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

Category: Ballybunion Page 21 of 23

Doon, a Walrus and a Poem of Few words about a Word

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On August 12, 2021

In Ballybunion, Listowel, Poem

Photo: Éamon ÓMurchú in Corcha Dhuibhne

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A Church in Ballybunion

The old church at Doon
Doon church now, photo shared by Cathleen Mulvihill

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Advertisements from Shannonside Annual 1956

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A word

A word is dead

When it is said

Some say.

I say 

It just begins to live

That day

Emily Dickinson

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Where’s Wally

Photo; Paddy Tubbritt

This walrus first made his appearance in Kerry in 2020. Since then he’s been on his holidays around Wales and Europe. He has recently returned to Waterford. While he is very sociable, lolling on piers and climbing into boats, people are reminded that he is a wild creature and should be approached with caution.

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New Mural on Mill Lane

This whole Listowel Characters project is a great learning experience for us all. I am going to pass on to you what I learned today about the modern art of the muralist.

The blank canvas is the side wall of Kay’s Children’s Shop

This artwork is on a large scale so it needs a cherry picker to reach to upper part.

This is one of the first jobs, decanting and mixing the paint.

This morning, August 11 2021, the work has begun. The frame is done and the artist is doing the doodle grid.

This is a close up of a portion of the doodle grid. Traditionally muralists drew their picture on graph paper and then scaled it up to a corresponding grid on the big canvas/wall.

Modern muralists paint a doodle grid, sometimes called a lazy grid. The doodle can be anything. Some artists use numbers or letters. Our man had a bit of fun, using names, declarations of love and a blatant dig at the locals anxious about the football semi final against Tyrone.

Then he takes a picture of the doodles. Using his doodle app he can superimpose the picture he wants to paint on to the doodle picture. We then uses the underlying doodle as a guide to what to paint where on the wall.

If my description is a bit puzzling, Google “Doodle Grid” and you will find lots of Youtube tutorials on how to do it. Fascinating!!!!

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Ballybunion Market, Temperance Movement and a Hair Fact

By

On August 9, 2021

In Ballybunion, History

Skerries by Éamon ÓMurchú

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Ballybunion Community Market

This market continues every Saturday from 10 to 1.00 p.m. in the car park of the Community Centre, Ballybunion. Well worth a visit as new people are coming on board all the time.

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Sobriety in Listowel in 1840

Boston Pilot February 1840

Mr. Cheevers, stipendiary magistrate at Listowel, is n zealous advocate of temperance, and liberal patron of the society newly formed there. Every species of locomotive power available is being put in requisition. Besides innumerable vehicles of every description, from the post-chaise to the jarvey, several extra cars of Mr. Bianconi’s left here on yesterday evening and this morning, literally crammed with temperance postulants for Clonmel, all eagerly anxious to seize the occasion to avail themselves of convenient opportunities afforded by Father’s Mathew’s Visit to Clonmel, to enrol themselves in the ranks of sober.

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In the Garden Centre at KPFA Centre in Listowel

Mike, Seán and Lucy…..photo by Noel Doyle

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Chonmage

photo of Fintan MacCarthy and Paul O’Donovan from the internet

Paul O’Donovan, our olympic gold medal rower, is an extraordinary athlete. Since he thrilled us after winning his silver medal in Rio with his witty one liners and deceptively laid back demeanour we have looked forward to seeing him again in Tokyo.

He didn’t disappoint. This time he returned sporting a full beard and a new hairstyle. The hairstyle is suggestive of that of sumo wrestlers and before them the samurai. It’s called a chonmage and is the hairstyle of a warrior.

Paul is indeed a warrior. Long may he reign in partnership with his brother or one of the other classy Skibereen oarsmen.

Paul’s brother, Gary, was also in Tokyo as first reserve in case either Paul or Fintan got injured or fell ill.

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On Betty McGrath’s wall in Courthouse Road

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Molly, a Hare and a Master Signwriter at work

By

On July 30, 2021

In Ballybunion, History, Listowel

Golodcrest in Dromin by Paddy Fitzgibbon

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Update on Molly

Still the king of the castle but sheltering from the heat.

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The Blessed Well in Kilshenane

From Closing the Circle, an anthology of the poems of John McGrath

Hare

I met a hare along the road today,

Tall as a greyhound.

He hopped towards me,

hesitated, 

hopped again,

stopped to listen

to my freewheel click,

then turned and loped away.

I gazed in grateful awe

as with each simple spring

the distance grew between us,

marvelled how his quiet grace

belied his hidden power.


Then with one bound

he cleared a ditch

and disappeared from view

leaving me to wonder.

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Dancing in the 1970s

Those were the days.

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Church Street Tattoo


Our local tattooist was taking the opportunity in a lull in business to paint his door jamb.

He had a cancellation due to his client getting sunburnt.

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Master at Work

Martin Chute sign writing in the old fashioned way at Sheahan’s, Upper William Street on Saturday July 24 2021.

Martin was so focussed on his work, he wasn’t even aware I was photographing him. This man is the best at what he does. Listowel is blessed to have him working on our shopfronts.

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Newbridge House and Farm and how to make a wheel

By

On July 22, 2021

In Ballybunion, Listowel, Schools' Folklore

A study of a pigeon by Criostóir Grayson

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Newbridge House and Farm

Recently Éamon ÓMurchú visited Newbridge House and Farm in Donabate.

This is an exceptionally interesting visitor attraction bringing country life, old days and old ways within easy reach of Dublin.

Look at the old milk churns. They are a throwback to days when cows were milked by hand and the milk taken by the farmer to the creamery.

A collection of rakes, spades, scythe, sickles, slash hook, a hay knife, a sleán, a push mower and an implement on the lower right that baffles me.

Could it be a whet stone?

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Memory Lane

An old one of Jim Halpin chatting to a garda at the door of his military and historical museum.

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Wheelmaking

from Asdee National School in the Schools’ Folklore Collection.

The wheel is made in the following way – the stock which is made of elm is first chipped with a hatchet – it is then put into the dell and turned. The dell is twisted round with a handle and the carpenter is at the other side with his chizels until he has it rounded enough. He then marks it with two lines at about two inches apart. The lines are used as a guide for mortising the wheel. He then gets a compass and centers his wheel so as to have his mortises even for the spokes. He then dresses his spokes which are made of oak. The spokes are prepared in the following way – they are first cut with a saw about two feet long by three inches broad and two inches in thickness. He first cuts the tenant which fits into the mortice. Then he rounds the spokes with a hatchet. After this he works a drawing-knife for to clean it. Next he works a spoke-shave in it and then he brings it to perfection with a smoothing-plane. When he has his spokes dressed he drives them into the stock. Then he gets a trammel for to get the round of the wheel for to give him a guide to mark his fellows. He then cuts the end of the spokes to fit into the fellows. The fellows are made into six parts and are a kind of bent to bring in the circle of the wheel. He then bores two holes on each fellow with an augur in order to fit them into the spokes. It is then taken to the forge and shod with an iron band.
COLLECTORMaureen D. O’ Connor

AddressTullahennel South, Co. Kerry

INFORMANTWilliam Egan Age67 Address Tullahennel South, Co. Kerry

This account is full of the specific vocabulary of the wheelwright, words lost to us today.

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Today’s Poem

Ar Scáth a Chéile a Mhaireann na Daoine

We live within the shadow of each other (Irish Proverb)

By John McGrath

Bang!

A finch against my window.

I felt the shudder as its world met mine,

Rushed to where it fell.

Sapped of sense and movement,

Eyes glazed, grey, lifeless,

Wings splayed, stone still.

I saw its small beak quiver,

Move as if to speak.

A tiny pulse throbbed in its downy throat.

Cupping it in my palm,

I felt the soft, warm beat within,

Willed life into stillness.

Restored by simple touch

It stirred, fluttered, faltered, flew

And healed the poet too.

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Good news on Parking in Ballybunion

(From Radio Kerry)

More public car parking is being provided in Ballybunion.

Kerry County Council says it will provide the free spaces at the Tintean Theatre carpark, located off Church Road.

The extra spaces will be available until the end of September and signage has been put in place to direct motorists to the car park.

Cattle and Pig Fairs and Behan’s The Horseshoe

By

On July 20, 2021

In Ballybunion, Listowel

Photo; Chriostóir Grayson

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One Hundred Years ago on this Day

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Digiwiz

I met these girls at the Community Market in Ballybunion. They were selling Digiwiz products and doing a great job of promoting this local business.

“Learn how the digital world works in a constructive way and how it can be used for more than social media and video games.” This quote is from the Digiwiz website. This Tralee based business aims to enthuse young people to engage with technology in a fun way.

I bought a small robot in kit form and the lovely girls gave me some batteries and a screwdriver to get us going. I’ll try it on some grandchildren and keep you posted.

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The Queen in Coronation Street

Coronation Street is my favourite soap.

Over the years several members of the royal family have visited the set. Vera Duckworth famously claimed to be a distant relative of the Windsors.

Queen Elizabeth was the latest royal to visit the cobbles.

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A New Old Word

I had a delicious morning coffee in The Horseshoe. The scones were beautifully presented, doily and all. They were fresh out of the oven, and served with jam and cream and all the butter you want.

But the new word I want to introduce to you is bojonter. I asked for my coffee in a mug rather than a coffee cup and this beautiful Woodford Pottery mug arrived on the table. It was a fine big mug that I know a certain sister in law of mine would describe as a bojonter. I had heard her use the word for a big vessel of any beverage but I didn’t really know where the word came from.

So I asked the host. Gerry not only told me what a bojonter is, he showed me one on the shelf in the bar.

This is a bojonter of Guinness and that measure is still available today.

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