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

Fr. Harnett, A Curse and the Lartigue Theatre Company

By

On March 12, 2020

In Uncategorized

All Changed

Upper Church Street, Listowel July 2007

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Looking for Old Photos

Can you help, please?

Hi there,

I am in search of some old photos of a public house that used to reside at 35 William St, Listowel. The Pub was called mulvihills and i cannot find any evidence of it online.

The pub was sold in the 80’s.

If you can shed any light on this bar will you tell me and I’ll pass on the information.

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A Dementia Poem



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From the Schools’ Folklore Collection

Fr Harnett

Long ago there lived in the Parish of Newtownsandes and old woman. One morning she went to her dairy for a pan of milk. When she was returning from the dairy she slipped with the pan of milk and fell. Just as she was falling the pan struck her in the side, and injured her, and the milk was spilled. When she went in home she had a very bad pain in her side, and she had to go to bed.

She spent three weeks in bed, but after the three weeks she was as bad as ever, and her side was greatly swollen. When she saw no improvement coming on her she sent for the doctor. But when the doctor saw her he said that he could find nothing wrong with her. At last she sent for one of the neighbours.

The neighbour was an old woman who was supposed to be with the good people. When the old woman looked at her she shook her head and said, “When you were coming in from your dairy that morning a woman from a fort asked you for a cup of milk. Now you did not hear her and she threw the cup at you, and it went in through your side. So it is not in the power of any doctor to cure you”.

She spent about another week in bed. At that time she heard that there was a priest in Duagh named Father Harnett who used to cure a lot of sick people. Her friends took her to the priest soon after that. When the priest saw her he took a book from his pocket and he kept reading over her for about ten minutes. Then he told her to go home and that she would be better. The woman went home, and the pain was as bad as ever. The next day her side broke out and glass began coming out of it. The glass was coming out of it for about a week. After a week all the glass of a cup had come out of it. Then her side healed up as good as ever.

Joe Walsh

Told by

Mrs Mary Walsh, Leitrim East, Newtownsandes, 54 years

Collector- Joe Walsh. Informant- Mrs Mary Walsh, Age 54, Address, Leitrim East, Co. Kerry

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The Lartigue Drama Group

I dont have a date for this happy gathering but at a guess it’s the 1980s


Mike Moriarty gave me the names.

FRONT ROW; Denis O’Mahony, Gertie O’Keefe, Sean Moriarty, Peggy Brick, Danny Hannon, Noreen O’Connell, Damian Stack, Joan Stack, Donie Finucane (R.I.P.), Mairead O’Carroll.

SECOND ROW; Martin Griffin, Jackie Carmody (R.I.P.), Miriam Carey (R.I.P.), P.J. Broderick, Helen Walsh, Maurice O’Sullivan, Louise O’Shea, Jack Joyce, Jackie McGillicuddy, Kay Ryan, Anthony McAuliffe.

THIRD ROW; Cathal FitzGerald, Jerome Murphy (R.I.P.), Batt O’Keefe, Ursula O’Connor, Michael O’Neill (R.I.P.), Anne FitzGerald, Louis O’Connell, Oonagh Harnett, Cliff Gore, Danny Moriarty.

BACK ROW; Mike Moriarty, Gillian Hilliard, Jed Chute, Paddy Walsh, Noreen O’Mahony, Pat Scully, Toddy Buckley (R.I.P.), Bernie Dalton, Johnny McElligott, Angela Hayes.

Molly, Macroom, Hidden Treasure and Listowel Drama Group

By

On March 11, 2020

In Uncategorized

Molly at Home


I haven’t given an update on Molly for a while. Here she is in her happy place with her Christmas toy. She has been to the groomers since and is looking even more handsome these days.

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I was in Macroom, Co Cork

Last week I met a friend in Macroom for lunch. We ate in Granville’s and it was lovely, good food, friendly staff and cozy dining room.

I parked in the square just opposite this well named premises. It is truly a golden treasure, a throwback to the days of my childhood.


Once upon a time many shops had bars like these fitted outside their windows. This was in the days when fairs were held on the streets and shopkeepers needed to protect their very expensive plate glass. It’s lovely to see this one still in place.

Further down the street in this blue and yellow shop there was another of these fair day protectors. This one was removable but seems to be being left up permanently here.

Back to Golden’s and it’s old advertising hoardings… This one exhorts us to smoke a brand of cigarettes no longer available.

This place was certainly a general store, a virtual cornucopia judging by the goods displayed in the windows.

Among the mirrors and jugs was a jewish menorah and some various christian imagery.

It was not clear to me if these items were for sale or merely for decoration.

I was fascinated to see an old fashioned ring board and a skipping rope.

The sign inviting musicians to the monthly sessions had been updated since I was last here.

The Guinness toucan was on the wall and in the window was the old Guinness advertising slogan; Guinness is Good for You.  Are we allowed to make unsubstantiated claims like that nowadays?


Is that cctv I see beside the golden finial? The plasterwork depicts the oak leaves and acorns below some sheaves of corn, a rich harvest image for a lovely lovely old bar.

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From the Schools’ Folklore Collection

A Hidden Treasure

There was a very old woman who lived in a small little house close to the village of Newtownsandes. She seemed to be very poor and the village people used to give her food. One day the priest said to her, “You seem to be always looking for charity”, and the old woman said, “Sure what else could I do. I haven’t a pig, a goat, or a man”. In a short time after, the old woman grew sick and was ordered to hospital. The neighbours went to her little house. As the ambulance came they were preparing her for the journey, and on no account would she allow them to take off a flannel skirt. So when she got to the hospital the nuns ordered the skirt to be removed, but the old lady screamed aloud and thought to hold on to the skirt. However they succeeded in removing the skirt. The nuns got suspicious and stood by after giving orders to two wardswomen to get a scissors and open up the skirt. To their surprise, there were nineteen sovereigns sewed in a tuck to the skirt. She lived for one week after, and during that time the other patients in the ward could not sleep as the old woman was all the time shouting for the flannel skirt.

Collector- Pat Stack- Informant- Nurse Stack- Age 62 Address, Newtownsandes, Co. Kerry

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Listowel Drama Group

The curtain has come down for the last time on A Daughter from over the Water. This 2020 production by Listowel Drama Group entertained audiences  in the dreary evenings of early March 2020….great cast and excellent set, as usual.

Cast of Listowel Drama Groups production of A Daughter from over the Water

Zingy Zest, Revival and The Cows Lawn and Link to Just a Thoughts

By

On March 10, 2020

In Uncategorized

Another shop Closure

Early 2020 has seen the closure of several businesses in Listowel. Zingyzest is added to Flavin’s, Kerry Wool and  One Stop Sweet Shop. I hope this trend is reversed soon.

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Revival 2020

This festival gets bigger and bigger every year. This year’s line up guarantees that the tickets will sell out fast. Don’t be disappointed.




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1945 Handover of the Childers’ Park

Kerry Champion Saturday, November 17, 1945; Section: Front page, Page: 1

LAND AS PUBLIC PARK

PROPOSED SCHEME

Public Park.

Mr. R. A. Macaulay, solicitor to the Council wrote to the Acting Town Clerk under date November 12th enclosing map and letter received from Messrs. M. J. Byrne and Co. Solicitors, relative to the gift to the Council of a tract- of land at Gurtinard, donated by the Listowel estate.

Messrs. M. J. Byrnes’ letter explained that the property transferred is to be held in trust for the use of the inhabitants of the town of Listowel as a public park and no buildings of any kind are to be erected thereon without the consent in writing of the transferors.

Gifts Act.

Mr. Macaulay, the Council’s Solicitor, also wrote enclosing copy of the Local Authorities (Acceptance of Gifts) Act 1945. Mr. Macaulay’s .letter stated that he had not yet had an opportunity of preparing a draft scheme for submission to the Council but that he thought it would be of great assistance and would make for economy in time if the enclosures he sent therewith were submitted to the Council to obtain their views on the broad outlines of the undertaking. The Council may have definite views affecting the management of the gift property and also affecting the provisions of the proposed scheme and when such views were submitted to him he, Mr. Macaulay would prepare a draft of the scheme which could be submitted to the Council in due course. Having discussed the matter the Council unanimously approved as far as possible the provisions of the scheme but they requested the Council’s Solicitor to draft a scheme which would be considered at next meeting.

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Just a Thought

Last week’s Thoughts are at the link below

Just a Thought

Concert in the Listowel Arms, soldiers houses and First Confession

By

On March 9, 2020

In Uncategorized

A Great Cause


They’re trying to raise enough money to purchase a bus for the use of the service users of St. John of God. If you’re looking for something to do on Friday night next, why not pop into The Listowel Arms. A great night is promised.

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In Fashion


Two North Kerry fashion designers are in line for an award according to The Kerryman.

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All’s Changed, changed utterly


Last week I attended Saicrimint an Chéid Aithrí with my youngest grandchild, Cora. This happy experience is a far cry from my own daunting first confession. 

Cora drew a picture of her “sin” or her ‘failure to love’ as it now is.

No gloomy confession box here. The little  boys and girls made their confession in the sanctuary in plain view of everyone. I even took a few pictures.

In the church of Christ our Light in Ballincollig, Cora presents her ‘sin” to Fr. George.

He listens as she explains the incident and then he gives her absolution.

Cora skips down the altar steps, her sin confessed and forgiven. Happy days!

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Gorta Walk in North Kerry in the 1980s



Michael Dowling,  Derry Tatten and Gerard Lynch on  a fundraising walk in Moyvane, Knockanure and Listowel in the eighties.

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From Minutes of a Council Meeting in 1945



EX-SERVICMMEN’S HOUSES IN LISTOWEL

After a long and unavoidable delay the British ex-servicemen’s houses are about to materialise at last. The initial work on these houses which are being built by the Irish Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Land Trust, was put in hands last week by a local contractor and I understand that four houses will be built for a start. To the Rev Canon Adderley, M . A. Listowel, more than to any other man, is the credit due for the much-belated coming of these houses, for he never lost sight of the promises made to the Irishmen who helped England in the hour of need.

Christmas 1926, an Athea Nun and a Listowel Emigrant remembers a deadly hurricane.

By

On March 6, 2020

In Uncategorized

Marian Grotto in OConnell’s Ave



This is a symbol of home for so many of my emigrant readers.

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Christmas Comforts in Wartime


Kerry Sentinel  Wednesday, December 13, 1916; Section:

Listowel Grift and Jumble – Sale.

COMFORTS FOR IRISH REGIMENTS.

Listowel, in common with most other towns in Ireland, has each winter since the war commenced established a-fund for providing winter comforts for the men of different regiments in the trenches. The regiments for whose benefit the endeavours of the Listowel Comforts Committee have and are being made, are the Royal Munster Fusiliers, 1st and 2nd Battalions, and Irish Guards. The comforts which are provided consist of shirts, socks, mufflers, mittens, etc. The committee have hitherto been most successful in getting these comforts distributed properly and they have the satisfaction of knowing from letters received both from officers and man that the consignments dispatched have reached their destinations and were highly appreciated by their gallant recipients.

 Last year and this year the committee, for the purpose of carrying on this excellent and patriotic work have held two gift and jumble sales both of which have been extremely successful. To get the necessary stuff for the sales the committee appealed to the people of the town of Listowel and district for donations and gifts of any and every kind and the response on both occasions-has-been magnificent. It has been truly said that whenever an object as really deserving and laudable the people of Listowel are always ready and willing to subscribe and the committee are in a position to heartily endorse this statement as nothing could have been more open-handed, and generous than the response to their appeal both last year and this. 

The gift and jumble sale this year was held in the Gymnasium Hall and the committee have every reason to congratulate themselves on; the result. The net proceeds of the sale and the grand drawing of prizes held in connection with it amount to the sum of £125: The committee, it might be stated, were fortunate enough this year in securing the assistance of the R M Fusiliers band which contributed not a little to the success of the occasion. To all the ladies and gentlemen who so cheerfully assisted, and to the public generally for their generous support, the committee-desire to tender their sincere and hearty thanks.

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Nun on a Hay Float

Brigid O’Brien posted this gorgeous photo to the Athea Facebook page.

Nell Casey (Sr. Loretta RIP). Kay O’Sullivan, Breda O’Sullivan holding Margaret O’Sullivan (Mrs. Tim Scanlon).

Love the tackle on the Horse and great memories of the Hay Car!

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Where are they Now


Mary Ursula O’Rourke of Church Street now lives in the U.S.


This is how Mary looked when she lived in Listowel


This is a recent photo.


Hurricane Sandy was one of the deadliest  most destructive hurricanes of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season. Mary shares this incident from that time with us.

“Hurricane Sandy saw all of  Rockaway without power, water or phone /internet. The storm water came up to the first floor of our building. A friend had to email my family to tell them we were ok We  slept in sleeping bags for 2 weeks until everything  was restored A great lesson in how we take our amenities for granted and miss them when they are gone.  We managed to see patients every day though in daylight but without light or phones .They just walked in sick hoping we were there. As they had no where to go as all the other doctors offices in Rockaway took weeks to recover from the water damage.”

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