New beginnings at Toastmasters
President Mark Bastow welcomed a large crowd to our first meeting for 2013 with a very apt theme for the New Year - ‘New Beginings’!
And taking the theme very literally was Aengus Burke, who stepped up to the role of Toastmaster for the first time.
Aengus fitted into his ‘new’ role with great ease, and his natural skill and charm as Toastmaster earned him the well deserved Geraldine O’Loughlin award on the night.
The first speaker of the night was an Icebreaker from Keith Clarke entitled ‘Where do I go from here’. Keith captivated all present with a brief insight into his love for music, writing and his money-making ‘career’!!! The second speaker to take to the floor was Eoin Sweeney.
Eoin spoke passionately about an organisation, CoderDojo, that provides free and open learning to young people, especially in programming technology.
Next up was Donal Cahill with a speech entitled ‘The White Strand’. Donal spoke about the sheer beauty and elegance of Doghmore Beach, off West Clare, a haven where inner peace comes with the terriotry.
The final speech of the night was from Meree O’Sullivan, and wow, was it worth waiting for!! Meree’s speech, ‘Thoughts for Teachers’, highlighted the fact that in order for Teacher’s to treat children the same, they must, in fact, treat them differently.
Mary Kileen was Topicsmaster for the evening, and true to form, Mary had every member present volunteering snippets that proved both entertaining and informative.
Toastmasters meet every 2nd and 4th Monday of each month in the Killeshin Hotel and new Members are always welcome. The 1st two mettings are free of charge.
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Weather for Portlaoise
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
