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

Author: listowelconnection Page 17 of 194

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

The Big Wind in Kerry

By

On February 12, 2025

In History, Listowel, Poem

Listowel Garda Station, February 2025

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Pillar Post boxes

Pillar postbox in Main Street Listowel

Anthony Trollope, the novelist, introduced the pillar box to Britain in 1852 when he worked as a Post Office Surveyor in the Channel Islands. The first mainland box was erected a year later in 1853. At first local District Surveyors ordered boxes from local foundries. In 1859 a standard design was introduced. Wall boxes appeared in 1857, Ludlow boxes in 1885 and lamp boxes in 1896.

Each new reign brings boxes bearing the royal cipher of the monarch. Pillar boxes and wall boxes have been made in different sizes and with improvements to the design incorporated over time. A large number of different manufacturers have been employed and over the years there have been many experimental boxes put in service.

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The Big Wind

I took the story and image from Joe Harrington’s Facebook page. He posted it on the eve of Eowyn.

Night of the Big Wind

The incoming Storm Éowyn would appear to be on the scale of the ‘Night of the Big Wind’, 6-7 January 1839. The centre of the storm to the north of Ireland is forecast to be as low as 938 Millibars (MB). The storm 186 years ago was 20 MBs lower at its centre. However, the pressure over Kerry at the height of this storm may well be lower than it was here on the night of the big wind.

In the 1839 storm, the number killed may have been about three hundred. It was calculated that 4,846 chimneys were knocked. How the fallen chimneys could be counted so accurately, and the dead so vaguely is strange. Trees were a valuable commodity and some Landlords had grown fine stands. These were valuable on January 6 and almost worthless on January 7, 1839. There was a glut of firewood on the market.

Many people lost their small savings, secreted inside the thatch when roofs were carried off. There was no weather forecasting at the time and the storm arrived unannounced. Winds reached 120 miles per hour in what was a category three hurricane. Twenty-five percent of the houses in Dublin were destroyed and 42 ships were sunk along the east coast.

From Kerry, it was reported that the “well-constructed Listowel Arms Hotel” was damaged and in the same town, the police under Chief Constable Fletcher were credited with saving many lives. There were no deaths in Listowel.

The 1908 Old Age Pensions Act came into law in January 1909 for those over 70 years of age – exactly 70 years after the Night of the Big Wind. Over a quarter of a million applied and within a year over 180,000 had been deemed successful. Contrary to popular belief, the acceptance of a memory of the Big Wind as proof of age in a claim for the Old Age Pension is not backed up by any records of the time. There is a belief that some official of the Board may have asked people who were having trouble providing proof of their age what they were doing on the night of the Big Wind but when large numbers answered “eating a potato out of my hand” that approach was quickly dropped.

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Love is in the Air

Danny Russell is not only an excellent hairdresser, he is a top class window dresser as well. His Valentine’s 2025 window is a triumph.

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A Poem Celebrating a Tree

Anyone who is familiar with the back gate entrance to UCC or anyone who works in The Bons in Cork or visits there will know this tree.

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A Fact

In Finland 9 out of 10 plastic bottles and almost all glass bottles are recycled.

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The Big Wind of 1839

By

On February 11, 2025

In Listowel, Poem

in The Square in February 2025

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The Other Big Wind

While some people are still reeling from the devastation of Storm Eowyn, let’s look for a minute at the legendary big wind of 1839. With no internet and only the most primitive of weather forecasting, people had no warning that such a weather event (It was a cyclonic storm.) was imminent. Houses and other buildings were not as well constructed as they are nowadays. In 1839 no one thought of giving a storm a name so it was always known as The Big Wind or Oíche na Gaoithe Móire. It passed into legend, embellished by storytellers for generations and it became a milestone in Irish history.

January 6 1839, Ireland was under a blanket of snow as people headed to mass to celebrate Little Christmas, the feast of Epiphany. The weather was mild during the day but towards evening the wind began to rise. By midnight it was blowing a gale and structural damage was being done under the cover of darkness.

The bell of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin was blown out of the steeple. Chimneys were blown down igniting thatched roofs and houses were destroyed. Many people reported thinking it was the end of the world. 250,000 trees were blown down, taking with them the nesting habitats of many wild birds. Crow and jackdaw numbers fell to near extinction shortly after the storm. Farmyard hens were blown up to a distance of half a mile. In Dublin the rear wall of Guinness Brewery was blown down and nine brewery horses were killed.

The estimated number of human casualties was 300. Many of these unfortunate souls were drowned when 42 ships went down. In Clifden alone 17 fishermen were drowned trying to make their way home.

( Information from an Irish Independent article by Dr. Patrick McGarty)

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Credit Where Credit is Due

I published this poem last week. I found it on a Facebook page and I cut and pasted it as it was. Then Lauren Davis got in touch to say that she was familiar with the poem and the poet is not anonymous at all.

Hi Mary, We have a version of the “Speak Gently” poem in our church hymnal. It’s one of my favorites! It is attributed to the American poet, David Bates (1809-1870).

Lauren lives in Oregon.

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Humans of Longford

I love this image and story. No Listowel connection that I know of.

Here’s a photo from Longford in the 1960s ( thanks to Longford Library) .

The photo was taken at the entrance to a goods store ( now a car park) on Earl Street, at the foot of the railway bridge, leading to Park Road and Teffia. Note the ad for Oldtime Irish Marmalade on the billboard, in the background.

The horse and dray and the smartly dressed CIE  man are delivering Guinness kegs to the many pubs ( 44 ?) that traded in Longford back then .

The wagons  from the goods train used to be shunted into a siding , some into the relative protection of a goods shed ( still standing). There was a small crane ( still there too ) to lift the heavier goods off the wagons. 

On one memorable day, elephants were even unloaded at the spot – they were transported by train as part of a famous circus, which was held  in the Fair Green(  Mollihans Furniture store there now).

( Actually, I’m still trying to contact the former CIE driver  [ for Humans] who told me he was the only CIE man in the world to shovel elephant shit .)

Certainly it was a different world in the 60s but there  were storms then too – a massive one in 1961 when the Market House ( Dealz now) was burned to the ground  and, if memory serves me right, 15 were killed nationwide.

Finally and hopefully,  someone will fill us in on more details of the man in the photo  – I can just remember him as a smartly dressed  kind, gentle man and I think he lived on Park Road.

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Is Listowel the Richest Town in Ireland?

The story of Kerry Group’s share bonanza in this week’s Farmers’ Journal states that, of the many happy people who shared in the spoils, 736 people gave a Listowel address.

Here is the link to the story;
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/is-listowel-the-richest-little-town-in-ireland-855095

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A Fact and its Source

On the same day that I learned that birds don’t pee, I came upon this great fact book in a charity shop. I had to share this enlightening fact with you.

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Remembering Tolka Row

By

On February 10, 2025

In Listowel, Personal, Poem

Market Street, February 2025

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A Charity Shop Find

One of the great joys of shopping in charity shops is finding treasures like this.

There are thousands of Irish books published each year. They are often short print runs and when they are gone they’re gone. Every now and again a great one turns up in a charity shop. This is one such.

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Cora, My Little Footballer

This is Cora Darby, my granddaughter. She loves football, both Gaelic and Soccer.

When her team, Lakewood Under 14s, played Ballyouster of Kildare in the National Cup, Cora was captain for the game.

Lakewood girls Under 14

They won. Now their next game is against a Drogheda club and they have home advantage. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile in Dublin…

Sean is in tennis action with his intervarsity team.

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Tolka Row

Tolka Row is an Irish television drama serial that aired on RTE One from 1964 to 1968, set in a fictional housing estate on the northsideof Dublin.[1] Based on Maura Laverty‘s play of the same name, Tolka Row was first broadcast on 3 January 1964 and aired weekly for five series until it ended on 31 May 1968.[2 Wikipedia

These two pictures were published in Ireland’s Own. The late Maura Laverty is also the same Maura who wrote Full and Plenty.

This scene from the soap depicts the the Nolans and their neighbours in the sitting room of the Nolan house. The Nolans and their neighbours, the Feeneys, were working- class Dublin families living in the North side of the city.

It was a very regrettable practice in the early days of Telefís Eireann, to wipe the videotape after an episode was broadcast and reuse the tape. So, only the final episode of the four year series is extant.

I loved the show and like me many others loved the glimpse inside a part of Ireland we never saw in real life. Before television, there was huge urban rural disconnect. Tolka Row and its successor, The Riordans, introduced city folk and country folk to one another. It was a great learning experience.

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If you have Money Problems

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Exciting Opportunity for “Mid- Career Artists’

St. John’s in February 2025

St. John’s Theatre, Listowel, Co. Kerry, and the Irish Arts Center, New York, are inviting applications for the County Exchange international residency for mid-career artists. 

Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Kerry County Arts Office, the County Exchange residency aims to connect artists from the experimental theatre, dance, and performance sectors in Ireland and New York. 

Seven selected artists (four from Ireland, three from New York) will spend two weeks in Listowel (19 May–2 June 2025) and one week in New York (January 2026, dates TBC). The residency provides accommodation, travel, a daily subsistence allowance, and a €1,000 fee. 

Interested applicants should submit a 100-word statement of purpose, contact details, a brief bio, and links to previous work by email to newyorklistowel@gmail.com by Monday, February 24th, 2025, at midnight.

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A Fact

The first Winter Olympic Games were held at Chamonix in 1924.

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Postboxes, Magpies, etc.

By

On February 7, 2025

In Listowel, Poem

William Street on February 1 2025

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Another Photo from Carmel

Therese Lenehan and Ger Kenny at on school tour to Carrigafoyle Castle May 1974

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Old Post Boxes

In Bray, Co. Wicklow

A Piece of postbox history from the internet;

A Ludlow post box

There are around 800 different types of postbox. There are more than 400 different varieties of pillar box; around 160 types of wall box, 66 Ludlow boxes and almost 80 versions of the lamp box.

The Ludlow box explained:

James Ludlow and Son of Birmingham hold a unique place in postbox history. For 80+ years they were the main supplier of “economy” wall boxes for use in sub-post offices. This came about because any person taking on the role of Postmaster at an SPO without a pre-existing box was required to provide one at their own expense! This led to some rather wonderful locally made boxes, known as Carpenter’s Boxes, coming in to use. To authenticate them, they were frequently adorned with an official Post Box plate which resembles those used on the Ludlow boxes.

Real Ludlow boxes provided the answer for most sub-Postmasters as they were indeed economical and could be purchased from a natty little catalogue which showed the various types in use. For use in towns there was the larger size box with or without a “well” protuding below the bottom of the door, whilst in rural areas the smaller size predominated.

The popularity of the Ludlow design, cheap wooden construction faced with steel plate, a single casting for the aperture and an attractive enamel plate lead to more than 5000 being produced over the years. Today there are somewhat less than 300 in service.

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Good Advice

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Counting Crows…Update

We must thank Brendan Sheehan for this response to yesterday’s rhyme. Truly, every day is a learning day…

Two Eurasian Magpies, Pica Pica, on moss covered branch in winter. Pair of black and white birds in winter.

The magpie rhyme is a traditional British nursery rhyme which dates back to the 1700s. It’s often used to predict the weather and has two versions. The full magpie rhyme up to 20 goes:

“One for sorrow, two for joy,

Three for a girl, four for a boy,

Five for silver, six for gold,

Seven for a secret never to be told.

Eight for a wish, nine for a kiss,

Ten for a bird you must not miss.

Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth.

Thirteen beware, It’s the devil himself.

Fourteen, make your choice, Fifteen, take your pick,

Sixteen, the sweetest, Seventeen, your heart’s wish.

Eighteen for a letter, Nineteen for better,

Twenty, the future, It’s now or never.”

This rhyme was first printed in 1820 in James Orchard Halliwell’s collection of nursery rhymes and has been popular ever since. It’s believed to originate from an old English superstition about magpies being messengers of joy or sorrow, depending on how many are seen together. It is said that seeing one magpie brings bad luck, while seeing two brings good luck.

The magpie rhyme is still used today as an entertaining way to predict the future and pass on folk wisdom from one generation to another. For some people, it may have a spiritual or prophetic meaning, while others simply consider it an entertaining game. Whatever the case, this centuries-old nursery rhyme continues to entertain and delight children and adults alike.

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A Fact

These are not for your common or garden mice but the dormouse which is a protected species in the UK. The new mice nests are located on a high branch well away from dogs and other predators.

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Telling the Time

By

On February 6, 2025

In Listowel

Market Street on February 1 2025

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Counting Magpies or Crows

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When Everything was Local

I am part of a Facebook group dedicated to old post boxes, A visitor to Dublin was surprised to find this twin post box with one box for Dublin only and the other for everywhere else. This system was common when all the sorting was done in the local post office. This was a kind of pre sorting which made the job of the postmen easier.

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Time and Tide waits for no Man

by Mick O’Callaghan

Now that I am retired, I have time to look back and examine the development of clocks and time keeping 

I remember my granny’s house and the various shapes and makes of timepieces they owned and their cuckoo clock with its double cuckoo sound. I listened to their stories about how their parents told the time before the mass production of clocks began in America in the 1820s.and every family aspired to getting a clock. They spoke about getting up at sunrise and going to bed at sunset. They judged the time during the day by the height of the sun in the sky. In wintertime they just worked from dawn to dusk.

I remember during my school days we often cycled around the Dingle Peninsula. We visited Kilmalkedar Church, with the beautiful view of Dún Chaoin, to examine the early Christian Monastic sundial which was marked in 12 parts according to the monastic day. This was home to St Maoilcethair from the 7th century and what a lovely picturesque peaceful setting he chose for his prayer base.

Later, we learned about people returning from The Crusades and bringing the significance of 60 with them which was the counting unit in Ancient Babylonia. We were told that was how the hour with its 60 minutes, and the 12-hour day came about. I gave the same information to my own students during my teaching years. Was it all true and accurate? I hope it was.

In 1656 a Dutch Scientist invented the pendulum clock which was a big development. As a result of this we had grandfather clocks with their deep resonant solemn sound. We also saw the development of other large scale wall clocks. 

Most of you have come across Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” and published in 1751. In it he has that lovely line “The curfew tolls the knell of parting day’. This was the time to put out the fire and go to bed. This was their clock. “Curfew” is a bell that rings at the end of the day, but a “knell” is a bell that rings when someone dies. So, it’s like the “parting day” is dying.

I encountered that knelling word again in college. We read the poem,” Mid Term break” by Seamus Heaney when he speaks about sitting in class counting bells knelling classes to a close. There is a certain solemnity about the word ‘knelling’ used in the context of the inevitability of death, as it is in those two poems. There is something funereal about the school bell knelling because Heaney’s brother had died, and he was waiting to be collected and brought home for the funeral.

In my father’s time we had clocks which had to be wound every day, and the alarm was set each night. There was always a very loud eerie ticking sound which filled the house. There was a problem because the clocks seemed to be too fast or too slow and there was no checking mechanism.

All that changed with the arrival of the Radio into our lives. The clock’s time was set correctly when the news came on at 8 o clock in the morning. That was our time to pack up and cycle to school.

Later in our lives we saw the introduction of the pocket watch which had a cover over the dial. This watch, as the name denotes, was kept in the pocket with a chain attached and when you asked the time it was ceremoniously withdrawn and duly returned to the safety and security of the pocket after the notification of the correct time.

Then of course the wristwatch appeared, and it was met with unanimous approval with all and sundry proudly displaying the timepiece on their wrists with a vast array of straps and bracelets.

There was however another force emerging that would change the world’s communication systems. I read recently what Mark R Sullivan, President of Pacific Telephone Corporation said in 1953. In the first development the telephone will be carried around by the individual, perhaps as we carry a watch. It probably will require no dial, and I think we will be able to see each other, if they want to, as they talk and who knows but they might translate material.

We have travelled a long journey in the last 71 year since Mark Sullivan’s prophetic vision.

Today’s generation rely totally on their phones for all communication and timing with every piece synchronised with Greenwich Mean Time and time is accurate to the last second. We can see each other, translate, send messages, scan and do a multiplicity of tasks which are major advances during my lifetime.

I remember getting the television in 1965 and the advances in TV systems has been phenomenal as is progress in smart phone and technology. Many people will remember the first bulky Motorola phone in 1973.

Then we had the Blackberry in 2000, iPhone in 2007and cameras in all phones in 2010

Now our phones are our timepieces, our health and fitness monitors, our wallets, while with AI and Augmented Reality and increased battery life or maybe wireless transmission the future looks like continuing to be interesting with lots of exciting developments in our communications world. 

It’s all Tik Tok and many other systems nowadays. Farewell to Tick Tock. 

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Carmel’s Photo

Miriam Hilliard and Ger Kenny.  School tour to Carrigafoyle Castle, May 1974.

Those were the days! Carmel turned over one of her photos and was reminded how far photography has come.

Once upon a time, you pressed the shutter and you hoped you had got what appeared in your viewfinder. There were no screen and no reviewing. When you had taken your 24 snaps, you handed your film into the pharmacy to be developed. A week later you came back to collect your prints.

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A Fact

Birds do not urinate.

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