THU 13 AUG  Free taster night, 7–8pm — you will not be asked to speak.

Come along as our guest — book your place now
A friendly public speaking club in Co. Wicklow

Build confidence for work, life and everything in between.

Whether it's a presentation, a job interview, a wedding speech or simply speaking up in a meeting — practise in a warm, supportive room until the nerves work for you, not against you.

Come along as our guest See what a meeting is like
Your first visits are free. No pressure to speak. No experience needed.
Why people come

What's your moment?

Almost everyone walks in our door because of one specific moment they want to get right. Choose yours.

“I know my subject inside out — so why do I fall apart the moment the slides go up?”

Presenting is a separate skill from knowing your material. Nobody teaches it to us, then careers quietly depend on it.

How the club helps

  • Practise real presentations in front of a live, friendly audience before the one that counts.
  • Learn to structure a talk so it lands: openings, signposting, and endings people remember.
  • Get specific feedback on pace, filler words and body language — the things colleagues never tell you.
  • Build the repetitions. By your fifth talk here, the twentieth person in a boardroom is just another room.

Members regularly rehearse actual work presentations at meetings before delivering them for real.

How it works

Confidence is a practice, not a personality.

There's no lecture and no grading. You improve the same way you'd improve at anything — small, regular practice with people cheering you on.

STEP 1

Come along and watch

Visit a meeting as a guest — completely free, no booking obligation, no speaking required. Have a cup of tea, see how it works, meet the members. Most people say the room is far friendlier than they expected.

STEP 2

Start small, at your pace

When you're ready — and only then — you might answer a one-minute impromptu question, or give a short prepared talk about something you know well. Every speaker gets warm, specific, encouraging feedback.

STEP 3

Watch it carry into real life

Members follow a structured programme at their own speed, from first speeches to chairing meetings. The change shows up outside the club: calmer interviews, better presentations, hands going up in meetings.

Your first night

A friendly face at the door — and no surprises.

The scariest part is walking in the door, so let's remove the mystery: here are the people who'll welcome you, and exactly what happens, minute by minute.

Harry Cullen, Membership and Welcome at Wicklow Speaking Club

Harry Cullen

Membership & Welcome

Say hello and ask me about your first visit — I'm the one to look for at the door.

Barbara Behan, Social Media at Wicklow Speaking Club

Barbara Behan

Social Media

Say hello and ask me about taster nights and what's coming up.

Aidan O'Connor, Club President of Wicklow Speaking Club

Aidan O'Connor

Club President

Say hello and ask me about how the club works and what to expect as a new member.

Justin Doyle, Education lead at Wicklow Speaking Club

Justin Doyle

Education

Say hello and ask me about the speaking programme and finding your feet with a first speech.

Minute by minute

7:50pm

Arrive at An Tairseach Ecology Centre, Wicklow

A member meets you at the door and shows you where to sit. You'll never be left standing awkwardly on your own.

8:00pm

The meeting opens

A short welcome, then two or three members give prepared speeches of five to seven minutes each — on anything from career stories to travel disasters. You just watch.

8:40pm

Impromptu speaking — strictly optional for guests

Members volunteer to answer light one-minute questions off the cuff. Guests are welcome to try one, but nobody is called on without asking first. "No thanks" is a complete sentence here.

9:00pm

Tea, coffee and a chat

Halfway through, everything stops for the kettle. This is the easiest place to meet the members — ask them anything; most were nervous first-timers once, and they'll happily tell you about it.

9:20pm

Feedback — the friendly kind

Each speaker gets a short, generous evaluation: what worked, and one thing to try next time. You'll notice nobody is criticised. This is where the improvement actually happens.

10:00pm

The meeting wraps up

A short close, and you head home — usually surprised at how quickly two hours went, and how normal it all felt.

Our promise to first-time visitors: you will not be asked to stand up and speak. You can come two or three times as a guest, for free, before deciding anything.
In their own words

The same nerves you have now — a few months on.

"I joined because I froze in a job interview and swore it would never happen again. Six months on, I interviewed for a promotion and actually enjoyed it. I got it."

— Member since 2025

"I had to give the father-of-the-bride speech and I was dreading it more than the bill. I practised it here twice. On the day, people laughed in all the right places."

— Member since 2024

"I came for work presentations, but the real change is bigger than that — I speak up in meetings now. I didn't realise how much I'd been holding back."

— Member since 2025
Questions

Everything people ask before their first visit.

No. Guests are never required to speak. If you'd like to try a one-minute impromptu question you'll be warmly welcomed, but "I'll just watch tonight" is completely normal — it's what most of us did first.
You're exactly who the club exists for. Fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears there is, and nearly every member joined feeling some version of it. The club is built around gradual, low-stakes practice — you never do more than you're ready for, and the room is on your side every time you stand up.
Visiting as a guest is free — and you can come a few times before deciding to join. We are a non-profit organisation, so if you decide to join, our reasonable membership fees cover the structured education programme, all meetings and materials. We'll give you the exact current figure on the night, with no hard sell. We have discounts for students and those who are currently seeking employment.
A genuine mix: professionals preparing for presentations and interviews, students, business owners, people with a wedding speech looming, retirees who want to stay sharp, and people who simply enjoy words and want somewhere to use them. Ages range widely. What everyone shares is the goal — and the habit of being kind to whoever's speaking.
None. There's no audition and no standard to meet. The room is always a mix of complete beginners and experienced speakers who guide and mentor beginners. You will not be on your own as a beginner and you will also have lots of support in the room.
Yes, and experienced speakers often get the most out of it. Once you're the person who presents, pitches or runs the room, honest feedback tends to dry up — people stop telling you what didn't land. The club gives you a standing room of people who will, plus advanced tracks in the education programme built around leadership rather than beginner speaking: Dynamic Leadership, Motivational Strategies, Persuasive Influence and Visionary Communication. There are also leadership roles to take on, newer members to mentor, and the option of developing your own staff alongside you. More on business & leadership →
Yes — same club, same people, same room. We changed our public name to Wicklow Speaking Club so that what we actually do is obvious to someone who has never heard of us. Nothing else changed: we are still a member club of Toastmasters International (District 71, club 00674021, chartered in 2004), we still meet at An Tairseach Ecology Centre in Wicklow Town, and members still work through the same Pathways education programme. The old address, wicklowtoastmasters.com, now brings you here. More about the name change →
Wicklow Speaking Club is a member club of Toastmasters International, the non-profit organisation that has been helping people become better speakers since 1924. That affiliation gives our members a proven, structured education programme and an international network — while the club itself stays exactly what it looks like: a local, friendly group that meets in Wicklow town.
You can visit or join at any point in the year — the programme is self-paced, so there's no "falling behind." We also run occasional short beginner programmes and taster nights, which are a lovely structured way in.
Yes, and it's one of the best reasons to come. Members regularly rehearse real speeches — best man speeches, conference talks, pitch decks — in front of the club and get practical feedback before the day. Many people arrive for one event and stay because of what the practice does for everything else.
No. The club is non-profit, non-political and non-religious. Nobody will try to sell you anything, and membership fees simply cover the running of the club and the education programme.
You're welcome to just turn up, but if you let us know you're coming we'll make sure someone is at the door to meet you — which makes the first walk-in much easier. Please take just a minute to share your details to let us know you wish to come along to a meeting.
When & where

Find us in Wicklow town.

When

1st, 3rd & 5th Thursdays, 8–10pm

September to June, with doors open from 7:45pm and a tea and coffee break at 9pm. Get in touch and we'll confirm the next date.

Where

An Tairseach Ecology Centre, Wicklow

On the edge of Wicklow town, with free parking on site. Easy to reach from Rathnew, Ashford, Newcastle and the surrounding area. Eircode A67 YX26.

Get in touch

Say hello first

Email us, follow us on Facebook, or register to come along as our guest to a meeting — we'll look out for you at the door.

Do you want to be a

Confident Speaker?

Why not come along as our guest, meet some club members and see what you think? No pressure to speak.

Come along as our guest