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
If you have a bit of time to kill in Ballybunion or if you are in search of a different locally made present, this recently opened shop is the place for you.
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In Fota
We took the little lady to Fota with her Cork cousins for the birthday celebrations.
Her first sight of a rhino in real life underwhelmed her a bit.
When you’re two, blowing bubbles is more fun than looking at animals.
The Cork cousins minus one.
The reason they are stuck to the phones is that they were in the queue for tickets to Coldplay. Aisling saw them play recently in Amsterdam and they were “fantastic”. No joy with the ticket hunting so she’ll have to live with the memories.
One tired girl with her Mammy at the oryx enclosure.
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Poetry Corner
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TFI Transport for Ireland
People waiting at a bus stop…in Listowel
This has to be Ireland’s most unusual bus seat. The seat was sculpted by local sculptor Darren Enright to commemorate the town’s success in the Tidy Town Competition.
Flags flying high in Listowel Town Square in July 2023
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Family gathering
It was lovely to have all the family together to celebrate Aoife’s birthday. She is two. She is like the queen, celebrating 2 birthdays, one with her Cork and Kerry family and one with her Kildare clan.
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Music Icons at Mike the Pies
Images by Martin Chute
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Reggie
This is Reggie, the newest family pet in my Cork family. He absolutely loves people and the closer he is to them the better.
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A Kildare Memory with a Listowel Connection
This is a photo of members of The Turf Development Bord Players in costume for a performance of The Colleen Bawn. The photo was taken in August 1946 when the group was now called the Bord na Mona Players. The photo was given to the Bord na Mona archivist by Michael Hennessey from Listowel who is in the photo. I don’t know which man he is.
In 1960 among the highlights of The Harvest Festival were a roller skating competition, a mothers’ race around the houses and a donkey derby.
Above is the poster from 1959 and below is Vincent Carmody’s account of Harvest Festivals in his youth.
The two main off course attractions during raceweek in Listowel were undoubtedly the Donkey Derby and The All Ireland Wren Boys competition. The late John B. Keane described Listowel Donkey Derby as “A fantastic flight of asses down the historic Church St. course.”
The heyday of the donkey derby coincided with the emergence of one of the best known racing asses called Listowel Factory. This donkey was owned by Paddy Behan of Bunaghara and many of my age will remember his terrific duels with Finuge Lass.
The course for the donkey derby ran from the boy’s school to Guiney’s in Lower Church St. now Mamma Mia. For health and safety reasons consideration was given at one stage to moving the derby to Charles St. This would give a straighter course and safer viewing for spectators. At the meeting to discuss this proposal, Mr. Denis Guiney, publican, asked to address the meeting as he heard that they were considering moving the event. He threatened to withdraw his financial support of this event if this happened. The records show that this support amounted to the grand sum of one shilling and six pence.
Another donkey derby memory is that on one race night the well known commentator, Michael O’Hehir was standing on a tea chest giving a live commentary on the action. The same night the excitement of the crowd at the finishing line caused them to surge forward and topple him from his commentary box.
In a conversation later with Thomas Ashe who was on the original festival committee, he told me that he had been appointed to organize the start of the race. The official starter was none other than Prince Monolulu. The first night over 80 asses turned up at the start. Thomas was wondering whether to hold 10 heats of 8 or 8 heats of 10. When he got in touch by walkie talkie with John B., who was running the event, John B. jokingly suggested that they run all 80 off together.
The Wren Boy competition was started by the festival committee in the fifties. Dr. Johnnie Walsh was the first chairman and John B. was the first M.C. The first competitions were mainly made up of local groups, Killocrim, Ennismore, Dirrah East and Dirrah West. Two of the original “kings” were Jimmy Hennessey and Sonny Canavan.
One memory of mine is of working in a bar in London in the early 1960s and Dr. Johnny accompanied by Jimmy Hennessey in full Wren boy regalia entered the bar. The bar in question was The Devonshire Arms which was popular with film and TV celebrities. One of these, Sir Bruce Seton exclaimed when he saw the goat-skin clad Hennessey beating his bodhran “Good gracious, They’re coming in from the jungle.”
I don’t remember children in the river chanting “Throw me down something”, and I am sure that this tradition only started in the 1970’s.
Nowadays no horses are stabled in town. There are close to 200 stables at the racecourse.
The following week it was back to school and life in Listowel resumed as normal. We were left only with memories, which happily we can still recall today.
Listowel Donkey Derby 1959 by Jet Stack
The weather being fine, being fifty nine and the races drawing nigh
To win the donkey derby sure our hopes were very high.
So we called on all the donkeys that might win cup or bowl
And we started preparations for the derby in Listowel.
The donkeys came in dozens, some were fast and some were slow,
But sure that’s the way you’ll find them no matter where you go
But we put them through their paces and we raced them past the pole
And twas all in preparation for the derby in Listowel.
We had Nixes grey and Driscolls bay, she showed a little blemish
John Joe brought our camera in case of a photo finish
When Lady Barney won the second race, Dan Riordan scratched his pole
And t’was all in preparation for the derby in Listowel.
Nedeen Buckley came with Sad Dust and Nellies Morning Dew
This was a kind of challenge race and t’was left between the two
Then Margaret came on Forge Road Lad, He’s the sire of a foal
And t’was all in preparation for the derby in Listowel.
When Shanahan’s Stamps came winning home, the crowd they gave a roar
They heard it back in Coolagown and down through Ennismore
Bob Stack got so excited, he ran up the winning pole
And t’was all in preparation for the derby in Listowel.
Scortlea’s Hope when going well, won many a thrilling race
He ran his best to half a length and that was no disgrace
But when Casey down from Dromerin, said he couldn’t run with goats
Sure his feeding was substandard, it was small Kilarda oats.
When Phil arrived on Gurtinard Lad, Sean’s donkey gave a wink
He started like a bullet and gave him no time to think
Our jockeys rode like professionals both fearless and bold
And there’s one thing I can vouch for; a race was never sold.
The crowd grew larger every night, they came from far and near
Elsey , Kit and Minnie came the winners home to cheer
We had Bertha , Paul and Bridie, sure they played their usual role
And t’was all in preparation for the derby in Listowel.
Eileen came with Kathleen and Bridge came running fast
Sure Mary nearly broke her neck in case she might be last
Ginette was there from London oh my heart she nearly stole
And t’was all in preparation for the Derby in Listowel.
So then when the fun was over and we picked our chosen few
We raced them down Church Street where we met our Waterloo
But such is life, there is always strife in trying to reach your goal
Still our hopes are high for another try at the derby in Listowel.
beautiful corner of Listowel Town Square in July 2023
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Last of the Memories (for now)
Every second Wednesday was fair day and wooden barricades were placed along the edge of the footpaths. . The farmers arrived in with their cattle early so the fair was in full swing as we left for school . We were fascinated to see bright red notes changing hands. We didn’t know what denomination they were but we’d never seen them. When the fair was a horse fair which spread up to Market Street we got a day off school as it was considered it would be too dangerous for us to walk through the horses. All that stopped when the Mart was built in the early sixties.
All of us children walked to school which was quite a long way from the Square to the Convent. We would walk with the Fitzgibbon girls and we always cut through the archway between the top of Tae Lane and the Market. I remember clearly seeing the car being painted on the side of Tarrant’s garage which I think is still there.
Eleanor Belcher
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Revival 2023
Still time to get your tickets
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A Success Story with a Listowel Connection
Richard Sheahan (on the right in the photo) was selected on the 4 person team to represent Ireland in the International Chemistry Olympiad which took place in Zurich over 10 days. At the awards ceremony he learned that he had won a bronze medal for Ireland. He is pictured with his teammates.
Richard is the grandson of Nora Sheahan and the late Jim Sheahan from Greenville.
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Remembering Schooldays
Many of these ladies still in town may help with the last few names and maybe a year.
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A Fact
There is a golf course on the border of Sweden and Finland. There are nine holes in each country.
My father was a GP and our house was always busy as the surgery was in the front room. Next door were the Fitzgibbons. Mr Fitzgibbon was a vet and Marie and Joan were in the same age group as my sister Katrina and I. The other half of their house was let to various people. Miss Noonan was there when I was a child. She was a teacher and very popular as she gave us sponge fingers sometimes, a wonderful treat. Then came the Rochfords . both teachers with children Sheila and Eoin. Sheila was actually called Philomena but when Saint Philomena became demoted her name was changed! They were followed by the Gannons. There were two children Renée and a boy, Barry. The young Hannon family hadn’t moved into the house next to the hotel when I was young though did so later. I do remember Maurice as a child.
The Listowel Arms was run by Mr Gerald McElligott and the ballroom hadn’t been built. He had one of the few cars in the Square which he kept in the large yard. It had a running board. On cold mornings we children on our way to school would be asked to push the car .
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Listowel Lacemaker
This picture was shared on the internet. It was part of a newspaper feature on Listowel’s first Civic Pride Week. No date was given but I’m guessing sometime in the 1950s
Does anyone remember Kathleen MacElligott? Does any of her beautiful lacework survive?
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Cuckoos
Image and story from Radio Kerry
Three cuckoos were tagged in Killarney National Park in May of this year.
One cuckoo, named Torc, was tagged in East Herzegovina – close to the border of Montenegro, while anoher called KP was tagged near the foot of the Italian Alps.
The third cuckoo, Cores, was tagged in the Piedmont area of Italy.
The project is a collaboration between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).
