Mairead Murphy following her Julianstown win.

Dunboyne resident, Mairead Murphy, will compete in the UK/Ireland Table Topics (impromptu speaking) final in Garryvoe, Co Cork, next weekend.

The Kerry native, who is president of Phoenix-Tara Toastmasters in Dunboyne, qualified for the District 71 final when she won the Division C final in Julianstown recently. She was a popular winner with her answer to the contest topic: "Marriage: a mistake that everyone should make at least once!".

Mairead previously won the Division C table topics final in 2006, the year she joined Phoenix-Tara Toastmasters.

She joined the Dunboyne club due to her paralysing fear of public speaking at conferences. Recently, she was the keynote speaker at the Cuidiu parenting conference in Cork. Mairead Murphy achieved her Advanced Communicator Bronze and Advanced Leadership Bronze awards in 2011/2012, and is currently working towards her Advanced Communicator Silver.

The next meeting of Phoenix-Tara Toastmasters takes place on Monday 12th November in Dunboyne Castle Hotel, at 8 pm sharp. Visitors are welcome to attend free of charge, and will not be asked to speak.