He dropped into the studio to talk to Anton about overcoming his stutter and how he is now helping others overcome theirs. 

All 11 students took on board our instruction and pushed themselves over 3 days to begin to get control over their stammer / stutter.

They embraced our war mentality and on Saturday afternoon they went to the battlefield having learned, repeatedly drilled and practiced their weapons to face their fear - their fear of approaching strangers on the street and in shops.

And to crown it off, they each did a public speech on Shop Street in Galway in front of many onlookers.

The focus of the refresher day was for the recent new members from the Belfast course 4 weeks ago to enhance their technique and offer further support in their journey to overcome stuttering. It was also a great opportunity for other members to dedicate a day to working on their own stuttering.

There was a great attendance on the day, 9 of these were Primary coaches, 7 experienced members and 5 recent members who joined the McGuire Programme.

But by the summer of 1997, that all changed. I realised I was leaving my comfort zone of 12 classmates, 12 friends who knew me and all about my stammer. I was going into this unknown world, meeting new people, new classmates and a new environment.

The programme was intensive and after completing it I was elated. I felt a sense of freedom and hope for the future. That was only the beginning, as the programme has a fantastic support element to it with fortnightly support meetings, refresher days and 3 courses per year. 

Prior to completing the course I avoided speaking by sitting at the back of a room or turning up late so I didn't have to introduce myself so I wouldn't suffer the embarrassment of being judged as a person with a stammer.