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

Seán Slemon on top of the world and Dan Keane remembers

(photo: Timothy John MacSweeney)

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Seán Slemon, World Irish Dancing Champion 2015


One young man with a very strong Listowel connection is Seán Slemon.  Seán’s dad is Harry Slemon of Listowel and Seán is a pupil at Scoil Realt na Maidine. Recently Seán travelled with his sister Leah, who was also a qualifier for the World Irish Dancing championships, to Montreal. Seán is no stranger to the world stage. He already has one world title to his name. In Montreal he added another. Well done, Sean and his very supportive family and teachers.

Happy men: This is a photo of the newly crowned world champion, Seán Slemon with delighted dancing master, Jimmy Smith.

Jimmy Smith with his trophy when he was a champion back in the day.

Seán Slemon and trophy.     (photos: Rinceoirí na Ríochta and Annette Slemon)




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Reminiscences from the late Dan Keane on some local singers

If we are to accept that music in its broader
sense means music, song and dance, then the soul of song must likewise embrace
every aspect of the musical arena. To put on record every singer, dancer and
musician that have graced the parish even in my lifetime would be a formidable
task.


In two articles which I have written Cross-roads
and Comhaltas in Moyvane and Knockanure, I have mentioned musicians I have
known, and might I say musicians held in high regard.


Going back to my early childhood I can recall a
white-haired old man sitting in his own corner singing songs. The man was
William Leahy of Carrueragh, he must have impressed me as the memory lives on.
In later years I heard his grandaughter playing the fiddle, she is also Mrs.
Leahy.


My father and mother were both good singers, and
if I leap forward in years I must say my nephew Michael O’Connor can take me
back to memories of my father when he sings ‘Skibbereen’. Michael’s brother
Bernie has an immense amount of songs but has a different style.


In my school days I remember the teacher Thomas
O’Callaghan during singing lessons saying, “You can’t sing properly if you
don’t open your mouth”. He even referred to the way Paddy Scanlon could
sing. Paddy had a grand voice with a musical ring, he could sing in the bog or
around the land, but like many a good singer he was too shy for the stage.


There was another schoolmate of mine, John
O’Connor late of Kilmeaney. John was a wonderful singer, no gradh for the
stage, but it was the magnetism of his singing which held the crowd at Flynns
on the occasion of Willie Finnucane’s song on the raid at Flynns…..

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Presentation Convent, Listowel



My convent photos last week brought back memories to so many people, I’ve decided to include a few more I took at the same time.

The auctioneer”s sign has come down. Could we be about to see movement on this lovely property?

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Foggy Listowel

A heat haze over the river these mornings speaks to me of summer’s approach.

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Hope


“There’s life after Leaving. My Dad failed first time around and now they’re studying his plays for the exams. But he did repeat, and passed the following year.”


The dad in question is John B. Keane and the quote is from Billy Keane in yesterday’s Irish Independent.

Listowel Town Park and Gorse Fires in Moanvenlagh

Nesting Time

( Photo;  Timothy John MacSweeney)

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Saturday in Childers’ Park

Listowel is a truly beautiful place to live. One of its many treasures is the Cows Lawn/Childers Park. Here are a few photos I took on an Saturday morning walk there recently.

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Listowel Juvenile Rugby Training


It was heartwarming to see all the little would-be Jonathan Sextons and their trainers at work in the park on Saturday morning.

“A child, more than all the other gifts that Earth can offer to declining man brings hope with it and forward looking thoughts.”      Wordsworth

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Photobomb Irish style




( photo: Live Gaelic)



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Celtic Crosses in St. Michael’s Graveyard



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In Childers’ Park

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Nearly Here Now




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Gorse Fires



There has been much coverage in the media of the horrific gorse fires which threatened the National Park in Killarney recently. Unfortunately it was not just in Killarney that gorse fires did damage. Liz Brosnan and John Curtin took the following photos of fires near Listowel in Moanvelagh last week.

(Liz Brosnan)
(John Curtin)

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Silver Lining; Carrots and Flowers for the winner


Many Clouds, the winner of Saturday’s Aintree Grand National has his own Facebook page. He posted some photos taken by his friends at his post races party.

photos; Many Clouds

Ag. Show June 29 1953, Bríd Nolan R.I.P.





That Photo again


June 29 1953, North Kerry Agricultural Show in the sports field

Vincent Carmody and Margaret Ward have worked
hard on getting the names for our 1953 photograph. Some of the people came from
the country and were not known to my two townies. Some others were too difficult
to decipher but following is a fairly complete list.

 Included, sitting or standing in front of
railing, 

Right to left,

Paddy Moloney(Charles St.), Jim O’Sullivan,
Mary T.O’Sullivan, (Charles St.)  Pat and Johnny O’Flaherty, Church St., Eileen
O Flaherty is seated in front of  Noreen and Eileen Scanlon,Greenville , Martin?
Holly (St Brendan’s Tce.), Gene Moriarty ( Charles St.) Nuala Buckley ,seated (Patrick
St.), Nora Flaherty, ( O’Connell’s Ave), Fealey Brothers, Seamus and Sean ( O’Connell’s Ave),
Mr Morgan, (Colbert St.), Brendan Behan (Colbert St.) pronounced Behane.

Included behind the railing,

Right to left,

Mrs Jim O’Sullivan (Charles St.), Mrs Enright (
Charles Street), Theresa O” Carroll (Red Cottages), Mrs Howard and daughter
Ella ( Greenville) Mrs. Nellie O’Flaherty, (Greenville) …..,….Mrs. Thomas
Mulvihill, (Lower William St.), (at back) ? Sweeney, ( Church St.)  Mona Cantillon ( Patrick St.) Jackie and Sheila Buckley, ( Patrick St.) Babe
O’Sullivan, (St. Brendan’s Tce), Lizzy Griffin (O’Connell’s Ave), Mary Whelan,(
Market St.), Marie Neligan, (Clieveragh and Colbert St.), Lizzy (Fitzgerald)
Sayers, (Colbert St.) 

Michael O’Sullivan, (Patrick Street).  at end leaning on fence

Sitting on wooden stand, 

Included right to Left,

John Keane ( O’Connell’s Ave)with white shirt,
Toddy Griffin ( O’Connell’s Ave), Michael Downey with black jacket( O’Connell’s
Ave), Michael Barrett (Ballybunion Road), John Murphy (Gurtcreen), Maurice
Cahill (Main Street), (Junior Griffin (Bridge Road), Paddy McGuiness (Upper
Church St), Edward Mahoney (Charles Street), Ned Boursin (Church Street). ?
O’Carroll (Red Cottages), Maurice Kennelly (Patrick St.)

At back,

Miss O Sullivan (Charles St.), Peggy
Walsh (Market St.), Martin Sheehy 2nd boy(Main St.), Joe Guerin
(Convent St.) Eileen Harmon (Patrick St.) Miss Kennelly (Patrick St), Mrs Clem Crowley
(Church St.) Kathleen Medill (Patrick St.), Noreen O Hanlon (Patrick St.)
Margaret Dillon (Colbert Street),

at backR to L 
Tommy Dalton, Junior Griffin, Kathleen O’Sullivan  (Dowd’s Road), Sean O Brien and John O Brien
(Convent St.)

The photograph appeared in the Thursday July 31th 1952 edition of the Evening Echo and it was captioned, “Watching the jumping competitions at the North Kerry Show, held at Listowel yesterday”  



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The late Bríd Nolan



The teacher is Speech and Drama teacher, Bríd Nolan R.I.P. These are her prizewinning pupils at Pres. Listowel from the early eighties. I recognize Pio Stack, Lucinda Lyons,  Celine Kennelly and Catherine? Pierse.  Maybe someone else will fill us in on the other names and tell us where they are now.

Bríd was the epitome of grace and eloquence. Until late in her life, she travelled from her home in West Limerick in hail rain and snow to her job in Listowel. She loved her girls and she took immense pride in seeing them succeed. She was dearly loved by staff and students alike as they vied with each other to see who would “carry Mrs. Nolan’s bag.” Carrying her bag to the next class was a task always undertaken with pride. Bríd was a very devout Christian and I’m sure she would appreciate a prayer from those of you who remember her today.

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House for sale

This charming house in Clieveragh has the original thatch under the tin roof. It would be lovely to see someone buy it and restore it as a typical Irish thatched cottage.

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Bye, bye Sun


(photo:Ballybunion Prints)



These balmy days in early April 2015 are set to leave us for a while. It was great while it lasted.

Vincent Carmody and the late Mike Sheehy remember football in 1957

(Timothy John MacSweeney)

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Listowel Emmetts, North Kerry Champions 1957



This picture, taken in the sports field is fairly poor quality but Vincent Carmody tells me that these are the men in it:

Players in the photo,

Front L to R

John (Nobby) Canty-Connell, Pat Whelan, John Murphy, Thomas Grogan, Timmy Walsh (capt) Michael Dowling, Bert Griffin, John Healy.

Back,

Tom Fitzgerald ( between supporters), Phil Healy, Celestine Stack, Andy Molyneaux (behind Cel. Stack), Bob Murphy ,Jim Guerin, Paddy O’Connor,  Jim Harmon, Fr. Teddy Molyneaux, Billy Kelly.

Supporters included and identified, 

Front,

Denny Carroll, Mossy Walsh, Canon Peter O’Sullivan, Patsy Leahy, (Trainer)

Back,

Sean O’Sullivan, Jack and Jim Galvin,Chuck Roche, Michael Carey, Toddy O’Connor (Chairman).

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These players were the heroes of a young Michael Sheehy of Main Street. Years later he recalled and posted on the internet his experience of playing in the street league in Listowel in 1957.

I remember the town league as if it
was yesterday. What great games between the different streets. I remember playing
with the Ashes around 1960 and the Ashes winning and still have the medal but
it says 1957 which would have made me 12. We had guys like the MacMahons, Toddy Enright, Junior & Bert Griffin, Frank Murray etc. What great times they were
just to have the bragging rights for a year. Now as I think of the places that
made up the “Ashes” I doubt if you could field a team. How sad it
is. Now as I think in The Small Sguare the only person to live there over the last
many years was Mrs. Scully. R.I.P. Everyone else closes their business and lives
somewhere else.

Happy memories for Mike. May he rest in peace.


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Summer Days are on the way again



 A photo reminder of things to come on Ballybunion beach from Ballybunion Prints Beach

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Mass in Pres. Listowel

The late Bishop Diarmuid O’Suilleabháin concelebrated mass to mark a refurbishment at Presentation Secondary School

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How many of you have heard of this famous scholar?


Michael
MacAuliffe, also known as Max Arthur Macauliffe, was a senior British
administrator in India, a scholar and author, renowned for his translation of
Sikh scripture and history into English.

Born
Michael MacAuliffe at Newcastle West, County Limerick on 10 September 1841, he
was educated at Newcastle School, Limerick, and Springfield College. He
attended Queen’s College Galway between 1857 and 1863, being awarded junior
scholarships in the Literary Division of the Arts Faculty for 1857-8, 1858-9,
and 1859-60. He was awarded a B.A. degree with first class honours in Modern
Languages in 1860. He obtained a senior scholarship in Ancient Classics for
1860-1, and a senior scholarship in Modern Languages and History for 1861-2. He
also served as Secretary of the college’s Literary and Debating Society for the
1860-1861 session.

Max
Arthur Macauliffe entered the Indian Civil Service in 1862, and arrived in the
Punjab in February 1864. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Punjab in
1882,and a Divisional Judge in 1884. He retired from the Indian Civil Service
in 1893.

Max
Arthur Macauliffe wrote the definitive English translation of the Sacred Book
of the Sikh religion, the Guru Granth Sahib. He also wrote The Sikh Religion:
its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors (six volumes, Oxford University Press,
1909). He was assisted in his works by Pratap Singh Giani, a Sikh scholar.

It is widely believed that Max Arthur
converted to Sikhism before his death. He is held in high esteem among the Sikh
communion, in particular the intelligentsia, for his monumental translation
into English of the Sikh Scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib. He was awarded the
degree of M.A. (honoris causa) by his alma mater in 1882. Max Arthur Macauliffe
died at his home in London on 15 March 1913

Catching up with family and friends in Listowel



Deserted Church St. on a sunny Sunday in April 2015


When the sun shines here everyone heads for Ballybunion.

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Gurtenard House



Refurbrishment on this historic old house is well under way. When finished it will be a welcome addition to the tourist infrastructure of Lovely Listowel.

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Out and About with my camera


When you live in Kerry, you look forward to times like Christmas and Easter when the family comes home and everyone gets to meet up with old friends. I had my Cork family with me for Easter. Here are a few photos.


run to Daddy
in Listowel Garden Centre

 Larking about in the Square

Margaret Broderick, Madeleine O’Sullivan, Elaine O’Sullivan and Anne Cogan in the park.
Proud Nana


Pauline, Paula, Jed, Gillian and Penny, the Chute family of Upper Church St. in the park on Easter Saturday 2015.

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Puppy in Training

 Lovely photo from Ballybunion Prints

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