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: Listowel Page 1 of 172

Sunshine and Singers

By

On March 26, 2025

In Ballybunion, Listowel

Bridge Road in March 2025

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Visitors

I had Clíona and Aoife for the weekend, always a pleasure.

Our three year old loved Listowel children’s playground.

Sunday was sunny so we headed to Ballybunion.

We didn’t bring a bucket and spade as we thought it was a day for a brisk walk. Aoife made a sandcastle of sorts using only her bare hands. The overcoats and sunglasses sum up the kind of weather we are having lately.

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An Australian with a Listowel Connection

We’ve had an email from down under.

Hello Mary,

My great grandfather Dr Jeremiah McKenna  (same name as your hardware founder)  emigrated on the famous and ill-fated SS Austral in 1882 at the age of 24-25 years to Melbourne – I believe he also came from Listowel, because his older brother certainly did – about a decade prior – Archpriest McKenna – both gentlemen appear numerous times in our national archives for very different reasons !!!

My imagination was captured by your article on McKenna’s of Listowel, and I was just wondering if there was a family connection with the hardware store Jeremiah McKenna founder ? I know both parts of the name were quite common in those days ?  – If it helps, Archpriest McKenna was born in I think in the Rathea district of Listowel. 

Cheers,

Mitch McKennna – Melbourne Australia

Maybe someone can help Mitch with an account of his famous ancestors before they left these shores.

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St Patrick’s Day Parade

The world’s worst wound

The awful war in Gaza was highlighted by this dedicated group. Israel, with the full backing of the US, has resumed its slaughter of men, women and children in this poor ravaged country.

Matt Mooney, who has a long association with the St. Patrick’s Day parade was marching the streets to raise awareness of this cause which is close to his heart.

Trojan Boxing Club was represented by these young boxers.

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Tom Waits

Turns out, everyone knew Tom Waits. In fairness, I would have known his voice. His face was a mystery to me.

Anyway, in case you didn’t know, I will now tell you what I have learned. Tom Waits spent his honeymoon in Tralee in The Brandon Hotel. Waits’ wife is Kathleen Brennan, whose Irish roots are in Tralee. Waits recorded tracks for an album in Ballyseede in 1981.

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A Concert

John Hooton found this treasure and posted it on Facebook

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A Fact

George Washinton’s second inaugural address was the shortest ever by any US president. He spoke 135 words.

Donald Trump’s 2885 word “weave” was twice as long as his first speech in 2017.

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A Postbox in Castlelyons

By

On March 25, 2025

In Listowel, Poem

Beautiful pheasant…photo; David Kissane

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More from St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2025

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More from that 1942 tourism survey

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In Search of a Wall Postbox

This is the photo that was posted by a member on my Old Postboxes group. I saw that it was located in Castlelyons in Co. Cork. I have a friend in Castlelyons and she very kindly went in search of the location for us.

Margo tried to get the old Victorian box and the new one right across the road in the same shot.

The old box is on this old mill or barn type building.

Castlelyons is really two villages because just over the bridge, pictured above, is Bridesbridge and this village is a continuation of Castlelyons. The church is on the Bridesbridge side of the river. The Centra, which incorporates the post office and the primary school are also there.

Castlelyons has two pubs, dwelling houses, a Community Centre and a sizeable GAA complex which has two fine pitches, a public walkway, a gym, a community hall, meeting rooms and more.

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A Classic

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A Fact

In 1855 the first train crossed Niagara Falls on a suspension bridge.

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The Highs and the Lows

By

On March 24, 2025

In Listowel

St. Patrick’s Day 2025

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A Class at the Convent Door

Margaret Kennedy sent us this lovely photo. The best part is that she can remember all the names.

6th class primary presentation  convent Listowel 
Front L-R Kay Dillon, Clem Crowley,  Geraldine Kenny  Ann McAulliffe Cora and Marie Stack, Theresa Conway,  Maura Walsh, Bernadette Canty  Mary  Connor, Margaret Doyle, Mai Cahill, Sinead Curtin R.I.P
Middle Row L-R Kathy Ryan, Mary O Flaherty, Isabel O Dowd, Margo Kennedy R.I.P, Therese Lenihan  Brenda O Halloran, Eileen Kennelly Kathleen Curtin, Ann Rossiter, Marita O Connor, Caroline Finucane, Sinead Barrett, Geraldine Walsh 
Back Row L-R Kay Healy, Beata Sweeney, Linda Carey, Cathriona OGorman, Sr Carmel, Lucy Bambury, Miriam Hilliard, Miriam Walsh R.I.P, Ann McElligott,  Elle Marie Gibbons, Mary Jo Hartnett,  Kathleen Walsh, Dorothy Guinea

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Sometimes Life is Hard

My granddaughter loves football.

She is fourth from the right in front in this photo with her U14 Cork squad on Saturday March 15 2025. Their season is just starting.

She is front and centre, with the headband, with her Lakewood soccer team, photographed before the quarter final of The National Cup on Sunday, March 16 2025.

The game was played at home in Lakewood.

The Lakewood girls went on to win. This is the usual ceremony at the end where everyone congratulates everyone else.

This is Cora, half way through the second half being carried off injured by her mom and her coach.

Cora has sustained a full MCL tear. It’s like an ACL only a different ligament. It is horrendously painful. Her knee is in a brace and she is on crutches because she can take no weight on her leg. Next week she will see the consultant who specialises in knees to see if she needs surgery.

Heartbroken.

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St Patrick’s Day Parade 2025

Ní raibh nathair nimhe fágtha i Lios Tuathail

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A Fact

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Signs of Spring

By

On March 21, 2025

In Listowel

Upper Church Street in March 2025

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A Corner of Tralee

Pillar Post Box and Telephone Box at the top of Denny Street.

You’ll have to tell me who he is. His image is on the utility box on the same corner.

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Beautiful Daffodils immortalised in Moments of Reflection

This is the vase and these are the descendants of the daffodils I wrote about on page 4 of my latest book. These flowers are from the 2025 crop.

Below is the reflection on page 3 of Moments of Reflection.

Daffodils

I love daffodils. I love to see them raise their yellow heads to tell us another winter has passed.

We know where to look for them as they flourish in the same locations year after year.

This year my friend brought me a lovely bunch. These were not the dainty elegant narcissi so popular now. They were the original old daffodils, the kind that Wordsworth saw “tossing their heads in sprightly dance.” They were the more raggedy unkempt looking daffodils of my childhood.

I knew exactly the right vase for this gorgeous posy. These daffodils are the descendants of bulbs that were planted over 100 years ago. Years ago my friend’s mother-in-law gave me daffodils from this same garden. When she gave them to me, she also left me keep the beautiful old vase that she had brought them in.

So I placed my charming old daffodils in my beautiful old-fashioned vase and I said a prayer for Kitty and Bridget and for all the people who have enjoyed these beautiful flowers over the years.

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John Kelliher’s Pictures of the 2025 Confirmation Classes

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Lenten Display in St. Mary’s

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from the Newspaper Archives

Jer Kennelly found this one.

            New York Irish American Advocate June 1914

Potter and Shaughnessy

Sunday, June 7, a t five o’clock in the afternoon. Both bride and bridegroom are natives of Listowel, North Kerry, and were schoolmates in the younger days at th e old town on the Feale.

Twenty years ago th e two parted, Mr. Potter entering th e educational

department of European schools in British East India. Mr. Potter came

to America, where he again met his sweetheart of school days and the
youthful admiration ripened into eternal love, and then the inevitable
happened. Miss Julia O’Shaughnessy, a sister of the bride, will be the bridesmaid and the best man will be Arthur Jenkins, who is an expert accountant in the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. William Moore will act as master of ceremonies.

Mr. Potter, who is a dramatist of note, has written many successful
plays of Irish Life, the latest of which, “The Eviction,” will be
produced on Broadway this fall. Mr. Potter is the American
correspondent of the Dublin “Weekly Freeman,” Ulster “Guardian” and
the Cork “Examiner.”

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St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2025

The Listowel Celtic crew are always good for a laugh.

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Traffic in Town Yesterday

Is it just me or does anyone think that there are now more heavy lorries going through town than before we had the relief road?

Yesterday a tractor broke down on Church Street just after mid day. By the time the gardaí sorted it out, it felt like half the town was in a traffic jam. I was in town (on foot) and I did my citizen journalist thing for you.

Eventually

Order was restored and all’s well with the world…except for all the heavy traffic!

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A Fact

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An Extraordinary Story

By

On March 20, 2025

In Listowel

Church Street Upper

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Another Business Closes

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Extracts from the 1942 Tourism Survey of Listowel

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A Book that Connects Kanturk and Glenflesk

The old courthouse in Kanturk is still standing. A few years ago when some of the plasterwork fell off, in the holding cells there was revealed an old cell wall where Republican prisoners had written their names. A committee of Kanturk historians is campaigning to have the names preserved.

A Killarney woman has undertaken to find out more about one of the prisoners. She has just published her book.

The title of the book comes from Fred’s nickname.

Some members of the Kanturk Courthouse restoration committee who attended the book launch in Killarney

Dan Dennehy, Sheila OKeeffe, Mary O’Donoghgue (author) John Bradley, Jack Joy (journalist) and Michasel Moynihan, T.D.

John Bradley told me the story of how the book came about.


Mary O’Donoghue was watching Nationwide on the 13th March 2024 which featured an article about our efforts to save the precious graffiti on the walls of    The Bridewell jail at the back of kanturk courthouse.Some photos were shown of the names and messages on the walls and one was Fred Healy, Glenflesk, Killarney.. Mary who was going through cancer treatment at the time immediately became curious as did the whole of Glenflesk asking Who the hell was this Fred Healy?

Tim Horgan who is a well known Kerry historian found that Fred was buried in an unmarked grave..Mary started researching and as she says herself,it gave her something to do to take her mind off cancer issues.. Fred and his brother Patrick joined the Royal Munster Fusiliers in Oct 1914.He lost his eye in September 1916 and was transferred to non combatant duties in England.

Fred was discharged in January 1919 to come home to a different Ireland to the one he left 5 years earlier. It was not long before Fred joined the local Irish freedom fighters and was it seems a valued asset with his training and experience…

How Fred finished up in a Kanturk jail we may never know but for him to be rediscovered over 100 years later is an amazing story..
Just a synopsis Mary but the book has more information obviously.

Mary is donating profits from her book to Recovery Haven.

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St. Patrick’s Day in Listowel 2025

I positioned myself on William Street, across from Jumbos. It’s a goos spot to catch the parade coming up the hill. I later went across to Church Street to try to catch a few I had missed.

A family selfie to remember the day. Good way to pass the time while we were waiting for the show to start.

The first indication that the parade was on its way was Garda Dave, the first of the Garda escort.

Crowd control wasn’t an issue. The good crowd was well behaved, enjoying Jumbos speciality green cones, applauding and bantering with the participants,

Where would we be without the Convent School marching band.

They were, as always, a credit to their school. The music and the marching was perfect. Well done, Mrs Brosnan and all who made it such a success.

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A fact

Facebook is primarily blue because Mark Zuckerberg has colour vision deficiency….that’s the new term for the conditin we used to inaccurately call colour blindness. There is no blindness involved.

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