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
Jimmy Hickey has given a lifetime to doing and teaching the thing he loves. Here he is with pupils of Presentation Primary School, many of whom are 70 years younger than him. Jimmy has taught their parents and in some cases grandparents. He has passed on the steps and the old figure dances and is as passionate today about Irish dancing as he was when he himself attended Liam Dineen’s Saturday dancing classes in Scoil Realt na Maidine.
I am so lucky to call this genius my friend.
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St. Michael’s Class of 2024
From the school’s website
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Great Houses in the Coolard area…
from Maurice O’Mahony’s History of Coolard School
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Yeats in Melancholy Mood
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A Fact
This is, in fact, a definition from my Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce.
to abscond…to move in a mysterious way, commonly with the property of another.
And more wild orchids flourishing in our land in Lisselton, with a host of bees and butterflies in the May sun! That’s the top of Cnoc an Fhómhair in the background.
And a poem about a strange man who cut turf here one time…
The Man With the Sleán
By David Kissane
I met a man on Lacca Hill
On a summer day when the sky was still
There were larks’ song’s music all around
But his head was turmoiled towards the ground
His sleán was idle in his hand
An uncut turf-bank was his stand
His gait said soon my world will end
In style and substance he was condemned.
His drooping shoulders said let it be
There were stitches dropped in his tapestry
His essence drained by the every day
His unstoried life in a raging May
I looked away for words to speak
That wisdom’s wings would touch my cheek
I absorbed the valley down below
Saw a blackthorn flower that would be a sloe
I perused the bridge by the rippling stream
Where old Brennan ironed the wooden wheels
There were shimmering fields down in Loughanes
And bees were buzzing round buachalláns
There was hope and beauty in every patch
From Rathoona’s waters to Farnastack
So I turned to him who was sad that day
With an arsenal of words I had to say
But when I arched to see his face
There was no one there, just an empty space
And a splink of wisdom on me did dawn
-That I was the man with the idle sleán
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In My Favourite Charity Shop
Happy, Smiling volunteers, Nuala, Hannah and Mary in the St. Vincent de Paul shop, Listowel on Friday May 24 2024
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The Maid Of Sweet Coolard
A poem I found in Maurice O’Mahony’s History of Coolard School.
The poem is by D.C. Hennessy.
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A Fact
Today’s fact is not a fact per se. It is a definition from my newly acquired Devil’s Dictionary. Since it has more than a grain of truth in it, it is nearly a fact.
Eloquence; The art of orally persuading fools that white is the colour that it appears to be. It includes the gift of making any colour appear white.
Thought I’d pass along this Irish Ballad which was written by my grandfather, James McCrohan, in 1904. He was born in Coolkeragh township in 1865 to Edmund and Mary (Buckley) McCrohan. The family later lived in Listowel.
We’re not sure if there was a young woman at the time who was his inspiration for the song (because he didn’t marry for the first time until many years later.)
Timothy McCrohan
Tim sent me the sheet music and Dave O’Sullivan extracted the lyrics for us.
My true Irish Maiden
1
In a lovely thatched cot lives a sweet Irish maid.
In far away Ireland which wide branches shade.
Where the robin sings gaily and mad waters roar
The fond spot I met you my darling, ‘astore’
Oh Kathleen Mavourneen
My own ‘Coleen Rhu’
Your sweet sunny smiles love and bright eyes of blue.
And your golden ringlets I fondled with care
My true Irish maiden there’s none half as fair.
Chorus:
For she is my own Irish maid
With smiles so charming and rare
And bright eyes of blue so faithful and true
I love you my own
My own, I love you.
2
In the mossy green dell where the woodbines entwine
I looked in your eyes love so true and divine.
And I kissed your fond lips like dew drops so bright
My true Irish maiden my fond heart’s delight.
Oh Cushla mavourneen, my sweet Irish bride
Sure happy I’ll be love with you by my side.
And true as the stars love in heaven’s fair sky
My true Irish maiden I will love till I die.
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Róisín Meaney in the library
Make a window in your packed schedule to bring the smallies to the library for this popular local writer’s event.
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A Lament
I took this from Maurice O’Mahony’s great book, A History of Coolard National School.
The poem is addressed to Dolly Dowling, who died in the US and whose remains were brought home by air. She is buried in Galey Cemetery. Dolly, whose real name was Nora, was a pupil of Coolard in 1904. Her grandfather, John Neligan, was a principal of the school.
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A Kerry Journalist
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A Poem
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Opening Night
Tonight is opening night of Listowel Writers’ Week 2024. I’ll be there. I read in the programme that there is ban on recording, but I’ll see if I can grab a few pictures for you.
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A Fact
There is a satirical publication called The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce. I picked up a copy in the swap box in the library. It is hilarious.
Here is an example of a definition;
Clairvoyant; A person, commonly a woman, who has the power of seeing that which is invisible to her patron – namely, that he is a blockhead.
Horse chestnut tree at the entrance to Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail
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I Love Brendan O’Connor’s Writing
From last Sunday’s Independent
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Maytime
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Crazy Hair Parade
Presentation Primary School marched through town last Thursday with their hair in every kind of crazy style. It was a great laugh and raised a few euros for the school.
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Graduation Day
Sometimes I feel very old….. My boyeens who featured here so often on their many trips to the Kingdom are all grown up. Here they are with their emotional parents as they finish secondary school and prepare to head out on a new adventure.
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McCrohan’s of 15 Main Street
This is the Kennedy home today. It was here that the last of the Listowel McCrohan’s spent his last days in the care of Dr. Johnny Walsh.
This is how it looked in 1983 when Tim and Karen visited Listowel.
No. 15 Main Street is where the McCrohan family lived.
This is how No 15 looks today.
It was Larkin’s in 1983
Look at how much more beautiful it is now, embellished by the superb paintwork of Martin Chute.
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Changes afoot
This premises, the former ESB office, has had this enormous window installed. I don’t know what is going in there but I’ll tell you as soon as I know.
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A Fact
All pet hamsters are descended from a single female wild golden hamster found in a litter of 12 in Syria in 1930.
David Kissane’s picture of The Hill in Lacca, Lisselton in May 2024
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Tim McCrohan’s Visit
Tim McCrohan visited Listowel on his honeymoon in 1983 and he got a Céad Mile Fáilte from Dr. Johnny Walsh.
He writes;
Hello Mary,
Yes…so THANKFUL you were able to forward my message on to her (Eleanor). As I previously wrote, when we visited Listowel to search for some family gravesites during our honeymoon back in 1983, we met with Dr. Walsh (who had cared for my uncle when he resided at a local nursing home in 1955.) Because we were in the U.S. and had no other family there to bury him when he passed, my dad had sent Dr. Walsh monies to bury his uncle after he passed away in 1955. My dad had never been able to visit the town where his own father was born, so when we honeymooned in Ireland, we took a day trip to see if we could locate the gravesite or even the Dr who took care of my uncle. It was a long shot, as the last contact our family had with the Dr was almost 30 years previous. To our surprise, we did locate Dr. Walsh’s office who, when we introduced ourselves, closed his practice and took us around the town. (I share my uncle’s (who he cared for and buried) same name (Timothy McCrohan), so he immediately recognized it when I introduced myself.) During the visit throughout the town, he said our family home was at 15 Main Street. They would have lived there in the late 1850s/1870s. At the time of our visit, it was then the DJ Larkin Building, next to the Spinning Wheel Restaurant. He also took us by the Kennedy Nursing Home (or what was formerly known as, “Greenlawn” Nursing home back in the late 1940’s/1950’s.) which was owned/operated by Dr. Walsh. According to his daughter, Eleanor (Walsh) Belcher, (who we subsequently connected with via your site) he set up the nursing home in 1948. She would, on occasion, visit there with him when she was a young girl, so she felt it was likely she may have even met my uncle during one of those visits when he resided there in 1955. I’ve attached a few pics of our visit back then of the Kennedy Nursing Home (Church Street), Dr. John Walsh’s office (26, The Square) and the DJ Larkin Building (15 Main Street) (upper loft would have been our family’s residence back in the 1850/60’s). As I previously relayed to you, Dr. Walsh knew exactly where my uncle had been laid to rest (because he took care of the entire burial for our family) so he took us to see it. What a wonderful surprise it was to meet Dr. Walsh, visit my Uncle’s gravesite, and to see and learn about the town of Listowel. We were so grateful!
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying reading all the various blogs from your site, which gives me great insight to the town my family was from.
Thank you again!
(Another McCrohan story tomorrow)
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Forget Bilocation. You’ll need Trilocation
There is so much on in Listowel on the June Holiday Weekend 2024 that visitors will be spoilt for choice.
Of course there is The Races.
Then this;
St. John’s has a packed programme of events for young and old.
And, of course, Writers’ Week
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Your Vital Vote
AIB is giving away big money to local charities all over Ireland. Charities get a one off chance to apply so it is important that we pull out all the stops to get them as much as we can on the first (and only) time of asking.
Ard Churam is a vital local service, keeping our valued older people cared for. Because many of the older people who use the service were born before the digital age, it is really important that we, who are more tech savvy, get them this sorely needed cash.
The charity number is really important. The name of the charity, Ard Churam is in Irish so be careful auto correct doesn’t change it to Are Charm.
