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
Beautiful Listowel Pitch and Putt course on Sunday April 13 2025
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Glorious Weather
I’ve been outdoors a lot in the past week so not so much research for my blog being done. I also had a lovely family visit, so this week you may not see the best of me on here.
Water level very low in the Feale in April 2025
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I do not like thee, Dr. Fell
Fourth Wall Theatre Group take a curtain call in St. John’s on Saturday, April 12 2025.
Maeve Heneghan and me after the play. Maeve was delighted to be returning to her Kerry roots and playing in a town where her famous ancestor, John J. Foley performed many a comic turn. Maeve played Rita in the show, a very funny character whose (imaginary) husband was “savaged by dogs”.
Bobby Cogan, Maeve Heneghan, Mary Cogan, Bridget O’Connor and Carine Schweitzer in St. John’s
Celebrating Kerry Women in Literature at Kerry Writers’ Museum
From KWM Facebook page
Artist Spotlight | Aidan O’Leary
We are delighted to introduce Aidan O’Leary, one of five talented artists creating original work for the Kerry Women in Literature exhibition, opening this June in Kerry Writers’ Museum in Listowel!
A poet, writer, and visual artist from Kerry, Aidan’s work explores memory, resilience, and cultural heritage through digital compositions, photography, and multimedia storytelling.
His past projects, including Grit, the Mary Motorhead Installation at Siamsa Tíre, and striking album artwork, showcase his talent for merging visual and literary art.
For this exhibition, Aidan draws inspiration from Victorian-era novelist Anne Margaret Rowan, bringing her themes of psychological tension, history, and class struggle to life through layered textures, shadow-play, and immersive soundscapes.
Margaret Rowan was born in Tralee, County Kerry on 21 November 1832. Her parents were Arthur Rowan and Alice (née Thompson), who were part of the Kerry gentry with Scottish heritage. Her maternal grandfather was the Kerry county treasurer, Peter Thompson (died 1849). She had two siblings who survived to adulthood, William and Ora. There are no records of Rowan’s early life, but she was likely privately educated at home in Belmont, Tralee. She shared her father’s interest in Irish history and archaeology……
We will find out more about this lady when the exhibition opens in June. In the meantime, I’ll see if Maria, our trusty librarian, has any of her writings in the library.
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Art in the Park
Some more close ups of Will Fogarty’s artwork in Ballincollig Regional Park
In Ballincollig Regional Park even the bike stands are stylish.
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For Love of a Horse
My niece, Elizabeth, on her beloved horse, Henry. I asked about the name and she told me that at that time she used to call her horses after the man from whom she bought them. She bought this horse when he was 6 months old from a man named Ned. Elizabeth felt he was too noble for a Ned so she called him Henry. He is now retired and living his best life. He is 24 horse years old, about 70 human years.
The bond between Elizabeth and Henry is as close as many marriages. She has grown up with him, confided her secrets in him, celebrated bithdays with him and hunted with him twice a week for 16 seasons. She wanted to celebrate that bond in a piece of jewellery. Eileen Moylan, goldsmith, had made her wedding ring, platinum inset with diamonds. Back to Eileen Elizabeth went with her new idea. Eileen had not done this before but she loves a challenge. She set strands of Henry’s hair over the diamonds in Elizabeth’s wedding ring. Elizabeth now wears a ring cementing her unbreakable bond with her two favourite men. She is delighted.
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Products from the 1980s
Source; the internet
Do you remember these?
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Don’t Forget
It’s tomorrow night. We could do with a laugh.
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A Fact
Otters ansd weasels belong to the same family of carnivores. They are mustelids.
Sonja will be the first female writer to be featured in Kerry Writers’ Museum celebration of female writers to be unveiled in June 2025. The following are samples of her work from her 2004 anthology, The things you left me with.
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I do not like thee, Dr. Fell
The cast of Fourth Wall Theatre Group, Laois. This group will be in St. John’s Listowel on Saturday April 12 2025 with their latest play, I do not like thee, Dr. Fell which is playing to appreciative audiences in their mini tour of the country.
Playing the part of Rita is a lady with a proud Kerry entertaining pedigree.
This is Maeve’s great grandfather, John J. Foley of Tralee. This dapper gentleman was a popular entertainer in venues in Kerry in the early 20th century.
By day Foley was a master painter. He painted the ceiling in the Balloonagh convent chapel, a thing of beauty.
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In Cork Regional Park, Ballincollig
There are lots of things you are forbidden to do in the regional park, but you are free to stroll and admire the magnificent new Will Fogarty artworks.
Reynard keeping an eye on the queue waiting to buy coffee or a snack
Isn’t he superb?
The birds and animals featured are all to be found among the wildlife in the park.
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Sad Story of a Poor Kerry Woman
Chapter 7: In and Out of the Lunatic Asylum New Norfolk
Mary Fitzgibbon was convicted of the theft of candlesticks in Killarney, County Kerry in September 1842. Although she said she was 40, the Irish prison records had her age as 44 years old. She was a widow and worked as a needlewoman. She had six grown up children in Ireland and her native place was Tipperary. Mary remained in her county jail until transferred to Grange Gorman two weeks before embarkation.
On board the East London she shared a mess with another woman tried in Kerry, three women from County Down and two from Cork. Mary was a Catholic, as were all but one of her mess. There were four children. One woman, Mary Cowan, died and her very young baby also, which left a seven year old to be cared for by the mess mates. The group completed the voyage without serious problems and were disembarked in Hobart and sent to the probation stations. The children from the group who survived were well enough to go to the Orphan School as soon as arrangements were made.
Mary Fitzgibbon had little information on her conduct record; no charges or punishments. There was a note of an illegitimate child, John, born about 1844 or 1845. No further records of that child and no evidence that he was ever in the Orphan School. He may not have lived.
Mary was admitted into the New Norfolk Asylum in April 1845, perhaps following the events around the birth of her child. She remained there for a considerable time. Notes from her record, October 1847, said that she ‘talks in a wild incoherent manner’ and that she attributed her illness to ‘evil influence and position’. She refused to take any medication. In November 1848 she was doing needlework and her health was tolerable but she was, ‘very irritable and somewhat incoherent manner and expression highly indicates mental disease’. The report on 1 January 1851 said she was in good health, but noted the, ‘same incoherent maniac’. July 1854 and April 1857 reports simply said ‘the same’. She must have been discharged after the last date, but was readmitted 3 March 1862.
Mary Fitzgibbon died at the New Norfolk Asylum on 31 August 1863. The death was registered by the Surgeon superintendent of the Asylum. She was a female pauper and the cause of death was lung disease, a low fever and disease of the brain. She had spent the greater part of eighteen years at the lunatic asylum.
Sources
Medical Journal of the East London AJCP ADM 101/22 Reel 3139
Female Convicts Research Centre; Patients at the New Norfolk Asylum
TAHO CON 40/1/4 image 155, position1, Mary Fitzgibbon
TAHO CON 15/1/2 image 190/191 position 8, Mary Fitzgibbon
Tasmanian death record, New Norfolk, 1863, Registered number 359
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A Fact
Cappuccino is named after the Franciscan order of monks, often called Capuchins. The colours of the beverage are similar to the cape and cowl worn by the priests.
The people of Ballincollig are very lucky to have the magnificent Cork Regional Park on their doorstep. This beautiful spot is even more beautiful these days.
This man, chainsaw artist, Will Fogarty has been transforming the stumps of dead trees into art installations.
These are the two sculptures on the day after they were finished. That’s why there is all that sawdust about.
Here are few details of the carvings;
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Glenflesk’s St. Agatha’s Catholic Chapel
A welcoming church in a picturesque location.
St. Agatha’s church in Glenflesk.
A few details from the NHBS site
Full-height interior open into roof with central aisle between timber pews, pointed-arch arcade (north) on cut-limestone pillars, exposed scissor truss timber roof construction on cut-limestone beaded corbels with timber boarded ceiling on carved timber cornice, and pointed-arch chancel arch framing stepped dais to sanctuary (east) reordered, 1974, with replacement mosaic tiled reredos below stained glass “East Window” in glazed ceramic tiled surround. Set back from line of road in relandscaped grounds. NOTE: Designed by James Joseph McCarthy (1817-82) of Great Brunswick Street [Pearse Street], Dublin (The Dublin Builder 1st April 1862, 85). Stained glass (1932) by Richard King (1907-74) reclaimed (1974) from Collis-Sandes House (see 21302907).
Because the blue windows are very dark, they have placed them side by side with panes that allow the light in. The church interior is still dark and cool, a welcome sanctuary on a sunny day.
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My Verdict on Dubai Chocolate
This is one version of the chocolate everyone in raving about. In my opinion and as someone who for health reasons should not be eating chocolate at all, it’s nice but over rated.
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An Old Favourite
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A Fact
President Millard Fillmore of the U.S. in 1850 was the first president to take a bath in the White House.
The first reported sighting of a Cuckoo in Ireland for 2025 was made in Co. Waterford, arriving a week earlier than last year, according to WeathÉire.
The early return is likely due to favourable weather aiding its long migration from Africa.
One tagged Cuckoo in 2024 completed a remarkable 9,000 km journey from the Congo Basin back to Kerry.
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Brian Bilston’s Prayer
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More from my Trip to Ballincollig Library
Jimmy Crowley and me in Ballincollig library on Wednesday April 2 2025
Jimmy is a lovely warm man. He is not hugging me just because I bought his 2 cds and his book.
These eyecatching murals adorn the walls of the entrance hallway to the library.
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Scotia’s Glen
Borrowed from Martin Moore on Facebook…
‘Scotia’s Glen’,
Queen Scotia, was said to be a daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh, who arrived in Ireland in 1695 B.C. with her husband, Milesius, from Corunna. Milesius was the son of the King of Spain, and they were accompanied by their eight sons. She was supposedly killed in a great battle here.
According to Jeremiah King, this story has no historical foundation and was a later invention of genealogists!!
‘County Kerry, Past and Present’ (1931)
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One for the Diary
Laois Fourth Wall Theatre Group presents Bernard Farrell’s situational comedy I Do Not Like Thee, Doctor Fell directed by David Corri.
A group therapy session is led by the enigmatic and manipulative Suzy (Mary Dermody).
The participants Joe Fell (John Kavanagh), Roger (Kevin Lalor-Fitzpatrick), Peter (Joe Murphy), Maureen (Alex O’Neal), and Rita (Maeve Heneghan) reveal more about themselves than they intended, leading to hilariously awkward situations. Paddy (Michael Brennan) the Group Attendant, provides the “normal” balance to the proceedings.
Clashing egos and misunderstandings devolve into absurd confrontations creating tension between Susy’s calm demeanour and the chaos of the group members. As Suzy applies increasing pressure, the cracks begin to show, and buried conflicts, resentments, and fears erupt.
The play balances absurdity with authenticity, keeping the audience laughing while reflecting on human nature’s vulnerabilities and contradictions.Themes of control and human vulnerability are explored, exposing a thin line between therapy and coercion. Set in the 1980s, the play is a satire of the self-help culture and a hilarious commentary on power dynamics within supposed safe spaces.
Among the cast of this play is a lady whose famous Kerry ancestor has featured on this blog.
Maeve Heneghan is a great granddaughter of John J Foley of Tralee who wrote the infamous ballad of Thade Kelly’s hen.
You may remember that, when he recited this poem in Listowel in 1901, he was the subject of a pile on in the media because a critic did not like the stage Irish interpretation on the night.
Maybe we owe it to Maeve to make up for the ill treatment her famous ancestor received in our usually hospitable town.
