Tara Toastmasters

Club 3141, Area 18, Division C, District 71

Venue: Stillorgan Park Hotel

Stillorgan Road

Dublin 18

Phone: 087 989 6726

Web: taratoastmasters.com

E-mail: info@taratoastmasters.com

Special Event Night at Tara

Poet’s Night – Paul Durcan

Tara Toastmasters were delighted to host their special event night in Kiely’s of Mount Merrion on March 5th 2009. This meeting was promoted on foot of the media hype regarding the April screening of the BBC2 programme ‘The Speaker’ and Alan Yentob’s April 5th BBC2 ‘Yes We Can! The Lost Art of Oratory’.

In order to capitalize on this promotion of public speaking and leadership training, Tara invited poet and lecturer Paul Durcan to Kiely’s to present and read from his most recent work.

Our meeting began with three speeches from Tara members, inspired to have among their audience such a celebrated guest. In the second half of the meeting, Paul presented his work, drawing from us the whole gamut of emotions, from laughter, to kindness, to pathos, bringing his poetry to life with a never to be forgotten mastery of delivery and eloquence.

Reading from his book ‘The Art of Life’, his poem ‘October Storm Aldburg’ had the whole audience laughing their heads off. He followed this with ‘Rosie Joyce’, a tribute to his granddaughter and you could have heard a pin drop in the room, such was the love for his grandchild, contained within the words of this beautiful poem. Next came ‘The World Snooker Championships 2003’, a hilarious description of a ninety four year old woman’s infatuation with the game of snooker.

From his latest book ‘The Laughter of Mothers’ Paul read ‘Golden Mothers Driving West’, a bittersweet poem describing old age taking a pot shot at the social ‘box’ elderly people so often find themselves put into. Finally Paul read ‘Treasure Island’, a tribute to his beloved mother, celebrating his boyhood and the preciousness of time as a boy spent with her.

Paul Durcan more than met the brief of this toastmaster night. To say that he was impressive would be an understatement. To say that he is a master in the art of presentation and delivery would be the truth. Tara toastmasters were honoured to have him as their guest and hope that there will be other opportunities to hear him speak in the future.

Jacqui Gilbourne [VP Public Relations]