A Christmas Story, a Craft Fair and a New Poetic Voice

Church Street, November 2024

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Kerry in 1901

I found this picture of a market day in Killarney in 1901 on the internet. Houses are thatched. Horses and carts are where tractors would be nowadays.

Meanwhile in Tralee

The local painting and decorating firm of John J. Foley painted this magnificent ceiling in the convent chapel at Balloonagh.

The market place is constantly changing. Art is forever.

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A Christmas Story

By Maura Laverty

Charity shops are full of treasures. This is the marvellous Christmas book I found in St. Vincent de Paul charity shop in Listowel. It dates back 50 or 60 years and is an insight into a world that is fading into memory.

The following story from Maura Laverty is a gem.

Turron is very like nougat. It is thought to originally be a kind of halva brought to Spain by the Moors. It was a confection of honey, egg whites and nuts.

Now read on.

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Listowel Food Fair 2024 Craft Fair

On the Sunday of the Food Fair there is always an exceptional craft fair held in The Listowel Arms. Here are just a few of the highlights.

The lovely entrance bower set the scene for the picturesque displays within.

Mom’s Porter Cake business is about so much more than just porter cake. The mom here, Sherley, is not the mom who gave her name to the business. Sherley’s mom inspired her and now she is passing on the skills and the recipes to the next generation. She sells every kind of confection from Christmas cakes the size of cupcakes to huge celebration cakes. I bought a little porter cake and it was delicious.

Josie is always a pleasure to meet at a craft fair. I raised a false rumour here that she was retiring from knitting. She told me she was. But thanks to the miracle of cataract surgery she is back in business and knitting more than ever. Her babies’ cardigans and toys are heirlooms to be treasured by generations. Lovely lady and lovely craftwork! If you want a unique handmade baby present, Josie is the woman to meet.

I love this man’s honey. He is Jean louis Valentin and his honey is called Trieneragh Honey, after the home address of his bees. He is also a skilled craftsman in wood, producing beautiful wooden products. He is a previous winner at Listowel Food Fair. Jean Louis is always up for a chat. He is a great people person and his stall is always a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds.

The hard working Sarah Fitzgerald took a minute off from organising Food Fair 2024 and selling her Green Green Gate Kombucha. Sarah posed for me with mom, Peggy, and aunt, Carmel, three lovely ladies, always a pleasure to meet.

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A Poem

Today’s poem comes from a lovely new anthology by a new poet, Anne Donegan.

This beautiful stylish little book is in the local shops now. It has many charming poems, some with a local flavour, that will bring a memory, a tear or a smile.

Here is an example;

It took a poet to see the potential in this heart shaped stone and to craft this lovely thought provoking poem.

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A Fact

The name of the legendary Lady Godiva’s horse was Aethenoth.

(You can thank me when it comes up in the table quiz.)

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