Listowel Connection

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

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Mary Cogan, retired from teaching in Presentation Secondary School, Listowel, Co. Kerry. I am a native of Kanturk, Co. Cork.
I have published two books; Listowel Through a Lens and A minute of your Time

A Big House and Some Tents

By

On May 14, 2025

In Listowel

A corner of Listowel Town Square in May 2025

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Kerdiffstown House

Máire MacMahon has been in touch to fill us in on this house which I featured last week but knew nothing about.

Dear Mary,

Read with interest today’s blog. The picture of the house which you feature I understand to be known as  Kerdiffstown House . (https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/11812025/kerdiffstown-house-johnstown-kildare )

That property was previously owned by the Charity St. Vincent de Paul, and due to its location, was an ideal spot for National Council meetings when SVP members from around the Country would meet.   I have mixed memories of it, it was where I first attended a National Council meeting. Some parts of the building were very old and the new wing was very cold, I learned very quickly to bring two hot water bottles for my bed when staying there at weekends! . 

The Society used it as a Holiday Home and would bring people on holidays there for a week, and during the winter, it was often used by community groups, such as Scouts, et cetera.

In recent years it was sold by the SVPas patterns have changed with people going on holidays. 

It is now owned by the Peter McVerry Trust who run a social enterprise from it.  

regards

Máire 

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Sunday Market at MOYA

I went with Reggie and family to the Sunday market.

If you want that special handmade gift for a baby, look no further that Josephine Kennelly. Once the Ballybunion market starts up for the summer, she’ll be there every week.

She will be in the Listowel Market in Scoil Realta na Maidine as well with her vintage ware

Reggie was a great hit. He loved the fair and all the attention.

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Stamps

Will we see the end of postage stamps as we know them in our lifetime?

Letter writing is only practiced by a few hardy souls nowadays and even then the stamp is often digital.

I was given lots of old stamps by a lovely lady. I have now given them to a charity that makes up packets of stamps for stamp collectors. Before I passed them on I photographed some of the huge haul. I was struck by how lovely these little miniature pictures are.

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First Holy Communion

The sun shone gloriously all day on Saturday May 10 2025 as the local children received their First Communion.

John Kelliher took the photos

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A Fact

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Visitors and Visiting

By

On May 13, 2025

In Listowel, Personal, Schools

Church Street, Upper

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Post boxes

On my recent trip to Kildare I photographed some railway station post boxes along the route. I travelled from Kent Station in Cork to Kildare via Portlaoise.

Pillar box in Listowel town Square.

This one is in Kildare. This station that is currently undergoing a huge expansion as it now comes within the Dublin commuter belt.

Clíona and Aoife say goodbye to me at Kildare train station

In Portlaoise

This one is in Glenflesk on my way home to the Kingdom.

I have a dread fear that someone in An Post might consider these surplus to requirements. They are, in a way but they are part of our landscape and our history and so valuable in their own right.

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May Weekend Visitors

Reggie brought his human family with him to Listowel for the bank holiday weekend

We went to Woodford Pottery where Carine fell in love with Pat Murphy’s beautiful colourful tableware.

She bought three different colours in the end as she failed to pick a favourite.

We went to Pad Thai. Their English may be a bit hit and miss but they got the inportant thing right…the food. I’d recommend you give it a try.

We were in John B.’s for one.

Reggie did the river walk.

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Ballybunion

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Three French Visitors

In Lizzie’s, five retired teachers and one working one.

Nathalie Léger, far right with me and Catherine Moylan.

Nathalie spent a very happy year in Presentation Secondary School, Listowel in 1989. Catherine was one of her pupils.

Joanna Keane befriended Nathalie and introduced her to her parents. John B.’s became Nathalie’s local and she remembers John B. and Mary and their great kindness to her. She was delighted to meet Lily O’Flynn in Lizzie’s.

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A Fact

The Rolling Stones released their first album in 1964.

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Indianapolis, here we come

By

On May 12, 2025

In Ballybunion, Listowel, Personal

Corner formerly known as The Custom Gap

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One door closes….

New business in Church Street

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Fancy a Trip to Indianapolis?

Indianapolis, colloquially known as Indy, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County. Indianapolis is situated in the state’s central till plain region along the west fork of the White River. (Wikipedia)

Indy has a thriving American Irish community and they have just got a step closer to us.

Joe Cahill brings us the story.

Aer Lingus inaugurated direct flights between Dublin and Indy with a big gala yesterday evening.

We were there for the festivities – Céilí band, Irish Dancers, swag, fantastic spread of Irish hors d’oeuvres & more.  I’m guessing 300 people (+passengers) were there at the gate.

1 minute on local TV station shows LAOH members Lucy & Susan a couple of times.

Nice touch – the plane flying the American and Irish flags from the cockpit windows as it approached the gate.

Susan happy to see the new destination.

The LAOH welcome party

Joe adds, “Somewhere I heard that over 500 people leave Indy airport for European destinations each day.  Aer Lingus is hoping to capture a lot of that market channeling it through Dublin.

Indy has one of the nicest – and most efficient – airports.”

“We have several nice Irish pubs – and of course, those fantastic, huge breaded pork tenderloins.”

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Ballybunion for the MOYA Weekend

Reggie is cosying up to me as he sees Listowel as his home away from home in the fine weather.

Sunday morning on the beach was sunny but a bit chilly.

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In Kilcullen

On my Kildare trip I took in Kilcullen, a truly lovely little town.

Intriguuing piece of street art

I’ll be back in daylight to explore more.

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A Coincidence or Synchronicity

Sometimes two things happen at the same time. The two things have a relation but there is no obvious reason why they occurred at the same time. This happened last week.

My granddaughter, Róisín, went with her TY class on a pilgrimage to Knock as part of her wellness programme. The event was being held in memory of the late Donal Walsh. His father was one of the speakers.

Róisín is not particularly religious but she was very impressed by the events of the day. She prayed for me and she brought me holy water and prayer cards. I am the most religious person Róisín knows.

While the young people were in Knock the papal conclave was in progress. The young Irish pilgrims prayed that the cardinals would make a good choice. Then, the new pope was confirmed, Leo XIV.

On Saturday I read this in the Irish Independent.

Staggering coincidence surely?

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A Fact

The first International Women’s Day was obseved in 1911.

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A Play in Kilcullen

By

On May 9, 2025

In Listowel, Personal

Church Street Lower in May 2025

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Defibrillator

The removal of the door seems to be a deliberate act. It makes access to the life saving equipment easier but it also leaves it vulnerable.

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Another Business Closed

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Court Sketcher

This drawing appeared on the front page of the Irish Examiner last week. The sketching style will be familiar to readers of Listowel Connection.

The taking of photographs is not allowed in Irish courtrooms. Our desire to see as well as read about a trial is satisfied by sketches. One of the most popular court sketchers is the very talented Mike O’Donnell.

We know him better in Kerry as a muralist. He is also the very witty cartoonist who kept us amused during Covid.

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Let there be Light

Replacing a light bulb on William Street

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Kilcullen at Easter

On the Saturday evening of my visit to Kildare, I was back for an evening in the most comfortable;e little theatre in Ireland.

We were early so we took a little stroll around town first. Kilcullen was going full tilt with the Easter decorations

Nolan’s Butchers had a well dressed and eye catching window displays. Bunnies, daffodils and eggs were everywhere.

The purpose of our visit was this play in the Town Hall

Tony and Mary McKenna congratulate their daughter, Sinead, on another brilliant performance as Mairead in this darkly comic McDonagh play.

Sinead’s mother in law with Clíona before the play.

Mrs. O’Neill was in the box office at the door. Her husband and son (Andrew is married to Sinead McKenna) made the sets. Another son is in the cast. All in all Kilcullen Drama Group is like an O’Neill family business.

Those not familiar with the play may be shocked by the poster. The protagonist, Mad Padraig, ” too mad for the IRA” is a lunatic republican torturer with a soft spot for his cat, Wee Thomas. The cast included a real cat who, on the night, played a blinder in his short walk on part.

The play is very violent, a hard watch, but this ensemble did a brilliant job on it. They deserved all of the standing ovations in this sell out run.

I wrote about this group before when I visited their lovely theatre in 2023

Drama in Kilcullen

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A Fact

J.K. Rowling wrote the first chapter of her last Harry Potter book in 1990 – seven years before the first book was released.
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A Tree, a Graveyard, a Junk Shop and an Old Magazine

By

On May 8, 2025

In Poem

Main Street, Listowel in early summer 2025

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One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

This shop has popped up at Scully’s Corner.

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Only God can Make a Tree

Horsechestnut tree at the entrance to Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail in May 2025

Trees

BY JOYCE KILMER

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

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Serendipity

Serendipity, according to the dictionary, is the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not looked for.

Last week in the Listowel Vincent de Paul shop I found this treasure in a pile of old knitting patterns. It’s from 1963, so a throwback to the magazines of my childhood.

Look at this ad. The popgun, the cap, the tart, the block of hard margarine and the little boy/man in the hand knit jumper…happy days!

My mother didn’t buy Women’s Weekly but her friend, Breege Crowley, did. When we visited her we always came home with a bundle of the magazines to read and savour. I loved Roley and Rowena Robin.

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John Paul II Graveyard

Hard as it is to believe it, it’s a sad fact that people have been removing the watering cans from the cemetery. I met Patsey Kennedy replacing another one and marking it with a polite request to visitors to leave it behind when they leave the graveyard.

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Starting Next Sunday

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A Fact

In 1983 the first 5 horses home in the Cheltenham Gold Cup were trained by Michael Dickinson.

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