This blog is a personal take on Listowel, Co. Kerry. I am writing for anyone anywhere with a Listowel connection but especially for sons and daughters of Listowel who find themselves far from home. Contact me at listowelconnection@gmail.com

Month: May 2018 Page 2 of 5

Church Street Auction, Cars from the Movies and Jackie Moore

Donkeys photographed by Ita Hannon



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Old Auction Poster

A little bird tells me that a local historian is compiling a book of old posters, like this one I found on Facebook. Posters, in their own way, add a valuable element to the history of Listowel. 

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Your Help Needed


I posted these photos before without success. The first was taken at the door of St. Michael’s College. The last one looks like a pilgrimage. Any help with identifying these people would be appreciated.


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Pop up Craft Shop

When it’s gone, it’s gone. This lovely addition to our town’s retail offering is only staying until after the June weekend so if you want an artistic craft item, pay a visit while it’s here.

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Friends and Neighbours Meeting


Tony, Alice, Anna and Ella were having a chat when I met up with them in Main Street in May 2018

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Iconic Vehicles in Town

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Julia’s Balloon Animals

Meeting Julia is always an uplifting experience. She is someone who is incurably cheerful and positive. Here she is making her balloon animals at the History Festival 2018.

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A Listowel Pipesmith


Photo; John Hannon

This is Jackie Moore photographed in his workshop in Charles Street Listowel

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R.I.P. Denis Keane



I took this photo of Denis Keane with his friend, Mary O’Flaherty in 2015 when he was in town for Writers’ Week. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

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Rás Tailteann leaves town May 23 2018



Buttevant, Bridge Road, a tip for Town Planners and Rás Tailteann 2018

 Photo: Chris Grayson

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 I was in Buttevant


Butevant is a very historic town in North Cork. I was there recently and I made a few observations.

Isn’t this a good idea? They have  seats celebrating local families and the history of the family in a notice close by.

There are lots of old shopfronts left unchanged.

Just like us they have a castle in the middle of the town. Ours is in better nick though.

The convent in Buttevant has been sold.  The identity of the buyer was a topic of speculation on the day I was in town.

This old graveyard is in the grounds of the church. It is ironic that the man whose funeral brought me to the town would be the very man who could have told me all of the history.


The church had an ancient feel to it too. The galleries, there were three, are accessed by a stairs from the outside.

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Bridge Road




Prompted by Derry Buckley’s account of Bridge Road houses, Kay Caball who also came from Bridge Road, wrote the following;

“…..In connection with Derry Buckley’s photo of  the Bridge Rd.,  my parents rented one of the three houses built and owned by his grandfather, facing the river.  Then they moved to the left hand side of the bridge to what must have been new houses in the early 1940s.  We lived in the second from the stone wall – I think it was owned by Mrs. Murray who had a shop in Main St., selling religious goods – rosary beads, holy pictures, scapulars etc.  (The Murray also must have had the ‘franchise’ for holy goods at the missions in all the north Kerry churches. They would have covered stall in the yards of the churches at .mission time’ selling all these good like hot cakes.


Other people who lived down our (left hand side) of the Bridge Rd., were the Nielsens (Hilary Nielsen taught in the tech), the O’Sheas (Fr Kieran O’Shea), Mr. O’Sullivan the Creamery Manager, (we called everyone Mr. or Mrs. then, had no idea of their christian names). the McElligotts (I think Mr. McElligott sold encyclopedias) and the Woulfes (Mr Woulfe worked in McKennas).   Accross the road we the Griffins (Juniors people) the Kennys, Hassetts, Rita Purcell and her lodger Dan Daly, the Callagys and at the top of this side there were two shops- beside the road going down to the track – Bolsters who sold lovely Lucan Ice Creams and Moloneys (no relation) who had a large shop selling everything, tea, sugar, meal  and shoes.”



Peggy Brick who also lived in Bridge Road remembers a Mulligan’s shop as well.


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Seen on Twitter




A picture paints a thousand words

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Neighbourly chat in Charles Street




I met Jerry and Violet on a sunny morning in May 2018

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Rás Tailteann in Listowel May 22 2018…a little known Listowel Connection

It’s May 22 2018. There I was on Market Street waiting for the Rás to hit town and filling my time by taking a few snaps of the locals when………


who do I spot across the street but my old school friend from Scoil Mhuire, Kanturk? 

Why was Mary Kiely (now Corkery) in Listowel at the Rás finish?

This is why. Her lovely grandson is riding in the race. Here is Dylan Corkery with three proud grandparents.  

And here is the Listowel connection or, to be more precise, the Duagh connection. Dylan’s grandfather is an O’Keeffe from Trienireach, Duagh. Dylan at 19 is one of the youngest riders in Rás Tailteann.

(More from the Rás to come)

Memories, Lord Listowel, Comic Con , An old tractor. Stack’s Arcade and Rás Tailteann 2018

 Chris Grayson

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Dan Shine of Listowel



I posted this photo of Dan with his daughter Laura’s children and it brought back happy memories. His sister, Rose wrote;

“Hi Mary, how wonderful to see a photo of my brother Dan Shine, thank you for posting it. I have many memories of him getting his uniform ready for his FCA meeting every Monday Monday night, cleaning the brass buttons with Brasso until they were gleaming and polishing his black boots, you could almost see your face in them lol, happy happy days. Regards, Rose.

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Zumba in The Square



At the recent History Festival there was a great variety of different activities going on.

Deadpool and the missus were taking a stroll on Church Street

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Lord Listowel

This is a photo of the third earl of Listowel. I found it online when I was researching for my walk around the Square and into Bridge Road on June 2nd. 2018 as part of the Listowel Writers’ Week programme.

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Comics, Games and figurines at Comic Con


In comjunction with Listowel History Festival there was a Comic Con in The Listowel Arms. This was a first for me but it obviously has a huge following judging by the crowds in attendance.


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A Few More from The History Weekend


This tractor is over 100 years

It was brought to Listowel by the Donegan Family who run a garage in Milford, near Charleville in Co. Cork. They are passionate about restoring old tractors and proudly told me that there are only three of these tractors still around today and the Donegan family own all three.

I remember these tractors as the ones that pulled the thresher which was a feature of farm life in my young days.

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From the John Hannon Archive


An old photo of Stack’s, The Arcade.

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Listowel Welcomes Rás Tailteann 2018





Industrial Schools, Castle Hotel, Ballybunion, Abbeyfeale, a Craft Fair and a Sand Art Festival in Ballybunion

Chris Grayson’s robin



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Numbers in Reformatory Schools 1939

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Old Ballybunion


The Castle Hotel;  a photo posted on Facebook by Ballybunion Prints

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Abbeyfeale



After my recent trip to Abbeyfeale I received this email from a loyal blog follower;

Welcome to Abbeyfeale, Mary!

This year marks the Golden Jubilee of the new Church in Abbeyfeale. Celebrations are planned and a commemorative magazine is in preparation.

The traditional Stations of the Cross are really eye-catching and artistic. No wonder, for they were donated to the Church in recent years when the Sisters of Mercy closed their Convent across the road form the Church.

Originally, the Stations of the Cross were a gift to the Convent in 1900 from a local man who made good in the USA.


The following report in the Freeman’s Journal of 1 September 1900 gives the history of the generous gift:

“MUNIFICENT GIFT TO A CONVENT.

Mr. John M. Nolan, a wealthy citizen of Lowell, U.S.A., who emigrated from Abbeyfeale some years ago, has just presented the Sisters of the Mercy Convent, Abbeyfeale, with the Stations of the Cross for their chapel, the order being executed in Paris at an estimated cost of £250. 

The carving and tinting of the figures is most elaborately and artistically executed.

 Freeman’s Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 – 1932)

·  ·  Sat 1 Sep 1900 

·  ·  Page 4 

·  ·  MUNIFICENT GIFT TO A CONVENT. “

I wonder what  the 1900 amount of  £250  would represent in today’s money?

The Stations are priceless in many ways,  and the Sisters were most generous and far-sighted 

to ensure that such a treasure will always be  part of the heritage and the daily religious faith experience in Abbeyfeale Church.

They will also be a  beautiful and  commemorative tribute to the good work of the Sisters of Mercy in Abbeyfeale.

There are but two Sisters residing in Abbeyfeale now- once there was a host of them  in the thriving Convent Community.

The times and the changes! 

Regards,

Nicholas.

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I was at a craft Fair in The Seanchaí on the May weekend

Maria Leahy was minding her father’s stall. He makes these hand made replica wagons at his home in Buttevant. Hours of patient hard work goes into every one. They are all made to a unique design.

Frances O’Keeffe is still making her gorgeous tea cozy creations.

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Friends Reunited




Childhood friends in Listowel, Jean, Hilary and Eileen met up for a chat and a catchup.

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Sand Art in Ballybunion on Saturday May 19 2018


This is a marvellous new festival. I wasn’t there myself so the photos are from various Ballybunion photographers 

These are just some of the creations by sand artists from different parts of Ireland.

A Tribute to a mother, visiting artists, a Potato Party in Athea and Eugene Moriarty cycles in his 21st Rás Tailteann

Photo taken at The Gap of Dunloe  by Chris Grayson

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A Strong Lady Remembered by a Loving Son

Last Sunday, May 13 2018 was Mothers’ Day in the U.S. and Noel Roche wrote this tribute to his lovely Listowel mother. R.I.P. Madge Roche.

Pregnant 21 times, 3 Miscarriages, Gave birth to 18 Children, Lost 3 Children at young ages. Raised the remaining 15 [ of which I’m the youngest] and took care of my invalid father who came down with Rheumatoid Arthritis shortly after I was born.  He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair [ I never saw him walk]. She did all of this without washing machine, dishwasher or hot water and I NEVER heard her complain Ever. We did not have a lot but she made sure we always had enough. That my friends was a Mother…That was My Mother…The Greatest Woman I ever knew. So to You Margaret [Madge] Roche I say.
Happy Mother,s Day in Heaven.

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Visiting Artists in Olive Stack’s Gallery

These ceramicists are best friends from Belgium and Germany. They are creating beautiful things in Olive Stack’s Gallery. Below are some of their creations.They are breathtakingly beautiful.

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Michael and Breda Moore with their son, Martin before Martin’s talk to Listowel Historical Society on St. Michael’l’s Graveyard


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Foreign Experts who Developed Bord na Móna


( photo and story from Bord na Mona Living History)


Immediately after the Second World War, Bord na Móna recruited some foreign peat experts to help with the development of the industry.

Dr. John Hennig, who was appointed as records office in 1946, had left Germany because of the Nazi regime and had a remarkable grasp of foreign languages. He helped acquire the ever increasing flow of foreign peat handbooks, scientific papers and patents that became available when the war ended and indexed, translated and made them available not only to Bord na Móna staff but to Irish industry in general.

Kotri Hangelaid had been general director of the Estonian State Turf Company before the war and had been responsible for the large briquetting plant at Tootsi which was built in 1937. He carried out milled peat research for us when he was appointed as a peat technician based in the Experimental Station in Newbridge. In 1951 he reported on the suitability of Oweninny, Co. Mayo for milled peat production. He also translated Russian publications.

Konrad Petersen worked in the peat moss industry in Latvia before the war, after the war ended he ended up as a refugee in Sweden where he met Bord na Móna Managing Director, Todd Andrews. Andrews offered him a job which he accepted. On arrival in Ireland Petersen was appointed manager of the Kilberry moss peat factory in Kildare where he spent the rest of his working life. Peterson is second from left in the photo.

These are just some of the foreign workers who contributed to the development of Bord na Móna.

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Potato Party in Athea 100 years ago



You’ve heard of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. If the caption on this photo is true it would appear that Athea has a similar society 100 years ago

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Beidh an Rás ag teacht go Lios Tuathail




Photo; John Kelliher

This is Eugene Moriarty with his family at the An Post Race finish in Market Street in 2013.

Eugene is still cycling and on Tuesday next he will ride into town with the Rás Tailteann.

Eugene will be riding in this race for his 21st time. This is a remarkable achievement in

 a gruelling sport.

Rás Tailtean is due in Listowel in the afternoon of Tuesday May 22 2018. This is stage 3 of the 8 day race. When they arrive in town the cyclists will have been cycling all day from their early morning start in Tipperary.

They will overnight in town and they will set out again at 8.00a.m. on Wednesday.


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