A court of veracity!

The meeting was opened by Toastmasters President Sarah, those with duties explained their roles. Grammarian Anne-Marie, introduced the word of the day as VERACITY "truthfulness, conformity to facts, accuracy". Jenny was our Topicsmaster for the evening. Her questions covered a wide range of topics, ranging from the Galway by-pass to Halloween! There were mixed feelings regarding Galway as the Capital of Culture, from locals and those from further afield. Will they pull it off in 2020..?

The first speech of the evening was given by Jennifer and was entitled "New Season". Jennifer delivered her ice-breaker speech with real honesty and sincerity, and the whole room hung on her every word. 

The second speech was given by Jamie, and he described one of his favourite books "The Secret of Letting Go". He shared the ideas of the author and encouraged us to let go of our lower nature, the one that tends to re-run conversations in our heads and over-think situations.

The third speech was given by Declan and was entitled "Work and Me". His speech opened with some interesting facts! For instance, did you know that 65% of children who recently started school will work in jobs that haven't even been invented yet? Declan gave a detailed account of his various roles to date, including lucky escapes from a potential blaze at the petrol pumps and the Mafia in Cyprus!

The final speech of the night was given by Martin and was entitled "Life Changes". In keeping with the theme of the evening, Martin delivered a very honest account of what can only be described as a dramatic chapter in his life.

The Evaluators were complimentary of all speakers, it was no surprise to hear "the room was riveted" and "the audience was gripped".

Lucia from Spain, began the Creative Corner with a declaration of love for Ireland. She went on to explain the reasons for her great love; these included the wild landscapes, literature and poetry, music and of course, the people. Lucia has also become fond of beer during her stay in Ireland, and believes that the Irish pub should be named a world heritage site!

The next meeting of the Galway Toastmasters is Wednesday, 24th October at 08.30 in the Menlo Park Hotel. It's competition time, and we very much look forward to all  humorous speeches!