Listowel Connection

A Piper, A Wireless Ball and an old Craftshop

On March 14, 2023

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Ballybunion Piper

Across the Shannon Estuary, in North Kerry, lies the small coastal townland of Doon East. It was here in 1799 that the piper pictured here, Thomas McCarthy, or Tom Carthy, was believed to have been born. Tom learnt to play the uilleann pipes in his youth. He spent many hours walking the cliffs near his homeplace, about a mile from the seaside town of Ballybunion, practising on the pipes. The sound of the water and the wonderful view across the estuary to the Loop Head Peninsula in Clare is said to have inspired many of his tunes. With his haunting Irish airs and lively dance tunes he was a welcome figure in the houses of the gentry, and a well-known character in Ballybunion. No wedding or country dance in the area was complete without Tom and his pipes. For sixty-five years he entertained the crowds on Fair Days and Sundays in his favourite spot at Castle Green in the town. This was written about him in the Kerryman in 1934:

‘Through the long summer days, with his back to the old castle, he sent the notes of his music among the clouds or away across the ocean waves at Ballybunion, until he almost became part of the old ruin itself, his weather-beaten, age yellowed coat fitting perfectly with the grey-lichened ruins of the once lordly keep of the O’Bannins. In North Kerry still people speak of “Carthy’s Reel,” and often a musician is asked to play that dance tune which, through constant repetition by the old piper, came to be associated with him as his own composition, but is in reality the well-known “Miss McLeod’s Reel.” ‘

When Tom died in 1904 it was said he was 105, although he is listed in the 1901 Census as being 88. He had requested to be buried with his pipes but instead they were sold by a relative for £1. The buyer soon returned them, claiming they had started playing of their own accord in the night. These ‘enchanted’ pipes were then taken to London by a member of Tom’s family but eventually ended up, years later, with Comhaltas – I wonder where they are today?

( Shared online by Ballybunion Tourist Office)

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Birthday Boy

He wanted no fuss. However his friends in the Listowel Arms got a tip off. He doesn’t look a day over 60.

I never told you it was his birthday!

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A Great old Junior Griffin Story

Told first in 2007 but well worth repeating

In its early years Listowel Badminton Club was a mens club only and Eddie Faley, Mortimer Galvin, J. Farrell and others were members at that time. Ladies applied to be admitted but to no avail. It is said that Eddie Faley considered the females to be “A bloody nuisance”.

However he was prevailed upon to admit the ladies and grudgingly condescended, and in his first ever mixed doubles game his
partner was one Aileen Cronin, and lo and behold, she became his life partner for many years to follow.

Indeed, it leads one to ponder on the seemingly unending number of romances that have blossomed through Badminton, and one feels that that the figure of Cupid should be depicted with a racquet and shuttlecock and not with the customary bow and arrow.

Listowel is very fortunate that yet another dance ticket was found in an old Library Book giving details of yet another dance ball but more importantly for the benefit of historians, the officers and committee of that time was listed.This dance, known as a wireless ball coupled with a fancy dress parade, was held also in the Gymnasium on Saturday March 1^st 1924 .

The committee is listed are as follows;

President; Mr Seamus Wilmot;

Hon Sec; Mr. P.V. Fahey;

Hon. Treas; Mr. R.I. Cuthbertson

Committee; Messer’s C.Tackberry, M.Hannon, T.Moore, J.Farrell, M.Naylor, J.O’Sullivan, J.Medell, J.Walsh and T.P. Cotter.

It is interesting to note the data on this card such as the admission price where the men had to pay an old shilling more than the ladies, 8/6 pence compared to 7/6 pence.

There is nice line stating that “Mr. Dunne’s Orchestra is personally conducted”

The back page gives information on the Wireless Concert. (To the young people of today a wireless is now known as a Radio).

It states that “Subscriber will be entertained to a programme Broadcasted from the following stations; London; Paris; Bournemouth; Manchester and Glasgow.

Detailed Programme can bemseen in the Irish Independent of Saturday March 1^st.

The set is fitted with the latest and most up-to-date-Loud Speaker”

With the IT technology that is available today the world has certainly come a long way since those updated loud speakers of 1924.

It is interesting to note that whilst Listowel had a wireless on March 1st, some days later, on March 6^th, 1924, that Pope Pius XI had a wireless
installed in Rome for the first time.

One wonders did he have some contact in Listowel who told him about this new form of communication, and did he, per chance, purchase it from McKenna’s of Listowel?

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Then and Then

Church Street memories.

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Closure of a Beloved North Kerry Business

By listowelconnection

On March 13, 2023

In Listowel

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Deireadh Ré

End of an era in Lisselton

(Pictures from Bridget O’Connor)

On Sunday evening March 5 2023 Behan’s of Lisselton closed the shop door for a final time and held a final hooley for family and friends (a.k.a. customers).

The till is silent, the meat hooks are empty, the shop coat is hanging limply. An old way of life, a Lisselton institution, is no more.

My association with Behans goes back to when Jeremiah ran the shop in the 1980s. We had a family to feed and we did something that was so common then. We bought a chest freezer and filled it with food, mainly meat.

Behan’s offered a bespoke butchery service like no other. When the meat had been slaughtered and hung, I would go to Lisselton and stand at Richard’s elbow while he cut the joints of meat to my requirements and I bagged them for freezing. I learned so much in those bagging trips, for, if truth be told, while I was there to tell Richard how I wanted the beef cut, it was in fact Richard teaching me the best way of organising my meals. and Richard was always full of good advice. He was the most patient of shopkeepers.

As you can imagine, this operation took a few hours so meanwhile the business of the shop went on in front of us. The meat counter was at the back of the shop.

The shop was like a rambling house. Everyone knew everyone else. Jeremiah was always up for a chat and positively encouraged customers to hang around and swap news and pass away a bit of the day. The atmosphere was just so warm and welcoming. You could get a tip for a horse or a hound. You would learn the state of the bog and the situation with cutting or footing. The price of cattle and news from The Mart was exchanged.

Jeremiah always read the newspaper and was well up in global news so he held his own on many topics. The health of neighbours was a regular topic as well as local marriages and deaths.

Then Mrs. Behan would bring the cup of tea and the slice of cake. The tea was always presented in a china cup and I was made to feel like a VIP guest rather than a customer.

Getting the meat for the freezer at Behans was never a chore. It was a trip to be looked forwarded to and enjoyed. It was part of a way of life that is now just a memory to me….a lovely few hours in the company of lovely people.

My family have grown and flown. The chest freezer is banished to electrical recycling heaven. I have not been to Behans for years. A new generation of Behans has grown up in the intervening time. And now the door has closed on that happy place.

The affection of their many customers and friends is evident in my friend, Bridget’s, photos which she so kindly shared with us.

Forgive me if I shed a tear for those happy bygone days when I was privileged to be part of a retail legend. Behans were a rare breed of business people when the customers were treated like a valued friends.

I wish Richard and Geraldine a long and happy retirement with plenty of family time to enjoy.

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The Murder of Seán O’Brien

This very unusual grave memorial in St. Michael’s cemetery, Listowel has an interesting story behind it. According to people who know these things, Sean O’Brien’s remains are no longer interred here but have been removed to his native Cork.

Here is the story from Mike Mc Grath in last week’s Corkman.

One hundred years ago this week Charleville man Seán O’Brien was murdered by Crown forces at his hardware shop at Main Street Charleville in a reprisal attack. Here local historian and genealogist Evelyn O’Keeffe, who is chair of Charleville Heritage Society, researched the details and recalls the terrible event, and its aftermath.

‘Terrible Fate of Well-known Charleville Shopkeeper’ was the headline 100 years ago this week when Sean O’Brien, a hardware merchant was murdered.

Sean died from his wounds as his wife and young daughter bore witness to his terrible end.

‘At 8.30pm there was a knock on the door. The Tans came into the town looking for blood that night, a Volunteer attack earlier that day on an RIC patrol in Charleville had maddened the Tans.

‘They went to the home of Seán O’Brien. The Tans knocked at his door, and Seán, without opening the door, enquired what they wanted, and the Tans’ reply was to fire several volleys through the door and they also threw some grenades through the fanlight. It was an extremely brutal murder, for his body was ripped asunder. He died seven and a half hours later.

‘Seán was president of the local Gaelic League and was a committed Irish-Irelander. He was elected in June 1920 to the Urban District Council on the Sinn Féin ticket and was the unanimous choice for chairman.

O’Brien’s funeral prompted an ugly scene. During his funeral procession on 4th March 1921 ‘two military officers approached the clergy, who were in front, and asked them were they not aware of the fact that the Republican flag which covered the coffin was not permitted in accordance with official regulations. One of the priests pointed out that the ensign was wrapped around the remains and secured to the lid, and that the coffin should be opened if they insisted on having the flag removed. After some controversy the military officers decided not to interfere further’.

‘Seán took an active interest in all aspects of life in Charleville and the turnout at his funeral was huge, being a member of the Kilmallock Board of Guardians, Cork County Committee of Agriculture, and was always ready to volunteer his services to resolve labour disputes. He enjoyed the respect and esteem of all classes in the town, including those who did not coincide with his political views.’

May he rest in peace.

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Now and Then

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More from 1997

By listowelconnection

On March 10, 2023

In History, Listowel

Market Street, Listowel on Tuesday Mar 8

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Two related pieces of Good News

Mayor of Listowel Aoife Thornton, Kerry Rose Édaein O’Connell, Joan Flavin of the Community and Business Alliance with, front, Trevor Horan of the Community Centre and Alliance chairperson Rose Wall launching the Listowel Community Rose selection.

(photo and caption : The Kerryman

On March 31 2023 in The Listowel Arms Hotel the selection of our community rose (there are 8 in all) will take place. These 8 will compete to replace Edaein O’Connell as Kerry Rose.

Co-ordinator and Festival Director Suzan O’Gara said.

“In the spirit of supporting local and creating a positive community buzz in each of these locations, we are inviting all interested young women between 18 and 29 years of age, and young men aged 21 to 31, to send in their application forms via www.roseoftraleecommunities.com as soon as possible to ensure they’re on time to enter their local Community Rose selection events.”

Funds raised by Listowel Community Rose selection will be shared with the community centre to help with refurbishment expenses following the recent fire.

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The Moving of the Dandy Lodge

Dandy Lodge in 2020 before the Pitch and Putt Mural was painted

The Dandy Lodge was built in 1875. In 1997, when it had fallen into disrepair, it was taken down, moved and rebuilt stone by stone in the town park.

Tom O’Halloran R.I.P. who lived nearby was a citizen journalist before the term was invented. He took the following photos of the demolition in progress on his doorstep. His family are now sharing them with us.

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A Forgotten Food Fact from 1916

I told you this before. You have probably forgotten it. I certainly had.

Bovril operated a distribution warehouse at Eustace Street, Dublin. In the aftermath of the Rising there were grave food shortages, caused mainly due to the forced closure of bakeries. Many Dublin people were starving. Bovril was distributed free to the citizens to ease their hunger.

(Fact learned from Ireland’s Own)

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Listowel Emmets

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Adopting a Native American Child in the U.S.

Apropos of yesterday’s story from 1952, Kathy Reynolds wrote;

I have long had an interest in Native American culture maybe first because of Sunday afternoon cowboy and Indian films on RTE as a child but really because of a visit to petroglyphs at Monument Valley in 1988. As we looked at these ancient petroglyphs 2,000 or more years old the Americans around us on hearing British accents could only talk of our long history and the USAs lack of history. They saw no merit in Native American history. This was underlined as we toured the Navajo Tribal Park when our guide said how much he enjoyed taking Europeans around as they appreciated the history will the Americans only saw them as a curiosity.

In case you have forgotten yesterday’s letter here it is;

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Seely,

Thank you very kindly for your donation of 10.00 for my little Indians. Yours is the first invitation that was ever extended to one of our papooses [Native American children] to come and spend the vacation somewhere. We have a few little boys and girls who have noone at all interested whether they live or die or come and go.

I would send a little boy of six years or older or a little girl whatever you prefer. These Indian children are very little trouble, especially the one I have in mind. If you really mean it, I will see that we get him ready; you may have him any time you desire. I am not making any inquiries about you, because it takes a good person to make an offer as you did.

Please, let me know.

With kindest regards,

Father John

The Fr. John was Fr. John Pohlen of Tekakwitha Indian Mission in South Dakota.

“The boy that Malcolm and Suzanne Seely wound up adopting is now 71 years old as of March 2018. Dennis Isaac Seely told us in a phone interview that he was an infant in 1946 when he was forcibly taken from his mother, a Dakota Sioux woman living on the Lake Traverse Reservation in Sisseton, close to the North Dakota-Minnesota border:”

Kathy sent us the link to the whole sorry story;

https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/03/13/native-american-child-adoption-letter/

Thank you, Kathy, for opening our eyes to this awful chapter in the history of Native American people.

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Some Dandy Lodge History

By listowelconnection

On March 9, 2023

In Listowel

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Running Repairs

Helen Dunlea took this great photograph of my brother holding someone’s horse while the farrier, Mr. Palmer reattaches a shoe. Horses need to wear shoes to protect their hooves from the hard road. It’s handy to have the farrier among the riders at the meet.

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The Dandy Lodge

The late Tom O’Halloran of Bridge Road realised that he was witnessing history when he saw the careful relocation of The Dandy Lodge from Bridge Road to Childers’ Park. He also realised that he was in a unique position to chronicle the event in photographs. The O’Halloran family have shared his great photographs of that piece of Listowel history with us.

This view from the back shows how the cottage had fallen into disrepair.

This is the view as work commenced. The old phone box was demolished at the same time.

This closeup shows detail of the eaves. You can see the numbers clearly on the bricks. Every brick was numbered and then reconstructed like a paint by numbers job.

This is one of the old windows. The new ones replicated them to the T.

(more of this story tomorrow)

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A Weekend on the Sidelines

My granddaughters play soccer so I spent a pleasant Saturday supporting their teams on my visit to Cork.

Spare a thought for the mentors and match officials. Our young people owe so much to these individuals who give up so much of their time to them.

I feel sad to hear of all the abuse and ill-treatment meted on to this cohort of civic spirited and underappreciated individuals.

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Horror of Horrors

It’s over 70 years ago now but still within living memory!

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A Book, a Cook and Listowel CU at 50

By listowelconnection

On March 8, 2023

In Listowel

Corner of Listowel Town Square in March 2023

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A Favourite Book

I love this book so much it became my gift of choice last Christmas. It has a fact for everyday and one of Brian Bilston’s apt and quirky little poems. I love his new made up words (dords) so much that I had to share them with you.

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I photographed a Photographer

I couldn’t resist taking a snap when I ran into my friend Catherine Moylan in The Listowel Arms. She was chatting to Daria Piaseczna. Daria is a photographer and she was delivering her portrait of Catherine to her.

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Kathy White House Buckley

I told you that I went to Vincent Carmody’s lecture in the library. I was then inundated with questions about the lady who was the subject of the talk, Kathy Buckley of Upper William Street. So, here is an article from an Irish American newspaper published 2017 when Kathy was honoured at Listowel Food Fair.

Kathy Buckley, cook to three US Presidents (Coolidge, Hoover, and Roosevelt), who will be honored at the 21st Listowel Food Fair.

Were she alive today, the odds are that Kathy Buckley would be as well-known as celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. Sharon Ní Chonchúir profiles the Irish woman who was head cook for three U.S. presidents.

Kathy Buckley was born in Upper William Street in Listowel, Co. Kerry. She was the eldest of seven. Her father worked as a cooper in a workshop at the rear of their house, and her mother came from a long-established family of grocers and shoemakers.

When Kathy was in her early teens she left school to take a job in the kitchen of the Butler Arms Hotel in Waterville. She showed a talent for cooking, and eventually that flair would take her all the way to the White House.

In the early 1900s, a group of wealthy Americans, including one J.P. Morgan, visited the hotel. By now Kathy was head cook, and Morgan was so impressed by her cooking that he asked her to come and work for him in Connecticut.

“Kathy told J.P. that he would have to ask her father first,” says Vincent Carmody, a relative of Kathy’s by marriage. “So J.P. wrote to Lawrence Buckley and he gave his permission, provided that J.P. promised to send Kathy home if she was unhappy or unable to settle in America.”

He needn’t have worried, for Kathy settled in quickly and started to add to her culinary skills. The lavish banquets she prepared in the Morgans’ mansion soon became legendary.

“She told me a story from that time that made her sad,” recalls Patrick Buckley, Kathy’s nephew, who still lives in the house on William Street where Kathy was born. “One day, she was preparing steaks for the Morgans’ dogs to eat and she couldn’t help feeling it was wrong. She knew there were many men in America and at home in Ireland who were starving. She felt guilty giving such good meat to dogs.”

However, Kathy’s own story was not destined to be sad, it held one more twist in store. J.P. Morgan had Calvin Coolidge, then the U.S. Vice President, to dinner one night and he too was taken with Kathy’s cooking. He was so taken that he asked her to become head of the White House kitchens when he became President.

Kathy retained this position for the duration of his presidency and for the presidential terms of both Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She would look back upon this time with fondness when she eventually retired to Listowel in the early 1950s.

By that stage, she had earned the nickname “Kathy White House” in the town and she often regaled her family and friends with tales of her time among the powerful and famous. The story that stands out for Patrick Buckley is the one she told him about Charles Lindbergh.

“President Coolidge hosted a private reception to honor him for becoming the first solo pilot to cross the Atlantic,” says Patrick. “After the reception, Kathy was one of the people he invited to take a trip with him on his plane. She didn’t like the idea and told him she would rather stay on terra firma. Imagine!”

The Listowel short story writer Bryan McMahon had stories about Kathy too. His mother Joanna was friends with Kathy and he would often eavesdrop on their conversations. He shared many of these stories with Carmody.

“Kathy told Joanna about a time when the White House staff were lined up to meet a new president,” says Vincent. “When Kathy was introduced as the head of the kitchen, she felt obliged to say that she had never voted for his party and never would. The President might have been taken aback but he told her that was her right as an American citizen. Doesn’t that show the type of character she was?” That president was Franklin Roosevelt.

Another tale shows the same independence of character. Once, Kathy was about to enter the lift when a senior member of the executive, who was already in the lift and didn’t like mixing with the household staff, told her to wait for its return.
“Quick as a flash, Kathy replied, ‘That’s fine, I will share with the President,’ who was coming up the corridor,” says Vincent. “She was a strong woman, never afraid to speak her mind.

Patrick Buckley R.I.P. Deana and Kevin O’Malley U.S ambassador and his wife and Vincent Carmody at the microphone.

Nevertheless, she was also someone who knew her place in the White House. When Joanna asked Kathy if she ever witnessed any global crises, her response was a modest one. “If my sandwiches came back from the Oval Office uneaten, I knew there was a world crisis,” she said.

She brought mementos of her time in the White House back with her to Listowel when she retired. They remain there to this day.

One of the most prized is the Christmas present Kathy received from President Hoover in 1930. The White House was being renovated at the time and wooden beams were replaced by steel. The President used some of the beams to make pen holders for his staff. Patrick Buckley now has this penholder on his wall along with the envelope and note that came with it.

“All the way from the White House to William Street,” he laughs.

Vincent Carmody has recipe books and menu cards that Kathy collected on her travels. “She was always looking for new dishes to serve the Presidents,” he says.

There are also letters Kathy received from Herbert Hoover’s wife Lou Henry, as well as the key that President Coolidge received when he was given the freedom of Fort Worth in Texas. He gave this to Kathy as a gift when he returned from that city.

Kathy broke her hip in 1969 and spent some time in a nursing home in Listowel before she died. Both Vincent and Patrick spent many evenings with her there.

Vincent and Patrick going through memorabilia

“Her mind would often travel back to earlier days as she lay in that darkened room,” remembers Vincent. “She would ask me to light a fire in the Oval Office or collect a tray from the Rose Garden. She never forgot the White House to her dying day.”

And her nephew will never forget his earliest memory of his aunt. “Kathy placed a huge bowl of homemade custard, rich with cream, in front of me. I was used to Bird’s Custard (a readymade brand) at the time and I told her I didn’t like hers. She threw me a look and said, ‘If it was good enough for three American presidents, it’s good enough for you.’” ♦

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Sharon Ní Chonchúir (who researched and wrote this article) lives and works in West Kerry, Ireland, and much of her writing is concerned with the changing face of modern Irish culture. She writes in this issue on Katie, a woman from Kerry who was the first Irish-born White House Chef.

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Celebrations at Listowel Credit Union

Jimmy joined long standing Credit Union stalwarts to celebrate 50 years in business yesterday March 7 2023.

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