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
Listowel is home to hundreds of beautiful trees and this leafy environment is reflected in many of the housing estate names. Here are two.
Cluain Doire literally means meadows of oak.
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A Carpet of Daisies in Listowel’s Garden of Europe
Our new awareness of the role of wild flowers has led to sights like this, hundreds of daisies and buttercups among the grasses.
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If we only had a four walled court
(Junior Griffin)
Scoil Realt na Maidine as we know it today was opened in 1959 and Halla Bhriain Mhic Mhathúna, the school hall. was built on the site of the old school and opened in 1961.
The Handball Club was one of the first customers to use the hall. They ran a series of Whist Drives on Sunday nights. They also secured a Sunday night to run a “monster” whist drive in Walsh’s Super Ballroom during the season of Lent. The committee of those years was very active in fundraising with the burning aim of raising sufficient funds to build a four walled handball court in Listowel.
Between 1961 and 1965 the club held 27 meetings and 5 A.G.M.s. They also held one EGM.
The one recurring theme in all of these meetings was the hope and ambition to build a a four wall championship handball alley in Listowel.
The minutes of these meetings record many details of fundraising, deputations to the the local government T.D. , a meeting with Listowel UDC, letters to the National Handball Organisation and to the GAA.
Promises were made and encouragement given but the heartfelt dream of a new alley for the members of that time was never realised.
The sale of membership cards to player and “social” members continued.
In 1961 124 cards at 2/6 each were sold, 77 in 1962, 103 in 1963 and only 63 in 1964 as the dream of ever achieving the championship court was fading.
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Greenway Bridge
Emma O’Flynn took this photo for us of the new bridge at Kilmeaney.
On my walks recently I have noticed planning signs appearing all around. They are a sure sign that the long awaited greenway is getting nearer.
A planning sign at the Tim Kennelly roundabout in Cahirdown.
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Proud Sons of Listowel
The Sheehy brothers of Main Street were separated by emigration, three of them emigrated to the U.S. and two stayed at home, one in Dublin and one in Listowel. The three emigrants, Marty, Michael and John have passed away but they are remembered in Childers Park.
Bláth an Áirne…. the hedgerows and ditches of Listowel were beloved of these men who returned often to their native town.
I have said before that there would be no Listowel Connection were it not for John Sheehy’s encouragement and praise when I started to grapple with technology. If you enjoy this blog, remember John today and indeed Martin and Michael who loved to read anything at all about Listowel.
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The Handicap that was a Three Walled Alley
The people who built Listowel Handball Alley did it on the cheap. The used a wall of the Big Bridge as the end wall and they built 2 walls at right angles to it. BUT most alleys have four walls so Listowel handballers were held back from entering national competitions because in effect they played a different game.
Junior told me that the Tralee club came once to play them in Listowel but they wouldn’t come any more as they couldn’t cope with having no back wall.
The Listowel handballers felt that they would be well able to learn the added skills necessary to play in a four walled court if they only had one to practice in. Several drives were made to raise the money to built the fourth wall.
A Club was formed and people were charged for membership. Jimmy O’Quigley has his membership card among his souvenirs.
Charlie Nolan has no recollection of paying membership. Indeed he said that the hand ball cost 2/6 and if they had a half crown they would have bought a ball which they called a cocker.
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Why I Love Charity Shops
I love a book of quirky facts. One day last year I found a treasure in The Vincent de Paul shop. It is called the Second Book of General Ignorance. I love it but I had a niggling concern that the first book may have been better, but where to find that now.
Then one day last week as I am browsing in the IWA charity shop, there it is on the shelf. Serendipity!
Now I have the complete set
I’ll be sharing some of my fun with this book with you. I’ll start with the foreword. When the editor asked Alan Davies to write the foreword, look at what he submitted
Schiller in Listowel’s Garden of Europe in June 2021
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New Path
Upgrading the entrance to Childers’ Park Listowel in summer 2021
How it looks today
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Listowel Handball Alley, June 2021
Handballers Scattered
Junior Griffin remembers that after the war Listowel was hit by mass emigration. Some of those who emigrated were handballers. The 1950s , however saw a resurgence in the fortunes of Listowel Handball Club.
Along with the experience John Joe Kenny, Dick O’Connor, Kevin Sheehy, Jackie Fitzgibbon, Tim Shanahan and Mick Glynn, new enthusiasts such as Dermot Buckley, Tom Enright, Kieran O’Shea, Gene and JJ O’Connell, Junior and Bert Griffin, Thomas Hassett, Johnny O’Halloran, John Maher, Aidan Keane, Richard (Dick) Galvin, Joe Moriarty, Danny Enright, Darby Broderick, Tony O’Connor, Frankie White and John Keane began taking the game seriously
Tournaments were again commenced and an approach was made to Frank Sheehy, chairman ion the Gaelic Weekly newspaper to ask him to sponsor the singles tournament.
The first final of the Gaelic Weekly Shield tournament was an all family affair with Junior Griffin overcoming his brother, Bert in a close final.
Junior receiving his trophy from Fank Sheehy
in May 2021 Junior showed me his framed photo of Frank Sheehy presenting him with his trophy.
At the same tournament when Junior took the senior title, Breandán ÓMurchú took the junior one. I think it says something about both these men and their great love of handball they keep framed photographs of their most memorable moments in their houses.
Junior remembers that one of the main features in those years of the late fifties and early sixties was the immense interest in handball shown by the students in St. Michael’s College. Boys like Brendan O’Shea, Michael Enright, the four Murphy brothers, Batty Hannon, Eamon O’Brien, Tony Dillon, John Fitzgerald, Cyril Kelly, Seamus Browne, Bernie Murphy, Chas Chute, Brendan and Denis Quille, Buddy Scanlon, Jimmy and Michael O’Sullivan and Kieran Hayes brought a wonderful freshness to the club.
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Finally a Trip Home
I’ve missed being able to visit my childhood home during lockdown. However when I visited recently, it was a bit of a Marie Celeste experience. In the fine weather everyone is in the fields.
Sunny day in the old homestead
An old milk churn is repurposed as a plant pot.
deserted yard on a sunny day in May 2021Even the stables were empty
The above garden is now located beside the side wall of the ball alley. This wall, now covered in ivy and cut off by trees was once the alley where boys who couldn’t get a game in the alley proper practiced their skills.
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Don’t Touch!
Sign of the times; Even if you’re tempted, refrain.
During Covid restrictions, people were put to the pins of their collars to find polite ways of saying Behave yourself, remember we’re in a pandemic situation. This was just one of the many signs that appeared in shops.
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Handball Memories
One of the stars of Listowel Handball was Brendán ÓMurchú. Here he is being presented with his cup for winning the Lee Strand competition. John Fitzgerald is on the left, John Joe Kenny on the right.
Breandán has framed this photo of himself and Junior. Breandán is being presented with the shield for winning the town league on November 17 1961. Below the photo is the congratulatory note signed by Bryan MacMahon. Brendan brought handball with him to Dublin as did another Listowel man, Michael Enright.
This newspaper cutting from 1976 tells of the two Listowel men keeping the game alive in the capital.
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Getting Ready for Reopening
The Star and Garter on Church Street is getting a Facelift
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A Safe Place to Visit
During this pandemic the Council and the Government have wasted so much money on ill thought out initiatives. This is just another. Such is the nature of Covid 19 and its unpredictable course that a safe place to visit today is quite likely to be the very worst place to visit tomorrow. Will these signs go the way of those bollards and pavement overtaking bays that blighted our streets at the beginning of the lockdown?
On June 18 2021, Listowel’s handball alley will come to life again with a projected interpretive dance display and interview session at dusk, 9.30p.m..
For many it will bring back the old days and the magic of the handball competitions that were the lifeblood of this place.
Here are some more of Junior Griffin’s memories.
In the days when there were 240 old pence to the pound, we would secure and old penny in some way.
After early morning mass on Sunday we would pay a visit to a lovely lady, Mrs Dowling. She lived about a mile or so out in Woodford and she had an orchard. She would sell us 8 or 10 apples for our penny and we would get back to the alley as fast as possible to sell the apples. The aim was to make four old pence. Anything more than that was a bonus and would ensure the price of the apples for the following Sunday.
When the magical four pence was made, our hearts were aglow. It meant 2 pence for the Sunday matinee and 2 pence worth of Cleeve’s slab toffee “in the fist”.
For the 2 pence 4 squares of slab toffee was purchased from Miss Eily Sheehy (sister of Frank Sheehy) of Upper Church Street. She had a little cutter for the purpose and cut off 4 squares in one piece.
Off we went across the road to the Plaza for the film. We used to break the toffee into four pieces by banging it off the metal chair legs. Inevitably some pieces of toffee would fall to the floor. The word hygiene was not in our vocabulary at that time. A quick wipe off the short pants and into the mouth as soon as possible. Our week was made. we really wanted nothing else….
Hear Junior tell this story in his own words and listen to Charlie Nolan relive the good old days in the recordings made by Coiscéim as part of this project.
By chance I passed by the ball alley on my walk on Saturday and there was a sight that would gladden Junior’s heart. A lovely lad who told me his name is Ethan Tritschler was practising badminton.
Remember the name. He looked to me like a very promising young player.
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The Carnival
Do you remember when we used to have carnival? they were a highlight of the urban Ireland summer social calendar. This one was in Kanturk in 1956 but everywhere had them, complete with Carnival Queen and ladies in waiting.
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Hannah Mulvihill, An Exceptional Lady
Hannah with me at the launch of my book, A Minute of Your Time in St. John’s in 2019
Hannah Mulvihill
Hannah Mulvihill has been volunteering with St. Vincent de Paul, Listowel Conference since 2004. Hannah worked at Imperial Stag for 31 years. She was made redundant when the company went into liquidation. For the first time in her life she had time on her hands.
She was shopping one day in Super Valu when she was approached by Betty Quille. She said that Hannah’s name had been mentioned at a recent meeting of St. Vincent de Paul as someone who may like to volunteer. She attended the weekly meeting the very next week and she joined straight away. She became involved in the St. Vincent de Paul shop on William Street and she has made many friends there over the years.
Hannah has seen many changes in SVP over the past years. Last year, 2020, has been the most challenging. She is glad that the Meals on Wheels service continued uninterrupted. Two ladies, Val and Martina, who work part-time prepare and cook the lunches and have them ready to be delivered by a team of very dedicated volunteers. Hannah is very thankful to this dedicated group who worked continuously throughout the pandemic.
The shop on Upper William Street, unfortunately, had to close but is thankfully now re-opened. It has a large stock of lovely clothes, shoes, accessories, bags, bedding, pictures, jewellery. and much more. Much of the stock is new or good as new. It would be well worth anyone’s while to drop in and maybe bag yourself a bargain.
Hannah comes from a family of ten. She is well used to putting a shoulder to the wheel. Growing up in the forties and fifties was difficult. Hannah went to London after her Inter Cert. There she hoped to get a job and so ease the burden for her parents. She travelled to London with her aunt who was returning after a trip home. She lived with her aunt until she got married.
Her first Monday in London, Hannah was at home on her own and decided to set off and explore her new surroundings. She came upon a branch of Barclays Bank and decided to go in to enquire about applying for a job. They were most helpful. They didn’t have an application form but they promised to ask head office to send her one. The form arrived. Hannah filled it in and sent it back by return post. She was called for interview and was successful. She was offered training. After her training she went to work in Barclay’s Wimbledon Hill branch. Hannah also worked at Kenco Coffee Company for a few years. She met her husband, Martin at a dance in The Hibernian Club, Fulham, Broadway and they were married in 1966. They came back to Listowel in 1973.
Hannah and Martin have one daughter, three grandchildren and two great grandsons in Canada.
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Best Listowel News of the Weekend
Picture tells its own story on June 12 2021. Photo credit: Listowel Pitch and Putt Club
