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 97 of 182

The Days of the Video Shop

By

On April 17, 2023

In Listowel, Poem

Schiller in The Garden of Europe in April 2023

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Now and Then

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A Different Kind of Lending Library

Do you remember this?

Uptown Video on William Street was just one of many video lending shops in Listowel in the 1980s.

They had members like any book library and you had a membership card and a membership number.

The library was stocked with VHS tapes. These you played on a machine connected to your TV. There were hundreds of films available, classics and new releases. The children’s section was oh so popular. The challenge when you were organising a youngster’s birthday party was to find a title that not everyone had seen.

VHS tapes were not at all as sturdy as DVDs. They wore out from constant playing. Then there was the problem of dirty players and you had to run a cleaning tape regularly to keep your player in working order.

Technology overtook the tapes. First there were dvds and then everything was overtaken by the streaming services.

Another point of social interaction was removed from the entertainment industry.

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Michael Dowling Commemorated

Darren Enright, local artist in stone, was commissioned to make the commemorative seat. Now we can all rest our weary bones in this beautiful and functional piece of public art. The Michael Dowling seat is located in the grounds of Listowel Castle/ Kerry Writers’ Museum, looking towards The Master, Bryan MacMahon. The seat features a bodhrán, an exact replica of the late Michael’s preferred instrument.

The memorial was unveiled on Sunday April 9 2023 by Labhrás ÓMurchú of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann.

Labhrás ÓMurchú and Jimmy Deenihan, who spearheaded this project, with Michael’s family, Imelda, Anne and Muriel. Thoughts on Sunday were with Geraldine, who sadly passed away shortly before the project reached fruition.

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Paul Muldoon is Coming to Listowel Writers’ Week 2023

Muldoon’s poem in Sunday’s Irish Independent is a realistic look at Northern Ireland post Agreement. It’s a great poem about perception and reality, about hopes and the realisation or not of hopes.

It’s a powerful poem, not about the “architects” of the agreement but about the essential workers who keep the ship of state afloat.

The poem ends with the thought provoking lines

“We think the plumber works in lead

when his medium is mainly water.”

You can see Paul Muldoon in conversation with Nick Laird at Listowel Writers’ Week (Friday June 2 2023)

On Saturday June 3 is a not -to– be missed event; Crazy Dreams, Paul Brady in conversation (and maybe a few songs) with Paul Muldoon.

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A Fact

The expression ‘to get his goat” comes from horse racing circles. Racehorses are notoriously highly strung and there used to be a custom of keeping a goat stabled with a thoroughbred to keep him calm.

If you wanted to scupper your rival’s chances in a race you could upset his horse by stealing his goat. The expression spread to humans and means to rile someone by jolting him out of his comfort zone.

Spuds and Stuff

By

On April 14, 2023

In Listowel, Poem, Schools' Folklore

Sheep in Beauford…Photo; Chris Grayson

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Then and Now

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A Side Altar at St. Mary’s

Do you remember when there used to be a Women’s Aisle and a Men’s Aisle? I visited a church once where the last few seats in each aisle were reserved for men. Men were reluctant to parade up the church. From biblical times going to the top pews was seen as a symbol of arrogance and hubris.

Jimmy Hickey once told me a great Listowel story. Jimmy’s father was a shoemaker and he had a shoemaking factory employing several shoemakers. New shoe leather was stiff and squeaked until it was “broken in” Some customers asked the Hickey shoemakers to leave the squeak in so that, when they walked up the church on Sunday, people would know they had brand new custom -made shoes. Hubris or what?

Some churches even had seats reserved for families who were particularly generous in their dues. In a church near my home parish a wealthy local man had his seat in the sanctuary, i.e. inside the altar rails.

When he was thrown out following Vatican 2, he took umbrage and frequented a neighbouring parish for the rest of his life.

Thankfully those old hierarchies are no more.

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Setting the Potatoes

Good Friday was traditionally the day for setting the potatoes (for some reason we didn’t use the very “sowing” for potatoes).

Here from the Schools’ Folklore Collection is an account of how it was done in 1938 in Beale.

Potato crop – preparation of the ground
We set potatoes at home. We usually set an acre or so of them. We set them in drills and ridges. If it is on drills we set them the ground is ploughed once or twice and then harrowed and rolled to make the earth fine. Then the drills are opened with a common plough. Then the manure is drawn out and spread between the drills. Then bags of seed are brought to the garden and the neighbouring men and women come to help spread the seed.

When the seed is spread the drills are finished with a plough-both manure and seed are covered by splitting the drills. When they set them in ridges the manure is sometimes spread on lea ground and some farmers wait until they mark the ridges. When the ridges are made the manure is spread on them and three cuts are made in the breadth of the ridge to receive the seed. Now the earth on the furrows must be made fine. This is done by a machine called a scuffler and by getting a horse to draw a stone over the earth to make it fine. This fine earth is put up on the ridges with a spade and this finishes the preparation of ground and the planting of the seed.
Michael Griffin
Bromore
Ballybunion
11-11-38

Gloss; lea is fallow ground, maybe a headland

Furrow is the earth between the ridges

To scuffle the earth was to break it up, dislodging weeds and unwanted growth.

…………..

The potato crop- and its after cultivation.
Soon after the steaks (maybe stalks) appear above the round they require some weeding. The owner of them will come on and weed them either with the hand or hoe. When the stalks are strong they are scuffled with a machine called a scuffler. After this the broken earth that is between the furrows is made smoother still by means of a big flat stone attached to a horse. When this is done the earth is put up to the side of the drill by means of a double boarded plough. Then they are sprayed by means of a spraying machine. This is the after cultivation of a potato crop.
Kitty Griffin
Bromore,
Ballybunion
Nov 11th 1938

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At Canon’s Height

“Poems are made by fools like me

But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer

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A Fact

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents an actual king.

Spades- King David

Clubs- Alexander the Great

Hearts- Charlemange

Diamond- Julius Caesar

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Teachers

By

On April 13, 2023

In Ballybunion, Listowel, Personal, Schools

April 2023

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April Horsefair 2023

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My Brave (aka Foolhardy) Easter Visitor

Cora felt that a trip to Ballybunion would be wasted without a bit of a dip. Her mother assures me she was well away from those dangerous looking waves. The camera foreshortened the distance.

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Listowel’s Presentation Sisters

Once upon a time the sisters used to be buried in a cemetery in the convent grounds. A nun’s funeral was a solemn ritual, full of ceremony and singing, her sisters chants accompanying their departed loved one into eternity. Now the local convent building and grounds, including the graveyard, is no longer sacred ground and the remains of the sisters are now interred in St. Michael’s Cemetery.

Many of the names on these simple stones are names of great women I knew as friends and work colleagues. They sacrificed much and their legacy will benefit Listowel and beyond for years to come.

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Retirement marked with a Tony O’Callaghan plaque

When Jim Cogan retired from St. Michael’s he was presented with a beautiful piece of Tony O’Callaghan’s artwork adorned with symbols of family, Jim’s work life and his interests. It is a treasure.

In the photograph with Jim are Bill Walshe and Fr. Seamus Linnane on behalf of the Board of Management and John Mulvihill, principal, St. Michael’s.

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Beautiful Signwriting

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A Fact

Both Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same day, April 23 1616

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A Listowel Writer

By

On April 12, 2023

In Listowel, Poem

April 2023

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Irish for Adults

A very unusual textbook with illustrations by Jack B. Yeats for adult learners

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More from last Thursday’s horse fair

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Another Listowel Poet

It is always a pleasure to be contacted by a Listowel emigrant who is discovering Listowel Connection for the first time. Such emails are less frequent now as there is a great bush telegraph that alerts Listowel people to home news.

It was a great thrill to be contacted by John Leahy and to discover that he is a poet.

Here is his email;

Dear Mary

I have just found the Listowel on Line and subscribed.

Billy MacSweeney’s article was an absolute pleasure to me, since Jack 
Leahy was my grandfather.
My dad was Sean Patrick Leahy and I still remember his brother Patsy 
Leahy who had been a successfull boxer. (I remember well, Nora his wife)
There was also his sisters Maureen (married a vet in Sligo, name of 
Gilmore, their son Connor is a accountant living in Hammersmith), Peggy 
Murphy (married the barber in the square), Margaret Bennett (moved to 
Harlow) and his younger brother Michael Leahy (Who moved to Manchester). Of course last, But not least there was  Bridie O’Donnell (who owned Leahy’s Corner shop for many years with her 
husband Michael. I would sometimes go with Michael to buy cattle and 
horses, which he would then sell at the local cattle market.

I myself am a writer living in Brighton, Google: Leahy in Kemptown

All the Best

John J Leahy

……………

I did the Googling for you. The site is here

The Kemptown Verses

Here is John’s photo from his website;

He has led a very varied and full life as a poet, painter, songwriter, writer, musician, DJ, political activist and more.

Many of John’s poems address the issues he cares about.

Here is his lovely love poem to his wife.

My Love

Allegro

We sleep, we doze and closely nuzzle
We fit together like a jigsaw puzzle

You are my collaborator for life
My partner, my everything, my beautiful wife.

There could be no replacement, always together
We are one in harmony – forever and ever,

You are soft and gorgeous like butterfly’s wings
I’ll protect you from all – monstrous things

I tried to plan, for us in advance
If I was to lose you, I wouldn’t stand a chance;

Your qualities of dignity, kindness and allure
And your opinion on others – so true and so pure

I may not be very dynamic, rich nor clever
But at least you know, I’ll stand by you forever.

You have never, never been cruel
To animals, to people, too this incurable fool,

We laugh, we love, and we totally connect
For your insight is always completely correct.

When other people will never understand
You are always kind and take my hand

I am Yin and your are Yang;
You are my woman and I am your man.

We can respond each other – without blinking
Just cos we know what the other is thinking,

Most beautiful thing ever has happened to me
My undying love, is plane to see.

Affection I’ve given, returned a million fold
Necessitated this sonnet, twixed these pages told

When time collapses, I want to be with you
For the end of the world party, just for two.the kemptown verses poem footer

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A Fact

There is a Procrastinators Club of America. It’s newsletter is titled Last Month’s News.

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“Commemorate me where there is Water….”

By

On April 11, 2023

In Listowel

Millenium Arch in April 2023

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Good Friday Walk for the Hospice

Good Friday in Listowel is always a day for sponsored walking in aid of the hospice. Participants assembled at St. Patrick’s Hall on April 7 2023.

There were bicycles, dogs, prams, fast walkers, slow walkers and every pace in between. Many were remembering a lively presence on other year’s walks. Some were remembering loved one’s lost since the last walk and there were walkers who are living with cancer, and many whose cancer journey is thankfully behind them.

Back at base, a party was being prepared for the returning walkers.

On Charles Street I caught up with a few who started late.

They kindly posed for me at the Gaelscoil gate.

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Fred’s Seat

Fred Chute R.I.P. loved the river Feale. I took this photo of Fred with his dog as he walked in one of his favourite places.

This is the seat his family and friends have dedicated to his memory just a little further along that same road.

Fred was my neighbour and friend and a huge supporter of everything I did here and in print. Listowel’s streets are the poorer for his passing.

May he rest in peace.

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Calling all Quizzers

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Spring Horse Fair

On Thursday April 6 2023 we had a fair on Market Street, Listowel. There were a few horses to justify the name but, in fact, there were as many goats and dogs as horses. I saw no farmyard poultry but there was lots of tack, saddles and horsey knick knacks.

I won’t mention the horrendous traffic disruption with road closures still ongoing as work continues on the bypass.

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Par 3 at Augusta Masters 2023

Doting dad, Rory McElroy, watches as his daughter, Poppy, gives Ivy Lowry a hug during the family Par 3 event before the Masters 2023.

Things went downhill from there. The Par 3 family day may hold Rory’s best memories of The Master 2023.

Photo shared on Facebook.

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A Fact

In 1555, Ivan the Terrible had St. Basil’s Cathedral constructed in Moscow. He was thrilled with the splendid result. He ordered that the two architects responsible be blinded so that they never build anything so beautiful again. He wasn’t called terrible for nothing.

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