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

Year: 2024 Page 14 of 48

Ladies Gaelic Football

September 2024 Sunset in Ballybunion…phot0; Alice Moylan

The Onward March of Ladies’ Gaelic Football

Ballincollig Under 13 squad. They won their summer league by a point against Éire Óg, and everyone got some game time.

Anne (mentor) and Cora (player) in their new kit.

They have just taken delivery of these sweatshirts for the squad and mentors from their new sponsor, Ford.

This year, 2024, LFGA is 50 years old and now there is talk of integration with the GAA.

Ladies Gaelic Football is one of the most successful women’s team sports in Ireland. It has 200,000 registered members.

Photo; Anois Photography

Kerry are the current senior champions and they are brilliant ambassadors for the sport.

LFGA was only set up in 1974 in the teeth of much scepticism from certain quarters in the GAA. The GAA only recognised it as a separate but related organisation at its congress in 1981. Men’s clubs were asked to “co-operate where possible’ with the ladies’ teams.

The story from there on is a mixed one. Some clubs are excellent, welcoming the girls and sharing facilities with them for training and matches. Other clubs not so much.

Three major developments greatly helped the organisation.

In 1986 the All Ireland LFGA final was played in Croke Park for the first time.

TG4 began live coverage of ladies’ games in 2001.

A huge boost for the game came in 2016 with Lidl coming on board as sponsor.

Onwards and upwards, ladies!

(Information from Hayley Kilgallon’s book, Unladylike, a history of the LFGA, )

Remember the Bad Old Days?

Sometimes you could use left over wallpaper or saved wrapping paper. Children of today with their free schoolbooks and wrapping services don’t realise how lucky they are.

Still Promoting the Book

Tomás and Aisling take a first look at Moments of Reflection.

David Sheehan and Mary Fagan look at Moments of Reflection in The diocese of Kerry studio in Tralee. I recorded an interview with Mary, which will be broadcast on Horizons on Sunday next, September 15 2024.

A Fact

Identical twins don’t have the same fingerprint.

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In Newmarket

Róisín Darby riding Eclipse on the avenue at Lee Valley Equestrian Centre

23 Years on

Sand art on Ballybunion beach on September 11 2024.

Alice Moylan sent us the photo and she also did the research. The number 343 is the number of New York fire department personnel who died in 9/11.

Something Old

We all had this beautiful old cutlery in the days before the dishwasher.

Bone used to be used to make the handles. Bones of cattle or deer which were available locally and cheaply were used. But then came plastic and I think our knives were faux bone. They were warm and comfortable to hold.

Cora and Molly

Cora read a reflection from Moments of Reflection to Molly. She didn’t show much interest. Molly’s nose is out of joint because she is not in this book.

Newmarket

Scarteen Street, Newmarket, looked picturesque in the September sunshine last week.

Tony O’Callaghan Bronzes

Liz Kearney, daughter of the late Bill, shared these photos of two beautiful pieces presented to her father. The first was from Listowel Pitch and Putt Club. It is replete with symbols of Bill’s life, his family and friends.

This one from Listowel Drama Group, celebrated his involvement with their production of Our Town.

Owen MacMahon will remember Bill and other stalwarts of the drama group in his talk in Kerry Writers’ Museum at 12.00 noon on Saturday, September 21.

From the Archives

The Sydney Herald

May 4 1840    Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

TEMPERANCE REFORMATION IN IRELAND. The intelligence we have communicated from time to time, respecting the rapid diminution of drunkenness, and its concomitant evils, crime and distress, in various parts of the South of Ireland, has given to many a heart an impulse of pure and benevolent pleasure. Thousands in this country have panted for the amelioration of Ireland, but have almost despaired of realising, even in distant prospect, the accomplishment of their desires. The wretchedness and degradation of Ireland seemed curable and hopeless, and hung as a dead weight the neck of British philanthropy. A brighter day is at length dawning. A movement, doubtless proceeding under a special blessing from above, has commenced, having for its object the extinction of drunkenness. Already have thousands of the Irish population risen as one man, and freed themselves, by a single fart, from their hereditary bondage to an appetite which entailed upon them almost the total sum of misery and degradation which human nature was capable of sustaining. Not the least pleasing feature in this incipient social revolution is, that it is self – originated and self sustained. It is from first to last an Irish movement, and therefore promises to be both thorough and permanent. In introducing the following extracts, it may be desirable to remark that they are called both from Orange and Catholic journals. So far as we see, this glorious cause redeemed from the bitterness of sectarianism and partisanship, being carried on by true lovers of their country, of various sentiments in religion, and of diverse opinions in politics. ” We have heard, ” says the Dublin Evening Post, from authority which cannot deceive, and which has no object in deceiving – good Protestant authority too – that in almost all the small towns of Cork, Kanturk, Bandon, Middleton, Mill-Street, Fermoy, the progress has been so extraordinary that the whiskey shops are in the process of being shut up and soap, coffee, and tea houses are establishing generally. In the small town of Listowel, in the county of Kerry, seven or eight of these have been closed within the last two months. In the county of Clare the progress also has been very great, and we expect that we shall speedily have Galway to add to our list.

An Artist Paints at the Gallery of another Artist

Martin Chute at Olive Stack’s this week.

A Fact

In the US in the 1940s a chicken lived for 18 months without a head. His jugular vein and his brainstem were left mostly intact.

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Artwork

Painted utility boxes in Ballincollig. I love this idea.

Fitzpatrick’s Of Kanturk

Denis Fitzpatrick of Kanturk was a very successful businessman. In the 1960s he had three grocery shops, a bakery and confectionary and an ice cream factory.

Someone sent me this pennant photographed outside a shop in Cork in the 1950s. I have no idea why it was cream ices instead of ice creams.

Date for the Diary

Helping me Collect my Books

Paul, Eileen, Alice and Bridget having a first read of my book in Listowel Printing Works in Tannavalla on Friday, September 6 2024.

Listowel Printing Works is now in its busiest season of the year as they embark on the mammoth task of printing thousands of Christmas cards for schools all around the country.

These very popular cards featuring the children’s artwork are bought and treasured by most of Ireland’s schools. Designing and printing them, packaging and dispatch is a huge task for which Listowel Printing Works employs up to 50 extra staff and the facility works flat out.

A Tony O’Callaghan Bronze

I thought that this plaque might be something to do with Writers Week. I was wrong. While O’Callaghan specialised in bespoke commissions, this is not one of them. Apparently he reproduced this one several times. The names in the book are the names of lots of writers, several of whom were dead before Writers’ Week came about.

Thanks to Vincent Carmody for clearing that one up.

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A Fact

A fingernail or toenail takes about 6 months to grow from base to tip.

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The Mona, Turf Room Heater

Listowel Arms Hotel, venue for the launch of Moments of Reflection on Saturday September 21 at 7.00pm

A Little Birthday Celebration

I happened to be in Lizzie’s Little Kitchen when Billy’s friends, Cora, Liz and Mags were helping him to celebrate his birthday.

It’s hard to see in my picture, but there is a candle on his slice of apple tart.

Happy Days!

Do you remember Bunty?

A Lesson in a Poem

From the Archives

THE ADVOCATE New York, Saturday, January 7, 1961

Mr. Jack McKenna, Listowel, and Mr. Paddy McElligott, Castleisland, were among the businessmen from all parts of Ireland who attended the trade exhibition of the new Mona Peat-Briquette Room Heater developed in conjunction with Bord na Mona by Waterford Iron founders Ltd., at the Royal Hibernian Hotel, Dublin, on Tuesday last.

HOW bogland had changed, through native development, from a symbol of poverty to a source of national wealth, was stressed by Mr. Joseph Brennan, T.D., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance, with special responsibility for the Board of Works, speaking at the Waterford Iron founders’ presentation of the ” Mona ” room heater to the Press and the trade in Dublin this week.

Eclipse, Look what my Nana did?

Róisín gives Eclipse a sneak peak before the launch on September 21.

A Fact

Penguins have an organ, near the eye, that filters salt from the water out of their system.

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Dough Mamma, A Success Story

Listowel library in September 2024

Dough Mamma, a Success Story

William Street, Listowel on Monday Sept 2 2024, a signwriter at work

Martin Chute painting the Dough Mamma sign

As I was taking my photo, a young man came up beside me. He was also taking a photo. As we admired Martin’s work, he told me that he was the proprietor of Dough Mamma. So he obliged me by going across the street to pose for a snap with Ireland’s best signwriter.

The owner of the business (sorry, I don’t have his name) had never heard of me so here is a reminder of my visit to Dough Mamma during last year’s Food Festival food trail.

I looked up Dough Mamma on Facebook, searching in vain for his name, and I read this about the story so far.

“What a journey it has been. 3 years today I sold my first pizza and 2 years the restaurant is opened. It’s no longer just about the food here at Dough Mamma but the craic and good vibes we have week in week out which we love. What started out as a simple idea has grown much more than I could have ever hoped for and I am proud of it. I want to thank everyone who has been a part of this journey, some of who are pictured here, from buying a pizza to covering a shift to hanging a picture. You have all played your part in creating the Dough Mamma you all love. Here’s to striving towards continued growth and always improving.”

Hankies

Did you used to always have a hanky in your pocket? If you didn’t, then you are a spring chicken. Us, oldies, never left home without one. My family used to have these children’s ones.

They were so much better and more beautiful, but so less hygienic than today’s dull tissues.

A Talented Musician with a Listowel Connection

This is Liam ÓCeallaigh, grandson of Matt Mooney. Liam is a champion whistle player, piper and sean nós singer, and also a TG4 actor.

Photo and information from Neil Brosnan.

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A Fact

There are quite a few colourful phrases in Irish for being drunk.

I’m not condoning drunkenness, just marvelling at the inventive descriptions we had for what used to be a much more common sight.

ag stealladh na ngrást….so drunk that you are pouring out compliments all round.

caoch ar meisce…literally blind drunk

Bhí an hata ar a leathcheann aige…his hat was skeoways on his head .

Bhí an dá thaobh den bhóthar aige…He was from side to side on the road, literally, he had the two sides of the road.

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