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

UCC Social Science class, Scully’s Corner, some happy boys and a festival of everything seaweed related

This group of local social scientists is pictured at their conferring ceremony in UCC.  My collaborator did not give me a year.

Front row. Cork UCC staff. Far right Paddy Drummond, —–? Fr Michael Galvin.

Middle Row L-R; Garda ?, Robert and Olive Pierse, Eileen Larkin, Mrs Sheahan, Mrs Walsh, Mrs Culhane, Mr and Mrs John Pierse, Pat Kennelly. 

Back Row, l-r; Garda ? , Bill Walsh, Michael Dillane, Pat Rochford, John and Jer Kennelly and Dan Keane.

<<<<<<<


Big Changes at Scully’s Corner

Broderick’s  is also now being renovated.

<<<<<<

Ellis Island



Little known fact:

Ellis Island is named after a farmer, Thos. Ellis who owned it
and used it for grazing animals. But when millions of people were arriving into
NY and creating all sorts of chaos, not only carrying diseases, the NY
authorities purchased the Island as an Immigration Station where people could
be “processed” before being allowed into the US. Prior to that the
people went to Castlegarden, in NY. Ellis Island opened in 1892 and it is said
that in 50 years 12 million passed through. There is a lovely Irish Balled
called “Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears” which tells the story of Annie
Moore, a 15 year old Irish girl who was the first to be processed on the Island.

<<<<<<



World’s Smallest Public Library?



My daughter snapped this in Bonn recently



<<<<<<<



Noreen O’Connell is a very proud Nana. She sent me these photos of her grandsons taken on St. Patrick’s Day 2015

8 year old Chris O’ Connell was busking in Castlebar on St. Patrick’s Day 2015 and 21 month Darren O Connor enjoyed a cone while watching the Listowel parade.

<<<<<<

Seaweed Festival

Ballybunion has come up with a great idea for a festival; the Wild Atlantic Seaweed Festival. This is what the organizers say,

“Ballybunion will be celebrating everything good about seaweed…from seaweed in cookery, in healthy living, in beauty products to soaking in the age-old tradition of our famous seaweed baths at the Wild Atlantic Seaweed Weekend on the 5th, 6th & 7th of June, 2015. Our weekend will also celebrate other bounty from the sea like our local Shannon Dolphin, periwinkles, mussels, oyster, fish and sea salt.”



<<<<<<





….days like this











Looks like the whole town decamped to the sports field on June 29 1953.

 In response to John Murphy, Margaret Ward identified a few more people.

“In reply to John Murphy(who I think is one of the Murphys of the Railway Gates), yes next to him is a Cahill but it is Maurice RIP. Next to Maurice is Paddy Mc Guinness, then an O’Mahoney from Charles St. (I’m not good on first names), next is Ned Boursin, an O’ Carroll from the Red Cottages, again no first name, then a Kennelly(Cloth Hall) who married one of the Harmon girls, who is also in that photo.”



<<<<<<<



Are you researching your Kerry Ancestors?



Here is a link to a great blogpost by Kay Caball outlining what resources and records are available to you:

Researching your Kerry Ancestors

Time and Tide wait for no man

Falling into decay


I had occasion recently to pass by the convent and I took the opportunity to document its further decline. It’s very sad to see it  gradually go to rack and ruin.

End of an era !

<<<<<<<<

Radharc film of a Fair day in Abbeyfeale in 1963

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOx2U9YOvvU

<<<<<<

Happy Day in June 1953




From Marie (Nelligan) Shaw in New Jersey comes this memory.

Marie wrote;

“I remember that agricultural display in the sports field in 1953 very well. On the extreme right there is a tall man in a dark suit, that was Mr. Morgan from Colbert St., next to him is my aunt Liz and the kid sitting on the fence is me.

Regards,

Marie”



<<<<<<<



Exciting developments at Listowel Garden Centre




Listowel Garden centre is a building site at the moment. Watch out for news of its grand reopening

<<<<

Old Creamery, folklore and a paen to motherhood

Old Creamery

This photo is in Vincent Carmody’s book,  Snapshots of an Irish Market Town. It is the old McKenna’s Creamery in Listowel.

<<<<<<<

Listowel Folklore


Here is some more wisdom from the folklore archive gathered by Listowel children in 1937/38

These accounts refer to food.

Peggy’s Leg

Kevin Sheehy of Church St.
interviewed Dan Broderick also of Church Street.

Dan remembered a woman called
Peggy Carey who used to make a confection called Peggy’s Leg. It was made from
sugar and “farmers’ butter.” Peggy also sold seagrass. Peggy used to sell her wares at “Listowel Cross out in
Newtown”. ( I’m presuming this refers to Moyvane. )  The Peggy’s Leg cost  two
pence. 

Another local confectioner
was Bridge Conway. She used to sell penny bars which she made herself.

A man from Moybella,
Lisselton whose name was William Diggin used to make porridge from “yellow
meal, salt and creamery milk.”

Hand Savage of Lisselton also
had a story about William Diggin. Mr. Rice from Moybella had several men
digging potatoes. He promised a quarter of tobacco to the man who would produce
the biggest potato. William Diggin was one of the men digging the spuds. He dug
a big potato and cut it in half. Then he got another potato and quartered it and
he tied the two potatoes together with string to make one enormous potato. He
won the quarter of tobacco.

It was the custom not to give
a workman his breakfast until he had paid for it in work. A labourer often
worked for two hours on an empty stomach.

People killed a goose at
Michaelmas and on St. Martin’s Eve.

The stories told to the
children were full of hearsay and inaccuracies but also laced with gems of
wisdom. A D. Bunyan of Market Street wrote what he heard about the Famine. He
wrote about a mill on the banks of the river which was full of corn and
surrounded by soldiers guarding it. The local people used to go down to try to
get the wheat but the soldiers prevented them. Finally the wheat rotted and had
to be thrown out.

Sgiath/Sciath



Jim MacMahon set me straight on this one.

He wrote;

“The Sciath was a half moon shaped basket  made from scallops . It was originally a shield in olden times , hence the phrase … buailim  sciath ..meaning a braggart or one who struck the shield of a chieftain who hung his shield outside his castle thereby calling him out to fight .
Re Tae Lane  there used to be a shed there with a curved wall at the right hand side going down. Tim Hannon from Ballybunion told me his father had a cinema there in the very early days of films.”




<<<<<<

Celebrating the century


The extended family of Stacks of The Arch Bar now Stack’s off licence dressed in period costume on St. Patrick’s Day to celebrate their 100th  year in business.

These celebrations were tinged with sadness a short week later, with the passing of Mrs. Máiréad O’Connor (née Máiréad McGrath) of Market St., on March 24th. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

<<<<<

Celebrating Mothers


The following was read at masses in Tarbert on Mothers’ Day.

This is for the mothers who
read The Three Little Pigs, The Billygoats Gruff and Little Red Riding Hood
every night for a week. Then a little eye would open and a little voice would
ask, “Please Mom, will you read it again?”

This is for mothers who take their children to football matches and basketball games, who sit in the car and watch
and wait or stand on the sideline and when your child says,” Did you see my goal,
mom?”proud as punch you answer, “Of course, love, I wouldn’t have missed it
for the world.”

This is for mothers who run
car pools and bake birthday cakes and sew Halloween costumes and for mothers
who don’t.

This is for mothers whose
patience runs out when their two year old wants ice cream before dinner and
whose four year old says, “I’m bored. I want to go home.”

This is for mothers who
taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they went to school and for
mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

And for the mother who bites
her lip til it bleeds when her fourteen year old dyes her hair green and puts
seven earrings in each ear.

This is for mothers who don’t
sleep a wink, wondering and waiting and hoping all will come in. Now all safely
home and the lock on the door, she turns over and says., “Thank God for the end
of another weekend.”

This is for mothers whose
children have gone astray and can’t find words to reach them and all they can
do is pray.

This is for all the mothers
who cook, launder and clean, wash up all the dishes and never complain,

This is for all the mothers
who turn automatically when they hear a little voice say,”Mom” even thought
they know their own are safe at home.

This is for the heartbroken
mothers who put flowers and teddy bears on the graves of their children, who
hold precious and fond memories of times past and wonder today, what they would
look like or how tall they would stand.

This is for the mothers who
have gone home to Heaven themselves. If we had them today we would treat them
and spoil them but instead we pray for them and look forward to meeting them in
heaven.

This is for young mothers who
are learning and mature mothers who are trying to let go, for working mothers
and stay-at-home mothers, for young mothers and old.

Can I say, “Hang in there. We
need you. You are rarer than gold. God bless all mothers. May they never grow
old.”

<<<<<<

Alexandra Park



Some people live near really beautiful places, e.g. Alexandra Park London

<<<<<<



Darkness into Light, Saturday May 9 2015







Below is the link for online registration if you would like to take part in the first Listowel walk

Pieta House Darkness into Light

<<<<<<

That show on a lovely June day in 1953







John Murphy sent the following

“This is  in response to the picture dated June 29,1953.

I believe this is me the seventh person seated from fence on right and I believe Sean Cahill is seated immediately on my left  as you view picture  and that is Junior Griffin standing to the left  and behind  Sean Cahill as you view picture.

It sure brings back some great memories of that show.

Keep up the great work you are doing keeping us informed while faraway from lovely “Listowel”.

Yours Truly,

John F. Murphy ”

<<<<<

Listowel Community Centre is planning a refurb and is looking for ideas.

Daffodil Day 2015

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills

When all at once I saw a crowd

A host of golden daffodils

Daffodils are the symbol chosen by the Irish Cancer Society to symbolize its fundraising campaign. Listowel has always put in a great effort in supporting the cause which supports people who have cancer and families who suffer because of it.

On their Facebook page Listowel Daffodil Day they have posted photos of the Daffodil Day committee down through the years. It is great to see all the people who have worked so hard on this over the years but very sad to see the lovely faces of so many who have passed away. To celebrate Daffodil Day 2015 and to honour all of the local people who have lost the fight against this disease here are some of the photos.

Thank you all!

<<<<<<

Confirmation Day 2015



(photo: Scoil Realt na Maidine )

Agricultural Show in 1953 and other old stuff

June 29 1953



Margaret Ward gave me this photo from 1953. The occasion is the annual agricultural show and the place is the sports field. If you recognize yourself or your family, do tell us. The two girls in the middle of the picture with big bows in their hair and eating ice creams are daughters of the local garda, Barney Scanlon. Mrs. O’Flaherty, formerly Walshe is there and so is Gene Moriarty. Mrs Kennelly and Ned Browne are in the photo as well.

<<<<<<

Kanturk Arts Festival 2015


They had a great arts festival in my home town in the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day. I took part in a  photographic event. We went on a little tour of the town snapping away. Then we compared our snaps and shared them with the group. The Mallow Camera Club facilitated it all. We had a reading of some hilarious one act plays. Hazel Gaynor gave a great author reading and talk and I’m told that the poetry slam was brilliant but I had left by then. It’s a lovely event. I’d advise local people to take a trip there next year. It’s only down the road.

During the arts festival a local man displayed his old record collection in a shop window. Do you remember these?

<<<<<<<

No Mail Today

I took this photo of a deserted mail box in a wall beside the castle in Kanturk. I think it used to be an An Post postbox but its an unusual one.

<<<<<<,

 Reminder; Daffodil Day 2015, March 27




(photo; Listowel Daffodil Day)

Page 497 of 679

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén