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 23 of 24

In Lizzy’s, Ballybunion Community Market and New Coffee Shop on Church Street

In St. Anne’s Park, Raheny. Photo; Éamon ÓMurchú

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Kildare Staycationers

The Kildare branch of the family love Listowel. Here are Tony and Mary McKenna from Newbridge enjoying lunch in Lizzy’s. Mary was excited to be photographed with celebrity chef, Lizzy Lyons and to meet her in the flesh.

This lovely couple were celebrating 42 years since they first met when Mary joined Bord na Mona in Newbridge and Tony was the first person she met on her first day.

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Three Amigos

Not the three gentlemen of Verona but three gentlemen of Listowel.

Friends, Danny Hannon, Joe Murphy and Jed Chute enjoy a cup of coffee and a natter in Lynch’s, Main Street.

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Memories of a Pres. Operetta

How about this for a trip down memory lane?

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Ballybunion Community Market

This community market is just finding its feet with new stalls being added every week. It is a great way to spend a Saturday morning. It’s in the car park behind the community centre and it starts at 10.00a.m.

I only photographed a small few of the very diverse stalls.

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Daisy Boo Barista

The streetscape of Church Street is changing rapidly. Another welcome new colourful addition is this charming coffee shop with a few extra delights in stock as well

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Listowel Native Doing Well in the U.S.

Cora Creed/Universal Music Group

Cora Creed is the vice president of Digital Supply Chain Management at Universal Music Group in New York. Originally from Listowel, Co. Kerry, she came to the U.S. on a Donnelly Visa and “has never looked back.” She has almost 20 years experience and expertise in business transformation in the digital space, and has worked with leading brands like Napster, Sony, and EMI.

Cora believes that “Despite being one of the smallest nations on earth, [the Irish] have left an indelible mark,” as many aspects of Irish culture “have propagated to the four corners of the world.” She is also struck by the “incredible goodwill towards the Irish” that she finds on her travels abroad.

Cora is also a founding member and sits on the board of directors of Swazi Legacy, a nonprofit organization that assists marginalized and homeless young people in Swaziland. She will help lead a team from New York and Ireland to Swaziland in June to work with orphans at Manzini Youth Center.

Cora is married to Thomas Creed, also from Kerry and still very much considers Kerry home. Her mother Kathleen is from Kerry but now lives in London, and her father, Brendan, was from Dublin.

(From a website called Irish America 2016)

Ballybunion’s Marian Grotto and Listowel’s Charlie Nolan

A gate in Howth by Éamon ÓMurchú

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Ballybunion Grotto

At Ahafona cross there is this lovely secluded grotto. It is beautifully kept and a great credit to all who look after it.

In front of the grotto is a row of seats remembering the people who loved this place very much.

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Charlie Nolan

A while ago when I was doing my bit about handball in Listowel, I published this picture of Charlie Nolan with the Joe James trophy he won 50 years ago. To promote that post I also published the picture on Facebook.

Some people, seeing the photo, thought that Charlie had won some recent accolade. He hadn’t but he deserves one, so here goes.

This is Charlie Nolan in his happy place beside his Silver River Feale, photographed by Paddy Fitzgibbon.

Very often it is only when someone spends years away from their native place that they truly appreciate it. This is not true in the case of Listowel’s Charlie Nolan. Charlie was born and bred here and has spent most of his adult life in and around his beloved river Feale.

John Lynch and Charlie Nolan, Listowel historians

In a town famous for writers and composers, Charlie is a doer, a local historian who chronicles Listowel life not in words but in video pictures. He worked for a long time with his great friend and fellow videographer, John Lynch. They went out in all weathers to document significant happenings in town. They made a great team. When John stepped back, Charlie continued on his own to record life in the town he loves so well.

Charlie with fellow local historian, Jer Kennelly

He spends hours of his time editing his videos and putting a soundtrack or captions to them. Then, most importantly, he shares them with everyone.

Charlie on the reviewing stand recording a St. Patrick’s Day parade

Charlie grew up in O’Connell’s Ave, and many of his childhood neighbours and friends are scattered throughout the globe. These are the audience that most appreciate his videos of Listowel life as they remember it. He is doing them a great service and they appreciate it. 

Charlie Nolan and his sister, Eileen Worths

Charlie is also hugely supportive of what I do. He is one of the greatest promoters of Listowel Connection.

Charlie Nolan recording my walking tour of Listowel Town Square during Writers’ Week 2018

Charlie is up for learning new things too. Here he is on a Googling trip with Damien O’Mahoney.

Charlie is happiest outdoors, whether in Gurtinard Wood or on The Feale.

To a whole other audience, Charlie Nolan is a wildlife videographer. He has a deep knowledge of Kerry wildlife and he has an unequalled knowledge of the River Feale. He has captured on film all the native birds and animals of North Kerry and he has introduced them to an audience that may never have got to see them otherwise. Spending hours by the river is no hardship to Charlie but he uses his time there to patiently video the wildlife.

Charlie, second from left with Seán Treacy, Billy Galvin, John Maguire and Seán Comerford

Recently was the first time I heard about Charlie, the champion handball and squash player.

This man is nothing if not modest. He “can walk with kings but keep the common touch”. Charlie has only a small appreciation of the high regard in which he is held locally. He is part of the fabric of Listowel and one of the town’s  noblest sons. He deserves the freedom of the borough or any other lifetime accolade that can be bestowed on him.

Charlie Nolan is a local treasure and Listowel is very lucky to have him.

Ballybunion, A Ball Alley Poem and a Fact

Photo; Éamon ÓMurchú in Howth

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Ahafona

I have often seen this mural on my way into Ballybunion. Last week I stopped to have a look around.

I think the welcome sign is probably best seen by a drone.

Do you remember the Irish Open of 2000? I was there in a different life.

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As a kind off post script to the handball alley stories, here again is John Fitzgerald’s lovely paen of praise to the alley and four of its best players. The foursome mentioned in the poem are Junior Griffin, Tom Enright and Dermot Buckley from the Bridge Road and John Joe Kenny from Patrick Street.

The Ball Alley

A poem by John Fitzgerald

The Alley

Standing on the dead line

I face the pockmarked wall,

it hides the bridge above me

fond memories I recall,

the side walls mark the theatre,

the concrete floor the stage,

four players take their places

the finest of their age.

The cocker’s hopped and hardened,

Junior’s feet fix solidly

he contemplates the angle

of the first trajectory.

His swinging arm begins the game

the ball’s hit low and fast,

a signal to John Joe and Tom

this will be no soft match.

Dermot standing by his side

sees his neighbour win first toss,

a simple game to twenty one

no ace is easily lost.

I watch them from the grassy mound

behind the dead ball line

 hear the cries of older boys

cheer each one at a time

and in the space of half an hour

the ball has weaved its way

through every nook and cranny

in this battlefield of play,

the long ball to the back line

the close one to the wall

the deadly butted killer 

seemed to hit no wall at all

and in end the four of them

take leave just as they came

and beckon us to take our place

and learn more of their game,

the game that gave such pleasure

the game I got to know.

when I was young and full of fun

in the Alley years ago.

(The cocker was the name they had for the ball)

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The Friday Market is very small these times

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A Fact

Tikka Masala

Where does Tikka Masala, which is Britain’s most popular take away curry, originate from?

No, not Bangladesh or any other Middle Eastern country.

The answer is Glasgow.

This is the story according to my Fact book.

Chicken tandoori began to feature on restaurant menus in the mid 1960s.

A Glasgow restaurant served it to its customers. A diner asked for extra sauce. The chef improvised a sauce of tomato soup, spices and cream.

Masala means a mixture of spices. Tikka Masala contains cardamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, fenugreek and chilli among other things.

Turmeric is the spice that gives it its bright yellow colour and a synthentic dye tartrazine is what causes it to ruin your clothes with an unremovable stain.

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Courthouse and Ballybunion’s Geographical Sea Features

Photo; Éamon ÓMurchú

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Courthouse Plaza

Looking towards the courthouse and library from Courthouse Road

Listowel Courthouse in June 2021

Áras an Phiarsaigh in June 2021

Planting and Seating in the Courthouse Plaza

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What to look for on The Cliff Walk, Ballybunion

Everywhere to your left as you walk along the cliff edge you will see signs of erosion. The sea has eaten far into the cliffs and the coastline is indented and rugged.

This is the legendary blow hole, known as the Nine Daughters Hole. The legend says that around 800A.D. the local chieftain, O’Connor, had nine daughters. A Viking ship sailed up and the nine Vikings on board fell in love with the nine O’Connor girls. Daddy was having none of it. He lured the girls one by one to the edge of the blowhole, by telling them that he had dropped his valuable torc (a piece of jewellery) into the chasm and he sent them to look for it. He then tossed the poor girls one by one into the hole.

I don’t believe a word of it. Would all nine girls fall for the same ruse? Not any O’Connor girls I know anyway.

Anyway the legend has it that he tossed the nine Norse boyos in after them so a kind of rough justice was done.

This is a sea arch. It is such a perfect example that it is often the one used in geography textbooks. It is known locally as the Virgin Rock. I couldn’t find the legend behind this one but I think before it was cut off and as eroded as it is today monks lived on it.

This structure is more recent than the others. I think it is for dipping sheep. The sheep went in one by one into a trough of disinfectant to get rid of lice and ticks etc.

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Visitors

When I was in Ballybunion, who did I meet but regular North Cork visitors, Tony and Joan Boyce. They were in their home away from home for a few days. Tony and Joan are my cousins.

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John O’Halloran R.I.P. Remembered

Junior Griffin has been in touch to tell me of the passing of another old handballer.

John (also known as P.J.) O’Halloran was a neighbour of Junior’s in Bridge Road. He was one of the many young men who loved the handball alley and spent many happy hours there.

John lived in Killarney where he was a teacher in the Community College. Like Junior he went on to play badminton and was very involved with the Killarney club. Junior met him on an almost weekly basis during the badminton season. He says the chat was rarely about badminton, but about handball, Bridge Road and Listowel in general.

John passed away last September. May he rest in peace.

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One Hundred Years Ago

Spoilsports!

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Old Film Stars, Ballybunion and a Chameleon

Bee at Work

Photo; Éamon ÓMurchú

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Childhood Heroes

Noel Roche, formerly of Listowel, put these 2 photos and the following text in his Facebook post.

Arlington Cemetery. Two of my Heroes, Audie Murphy. Most Decorated Combat Soldier in World Two and Star of Cowboy and War Movies in the 50s/60s.

One of the Best Friends I ever had. Tim Mulcahey who served his Country Proudly in Vietnam. Gone but Never Forgotten.

Noel grew up in Listowel, one of many local boys in thrall to cowboys films. With few opportunities for entertainment, the cinema was like Disneyland. Stars like Audie Murphy and Nelson Eddie brought a small glimpse of a romantic other universe to small-town Listowel.

Such was their influence on people like Noel that they have never forgotten those days and the stars who coloured their young lives.

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Ballybunion’s Cliff Walk

Ballybunion is heaven on earth in the sunshine.

The Cliff Walk has many textbook perfect geographical features.

These are some the wildflowers you will see along the way. Helpful signs identify them for you.

Social distancing is a bit difficult on the narrow path but walkers do their best to give you ample space to pass.

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Returning to Education

I photographed John and Lillian Lenehan in 2019 while they were revisiting North Kerry. John and Lillian lived for a while in Moyvane and they retain a great love for and interest in this part of the world.

Now John is in the news in his home in Florida. At age 87, great grandfather John has undertaken to return to college. He is resuming his studies at Fordham University and plans to graduate next year. Here is a link to the snippet in the news

Return to Fordham

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A Fact

If you are ever on Mastermind maybe this will help is you take chameleon as your specialist subject.

Chameleons DO’T change colour to blend in with the background. They change colour in response to emotions. They change colour when they are frightened, picked up, when they win a fight against another chameleon or when a female chameleon hoves into view.

The “fact” that chameleons change colour in order to camouflage themselves is completely untrue.

There are a few true facts about chameleons that are very little known.

Chameleons can remain motionless for several hours.

Chameleons eat very little. it was thought that they lived on air but that is untrue.

Chameleons can rotate and focus either eye to look in two completely different directions.

Chameleons are stone deaf.

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