the meeting with the outgoing officers rendering account of their stewardship and all matters were dealt with expeditiously and clarity. We then moved to the election of our committee for next season, to assume office on July 1st:-  Mary Whelan, President; John Sherlock, EVP; Johanna Hegarty, Treasurer; Fanahan Colbert, Membership Vice-President; Eilish Ni Bhriain, Secretary; Kevin Walsh, PRO; Frank O’Driscoll, Sgt-at-Arms.

We also received a surprise visit from Maire Corbett of Mitchelstown Toastmasters, fresh from the District 71 Speech Contest finals held in Dun Laoghaire, the last such event covering these islands in their entirety as from now on while District 71 will continue to span all of Ireland as well as Scotland, the north of England and north Wales, the newly formed District 91 now emerges encompassing the south of England and south Wales. To mark this momentous occasion, the club was awarded a special Medal of Honour to recognise its position after 45 years as one of the longest established in the country which was accepted with great rejoicing and heartfelt appreciation on behalf of us all by our President, Jerry Hennessy.

Then in a very touching gesture, Maire also brought another District Award for John Quirke to mark his three and a half decades of uninterrupted membership of Fermoy Toastmasters. If you want to know why our club has lasted all these years, then all you have to do is just look at the loyalty, the dedication and the spirit of John, coming to countless meetings in all weathers, standing up to make his speeches and filling the room with his wisdom and profound insight, his irrepressible sense of fun and a most generous heart where everyone is his special friend. We congratulate him on this richly merited recognition and wish him many more years of health and happiness and continued success as such an exceptional, special and very much loved Toastmaster.

And now the club turns to its annual break as a time of refreshment and renewal, gratified by a wonderful past season and looking forward to brilliant new vistas when we meet again in September as we wish all our members and supporters a happy, safe and enjoyable summer. We are always however ever so delighted to share the stimulating and life-enhancing message of Toastmasters in summer as at any time of the year. For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100 or log on totoastmastersfermoy.com or find us on Twitter @ FermoyT.

WHATS IN A NAME 29th APRIL

Members enjoying themselves at a rescent meeting
Members enjoying themselves at a rescent meeting

The Fermoy Toastmasters Club came to their penultimate meeting of the current season at the Grand Hotel, on the evening of Tuesday, April 29th. It was so cheering to hear the exuberant buzz of chatter punctuated by peals of laughter coming from the meeting room. Our season may have almost run its course, but there was no sense at all of winding down. Instead there was the same vigour and enthusiasm, of the energy that comes of people assembled for recreation and discovery that makes all of our gatherings so memorably pleasant and richly fulfilling.
Our President, Jerry Hennessy, welcomed the large attendance and for the second consecutive occasion had the very special pleasure of formally welcoming another new member to our ranks in Patrick Kavanagh to whose active participation and joining with us in mutual friendship and good will is something to which we eagerly look forward.
Our Toastmaster of the evening, Frank O’Driscoll, greeted the members and guests with his warm engaging smile that is the universal language of his very special and unique kindness. If life is a circle, so too, as Frank pointed out, we have now once again come the whole way round, setting out now to our meetings in broad daylight and going home after night has descended just as we did at the outset last September.
One of our newest members, James Keating, made a very impressive debut in the role of topicsmaster, and did a truly magnificent job by presenting us with a very stimulating and thought-provoking set of themes that made for a brilliant atmosphere that brought out the best in everyone. The most memorable of all was the response of John Kelly to the issue of what was the best advice he had ever received, telling us of how he had learned the wisdom of always being yourself which formed the basis of a contribution with a powerful Shakespearean ring – ‘ to thine own self be true’ – to be happy with the person that you are and thus presenting a true and sincere and kindly face to the world, enabling you to overcome life’s testing moments and finding within yourself that warmth and serenity of a nature fully at peace. This struck a deep and resonant chord with his listeners and was a moment of deeply-felt illumination that won for John the blue ribbon for Best Topic of the evening and it could not have been conferred on a more richly deserving Toastmaster or better and dearer friend to us all.
The stage was then well set for three outstanding prepared speeches. John Sherlock came to the lectern telling of how his club membership has brought him to a new and life-enhancing appreciation of poetry, which he then went on to affirm and celebrate with a spirited and entertaining reading of ‘The Cremation of Sam McGee’, by Robert W. Service, the classic English-Canadian poet whose experiences as a prospector in the Yukon at the height of the Gold Rush was the inspiration of his vigorously descriptive verse portraying the adventures and hardships of those who lived through that era, none more so than in this masterpiece with its economical clarity and vein of dark comedy. As the evaluator, Mary Murphy, rightly said in her assessment, John used the rhythm of the words to glorious effect and it was a pure joy to listen to.
Johanna Hegarty took us on a vastly different journey through the world of DIY and a light-hearted telling of the installation of a shower unit in her home and its accompanying travails. Her evaluator, John Kelly, in his later summing up expressed appreciation of the humour of the unlikely coming of the contractor to resolve the difficulties on of all days a Sunday morning. To escape further dust and disruption made church-going an even greater pleasure. Johanna’s speech was a delightful gem: funny, entertaining and well-paced, delivered with a zestful and ebullient style that showed that if you can get through the ordeal of home improvements with a smile and a laugh, you can get through anything.
Finally, we had Fanahan Colbert’s presentation on the significance of what is in a name. He spoke of how our names are usually a rich telling of our family history and then broadened his theme to encompass great historical and entertainment figures, including George De Valera, born in New York in 1882, who many years later in Ireland changed his name to Edward, or the more Gaelic form of Eamon by which he became familiar to history. If Popes assume new names upon election, so do entertainers have to use a name that is readily attractive to the public – Fanahan cited famous examples such as Thomas Woodward better known as Tom Jones, or Archibald Leach taking on the name and persona of the suave debonair Bristol-born film star Cary Grant.
Most remarkable of all was JR Cash who was christened merely with those initials. When he entered the American military in the Second World War, they insisted he bear the name Johnny, even though he already had a brother named Jack. And thus he passed into singing and performing legend, appearing on stage with his guitar with the words ‘I’m Johnny Cash’, to the accompaniment of thunderous cheers and applause. This was a beautiful and well-researched speech with a very fine use of the flip chart that received hearty approbation from evaluator John Quirke.
Then came the final wise words of summation from our general evaluator Michael Sheehan pointing to our next and final meeting of the season when the members of the outgoing committee will render account for their stewardship for the past year before proceeding to the election of their successors for the following twelve months. It is an example of one of the purest forms of democracy in action and an occasion to celebrate past achievements and especially those of the last year while planning and looking ahead to even better and more rewarding days to come when we meet for our AGM on Tuesday evening next, May 13th, in the Grand Hotel, Fermoy, at 8.15 pm. For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100 or log on to toastmastersfermoy.com or find us on Twitter @ FermoyT

APRIL JOY AT FERMOY TOASTMASTERS 14th APRIL

Let me take you to the River Room of the Grand Hotel, Fermoy, with its soft light, pleasant ambience and through the open window of a mild spring evening we hear the River Blackwater cascading over the weir. The crowd has gathered, the air is filled with the buzz of conversation and peals of relaxed laughter, the latest meeting of the Fermoy Toastmasters Club is about to begin. The gavel strikes the sounding block on the top table and our President, Jerry Hennessy, calls the proceedings to order and in his ever affable and personable style, bids everyone warmly welcome.

Members and guests at who attended a recent meeting
Members and guests at
who attended a recent meeting

He then extended on behalf of the whole club a very cordial and warmly thankful welcome to our latest new member Margaret Goggin, who has come to discover and explore the richness of what Toastmasters has to offer, to grace and enhance our circle of friendship and mutual support and to share with us the depth and variety of her creative ideas, insight and experience as so many have done before in a story of constant renewal and personal adventure that make our club all the better, more vital and rewarding. We also extend a very warm word of welcome to Patrick Kavanagh who is joining us with sincerest gratitude for his support and warmly looking forward to his contribution and active participation. For participation with mutual encouragement and good will lie at the very core of all our activities. We each bring to the club our own individual richness. As individuals we can do so very little. But by working together in mutual cooperation and friendship, by sharing our knowledge and experience, there is no limit to what we can achieve in ever greater personal growth and the attaining of a wider and deeper happiness.
One of the key phases of any of our gatherings where the enlivening power of active participation is seen with its greatest clarity is in the topics session, the time for impromptu speaking and for swiftness of response and quickness of thought that releases such a torrent of creative energy. That evening our topicsmaster was John Sherlock who with his great charm, ease and winning humour, served up a scintillating menu of themes and challenges that soon brought the meeting to a very stimulating vibrancy and freshness, with everything from a girl can’t have too many shoes to acts of kindness, from superstition to pet hates to your best holiday experience, to name but a few.
This bracing topics session set the stage for the prepared speeches of the evening. We began with Mairead Barry who holds such a place of great affection in all our hearts, delivering her Stage Ten assignment from the Communication and Leadership Manual that is always such a significant milestone in the development of every member of Toastmasters. Tasked with inspiring her audience, Mairead held up the example of the life of the Cork priest, Fr. James Christopher O’Flynn – or ‘Flynnie’ as he was fondly known to many of his contemporaries – who did such wonderful work in the mid-20th century to help people to overcome speech impediments and to express themselves with fluent confidence through his encouragement of acting in the plays of Shakespeare where the discovery of the wealth of the Bard’s language brought out the true depth and strength of all concerned. Mairead drew a cogent similarity between the Cork priest and the Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue who did so much to help Britain’s King George VI as depicted in the Oscar-winning film The King’s Speech. Told in Mairead’s relaxed and gentle style, this was a truly beautiful speech that by holding up for our admiration the life of someone who helped others find their true inner worth, made us all feel truly uplifted and inspired.
The club was honoured and delighted to welcome champion schools speaker, Fiona O’Flynn of Rathcormac – no relation of the Cork priest – who with remarkable ease, confidence and assurance spoke on the theme of politicians, quoting Franklin Roosevelt’s observation that government is not imposed on us but comes from ourselves. She related of her recent online search exploring possible future career paths, with annual salary scales in the region of twenty to thirty thousand euro, until she looked at politics with its pay scales beginning at one-hundred thousand euro a year. No wonder there is such a blatant disconnect between an entire political class and the ordinary people like ourselves whom they ostensibly serve. Fiona exemplified the energy, idealism and vast potential of the rising new generation – if they get the opportunity they deserve, they will makes this a great and wonderful country and Fiona will be one of our leaders.
Finally, our EVP, Mary Whelan, who over the past twelve months has worked so tirelessly and with such immense dedication putting together such varied and enjoyable programmes for all our meetings. With warmth and a winning empathy, Mary also held before us an inspirational great life in the person of the indomitable war correspondent Marie Colvin, known and remembered for her trademark eye-patch, who wrote searing accounts of the horrors of war in all parts of the world, won the respect even of tyrants, loved life and was animated by a tremendous spirit of compassion for ordinary people. So very sadly she was killed in the course of the ongoing tragic conflict in Syria but will always be honoured and esteemed for her courage, humanity and integrity shining a revealing light in some of the world’s darkest corners.
All of these speeches received admiring and positive appraisal from our evaluators Frank O’Driscoll, Johanna Hegarty and Kieran Connolly, with a fine overall assessment of the whole meeting from general evaluator John Kelly. At the conclusion of one meeting there is an invitation to the next, which will be the penultimate of the present season, to be held on Tuesday next, April 29th, at 8.15 pm in Fermoy’s Grand Hotel, where we look forward to the pleasure of seeing you all. For further information, please contact Fanahan Colbert at 086 8239007 or Kevin Walsh at 058 60100 or log on to toastmastersfermoy.com or find us on Twitter @ FermoyT

IF WE CAN DREAM IT, WE CAN DO IT !