Market Street on Saturday, February 1 2025
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From the Archives
Every now and again Jer Kennelly delves into the nespaper archives and finds something with a Listowel connection. Sometimes the story ends there and sometimes the story (remember John J. Foley and Thade Kelly’s Hin?) takes on a life of its own.
Here is such a cutting from 1895 for you.
San Francisco Call, Volume 77, Number 133, 22 April 1895
PARISH PRIESTS NAMED
Father Kirby Assumes Charge of the New St. Agnes Church.
SUPERIOR OF THE PAULISTS. Father Wyman Appointed to Succeed Father Brady of St. Mary’s. Rev. Father Kirby has been appointed pastor of
the new parish of St. Agnes by the Most Rev. Archbishop Riordan, and
Rev. Father Wyman has been named superior of the Paulist community at
old St. Mary’s Church on California street to succeed the late Father
Brady. Father Kirby preached his first sermon at St. Agnes Church,
which is a neat little edifice on Masonic street, near Page, at the
high mass yesterday morning. The church was built as an outside
mission to the Sacred Heart parish, and was under the jurisdiction of
Rev. Father Flood. Father Kirby is a young man of zeal and talent. He
was born at Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland, on April 16, 1860. His
early education was gained at Mount Melleray and at All Hallows. Later
he attended the seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris. On the 17th of
March, 1883, he was ordained by Bishop Higgins of Kerry, Ireland. He
“came to San Francisco in the spring of 1883. His first appointment
was as chaplain of St. Mary’s College, from where he was transferred
to Father King’s church in Oakland. Later he served two years as
assistant to Father Serda at Temescal. On September 2, 1885, he was
appointed as assistant at the cathedral, where he has since resided.
Of his family a brother is a priest, Rev. Thomas Kirby, at Mission
Dolores, and two Sisters are members of the Presentation Order, Sister
Augustine in Berkeley, and Sister de Sales in the Powell-street
convent, this city. Father Wyman has long been a Paulist missionary
and is well known throughout the United States. He prefers missionary
work to the cares and responsibility of a pariah and looks forward to
the appointment of a permanent superior to succeed him that he may go
into the country and preach. “We have received requests for
missionaries from different parishes all over the coast,” he said
yesterday, “and we are anxious to comply. Missionary work is the
object of the order, and for myself I much prefer that field. If we
had the priests we could send them north to Washington and south to
Arizona. Besides, California and Nevada must be looked after.” The
work of remodelling old St. Mary’s Church will begin this week. The
interior is to be handsomely painted and frescoed, and the idea of the
Paulists is to make the historic tabernacle one of the most beautiful
in the city.
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An Interesting old Post Box
in West London
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Another Photo from Carmel Hanrahan
Left to right: Tom and Eileen O’Halloran, John and Breda Hanrahan and Joe Mc Namara & Betty.
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Athea Mural Relocation
Athea has two extraordinary murals by local artist, Jim Dunn. The older one, celebrating the town’s history, legends and local talent has had an adventurous life surviving the worst the weather could throw at it.
I took this picture late last year.
This is just a small section of the artwork but it gives you an idea of the complex detail of flora and fauna, legend and history woven into this masterpiece.
The mural was given a temporary home on a long wall until the nearby premises was sold. This has now happened and the new owners have plans for the space so the masterpiece so dear to everyone in Athea must be relocated.
Athea Tidy Town Group undertook the task of dismantling it and minding it.
Here are some of the pictures they shared on Facebook.
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A Fact
In Germany about 2000 schools were closed between 1989 and 2009 because of the fall in the numbers of children in the population.
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