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: Personal Page 15 of 29

Today and Yesterday

By

On July 13, 2023

In History, Listowel Writers Week, Personal

Garden of Europe July 2023

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Writers’ Week 1974

This is a long shot but worth having a go.

Wolfgang Mertens kept the list of participants who attended Bryan MacMahon’s short story writing workshop at Writers Week 1974.

Does anyone know any one on this list? I’d love to hear any memories or stories from that time.

Short Story Workshop, Writers’ Week, Listowel 1974

Director; Bryan MacMahon

Workshop Committee:

Mrs. Peggy Walsh, Mrs Eileen Fitzgibbon, Miss Oonagh O’Shea

Participants

Mrs. Eileen Kissane, Lisselton, Co. Kerry

Mr. M.F. OHolohan,  Drumcondra, Co. Dublin

Mr. Tim Cronin, Roscommon

Mrs. Sheila Gleeson, Limerick

Mr. Thomas Gormley,  Foxrock, Dublin

Mr. John Phelan, Fountainstown, Co. Cork

Miss Nora O’Sullivan, Brighton, England

Mr. J.J. King, Virginia, Co. Cavan

Miss Mary O’Sullivan, Ranelagh, Co. Dublin

Mrs. Joan McEvoy, Kiliney, Co. Dublin

Mr. Patrick W. Smyth, Tralee, Co. Kerry

Mrs Anita Mertens, West Germany

Mr. Wolfgang Mertens, West Germany

Mrs. Madeleine J. Beckett, Dundreum, Dublin

Mr. Walter Hayes, Droghedas Co. Louth

Mrs. M. Coffey, Newbridge, Co. Kildare

Mrs. Susan Poole McGraw, New York

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Listowel Fuchsia Centre

Some more photos from the official opening of the Fuchsia Centre on Friday July 7 2023.

Brenda O’Halloran with local ladies including Mary Pierse, Marie Moriarty and Beatrice Hayes

Denis O’Rourke and Robert Bunyan

John Kelliher and Church of Ireland Canon Joe Hardy

Helen Moylan and Mike Laffan

Robert and Olive Pierse

Micheál Martin, Norma Foley, Tom Pierse and Mike Kennelly

Helen Moylan, Mary Lynch and Mary Cogan

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A Dog and a Photograph

Upper William Street on July 8 2023

Listowel Tidy Towns have planted a beautiful display of flowers atop this wall.

Look at Molly doing everything to get in the picture.

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A Date for the Diary

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A Fact

The word mortgage comes from the French. It means death contract.

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Back to my roots

By

On July 3, 2023

In Listowel, Personal, Poem

Molly learning to know her Listowel terrain

Meanwhile her forever family are basking in sunny Florida.

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In Kiskeam

Local people still refer to The Church of the Sacred Heart as “the new church”.

The parish of Boherbue/ Kiskeam is one of nine Kerry parishes in Co. Cork. The parish used to be called Kilmeen. Ballydesmond, which used to be named Kingwilliamstown broke away in 1888 and Boherbue Kiskeam continued to be called Kilmeen until the mid 1900s.

The parish church in Kiskeam is old fashioned and cozy. It is obviously well loved by its parishioners. There is very little stained glass and the candelabra has real penny candles of the kind rarely seen in churches nowadays.

The windows are sponsored and, because they are clear, the church is light filled and gives a feeling of bringing the outdoors indoors.

This is a nice touch. In 2016 they printed this page with all the names from the baptismal register for 1916

The marriage register for the same year when Kiskeam was thriving.

A beloved priest remembered

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In Lizzie’s

Visitors are a good excuse to dine out. Phil and I enjoyed a lovely lunch in Lizzie’s.

The day was sunny but the newly opened door had a very cooling effect.

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Poem found on the Internet

Recipe for a Good Life

Live within your means

Return everything you borrow

Stop blaming other people

Admit it when you’re wrong

Give things you don’t use or wear to charity

Do something nice, and try not to get caught

Listen more; talk less

Be on time

Get organised

Be kind to unkind people

Take time to be alone

Cultivate good manners

Be humble

Learn to accept that life isn’t always fair

Know when to keep your mouth shut

Go an entire day without criticising anyone

Learn from the past; plan for the future

Live in the present

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

It’s all small stuff

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Kiskeam

By

On June 30, 2023

In Listowel, Personal

Molly at the Tim Kennelly Roundabout, June 26 2023

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Kiskeam, Co. Cork

Kiskeam is a lovely rural North Cork village. It has, in the last few years, taken to preserving its heritage in murals and other initiatives aimed at connecting its diaspora at home and abroad with their roots.

Kiskeam suffered during the Famine and its population was further decimated by emigration in times of tough unemployment since. Kiskeam people are lovely and they have done every thing they can to welcome home the huge population worldwide with roots in this corner of the diocese of Kerry.

My friend, Phil, met this lovely man, Dan Lane who remembered her parents and was very knowledgeable about the village and knew the location of many graves .

Barr na Sráide is one visitor initiative.

Opposite the graveyard in Kiskeam is an old lane where once local tradesmen plied their trades.

Nowadays on one side are lovely new homes and on the other side murals commemorate the many trades that once kept the village folk alive. A way of life now faded from memory is commemorated for today’s children.

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Summer Maintenance

The fine weather is ideal for painting and decorating our shopfronts. Martin Chute is working on The Harp and Lion.

The Pat McAuliffe plasterwork has stood the test of time and is now ready for Martin’s skilled paintwork.

I disturbed Martin to ask him to pose with Jed Chute who happened to be passing by. Two lovely Listowel men.

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A Last Few Dollies

Who better than Danny to reproduce a good Dolly look?

The Colorado branch of the Groarke family called in to be part of Dolly Day.

Dolly Day was a very inclusive event bringing babies, pensioners and everyone in between together for 2 great charities.

Boasting impressive frontage were Eithne, Barry and Brenda O’Halloran

These three went creative with the costumes even if some of the attire was a tad unseasonal.

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Meanwhile in Sunday’s Well

I’m dead proud of my Anne who, with her partner Kevin, won the mixed doubles in Sunday’s Well recently

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Greenways and Waterways

By

On May 22, 2023

In Greenway, Listowel, Personal, Schools

Greenway Mural at the old Neodata site, May 2023

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Progress on the Greenway

This is the Bridge Road entrance

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Another Prestigious Prize for a journalist with a Listowel Connection

This is Malachy’s father, David Browne’s Facebook post

“Proud and privileged to witness the announcement of the Pulitzer Prize Award to my son Malachy last Monday in the New York Times offices. His team were acknowledged for their unflinching coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including an eight-month investigation into Ukrainian deaths in the town of Bucha and the Russian unit responsible for the killings.’

Malachy Browne with Donnie O’Sullivan at Listowel Writers’ Week 2022

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A Settle Bed

This is a picture of an old farmhouse from Floklore.ie. On the left of the picture is what was known as a settle bed. The bedclothes were stored underneath the seat and brought out when the bed was dressed for someone for the night. This was a fine cozy bed beside the fire and often used by visitors or travelling workmen.

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Listowel’s Newest Amenity

“My heart, tonight, is home again in Ireland

Upon thy banks, my silver river Feale.”

Bryan MacMahon’s words were sung to us by his son, Owen, at the launch of Listowel Kayaking Club on May 14 2023.

The sun shone. The water was resplendent. The birds sang. A small crowd gathered (small, for health and safety reasons) and Jimmy Deenihan presented us with his latest project, a kayaking club. Jimmy and friends have brought this to fruition in jig time.

Jimmy Deenihan

I was delighted to meet this group of my former pupils, all involved in this healthy outdoor activity. Lovely to see these young ladies emerging as leaders in their community.

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A Welcome Treat

On my way to town on Friday, I met these lovely young people at the gate of their school, Coláiste na Ríochta. They were inviting me to their Bake Sale in aid of Áras Mhuire.

I took up their invitation and a lovely young man accompanied me to the classroom where selling, eating and chatting was in full swing.

I even met someone I knew. I bought some cakes . They were delicious.

Well done enterprising seniors in Coláiste na Ríochta.

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A Coronation Tale

Did we ever think we would see Kay Caball, cousin of Canon Declan, renouned historian and genealogist and a pillar of respectability feature in The Irish Daily Mail?

Don’t panic. Kay was merely telling the tale and it all happened in the eighteenth century.

This is the coronation connection. Lady Fiona Petty Fitzmaurice is Queen Camilla’s best buddy.

The Fitzmaurice connection: Fiona’s husband. is one of the once Lixnaw based Fitzmaurices who used to own most of Kerry.

“After a gatherer comes a scatterer” they say and the Fitzmaurices had the father of all scatterers. Kay told the story replete with “Petticoats up and pantaloons down” to a journalist from The Daily Mail and below is a photo of the centre page in the paper on Saturday.

If you missed the paper, Kay will tell it all again on Jimmy Deenihan’s walking tour at Listowel Writers Week on Friday June 2 starting from Kerry Writers’ Museum at 10.00 a.m.

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I told you so

In 2018 I posted this picture on here. It is cyclist Dillon Corkery being greeted by his grandparents at the stage finish of the Rás in Market Street.

Pic : Lorraine O’Sullivan

Yesterday Dillon won Rás Tailteann outright as part of Team Ireland. I told you he was destined for great things. My exact words were ” Is Dillon the next Sam Bennett?”

The Listowel Connection?

I went to school in Kanturk with his grandmother and still count her as a friend today. I’m over the moon!

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A Fact

The word NEWS comes from the fact that stories were gathered from all corners of the world. News is actually an acronym North East West South.

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Kayaking

By

On May 19, 2023

In History, Listowel, Personal

Listowel Pitch and Putt Course

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Listowel Kayaking Club

Sunday, May 14 2023 marked a significant development in Listowel’s relationship with the Feale River.

Listowel’s newest club was officially launched by guest of honour, Dr. Karen Weekes. I must admit, I didn’t know this lady but I looked her up for you.

“Dr Karen Weekes (54) is only the 20th woman in the world to complete this challenge. The first Irishwoman to row solo and unaided across the Atlantic ocean has ended her record-breaking feat after more than 80 days rowing 3,000 nautical miles that tested her to the limits of endurance. (Feb. 2022)”

This lady was there too. She is Moira Aston, CEO of Canoeing Ireland. She was delighted with the speed at which Listowel’s club got up and running.

The club was first mooted in 2020 and great interest was shown at the Women on Water event.

John Kelliher’s photo collage for The Advertiser.

Jimmy Deenihan is at the helm the new club, Siobhán O’Sullivan is honorary secretary and Mary McGrath is Safety Officer. Jade O’Mahony is the Training Officer. The club has 40 members at level 2 kayaking skills and has a waiting list of about 40 more.

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Beautiful old Clieveragh Cottage

This picturesque old cottage is located at Clieveragh. When Listowel.ie posted it online it provoked a flood of great memories for people who remembered it either as a family or friend’s home or just from passing it often and admiring it.

This was the happy home of a Murphy family and it once rang to the sounds of their music. As well as musicians the family had talented Irish step dancers in this house. They were also animal lovers and had cattle, sheep and a donkey named Bill in the haggard behind the house.

Apparently at one time there were 14 people living here.

Now it seems it is used as a cowshed. Still looks lovely and a magnet for the photographer.

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Kildare Supporters

My son in law has already turned by little granddaughter into a Lillies fan. Here they are celebrating their U20 football team’s win.

The Kerry half of her parentage doesn’t get a look in.

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A Fact

American people eat more bananas than any other fruit.

Bananas are actually herbs and, like all herbs, die after fruiting.

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