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

Michael O’Connor of No. 24 The Square, Listowel

By

On February 21, 2023

In Listowel

Susan Corr in Kerry Writers’ Museum Feb 18 2023

This is Susan Corr. She was in Kerry Writers’ Museum on Friday last, February 18 2023 bringing with her a very precious cargo. Susan is Ireland’s leading paper  conservator/ restorer. She was in Listowel to bring the first tranche of Michael O’Connor’s artwork back to the house where he grew up.

Now in its new incarnation as Kerry Writers’ Museum it will be the repository of his exceptional bank of illustrations/ illuminations.

Michael O’Connor, Evening Herald 1966

Here is my story in a nutshell.  One Saturday in 2020 I had a phonecall from a man who introduced himself as Stephen Rynne. Stephen was sorting through his late father, Etienne Rynne’s, papers when he came upon a folder of correspondence and artwork. Stephen recognised that the artwork was of an exceptional quality. It was by Michael O’Connor, an artist whose name he had never heard.  A quick Google of Michael O’Connor brought Stephen to Listowel Connection and there I entered the story.

Fr. Brendan O’Connor, Mary Cogan, David Brown and Stephen Rynne, Sept. 2021

Michael O’Connor grew up in No. 24 The Square.

The artist’s father was Dr. Michael O’Connor, a Listowel g.p., a religious man and a republican.

Michael O’Connor’s parents in their garden in 1950 Photo thanks to Eitan Elazar

Dr. O’Connor was one of the local republicans who were interned in Ballykinlar in 1921. While in jail the Kerry men sent back newsletters to their families at home. These newsletters were embellished with Celtic borders, the work of Micheal Reidy of Killarney.

List off internees in Ballykinlar 1921

This was young Michael O’Connor’s first brush with celtic art. Of course, growing up in Listowel he was surrounded by the stucco work of Pat MAuliffe which is replete with symbols of celtic Ireland.

Stephen realised that Michael OConnor was a prolific artist. The more he delved into O’Connor’s corpus of artwork the more he realised that O’Connor was the top Celtic illuminator of his age producing work comparable to the work of the monks who produced The Book of Kells.

Eamon de Valera Forest artwork by Michael O’Connor

Why had no one in the art world ever heard of this genius?

Stephen found that much of O’Connor’s work was done for family and friends.  He was happy to stay below the radar.

Papal blessing of the marriage of Etienne and Aideen Rynne, artwork a present to his friends from Michael O’Connor

His biggest commissions were for the Jewish Irish community and official gifts presented to visiting dignitaries. These gifts are now lying in archives around the world.

O’Connor was generous with his talents, particularly to his Listowel friends.

He was a humble man. When asked for a short bio. to put in this booklet whose cover he illustrated for Listowel Emmets in 1960, his response was that he was a Listowel man and that is all people needed to know.

These are the words of his son, Fr. Brendan  

We were so accustomed to his artistic creations that we didn’t fully appreciate the originality, skill and dedication he brought to his art. He had the humility to continue working at a very high level of achievement without seeking to be known or appreciated. The completed work was its own reward.

This is shown in particular in the “Breastplate of St Patrick” – a family heirloom which he produced for his own enjoyment in 1961 to celebrate 1,500th anniversary of the national saint.

St. Patrick’s Breastplate now conserved and restored and returned to Kerry Writers’ Museum

The O’Connor family have very kindly donated this family treasure and other artworks to O’Connor’s ancestral home in Listowel.

Stephen Rynne took on a painstaking mission to search out and find as much of O’Connor’s artwork as he could.  His search put him in touch with archives around the world. During the 1950s and 60s Michael O’Connor’s work was the presentation gift of choice to visiting dignatories. Examples of his work are in The Vatican, the JFK library, Liverpool cathedral, archive of an Egyptian emperor as well as in The Brazen Head pub in Dublin, TCD, UCD and other Irish locations.

Listowel was always close to Michael O’Connor’s heart. He joined with Bryan MacMahon in producing many Christmas cards and bookmarks.

His most outstanding collaboration and probably one of his best pieces is a collaboration with the Listowel writer in a magnificent presentation piece to Listowel Race Company. The lyrical words by Bryan MacMahon and illumination by Michael O’Connor make this a Listowel treasure.

On the left of the picture is Thomas O’Connell, chairman of the Race Committee with Michael Kennelly, Michael O’Connor, Dan Moloney T.D. and Dr. Bryan MacMahon on the occasion of the handover of the work to the race committee during race week 1958.

The Stokes family, descendants of Thomas O’Connell who have kept this important piece safely until a home was found for it, handed over the picture to Jimmy Deenihan, representing Kerry Writers’ Museum during Listowel Races 2022.

Pictured at the handover of the piece to Kerry Writers’ Museum on Friday September 23 2022 are Olive and Oonagh Stokes with Owen MacMahon and Jimmy Deenihan.

The O’Connor family, Listowel Race Company and others have very generously agreed to donate family heirlooms, and irreplaceable priceless treasures to Kerry Writers Museum.

The museum has secured some of the funding to mount this important exhibition.

Special airtight display cabinets have been installed. Susan Corr, conservator’s, services have been engaged.

Cara Trant and Susan on Friday February 18 2023 at the handover of the first batch of restored illumination.

Beautifully restored and mounted letter

Celtic detail and beautiful calligraphy on the magnificent breastplate piece.

Conservation work is a very specialised job involving matching colours, repairing of vellum with isinglass which is also a collagen and restoring old pictures to their original vibrant state.

The process is slow but the work has started and hopefully we will all get to see the first of these treasures before the end of 2023.

I am privileged to be a witness to this, by far the best story so far to come my way since I started blogging in August 2011.

Thank you, Stephen Rynne.

Thank you too, David O’Sullivan for all the invaluable research

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Ballybunion, Listowel and Cairo

By

On February 20, 2023

In Ballybunion

Ballybunion sunset in February 2023…Photo; Kathleen Griffin

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Nine Daughters Hole

Photo and text by Richard Creagh

Cave of the Nine Daughters

Back in the time of the Vikings Ireland must have been a fairly rough place to be living. For over 200 years Viking raiders from Norway and Denmark made regular attacks on Irish settlements, taking what they wanted away with them and leaving a trail of destruction behind. Eventually the Vikings even settled here, presumably to have Irish bases from which to make further attacks into the country. The bastards! Many placenames in Ireland have a Scandinavian origin that we still use today, like Smerwick (Smjǫr-vík – butter harbour) and Wexford (Veisa-fjǫrðr – muddy fjord).

This cave near Ballybunion is known as the Cave of the Nine Sisters, or Daughters even. There’s a story that during a Viking raid a local Chieftan, presumably having accepted the battle was lost, threw his nine daughters into this cave through the hole in the ceiling, for fear of losing them to the Vikings. Many Irish women were taken as slaves by the raiders, and this Chieftan obviously didn’t like the idea. I don’t know if his daughters had any say in the matter.

Most old stories are rooted in truth, however extravagant they may seem after centuries of embellishment. It’s been known for awhile now that Iceland was settled by Scandinavians. Genetic markers have revealed that the majority of the first women settlers were of Celtic origin, while most of the men have roots in Northern Europe. So there may well be some truth to the story of this cave, because the Norsemen were certainly taking women away with them. I’ve been to Iceland twice and the women there are generally pretty good looking. They can thank us.

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Presentation Secondary School, Listowel

A significant event in the life of the early Listowel Presentation
community was the ‘Battle of the Cross’ in 1857.  The Sisters were
ordered to take down the Cross from outside their school by
the Education Board. In spite of dire threats, the sisters refused to
do so, and defied the Board. Eventually the Board yielded. The cross is still there today.

As I was in the area recently I took the opportunity to take a few snaps of my old workplace.

Through many seasons I watched this old tree which is just over the wall from the carpark. If it could only talk what a tale it would tell.

Once upon a time the convent had an open door policy. Anyone who was hungry could make his way to the kitchen door knowing he would be looked after.

Then and Now

It was a sad day for Listowel in 2007 when the nuns finally closed the doors.

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Typical Sunday Morning in Childers’ Park

Lots of youngsters out playing sport and lots of adults giving up their time to train them

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Tutenkamun

Tutenkamun, King Tut to his friends, was an Egyptian pharaoh who reigned for ten years nearly 4 thousand years ago. He came to power aged 10!

Young Tut never heard the Irish saying, “You can”t take it with you.”

The reason the world still remembers Tutenkamun is because of the massive wealth uncovered in his tomb, one hundred years ago, in February 1923.

His coffin was solid gold. In fact to be sure to be sure he had 3 coffins nested inside each other like Russian dolls.

His tomb was a passage grave and in it Howard Carter, who opened the grave in 1923, found a carriage, weapons and loads of beautiful jewellery.

This is the funerary mask that was over the head of the mummified Tut.

It took 10 years to remove and document all the stuff Tut took with him. Up to 2020 there were tours of different pieces from the collection to museums around the world.

In 1972 some of the loot was in London and believe it or believe it not, I was also in a summer job in town and I joined the the throng filing past. The stuff was breathtaking in its magnificence and in the horror inducing realisation that this was just buried to accompany a ruler to the other world.

Scarab brooches were all the rage that summer. I bought a cheap one. They were meant to bring luck.

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Public Seating and Memories

By

On February 17, 2023

In Listowel

Office of The Revenue Commissioners Mill Lane Listowel Feb. 2023

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Some Public Seating in The Park and Garden of Europe

This bench under this massive tree which has obviously lived a long time is a memorial to those whose lives were cut short by suicide.

I don’t know who Liz was but I know she was loved.

I knew Hugh. He helped me publish my book, Listowel Through a Lens. He was professional, kind and gentle with a complete novice nervously dipping her toe in the book publishing waters.

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The Shop on the Corner

Horans Healthstore today has an interesting history, as told to us a few years ago by Vincent Carmody.

(Remember you can hear more Listowel stories from Vincent in Listowel Library today Feb. 17 2023 at 11.00 a.m.)

From the late 1800s and running well in the 1900s William and Florence (Haughton) Woods had a drapery shop. William put his name up before the people on the occasion of the 1899 local U.D.C.elections. It must have been a lonesome experience for him as he only received 14 votes and came last of 26 candidates fighting for one of 12 seats. 

For a short time after the Woods the shop was taken over by Tom Walsh from Lyreacrompane.  He operated there until he moved across the street and opened his new drapery in what had been Gibsons. Tom Walsh went forward was elected several  times as a member of the Listowel Urban Council. In this regard it is worth recalling an unusual occurrence in the local elections of 1928. Up to closing time for the acceptance of nominations, the then Town Clerk and Returning Officer, Mrs Annie Gleeson had received no nomination. 

The Council which at that time have consisted of 12 members had since the previous local election of 1925, through resignation, disqualification and other causes dwindled down to only three members, i.e. Thomas Walsh, Edward J. Gleeson and Patrick Brown. So in 1928, Mrs Gleeson in accordance with her powers, published a notice stating that as no candidates had been duly nominated for election, Messrs. Walsh, Gleeson and Brown would be declared elected. They afterwards became known as the Holy Trinity. None of the three put their names forward in the 1934 or subsequence elections.  

Michael Fitzmaurice was next, having served a hardware apprenticeship in the town, after which he got married to Bridget Buckley and they had a stationary and newsagency in the house.

The house  had a new tenant in the 1920s, John Scanlon opened it as a grocery and hardware establishment, also catering as a cycle agent. His billheads advertised it as ‘The Corner House’.  

The house reverted to a drapery establishment again during the 1930 and 1940s when it was occupied by a Stack family. 

In the 1950s it converted into a shoe shop when it was bought and run by Paul Shanahan. 

Today it’s Horan’s Heathstore.

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Mosaics in St. Mary’s

Mosaic art is absolutely fascinating. The firm who did the beautiful work in St. Marys were Oppenheimer.

The firm of Ludwig Oppenheimer was founded in Manchester in 1865 and operated until 1965. Ludwig Oppenheimer was born in 1830 in Brunswick in Germany. His family were merchant bankers in Hanover and he was sent to Manchester to improve his English. He lodged with a Scottish couple and fell in love with their niece Susan who was from Montrose. He was an orthodox Jew but converted to Christianity and his family cut their ties with him. He spent a year in Venice studying mosaics as an apprentice. On his return to England he married Susan and started the mosaic workshop.

They had six sons, five of whom eventually worked for the firm. The eldest Lehmann was born in 1869 and went to art school and won a scholarship for a year’s study in Florence.

On his return he married a fellow student, Edith Newton, in 1892. He worked in his father’s firm from a boy and was the main designer. On his father’s death in 1900 he took over the firm and ran it with his brothers.

His younger brothers Louis, Albert and William all worked in the business. They travelled in Europe and Ireland seeking and gaining commissions including many prestigious projects.

In Ireland their main work was done in conjunction with the architect George Ashlin. Between 1856 and 1860 he was articled to E.W. Pugin whose sister Mary he married in 1860. In 1859 Pugin received a commission to build the church of SS Peter and Paul in Cork and he made Ashlin a partner with responsibility for their work in Ireland a position he retained until 1870.

The most important Irish commission they received was Cobh Cathedral. You can see their work there to this day.

Source: L. OPPENHEIMER LTD AND THE MOSAICS OF ERIC NEWTON ROBERT FIELD online essay.

The following mosaic pieces are in St. Mary’s Listowel. They are only some of the many mosaics in our church.

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Looking Back

By

On February 16, 2023

In Listowel

Iconic Listowel mural on Market Street in Feb. 2023

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Convent Street Clinic on Market Street

Market Street, Feb. 2023

Interestingly The Convent Street Clinic is on Market Street.

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In Boston, a timely reminder

Boston Irish on Facebook

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Gurtenard Wood; great place for a run, a walk or just a Rest

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A Clay Pipe Story

I’m reposting this photo and text from 2019.

When Kay O’Leary was doing a bit of gardening in Lyreacrompane she came upon this artefact. She was curious to know where Spillane’s shop was. 

Vincent Carmody’s Snapshots of a Market Town has the answer.

“David Spillane came from Limerick in the mid 1860s to manage a store for Hugh Kelter. In 1876 David married Johanna Enright from Listowel. With the demise of the Kelter’s business in the 1880s, the Spillane’s took over the running of the shop.”

From the evidence in Vincent’s book it looks like Spillane’s stocked everything from a needle to an anchor.

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Celtic Crosses in St. Michael’s Graveyard

Since discovering a new interest in Celtic Art I have been observing grave memorials more closely. The carving on these celtic style headstones is not all the same. I wonder if individual stone carvers had their own style. If you know who chiselled these beautiful embellishments please tell us.

This is an unusual memorial as it is not a cross in the traditional cruciform but a celtic cross atop a conventional memorial. It features the Sacred Heart, Lamb of God and aspiration Thy will be done in the midst of shamrocks and other leaves.

This one has Jesus at its base and the cross features a Sacred Heart again surrounded by foliage and shamrocks.

This one is much more leafy

Celtic knotwork is the dominant theme here.

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Another two Bite the Dust

Was Ezecomp on Church Street

The Bronzing Room also now closed.

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Mosaics and Painting

By

On February 15, 2023

In Listowel

Convent Road, Listowel, Feb. 2023

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D Day in 1971

On this very day, February 15, in 1971 we officially changed from £sd to decimal currency. We had spend 2 years preparing for the changeover. We thought we’d never get used to it but we soon realised that life had got way easier and lighter.

To remind you of the good old days

There were 2 halfpennies in a penny, which we denoted with a d. There used to be farthings but we won’t go there)

There were 12 pence in a shilling which we sometimes balled a bob.

There was a threepence and sixpence which did what it said on the tin.

We had a 2 shilling piece and and a 2shillings and sixpence piece. We called this a half crown because there used to be a crown.

We won’t bother with the paper money but there was a guinea favoured by buyers and sellers of horses (No, I have no idea.) This was one pound and one shilling.

See what I mean when I said it got easier?

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Mosaics in St. Mary’s

On Feb. 1, St. Brigid’s Day, I brought you pictures of a few windows featuring our second patron saint. At mass that morning Canon Declan pointed out a mosaic of St. Bridget in our own parish church. My friend, Helen, our sacristan, pointed out the exact location of the mosaic to me. It is one of several saints perched very high up at either side of the main altar.

St. Brigid, ora pro nobis

She is dressed as a nun. We know she founded many convents and monasteries. She was an equal opportunities saint and welcomed both men and women into her orders. In her left hand she has an oak branch. St. Brigid founded her famous double monastery under an oak tree in Kildare town in the 5th Century. Hence the name Cill Dara, Church of the Oak. She has a bishop’s crosier under her right arm. Legend has it that she was the first female bishop. I dont know what she has in her right hand. It looks to me like some sort of lamp, a bit like the one Aladdin rubbed. It may be something to do with the fire that is associated with her. If you know what it is please tell me.

This is St. Ita

St. Patrick

The fourth mosaic saint is St. Brendan but the spotlight on him was too strong to photograph on the day I visited the church. Interestingly, St. Patrick’s crosier seems to be topped with a celtic cross in place of the traditional shepherd’s crook.

St. Patrick is also celebrated in St. Mary’s on one of the wall plaques.

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A Facelift on Church Street

This premises is being painted a nice cheery colour.

It has some lovely celtic strap work being painted in a contrasting shade of green.

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Memories, Memories

For many years my summer morning routine involved a walk with my husband, Jim. Here he is bowling along beside the then Super Valu in Mill Lane.

Jim loved to stop and chat. Here he is with the late Dan Browne. May they both rest in peace.

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