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 Races Page 2 of 11

Things Old and Older

The sunny side of the street….Church St. in October 2024

Changes at St. Mary’s

When I visited the church on October 10 2024, the usual peace was broken by noises of drilling and hammering. It will all be much appreciated in time as the reason for the workmanlike noises was the installation of comfy cushions on the seats and kneelers.

The choir and the folk group are in future going to sing from the side altar. Comfy seats, carpet underfoot and microphones were being put in place.

Brehon Laws

Here are two more “laws” from old Ireland.

This seems a very genteel way of pawn broking.

Silence is golden unless you have a good reason to talk.

Listowel Races on Saturday, September 28th 2024

Great crowd for a Saturday. The sun shone and everyone was in good spirits.

These are the finalists in the sustainable fashion competitions

While the judges were deliberating I discovered that the people beside me in the crowd were none other than this year’s Kerry Rose, Emer Dineen and her family.

Winner alright… Niamh (Kenny) Lordan looked the epitome of style in her preloved Louise Kennedy suit. Orla Winters who is interviewing her, didn’t look too bad either.

This was a health and safety device. When you wanted to keep baby out of harm’s way you put them in this small prison, where they could see everything but couldn’t get at it.

Shane Lowry once claimed in an interview that his grandmother used to put him in the turf box. A tea chest was my play pen.

August 25 2011

This is the very first picture I posted on Listowel Connection and here is the very first post….

This is the scene today in Listowel. Minister for Heritage, Tourism and The Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan officially launched an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia related to the work of Listowel’s famous stucco artist, Pat McAuliffe. This is appropriate for my first post on this blog because it marries the old and the new.

What I intend to do with this blog is to post news from Listowel along with some of my photos and every now and again to post some old stories, anecdotes and anything else I find interesting. 

For whom am I blogging?

Mainly the Listowel diaspora but really for anyone with an interest in Listowel. 

While on the subject of the diaspora I have to here plug our new community organisation, North Kerry Reaching Out. This is a local history, genealogy and tourism venture. We hope to reach out to people everywhere with any link to North Kerry. We will help people as best we can to research their family tree. We hope to set up a website with lots of local news and lore and then…. we hope to organise A Week of Welcomes when some of our new friends would come to North Kerry and we would lay on a programme of entertainment for them.

That was then. This is now.

The organisation, North Kerry Reaching Out, has fallen by the wayside. The Week of Welcomes was poorly enough attended as the Listowel diaspora want to choose their own week to come home. The website has gone because there was no money to host it anymore.

BUT

I’m still blogging.

Blog followers sometimes ask me how they can help me. I have to pay an annual fee for the domain, for hosting and for the ssl certificate.

The best way to help me at the moment is to buy the book, Moments of Reflection. It is available in Woulfe’s, Eason, Listowel Garden Centre, PRIFMA and Super Valu. It costs €20. Woulfe’s will post it abroad or in Ireland.

A Fact

Every known breed of dog, except the chow, has a pink tongue. The chow’s tongue is jet black.

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Drivers, Footballers and Local People at Listowel Races 2024

Dough Mamma, October 2024

Older Drivers

Kerry County Council held an Age Friendly Conference for older drivers in The Rose Hotel on Tuesday October 8 2024.

If you are wondering at what age you become an “older’ driver: 55, apparently. You may have noticed since Covid the term Age Friendly appearing in parking spaces. It’s a kind of euphemism for “Reserved for Old People”. It’s a misleading term as it’s certainly not friendly to twenty somethings.

Now this seminar was free for us oldies but you had to reserve your place through the booking site, Eventbrite. It doesn’t really take a genius to know that that alone is off-putting for many older people. Next time you, Kerry County Council, organise a seminar for older people make it ring to book your place or even send a text message. Eventbrite is fine for concerts and shows.

90 year old Anna May McHugh was the guest of honour. Anna May is seated beside the Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Breandán Fitzgerald. Breandán welcomed us and told us that Kerry is an Age Friendly County. The newly appointed chair of the Older People’s Council, Kerry, Catherine Lenihan, addressed us as well.

Then followed some excellent speakers. I’m not going to go through it all but here are a few facts:

Environmental factors are usually weather related, e.g. icy roads or sun glare.

Even if you are old and one of the above is an issue for you, you may still be able to get a restricted driving licence, e.g restricted to driving in daylight or to a radius of 30 kms from your home.

Having listened to all the really good speakers we then got tea and a scone or two and we were free to find our inner child and visit the stands gathering a bag of swag to take home. I felt like a child at the summer show with my free pen and my trolley token, my air freshener and my hi viz jacket.

It was a really worthwhile event, well worth repeating.

From the Swap Box

In Listowel Library there is this marvellous resource. It’s a swap box, where you can leave a book and collect a book. You don’t have to donate to collect. Sometimes it’s oversubscribed, and you have to take home your “donation”. I love it and I have found many treasures there. Last week I took three old Ballydonoghue Magazines from the box. Look what I found:

Two very promising footballers receiving an award from a former footballer who too fulfilled his young promise.

From Jer’s Archive Trawl

May 1936

A Few More from Listowel Races 2024

Mostly local people, friends and neighbours today

A Corner in Abbeyfeale

A Fact

In 1737, a cyclone in Calcutta, India is believed to have killed 300,000 people and caused 40 foot waves.

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Horse Fair and Horse Races

Looking towards Courthouse Road

Two Jostle Stones in Ballincollig

According to Wikipedia a jostle stone is “A guard stone, jostle stone or chasse-roue (French lit. “wheel chaser”), is a projecting metal, concrete, or stone exterior architectural element located at the corner and/or foot of gates, portes-cochères, garage entries, and walls to prevent damage from vehicle tires and wheels.”

Nineteenth century towns were very dependent on the horse. These stones were put in place at entrances in order to jostle the cart wheels away from walls.

There are many jostle stones still in place in Listowel. Look out for them is you are walking in town.

Listowel, an Autism Friendly Town

This sign is at Garvey’s Super Valu. Many businesses in town are adapting to make Listowel a more welcoming town for people with autism.

At the October HorseFair

Market Street

A young horse man

These little miniature horses are Falabella. They cost about the same as your high end puppy. Of course you can’t ride them as they are far too small but they make lovely outdoor pets or companions for horses or donkeys.

This man from Galbally in Co. Limerick introduced these little ponies to this part of the world. Business was slow at the October horse fair but he says that there is steady demand for these lovely creatures.

These men were on hand to inform people about fire safety in the home this winter.

One Hundred Years since The Lartigue

The beautiful replica train before its centenary run on Sunday September 29 2024. Pat Brodbin at the controls.

One of four flying gate wheels now it the museum

Martin Griffin and Jimmy Deenihan, two men who are passionate about the monorail and museum

Jimmy and Sean greeting the first passengers of the day

People at Listowel Races 2024

The judges were Heidi Higgins and Rosanna Davison

Suitable shoes for racing?

1945 death of a lady with a Listowel Connection

The Telegraph

Aug 16 1945  •  Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Late Miss C. Hewson The death has occurred of Miss Caroline Hewson, at the home of her late sister, Mrs F. J. Macgillycuddy, at Eagle Junction. Some weeks ago Miss Hewson fell and broke her hip. After several weeks in a private hospital she returned to her home at Eagle Junction, but did not rally from shock, which was too great for her advanced years. the Miss Hewson was second daughter of the late Mr William Minchin Hewson, and was borne at Finuge House, Listowel, Co. Kerry, Ireland. some years she lived at Stanthorpe, where she was widely known. Her surviving sisters are Mesdames For R M. King (Brisbane), and Murdo Mackenzie (Southport).

A few more from my Book Launch

Carmel and Anne Marie

with my great friends, Geraldine and Bridget

Eddie, Mary and Carmel

A Fact

Adult cats only miaow to communicate with humans.

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Looking Back

Lovely door on Courthouse Road

October Horsefair

The October horsefair was held on Market Street on Thursday, October 3 2024.

Love Tralee shared this picture of a Listowel horsefair on Market Street 125 years ago.

At the Lartigue Centenary Celebration on Sunday, September 29 2024

Pat Brodbin, Michael Guerin and Michael O’Sullivan

Michael Cronin relaxing before the first train run.

Martin Griffin with some of the great memorabilia collected over years by Michael Barry and donated by his family to the museum.

This Tralee family is introducing this unique Listowel attraction to a new generation.

A Poem for Today

Sustainable Fashion

On the Saturday of Listowel Races the fashion competition features a different kind of dressing. Anne Leneghan and Maria Stack are wearing some preloved style.

Anne’a hat was fashioned from the material that was cut off to shorten the dress. She embellished it with an old brooch.

The criteria were slightly different this year. In other years, repurposing was a big part of the look and then this dress, made entirely from old neckties, would have been in with a chance.

These outfits look as good today as when they were first worn.

Another Memorial

In 2021, on the 100th anniversary of his death, Kathleen Griffin took these photographs of the memorial to Jack Sheehan. This monument is about a mile off the Tarbert Road on the road to the right after Amber Filling Station.

Jack (John) Sheehan Monument – murdered by the British Crown Forces on 26-05-1921.

Jack (John) Sheehan Monument – murdered by the Black and Tans on 26-05-1921.

A Fact

Until the early nineteenth century Australia was known as New Holland.

Trains and Style and Bogs

The Lartigue replica train on Sunday September 2024

A Tea Caddy

The younger generation never heard of a tea caddy. Ones just like this were in many houses in Ireland fadó, fadó. This was in the day before tea bags and all tea was ‘loose”.

Stylish Local Ladies at Ladies’ Day 2024

Helen and Breda

Eilish living up to her nickname, “Stylish Eilish”

Kathleen O’Flaherty

A Pipe Dream of Days in the Amusements Perhaps

The Book Tour Hit Duagh

The lovely Mary in Watsons agreed to stock Moments of Reflection.

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Turf Wars in the Papers

Daily Post

July 10 1909  •  Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

SHOOTING OUTRAGE. An outrage is reported to have taken place at Tullamore, near Listowel, county Kerry, recently. Up to a short time ago a number of tenants were allowed to cut turf in a bog on Lord Ormathwaite’s property. Recently the entire bog was transferred to a farmer in the district, who sent 20 men to cut the turf. Shortly afterwards six armed and disguised men appeared and opened fire on the turf cutters, who fled in terror. Some of them, in endeavouring to save themselves, fell into the bog hole and were rescued by their companions with difficulty. The firing party are stated to have ” skirmished around the place ” until they had satisfied themselves that there was little likelihood of the turf cutters returning.

Lartigue Open Day

Despite the inclement weather on the day, the volunteers at The Lartigue Monorail and Museum had a great open day event on Sunday September 29 2024. I have a few photos but they will have to wait ’til next week.

I have an abundance of content after my week off.

Three Lartigue men, Martin, Leo and Seamus

A Fact

Giraffes are 30 times more likely to be hit by lightning than humans

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