Paul Carroll

Paul Carroll is a founder of the UK's first Toastmasters club to specialise in debate. He is a great public speaker and his passion is to share his knowledge with other people. Leading debating workshops, judging competitions, and participating in public debates, Paul is an indispensable member of debating clubs in London.

Even though Paul was born and raised in New York, he was a citizen of the Irish Republic from birth. His father was born in Belfast and moved to the US as a 12 year old child. When in 1991 Paul wanted to move to the UK to join his girlfriend and get a job, his uncle told him that it might be easier to get an Irish passport than a visa, because the status of Irish citizens is virtually identical to British in the UK. “I didn’t need to be naturalised or go through any legal process except proving my parentage. Therefore, I’ve not shared in the normal experiences and problems and challenges of U.K. immigrants”, admits Paul. “I didn't have trouble settling here, because of the same language and the similarity of the two cities. I believe there's more difference between Brooklyn and other places in America, than between NY and London.”

Paul’s grandfather was an Italian music teacher. Together with his wife, he gave music lessons in their cosy house in Brooklyn. After the death of his grandparents, Paul visited that house and found a small picture. The drawing, which his uncle made from an old photograph, shows the house during a winter blizzard, with a Christmas wreath on the door. Paul saved this drawing and brought it to London as a memory of his grandparents.