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: History Page 2 of 20

A Poem and a Tale from Down Under

Breeda Ahern’s wreath, Christmas 2022

<<<<<<<<<<<<

Home for Christmas.

Matt Mooney sent us his Christmas poem

Snug in our house at home Christmas Day,

Condensation heavy on the window pane,

Hearing the sudden click of our small gate,

Someone saw him come and said his name.

Mother hovering over the Christmas dinner,

Up on the Stanley range – her engine room,

Looks out in hope and then she saw her son

Walking in again the sloping path to home.

Her heart filled with joy so warm and full,

She emerges as if a wave in a warm ocean

Is carrying her to let him in and greet him,

Her embraces laced with motherly emotion.

He smells roasting goose as he sips soup,

And talks farming talk with his eager father;

Soon he melts into the man he was before

He took the boat to England with his brother.

He was happy he had made the journey west,

He knew that it was not a time to be alone;

Here by the fire he felt it even in his bones –

That at Christmas it was great to be at home.

Matt Mooney.

Taken from ‘The Singing Woods’ (2017).

<<<<<<<<<<<

It’s a Long Long Way from Clare to Here

Marie Moriarty came across this story on a recent trip to Australia

Fr. John O’Shea was just one of many Irish missionaries who are remembered for their great work in Australia.

<<<<<<<<<<

A Few more Photos I took at the Garda Centenary Celebrations

<<<<<<<<<<<

A Christmas Custom from the National Archives Folklore Collection

<<<<<<<<<<<

A Story with Neven Maguire in it

Every now and again I get an email from a researcher asking permission to use a photograph that they have found credited to me. Usually its some fabulous picture, well outside the scope of my talents.

Here is the latest email and I’m hoping someone will know this photographer.

My name is Helen and I work at a TV production company called InProduction TV. We are currently producing an RTÉ TV series called ‘Neven’s Greenway Food Trails’ for RTÉ One. 
We would like to request permission to use an image from your website in the series if possible please? The image is attributed to Liam Downes, if you might have Liam’s contact details please? 
The context of use is that Chef Neven Maguire will be travelling the Limerick Greenway exploring the food producers nearby and learning about the formerrailway and the history of the Greenway.
This is the image we would like to use if you might be able to help please? 

<<<<<<<<<<<<

Memories from Clounmacon and Kanturk

Corner of Listowel Town Square on Dec 2 2022

<<<<<<<<<

My favourite Grinch Window Display

Once again Doran’s Pharmacy on Church Street has a beautiful creative and entertaining Christmas window .

<<<<<<<<<<<<

From An Sleán

A Clounmacon Journal from Christmas 1985

Bryan MacMahon remembers old Clounmacon and old Clounmacon people.

<<<<<<<<<<<

More Photos from Garda Centenary Commemorations in Listowel

These are some of the people gathered to celebrate with Kerry gardaí

<<<<<<<<<<<<

In Kanturk we were once Dead Posh

Source: Facebook Group, Kanturk Memories

( De Valera’s “comely maidens” had nothing to our “bright faced, laughing young girls”)

<<<<<<<<<

Aoife in The Christmas Shop

On Aoife’s visit we had to visit the Winter Wonderland that is Listowel Garden Centre Christmas Shop.

<<<<<<

Christmas Crafts

St. John’s, Listowel Nov 2022

<<<<<<<<<<

Crafting Revival

I love to see enterprising young people practicing old crafts. Ballylongford was the place to be on Sunday November 20 2022. The Community Centre was jammed with beautiful things and lovely crafters.

My daughter in law, Carine, was delighted with her purchases from the Mulvihill family stall. She is holding the unique willow wreath which she plans to put on her door. She also loves the flower picture she got for her kitchen.

This engaging young lady was rocking an equine theme with lightweight horseshoe ornaments for every occasion.

I remember a time when every bride carried a horseshoe as well as her bouquet.

This is what the internet says about the horseshoe as a symbol of luck;

Although the origins are not exactly known, it is believed that the horseshoe became the symbol of luck when the eighth century Chaldeans thought its crescent shape represented various moon goddesses thus protecting against the curse of the evil eye.

<<<<<<<<<<<<

Remembering Childhood Christmases in Listowel

Margaret Dillon kindly answered my call. Here is her account of childhood Christmases in pre digital days.

These days Christmas is heralded by a marathon of Festive adverts which start earlier each year. Back in the 40’s and 50’s we didn’t have Television so we weren’t subjected to that constant bombardment. Nevertheless we had full and plenty of all the Christmas essentials. Listowel was a busy bustling town back then, the shops were full of all sorts of goodies. Of couse as children we were only interested in the Toy shops particulary Fitzgibbon’s and Walsh’s corner shop. Walsh’s window had a nodding Santa  which was a great attraction.  We couldn’t contain ourselves on Christmas morning as we opened our presents. Santa was a wonder then and he still is to all children. 

On the home front , the  decorations were put up  across the ceiling from corner to corner. The Holly was put behind the pictures and most important of all the crib was put on the sideboard or windowsill. The cake and plum pudding were already made. While Mam was making the cake we made our wishes as we stirred the mixture. A few days beforehand a goose ( for the New Year celebrations) and a flitch of hairy bacon to go wth the turkey arrived from our Clare relations.  My mother and the neighbours Mrs Hickey and Mrs Brennan bought  the live turkeys in the market,  Mrs Brennan did the killing and we plucked our own, making sure to keep the wings. They served as dusters around the range and grate for the rest of the year.

The big shop was done shortly before the big day in John Joe’s and the  reward  for our business during the year was the Christmas box. This was like a mini hamper containing tea, a pot of jam and maybe an Oxford Lunch cake. The drinks order of minerals, bottles of Guinness and a bottle of Sherry  arrived from John R’s in a large timber box.  

Of course Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the Christmas hymns “Away in a Manger” or “Angels we have heard on High” Or the Christmas songs “Jingle Bells” , “Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer” and Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”  Adeste Fidelis was sung at  Mass on Christmas Day After Mass we stayed back to visit and welcome Baby Jesus in the crib. During the holidays we paid regular visit to the cribs in the parish church and the convent chapel.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Boyeens to Men

My lovely boyeens spent a lot of time in Listowel as children. They always surprise me with their recall of things we did together on their Kerry holidays.

Killian on the Greenway in Nov 2022

<<<<<<<<<<

Folklore in The Library

Tom Dillon was his usual entertaining and informative self in Listowel Library last week when he filled us in on the origins of place names.

Placenames are in danger of being lost as we move to Eircodes.

Tom told us that the fishermen had names for various parts of the Feale. Now that fishing is no more these names are in danger of being lost.

I did not know this until Tom told us but wags in Tralee have invented a new place name. They call the Corrib Oil station the Mini Barack Obama.

<<<<<<<<<<<<

Christmas Market 2022

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Looking Back and Forward

Childers Park 2022

<<<<<<<<<<

A Different Kind of Covid Poem

<<<<<<<<<<

In Listowel we Remembered

November is the time set aside for remembering our war dead. In Listowel we have a dedicated band of volunteers who make sure we never forget.

Flags at the altar rails in St. Mary’s Listowel on Saturday November 12 2022

Prayers of the Faithful were read by retired and serving members of the Irish Army reserve.

These last 2 screen grabs are of refugees from the war in Ukraine who prayed with us in English and Ukrainian.

The mass was celebrated by Canon Declan O’Connor, himself a former soldier of the FCA, and by Fr. Martin Hegarty.

<<<<<<<<<<<<

Christmas as it Used to be

In this great little book, Stephen Newman has curated a collection of Christmas reminiscences from the National Archives.

I’d love if Listowel people would send us some of their own stories of Christmases past.

I remember a kind of novena we had. It was called “A crib for Baby Jesus” and there was a set number of prayers for each element of the crib and these had to be said every day during Advent.

<<<<<<<<<<

Shall we Dance

<<<<<<<<<

Listowel Success Stories

Ballybunion in Nov 2022

<<<<<<<<<<<<

My Friends in Vincents

Vincents of William Street, Listowel, is one of my all time favourite shops. Recently I am meeting many new people manning the shop on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Helen, Theresa and Eileen
Frances, Mary and Hannah

<<<<<<<<<<<<

A Laugh from Mattie Lennon

An elderly man, in Listowel,  was quite unhappy because he had lost his favorite hat. Even though he was a man like myself who was always as honest as hard times would allow, rather than purchasing a new one, he decided he would go to church and steal one.. When he got there, an usher intercepted him at the door and took him to a pew where he had to sit and listen to an entire sermon on the Ten Commandments. After church, the man met the Priest  in the vestry  doorway, shook his hand vigorously and said, “I want to thank you for saving my soul today, Father. I came to church to steal a hat, but after hearing your sermon on the Ten Commandments, I decided against it.” “You mean the Commandment, Thou shall not steal, changed your mind?” the Priest  asked. “No, the one about adultery did,” the man said. “As soon as you said that, I remembered where I left my old hat.”

<<<<<<<<<<<

Listowel Tidy Towns

The good people of Listowel Tidy Towns held a great local awards night recently. They have shared photos of all the winners on their Facebook page

Listowel Tidy Towns

<<<<<<<<<<<

A Listowel Success Story

Seamus Given sent us an account of this one.

No Magic Pill is as play by Christian OReilly. It played to universal acclaim at the recent Dublin Theatre Festival.

“It had previously run in the Black Box Galway and had its Dublin opening night on 5 October. 
It is a dramatisation of a campaign for independence for disabled people in Ireland, based on the life of Martin Naughton.
It was rapturously received by the Dublin opening night audience, which included many Listowel residents and Dublin exiles.
It continues Christian’s stellar year. His play “The Good Father“ presented by Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group was placed second in the Athlone All-Ireland Drama Festival in May and his play “Chapatti”, presented by the Palace Players from Kilworth, came third.” Seamus Given.

Christian is a native of Listowel.

<<<<<<<<<<<

What I’m Reading

They now have copies of this book in Woulfe’s and Kerry writers’ Museum.

Noel Grimes is a native of Listowel. He now lives in Killarney. His book is a very readable account of the Famine in the Killarney area. It is perfect for someone who wants the sad story in accessible form. I highly recommend it.

Well done and thank you, Noel!

<<<<<<<<<<<<

Page 2 of 20

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén