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
I hope you may be able to point me in the right direction.
My wife , who is a Delaney, had a grandfather born in 1895 in Listowel by the name of Jeremiah Brandon. He left for the US , we believe, somewhere between 1912-1918 ( ? ) and ended up in the New York/New Jersey area/ He died July 1958.
We are making a trek to Ireland in July 2024 . My wife Noreen would love to find to see if there are any relatives of Jeremiah still in the area of Listowel.
If you have any great thoughts , or can point me in the direction of any databases that may help us track down any relatives, we will be most grateful.
Thanks.
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A Much Loved Local Poet
Dan Keane R.I.P. was a great scholar and preserver of local lore and stories. Here is the foreword Bryan MacMahon wrote for Dan’s book The Heather is Purple.
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Emmets Abú
Flags, bunting and this window display at Scully’s Corner, all telling the world that next weekend is a big one for Listowel Emmets…
Sunday 29th October throw in 2pm Austin Stack Park for the County Final.
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A Fact
Fleas can jump more than 200 times their body length and can accelerate 50 times faster than a space shuttle.
(I waited until after our French travels were over for that one.)
An incident from the life of Mick O’Callaghan in Gorey
Mousey Post Box
I must say that I love going to the post-box because it is full of surprises and variety. It can present me with bills, birthday cards, appointments, and disappointments and quite often also a blank vacant box. This vacuous space contained within the 12x8x4 is a snug little space and keeps all our post dry and secure until we open it to collect mail.
Imagine my horror when on one morning lately I went out to collect the post and I saw the flap had been left open. I imagined that any post would be damp and sodden but instead of this I was confronted by the sight of several little mice staring up at me and being attended to by mother mouse. The flap had obviously been left open, and the pregnant Mrs Mouse had crept in to deliver her mischief of little mice into the world.
Little mice are my biggest fear, and I am totally allergic and panicked by them.
I was like stout Cortez when he stared with eagle eyes after he had discovered the Pacific.
I had been about to insert my hand, but discretion beat valour when I realised that my six. new tenants were not going to be evicted too easily or mother might not take too kindly to me disturbing herself and her mischief. They probably had some tenancy rights under some rare, outdated mouse protection act with no immediate eviction allowed.
Senior management was waiting for mail and called from on high to see if we had gotten any post that morning. I plucked up the courage to tell her that someone had left the flap open and that we had newly arrived tenants in the post box. She immediately shouted down that I could just hush out the spider and close the flap and then I gave her details about the mischief of newly arrived tenants.
Well, you never in all your days heard such eeing and ahing and get rid of them. I am constantly telling you that this could happen if you let a lid or door ajar. I plucked up enough courage to tell her that I had not collected the post the previous day, so the decibels were lowered, and a solution had to be found.
We thought about mouse poison but that was shelved. I suggested getting some traps and catching them but that was ruled out as they were too young. Then I had my Tom and Gerry moment when I suggested that we bring our cat Whiskers down and release them to her mercy, but I was reminded that some could escape into the garden.
Following that I thought about Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘The Early Purges”. He was six when he first saw kittens drown, Dan Taggart pitched them. It was about throwing kittens into a bucket of water as
“cruelty talk cuts no ice in towns
but on well run farms pests had to be kept down.”
That suggestion was quickly dowsed down on cruelty to mice grounds, and we were now getting desperate for a solution when I had my lightbulb moment with my environmental protection and sustainability hat on.
I suggested that we take down the post-box, seal it with tape and place it in a large, tied plastic bag, bring it out in the car to a large field remote from houses and release our newly acquired mischief of mice and let them take it from there which we did. We procured the necessary wide tape, a secure strong white, hole free plastic sack and we were ready for action.
Major subterfuge was required for this delicate transportation and evacuation sortie in north Wexford. We had to decide whether to do it under cover of darkness or in the evening.
We finally opted to depart at dusk. We pulled in at a gate into a huge field and operation mother mouse was quickly performed and the front-line mouse disposal troops were stood down. We brought bag and post box back home where it is now safely attached to the wall again with a suggestion that we spring load the flap.
Please don’t rat on me. It was only a mousey little job.
Mick O Callaghan
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Enjoying Listowel Connection in Australia
Every now and again I will be approached by someone who recognises me and knows lots about me even though we have never met.
This happened in Listowel Garden Centre on Saturday October 21 2023. The man who recognised me is Jackie Leyne. Jackie reads Listowel Connection in his home in Australia. He left Listowel at age 18.
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Ballybunion
Lovely Sunday morning stroll with my weekend visitors
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A Fact
Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way is the longest coastal driving route in the world.
Listowel fire station early morning in October 2023
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People I met
It was lovely to meet Cáit Baker and Marie McMahon on their day out when I was on my day out.
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Last of the Kanturk Twomey Treasure Trove
Cunn Ella were an Irish company making beautiful blouses. Google didn’t have much on them so I don’t know any more.
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Art Treasures in Gorey
Michael O’Callaghan sent us this great story.
I am starting todays walk from Christchurch in Gorey which is just a few hundred metres from where I live. I pass this lovely building several times a day and remember its great history since it was built on a site donated by Stephen Ram in 1861. It was probably replacing an earlier church built in 1619. It can truly be said that it had a real part in the development of Gorey over the 400 years
Christ Church Gorey has a very nice link to a great art treasure.
There is a lovely Harry Clarke-stained glass window to the left of the entrance door of Christchurch commissioned by Marie Lea-Wilson, the subject being Saint Stephen and it was dedicated in 1922, in remembrance of her husband Captain Percival Lea Wilson. This is one of two windows in the church dedicated to him. He had been involved in the 1916 rising and mistreated prisoners who were held in the Rotunda hospital after they had surrendered in the GPO.
His mistreatment of Tom Clarke was noted by some prisoners who swore revenge. After the troubles he was posted to France but by the end of 1917 he was back in Ireland and was posted to Gorey. He was not popular here because he carried out too many raids looking for arms. On June 15th, 1920, he was walking home from the RIC barracks in Gorey and went to Eason’s stand in the railway station to buy his paper, but as he was heading back home at Westmount on the Ballycanew Road he was shot dead. The RIC were unaware that Michael Collins had given the order to have him killed.
His wife Marie decided to stay on in Gorey and commissioned the Harry Clarke stained-glass window.
Later she made a trip to Edinburgh and while browsing bought a painting called ‘The Betrayal of Christ’, for 12 guineas in 1922. Marie went on to study medicine and she had the painting hanging in her room. One day in 1934 she decided to have a clear out of her house and gave the painting to the Jesuits who hung it in their dining room until 1993 when they asked the National Gallery to look at it and there was the missing Caravaggio ‘The Taking of Christ’, worth €50,000,000 but as we all know, the Jesuits have given it to the state on indefinite loan.
Marie died in 1971 in 19 Fitzwilliam Place and is buried in Deansgrange. Percival lea Wilson is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery in London with the inscription on his grave saying he was assassinated in Gorey in June 1920.
They were different times.
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Convent Cross
Calvary at Convent Cross
Lovely stone was as a backdrop to a bench, a bin and a postbox
Edward VII postbox
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A Fact
Halloween began as a pagan festival, Samhain, in Ireland 2000 years ago.
Statue of Schiller in The Garden of Europe in October 2023
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Another Memorable Irish Industry
Glen Abbey was a textile company set up in Dublin by brothers Colm and Rory Barnes in 1943. They grew the business from knitwear manufacturing to ladies stocking and underwear. It was a market leader in the 1960s and 70s.
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1980s Guide
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Buildings Praised
The report of the Tidy Town judging for 2023 is available in the library.
It makes interesting reading. The judges loved the colour scheme on this building. Purtill, Woulfe, Murphy Solicitors.
They also praised Listowel Primary Care Centre.
The report also stated that the old mart site has been recently sold. This was news to me.
The report on the whole was full of praise and admiration for the hard work of our Tidy Town Committee and Listowel Businesses and community.
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Presentation Secondary School
It was Sunday when I was taking my walk in this area. The usually busy school yard was quiet.
I have long admired this beautiful old horse chestnut tree. What a tale it could tell!
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Sounds like a Plan
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A fact
Johnny Sexton is a life long Manchester United fan. He once said in an interview that his childhood dream was to play at Old Trafford.
Urney Chocolates was a confectionery manufacturing business founded by the Gallagher family in County Tyrone, and once operating one of the largest chocolate factories in Europe. After sales as a going concern, ultimately to what would become Unilever, the last factory closed in 1980. The brand was later operated by L.C. Confectionery Ltd., and is now handled by Hazelbrook Confectionery, based in County Kildare, Ireland. (Wikipedia)
Clarnico chocolate and sweet manufacturers were based in London. The company founded overseas manufacturing interests in 1920s in Ireland (Clarnico-Murray Ltd, a joint venture) and Australia. In 1936, the firm was taken over by C. and E. Morton Limited. In 1945 Mortons was acquired by Beechams and together with other acquired companies in 1955 was renamed as Beecham Foods Limited. Beechams bought James Pascall Limited in 1959 which was merged with Murray. The Pascall Murray brand and business was later sold to Cadbury Fry in 1964.
Its main lines of production were in fudge, caramel and mints (including what were known as ‘Murray Mints’)
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Great old Photo
This photo was given to us by Willie O’Donnell (second from left in second row).
This is Cór Cois Féile, a North Kerry choir. I have enlisted some help in naming people.
People named so far
Front Row; ? , Joan Mulvihill, Ger Frost, Mary O’Flaherty, ?
Row 2; Jackie McGillicuddy, Willie O’Donnell, Phyllis Dunne, Frankie Chute, Marie Coffey, Anne Hartnett, Kathleen Stack
Row 3; Cathal Fitzgerald, John O’Keeffe, Maurice Kennelly , Luaí ÓMurchú, Jack Murphy, Mrs. Cummins, Donie Finucane, Fr. Michael O’Doherty, Brendan Quille, Babe Joe Wilmot, Pat Flaherty,?, Eddie O’Flaherty,?, Joe Guerin, Mairead Pierse, Seán O’Sullivan and Colm O’Brien
Apologies to anyone who I have misidentified or omitted. All corrections will be welcomed.
I’m hoping someone will tell us the story of the choir and put a few last names to faces.
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Timely Poem
Imagine
by John Lennon
“… Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin’ life in peace
You
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one…”
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The Workhouse
(The following is from the Workhouses of Ireland website)
Listowel Poor Law Union was formally declared on the 27th March 1840 and covered an area of 326 square miles. Its operation was overseen by an elected Board of Guardians, 27 in number, representing its 21 electoral divisions as listed below (figures in brackets indicate numbers of Guardians if more than one):
The Board also included 9 ex-officio Guardians, making a total of 36. The Guardians met each week at noon on Thursday.
The population falling within the Union at the 1831 census had been 65,198 with divisions ranging in size from Kilflyn (population 1,072) to Listowel itself (6,802).
The new Listowel Union workhouse was erected on a six-acre site half a mile to the west of Listowel at the north side of Convent Lane (now Road). The building and operation of a workhouse had to be financed by the ratepayers of each union and in many places was seen as an intolerable imposition from England and its officials. It took until 7th February 1844 to raise the first poor rate in Listowel, with the workhouse being declared fit for the reception of paupers on 17th August 1844, and not receiving its first admissions until 13th February 1845.
Designed by the Poor Law Commissioners’ architect George Wilkinson, the building was based on one of his standard plans to accommodate 700 inmates. Its construction cost £5,980 plus £1,276 for fittings etc. The workhouse location and layout are shown on the 1921 map.
The buildings followed Wilkinson’s typical layout. An entrance and administrative block at the south contained a porter’s room and waiting room at the centre with the Guardians’ board room on the first floor above.
The main accommodation block had the Master’s quarters at the centre, with male and female wings to each side. At the rear, a range of single-storey utility rooms such as bakehouse and washhouse connected through to the infirmary and idiots’ wards via a central spine containing the chapel and dining-hall.
During the famine in the mid-1840s, sleeping galleries were erected to accommodate an additional 100 inmates. A fever hospital to accommodate 46 patients was erected at the north-east of the workhouse.
The workhouse closed in 1921. In February 1922, the Guardians received a deputation headed by Mr J. Crowley with a view to acquiring part of the building for use as a sweet factory. The Board agreed to their request.
The workhouse buildings no longer exist and a local hospital now occupies the site.
The chapel door in October 2023
It is worth noting that these poorhouses were called workhouses for a reason. Idleness was forbidden and every inmate was forced to work or face awful punishment.
Williamson was instructed to make the living quarters as uncomfortable as possible and this he did.
There were no ceilings, just bare rafters. The upper floor was accessed by a narrow stone stairs which was difficult to climb for elderly or frail people. The eating room was dark and airless. Inmates were given 2 meals a day, porridge and milk in the morning and potatoes and bread in the afternoon.
When the potato crop failed the workhouse became a death camp. The intake of paupers increased exponentially. Men and women were separated never to meet again. Work was still obligatory. Half starved men were put to work on useless work schemes which merely added to their misery and produced no useful end product.
Every day cartfuls of corpses were transported the short distance to Teampall Bán to be tipped into a mass grave.
Sunflowers and ground plants help to cheer this spot today.
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A Fact
Ireland rugby player, Tadhg Beirne’s mother, Brenda Hyland Beirne was crowned Rose of Tralee in 1983.
