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

After the Snow

By

On November 22, 2024

In Listowel

John Kelliher’s photo of snowy Listowel on November 21 2024

<<<<<<<<<

Meeting Eleanor

In Manor in Tralee earlier this week I met this lady for the first time. This is none other than Eleanor (Walsh) Belcher whose vivid memories of a happy childhood growing up in Listowel have entertained you all. It was great to meet a very popular contributor to Listowel Connection. I hope that meeting her has stirred up the memory bank and maybe she will put pen to paper while she is in Kerry. She has the writing gene and her reminiscences are a pleasure to read.

<<<<<<<

Young Entrepreneur

On my way home from Tralee I popped in to Kelly’s to buy the great Lyreacrompane Journal and I was impressed by this display outside the shop.

These beautifully crafted and painted flower boxes are the work of an enterprising young man. I’ll have to call back to get more details.

<<<<<<<

The Recipies

A novel way of cooking your turkey from Mary Lavery

And for Margaret here is the plum pudding recipe…

<<<<<<<<

More from the Food fair Craft Fair 2024

Olive Stack, artist has turned her hand to wearable art. Her charming, unique micro mosaics are little keepsake pieces, ideal for gifting to someone away or at home.

Delia O’Donoghtue always has lovely pots. Her wildlife collection is absolutely beautiful.

From wearable art we go to edible art. Fifi Shades of Cake’s pieces have to be seen to be believed

When I met Sarah for the second time she had a bevy of female relations gathered around her stall.

Copies of the Foodfair calendar were available to buy.

<<<<<<<<<

Promoting my book on Talkabout

I had a great chat with Deirdre on Talkabout on Radio Kerry last week. I told her all about Thade Kelly’s Hen as well as rabbiting on a bit about pet funerals and useless but precious tat.

Here is the link…

My Interview with Deirdre Walsh on Talkabout

<<<<<<<<

A Fact

Elephants can hear one another’s trumpeting calls from a distance of up to 5 miles away.

<<<<<<<<<

More from the craft fair and the old ESB Booklet

By

On November 21, 2024

In Listowel

Church Street Upper

<<<<<<<<

Christmas Fare

In this ESB booklet of yore here is what Maura Laverty suggests you eat at Christmas.

<<<<<<<<<

Meeting Another Cousin

This is Peter O’Callaghan, better known in Kanturk as Cal. Peter is a videographer but it’s not his videos everyone is talking about these days.

Peter loves Halloween and he organised a massive display at his house this year. There were ghosts rising out of coffins and witches and goblins scaring half the town.

Peter is another generation away from Ben, the weaver.

<<<<<<<<

“One Man and his Dog”

Photo and text shared by Johnny Joy on Facebook

Irish Guide Dogs, Tralee Branch puppy in training, Winston, paid his regular visit to Paul Kennelly this evening. There’s only the small. difference of 93 years between the two lads. Paul.always takes a keen interest in the puppies in.training and is more thsn happy to add to their social experiences. Winston has grown a bit since his first visit in April

. He’s being expertly trained by Ber and Mike outside Listowel, but likes to check in on his pals in Finuge every so often too.

<<<<<<<

Listowel Food Fair Craft Fair 2024

Some of the lovely people I met in The Listowel Arms at this year’s fair.

A mini Relihan clan gathering

Sr. Eileen and the famous chef are new friends.

Is Prifma Listowel’s prettiest shop? It certainly has a lot of pretty stock and a pretty and friendly owner too.

<<<<<<<<

A Fact

An Egyptian pyramid is 756 feet long on each side, 481 feet high, and composed of 2.3 million stones weighing nearly 3 tons each for a total mass of 6.5 million tons.

<<<<<<<<<

A Christmas Story, a Craft Fair and a New Poetic Voice

By

On November 20, 2024

In Duagh, Listowel, Poem

Church Street, November 2024

<<<<<<<

Kerry in 1901

I found this picture of a market day in Killarney in 1901 on the internet. Houses are thatched. Horses and carts are where tractors would be nowadays.

Meanwhile in Tralee

The local painting and decorating firm of John J. Foley painted this magnificent ceiling in the convent chapel at Balloonagh.

The market place is constantly changing. Art is forever.

<<<<<<<

A Christmas Story

By Maura Laverty

Charity shops are full of treasures. This is the marvellous Christmas book I found in St. Vincent de Paul charity shop in Listowel. It dates back 50 or 60 years and is an insight into a world that is fading into memory.

The following story from Maura Laverty is a gem.

Turron is very like nougat. It is thought to originally be a kind of halva brought to Spain by the Moors. It was a confection of honey, egg whites and nuts.

Now read on.

<<<<<<<

Listowel Food Fair 2024 Craft Fair

On the Sunday of the Food Fair there is always an exceptional craft fair held in The Listowel Arms. Here are just a few of the highlights.

The lovely entrance bower set the scene for the picturesque displays within.

Mom’s Porter Cake business is about so much more than just porter cake. The mom here, Sherley, is not the mom who gave her name to the business. Sherley’s mom inspired her and now she is passing on the skills and the recipes to the next generation. She sells every kind of confection from Christmas cakes the size of cupcakes to huge celebration cakes. I bought a little porter cake and it was delicious.

Josie is always a pleasure to meet at a craft fair. I raised a false rumour here that she was retiring from knitting. She told me she was. But thanks to the miracle of cataract surgery she is back in business and knitting more than ever. Her babies’ cardigans and toys are heirlooms to be treasured by generations. Lovely lady and lovely craftwork! If you want a unique handmade baby present, Josie is the woman to meet.

I love this man’s honey. He is Jean louis Valentin and his honey is called Trieneragh Honey, after the home address of his bees. He is also a skilled craftsman in wood, producing beautiful wooden products. He is a previous winner at Listowel Food Fair. Jean Louis is always up for a chat. He is a great people person and his stall is always a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds.

The hard working Sarah Fitzgerald took a minute off from organising Food Fair 2024 and selling her Green Green Gate Kombucha. Sarah posed for me with mom, Peggy, and aunt, Carmel, three lovely ladies, always a pleasure to meet.

<<<<<<<<

A Poem

Today’s poem comes from a lovely new anthology by a new poet, Anne Donegan.

This beautiful stylish little book is in the local shops now. It has many charming poems, some with a local flavour, that will bring a memory, a tear or a smile.

Here is an example;

It took a poet to see the potential in this heart shaped stone and to craft this lovely thought provoking poem.

<<<<<<<

A Fact

The name of the legendary Lady Godiva’s horse was Aethenoth.

(You can thank me when it comes up in the table quiz.)

>>>>>>>>>

The First of the Christmas Stuff

By

On November 19, 2024

In Listowel, Personal, Poem, Schools' Folklore

Courthouse Road in November 2024

<<<<<<<

The Only Upside of a Funeral

Meeting relatives whom you rarely meet is one of the lighter sides of the very sad occasion that is a family funeral.

The four older people in this photo have all descended from Benjamin Brosnan of Ballybahallow, Freemount.

L to R. Sheila (O’Callaghan) Healy, her grandmother was a daughter of Benjamin’s, Mary (Ahern) Cogan, her grandfather a son of Ben’s and Norah (Ahern) ORahilly and Morgan Ahern, their grandmother was a daughter of Ben the weaver.

This is an excerpt from the school folklore collection of 1937…

“Weaving was carried on by Ben Brosnahan and his son Johnny. They lived in the townland of Ballybahallow at the eastern side of Tim Mullane’s haybarn. They worked at two looms and made “bundle-cloth” from linen thread, and blanket and frieze from woolen thread. When the woolen stuffs were woven they were taken to the “tucking mill in Coolbane owned by O’Shaughnessy’s in order to be properly shrunken before wear. “

Isn’t family history fascinating?

<<<<<<<<<

Last stop on the Food Trail 2024

Jumbo’s family restaurant has been feeding North Kerry people since 1983. Jumbo’s snack box, curried chips and more are the stuff of legend.

For Listowel Food Fair, Jumbos offers a specially curated and assembled burger.

All the ingredients are local and even the serving board is from Ríocht.

One of the ingredients in this special burger is John Relihan’s prizewinning Proper Meat Sauce.

Damien is the very genial proprietor and always treats his customers to an excellent dining in or take away experience.

The place was packed on Saturday as well.

<<<<<<<<<

A Christmas Treasure

This little booklet was once given away free. Mary Sobieralski of the Vincent de Paul shop gave it to me free as well with my haul last week.

It is actually priceless.

This is the back cover of the booklet and the language suggests to me that it was printed and distributed sometime close to rural electrification when electric cookers were only just making an impact. Rural electrification began in 1946.

The writer of the booklet was Maura Laverty. Maura died in 1966. She was a prolific writer, journalist, food writer and script writer. She is famous for writing the script for Ireland’s first soap opera, Tolka Row.

I’ll share more from this little treasure tomorrow.

<<<<<<<<

Listowel Tidy Towns Local Awards

The local committee of the Tidy Towns organised a great award event on Friday November 15 2024 in the Family Resource Centre. John Kelliher took the photos.

These are some of the Tidy Town team who were there on the night.

I was honoured to be invited to be the guest speaker.

All the category winners are on Listowel Tidy Town Facebook page

<<<<<<<<

A Fact

Bears have an excellent sense of smell, better even than dogs.

<<<<<<<<<

Famous and Less Famous People

By

On November 18, 2024

In Listowel

William Street Upper

<<<<<<<<

Important Date to Remember

<<<<<<<<<

What’s Happening This Week at the FRC

<<<<<<<<<

Meeting a Celebrity in Kanturk

I was home in Kanturk for the sad occasion of a family funeral. While there I had a cuppa in this lovely cafe, Yumm, in Strand Street.

Me and my sister-in-law, Breeda with Eddie Dunbar.

This is the same lovely young man earlier this summer winning a stage at La Vuelta.

This is what Sticky Bottle (a kind of bible of cycle racing) said about him. I sourced the photograph there too.

Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco Alula) has held off many of the best climbers in the world to win the final mountain stage of La Vuelta after an absolutely sensational ride on stage 20 to Picón Blanco.

The Cork man, who already had a stage win in the bag before this second win, today rode away from all-comers on the final mountain, also moving up two places in the overall to 11th after a brilliant final week of the race.

And though the best went after him today, they simply were not able to get back on terms with Dunbar, who had only 15 seconds on the general classification group by the time he went under the red kite for 1km to go.

Dunbar followed today for a long time on the 172km queen stage from Villarcayo to Picón Blanco. But when the time came, he pulled the trigger and rode a powerful and controlled final climb to take – by far – the best win of his career.

<<<<<<<<

Listowel Food Fair Food Trail 2024

After Listowel Garden Centre and John R’s we headed to Lizzie’s.

The Home Ec. teacher and the international chef with his wife, surely a table of knowledgeable food critics.

We got a kind of noodle broth with dumplings served with bruschetta loaded with goodies….absolutely delicious.

On then to Dough Mamma. By now we are flagging a bit, well behind schedule and waddling rather than walking at this stage.

I told you earlier that all these businesses are family owned and run. Eoin was unavoidably absent but his mother stepped up to greet us and to present the food

From humble beginnings in a food truck on the forecourt of a garage, this food business has built a loyal and discerning following. We sampled delicious piazzas, loaded fries and more, a feast worth waiting for.

Here are a few of the food trailers enjoying hospitality Dough Mamma style.

The reason people are standing is that we were late and they had to give “our” tables away to loyal customers. The place was packed.

On to another packed eatery tomorrow.

<<<<<<<<

How it Used to be

I found this photo on the internet but it could be anywhere in Ireland in the 1960s or 1970s.

Bet this brings back memories to many.

<<<<<<<<<

A Fact

Two chapters in The Bible, 2 Kings and Isaiah 37 are so alike as to be almost word for word.

<<<<<<<<

Page 21 of 671

Previous

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén