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
Could they be more Irish than the Irish themselves? The enormously talented musicians, Yershovy Sisters, last night were crowned winners of the TG4 Réalta agus Gaolta. Ukraine’s loss, our gain.
<<<<<<<<
The Famine in Listowel
John Pierse included these extracts from the schools folklore collection in his book, Teampall Bán.
<<<<<<<<
Emigration is Hard on Everyone
<<<<<<<<<
In an Unkind World
<<<<<<<<<
St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2025
A few I took on Church Street
<<<<<<<<
Daffodil Day 2025
A few of the hard working committee in the very poorly lit Mermaids. Some beautiful blooms donated for Daffodil Day.
<<<<<<<
A Fact
Irish magpies are suffering similar problems to Irish humans. Lack of houses, or, in the magpies’ case, nesting sites, mean that up to 50% of magpies don’t breed.
When Super Valu got its makeover, it adopted a kind of rural Ireland in the 1950s vibe, using props like this pulper, wheelbarrows and pots etc.
Then you enter the shop this week and you are met by this big display of the latest sweet treat craze, Dubai chocolate.
I haven’t tasted it yet but reports say it’s delicious.
<<<<<<<
Found in a Clearout
Spring cleaning threw up this memory from 15 years ago.
Front: Anne Dillon R.I.P, Mary Twomey, Margaret Daly, Geraldine O’Connor, Sr. Consolata Bracken, Mary Cogan, Sr. Nuala O’Leary, Bridget O’Connor, Margaret Walsh, Mary Jo Dowling and Helen McCarthy
Back; Collette Daly, Bridget Maguire, Mary O’Flaherty, Caroline Reynolds, Anne O’Neill, Breda Ferris, Brian Coffey, Mary Kennelly, Anita Barrett, Sr. Eilish Daly, Grainne Henry, Elaine Keane, Johnny Ryan, Teresa Culhane, Eileen Keane, Mary O’Connor, Teresa Deenihan and Norma Dowling, Geraldine O’Donovan, Lisa Whelan, Jane Gleeson, Dolores O’Connor and John O’Flaherty
<<<<<<<<<
Bicycles, Tractors and Scooters
St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Listowel in 2925
<<<<<<<<<
Famine Times
In his great book, Teampall Bán, John Pierse included some accounts of Famine Times in North Kerry from the Schools’ Folklore collection. The memory of the Famine lived long in folk memory.
<<<<<<<<<
Progress
Mitchell McKenna has had a breakthrough in his family history research.
Looks like I finally got lucky – I saw a cached Ancestry.com page that said this –>
Jeremiah McKenna
Birth abt 1858 – County Kerry Ireland
Death 28/05/1918 – Maude St Shepparton Victoria
Mother Brigid O’Donnell
Father John McKenna
The date / address info is correct – Due to the inaccuracy of Ancestry I am a bit skeptical of the other part – that might be “Bridget” O’Donnell who passed away 1900 aged 80 .. listed as a “widow” and Farmer’s wife – As for John McKenna – there is one listed as having passed away on 1897 aged 77 as a Farmer / “married” .. and looks like a son William witnessed ?
I guess Rathea was a pure farming district ? – and the above might fit the frame ? – however for Bridget a 37-38 year old conception for Jeremiah in those days would have been a bit on the edge !! I’m guessing if I also perused Kilshenane Cemetery more would be revealed !
I’m wondering why Jeremiah emigrated because he was newly qualified, and things there might have been a bit better post the Potato Famine ? But I guess Melbourne was all the rage back then, being one of the most prosperous cities in the world at the time (Victorian gold rush) – and the looming expiration of the government assistance program for emigrants in 1883 probably cemented his decision and he took it up just in time.
These crows in Childers’ Park are out collecting materials for their nests. Traditionally people believe that crows, who are very intelligent birds, know when it’s March 1st for that is when they start nest building.
Crows mate for life and their lifespan is about 7 to 8 years.
<<<<<<<
From the Schools’ Folklore Collection
According to a story told by his grandfather to Tom Reaney in Galway for the Schools’ Folklore of the 1930s, St. Patrick used intimidation and other scare tactics in his work of converting pagand to Christianity.
Óisín and St. Patrick
When Oisin came from Tir na n-Óg he met St Patrick and St Patrick tried to convert him. Oisin did not believe in being converted and St Patrick told him that all his Fianna were down in hell. Oisin then said that if only Conan Maol the worst man of the Fianna was there he would bring the forge and the devil with him on his back. St Patrick then brought Oisin down to Lough Derg and told him to sit there. After a while Oisin fell asleep and had a dream.
In his dream he saw hell and when he woke he asked St Patrick to take his comrades out of hell and so Patrick said, “out of hell there is no redemption”. He then asked St Patrick to relieve them. Oisin then said,
“if all the land on earth were paper nd the sea were ink and all the quills of the fowl were pens and all that were born since Adam and Eve were clerks they could not write down the one third of the pains of hell.”
Oisin then asked for baptism. While he was being baptised St Patrick put the Staff that he was carrying accidentally through Oisin’s foot,
“I am sorry”, said St Patrick, ” I have your foot cut”.
and Oisin said
“I thought it was part of the baptism”.
St Patrick then said that Oisin was forgiven.
<<<<<<<<<<
Wise Words
<<<<<<<
Luke Wadding
We may be hearing a bit more about this man soon as he was the only Irishman to receive a vote in a papal election.
Here is a small extract from a long Wikipedia article about him.
Luke Wadding was born on 16 October 1588 into a prominent Old English merchant family in Waterford. He was particularly well connected on both sides of his family. His mother, Anastasia Lombard, belonged to another important Old English family. Members of the Wadding family supplied mayors to Waterford City, and Luke Wadding was related to a number of famous Irish bishops of the time, among them Peter Lombard, archbishop of Armagh, David Rothe, bishop of Ossary, and Patrick Comerford, bishop of Waterford. Little is known of his early education in Waterford, although it would seem that he acquired a knowledge of Latin, probably not a difficult task for someone with such linguistic flair: in his lifetime he became proficient in Hebrew, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. After his mother’s death from the plague in 1602, Wadding accompanied his brother Matthew, a merchant, to Lisbon and soon afterwards joined the Franciscans. He was ordained in 1613. He began his studies in philosophy and theology in Portugal and was then invited to join the Spanish Franciscan province, where he became a lecturer in theology in the renowned University of Salamanca. His formation in Portugal and in Spain brought him into contact with some of the most influential Catholic teachers and intellectuals of the time, including the Jesuit Francisca Suárez. Once in Salamanca he gained a reputation as a theologian with a particular interest in the historic and spiritual tradition of the Franciscan Order.
<<<<<<<<
Fact
From 1927 to 1961 the RDS dog show was the only place you could legally drink on St. Patrick’s Day. Huge crowds used to turn up. One T.D. is reported to have said, “It’s a great day out except for all the damned dogs.”
St. Brigid window in St. John’s church, Ballybunion
<<<<<<<
St. Brigid of Kildare
St. Brigid mural on a wall in Kildare town
According to tradition Saint Brigid was born in Faughart, Co Louth, where there is a shrine and a holy well dedicated to her. The Saint found a convent in Kildare in 470 that has now grown into a cathedral city. There are the remains of a small oratory known as Saint Brigid’s fire temple, where a small eternal flame was kept alight for centuries in remembrance of her. She is one of Ireland’s patron Saints and known as Mother of the Gael. She is said to be buried along with St Colm Cille and St Patrick in Downpatrick. Throughout Ireland there are many wells dedicated to St Brigid.
<<<<<<<
Growing up in 1970’s Listowel
More memories and photographs from Carmel Hanrahan…
Do you remember the Lartigue Little Theatre? No stage and the seats were on a steep incline. I visited the Writers’ Museum on a recent visit and was surprised to find that nobody seemed to know about it. That is, until a lady of my own vintage came in and remembered it. Where I now live, they have a Theatre which is of a similar design. Mind you, the cast don’t come out with tea and biscuits for the audience at interval time as they once did in the Lartigue.
We had a Youth Club which was held on Friday night. I think the venue was the Sluagh Hall. Every now and then we had a disco there and that was a highlight. Dominic Scanlon usually provided the music being DJ (there’s a term no longer used) as he was probably one of the few of us with a comprehensive record collection. I seem to remember there were parents on duty at these to chaperone us. A bit like the “Ballroom of Romance” if you remember that film. Seamus G, I know you’ll read this, I don’t remember you in connection with the Youth Club. We must have split into different groupings by then.
December 28th was the date set in stone for the Student’s Dance/Ball. Held in the Listowel Arms Hotel and the only proper dance for years. My sister dressed quite formally for the first one she attended but I think it rapidly became more casual after that. I certainly don’t remember dressing up a lot for it. Later, we occasionally went by bus to Glin on Saturday Nights for a showband-type dance that was held there. My memory is of an over-crowded, sweaty, marquee with little or no facilities. But, I imagine we wouldn’t have complained too much at the time. Who organised those buses I wonder? Of course, there was also the Central in Ballybunion where we went for discos in the late 1970’s. Possibly only during the summer months. That was also the venue for our Leaving Cert Results night out. What a motley crew we were.
School tour, to Killarney (Lady’s View). Left to right: Bottom Row; Catherine Lynch, Christina Caffrey, Catherine Sullivan, Violet Nolan and Linda McKenna. Top row; Dana Mulvihill, Carmel Hanrahan, Sr. Edmund, Jacqueline Quill, Sr. Therese, and Denise Mulvihill
One of myself and dad sometime in the early 1980’s. The dog arrived very shortly after I left. I was so upset as a child when we lost “Sooty” our dog that dad swore there would never be a dog in the house again while I was there.
<<<<<<<<
A Special Birthday
Four of my six grandchildren have birthdays in January. so last Sunday we had a combined celebration for them.
Sean and Killian, no longer boyeens, now grown men, are nineteen.
Aisling turned 18. Róisín is 16.
Róisín and one of her friends from the yard.
When Aisling was born her uncle Bobby and Aunt Carine lived in France. Every baby in France has a comforter which they call a doudou so they sent one to Aisling. It became her favourite toy. It was carried everywhere, on trips to Kerry and Dublin and on holidays abroad. It filled the role of a faithful friend and confidante over the years. But at 18 it is now the worst for wear.
Carine decided to buy a new one for Aisling’s 18th birthday. But this particular squirrel is a discontinued line, replaced years ago by the more popular teddies and rabbits. There was none to be got anywhere.
Not to be defeated, Carine put out a call on a website that sells old and discontinued items and there she found a second hand but little used one.
When Aisling opened her birthday present on Sunday she was overcome with emotion. It was like meeting a long lost child. It reminded her of how handsome and cuddly Doudou looked all those years ago.
Here are the two boys, Doudous mark 1 and 2, memory banks to treasure for ever.
Best birthday present ever!
<<<<<<<
A Fact
Popeye appeared as a comic strip for the first time in 1929.
