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
When I was a child of primary school age I discovered the public library. All through my growing up years summer was for reading. I lived about 2 miles outside the town. I often cycled to and from town twice in a day to exchange my library books. I read all of Enid Blyton, Patricia Lynch, Canon Sheehan and later Georgette Heyer and Agatha Christie.
Now I live within a stone’a throw of the library. Living my childhood dream!
Unlike my childhood one, Listowel Library is a marvellous place. It has books, magazines and papers, local study section, computers and puzzles.
AND it has this marvellous mystery box where people leave their old books for you to pick up for free and you could literally find a treasure there.
I found this rare, long out of date book there. It is Listowel’s Mick McCarthy’s account of his time labouring in London. If Mick writes even half as well as his brother, Seán, this will be brilliant. I can’t wait!
Thank you to the donor and to Listowel Library.
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Main Street, Listowel
Lynch’s Corner where Main Street joins William Street/Sráid an Phiarsaigh
Who are Tim and Sue and where are they now? The date looks like 19?? There’s a story there if we only had a sleuth to find it.
Main Street, like so many other Listowel streets has 2 names. Unlike most it has 2 different Irish versions of its English name, Main Street.
And still local people call it The Small Square
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Resilience in Verse
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Today’s Fact
There is an old English word called trumpery.
The meaning of trumpery is;
Trumpery comes from the Old French tromperie, with its root of tromper, “to deceive.” Definitions of trumpery. ornamental objects of no great value. synonyms: falderol, folderal, frill, gimcrack, gimcrackery, nonsense.
I don’t play golf. Ballybunion golf clubhouse is not where you would usually find me. I know and love this year’s lady captain. Catherine Moylan, whom I regard as one of my family. So I got the golden ticket, an invitation to Catherine Moylan’s Lady Captain’s celebratory dinner and presentation of prizes on August 26 2023.
The dinner was a delicious one. I am assured that the golf was super enjoyable as well with a welcome goody bag at the start and refreshing cocktails at the half way point.
Catherine has joined a prestigious list.
Anne Cogan/ Darby, me and Catherine’s proud parents, Eddie and Helen Moylan at the prosecco reception in the clubhouse.
Norma Mullane, Betty Doolan, and Maria Lyons, just a few of Catherine’s many friends there to support her on her big night.
Catherine with her book club friends
Some golfing family members, uncle Jim Noonan who won the guest prize, aunt Tess Noonan, Mary Noonan and Eddie Moylan. Eddie also played in the golf competition but without success.
Illness including Covid kept a few people away.
Creating a welcoming ambience as we gathered was John McKenna on the piano, always a treat.
Patricia Boyle and Lady President, Norma Browne, with Catherine
The Lady Captain’s prize 2023 was some beautiful jewellery by Claddagh Design. The lucky winner, Josette O’Donnell, was delighted with her prize.
There were lots of prizes, including John Rahm’s balls…..golf balls that Catherine had the foresight to ask him to sign when she met him on a visit to Ballybunion this summer.
Photo from Ballybunion Golf Club on Facebook
It was a great night for chatting and socialising and catching up. It went on late into the night.
I think I’ll forget pickle ball. Golf looks attractive.
Owen Barrett with Catherine
Margaret Scannell and Norma Browne chat with friends after dinner.
Helen shared a laugh about a funny anecdote from the time these two last met at an opera in Dublin.
Nóirín Galvin, Catherine and Anne were in school together.
The Cork, Dublin, Listowel and Tipperary cousins were chatting ’til late.
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Drama with a Difference
Seán Moylan was a legend in my neck of the woods. Michael Patric has brought him vividly to life in this one man show which I saw in St. John’s on Sunday August 27th.
Patric was brilliant in the role of Moylan. He also wrote the script. Growing up I had heard of Clonbanin, Moll’s Bridge and other local places where ambushes were set and soldiers were captured. I learned from Patric that it was only their guns and ammunition that the boys were after and usually the soldiers were freed unharmed. The same cannot be said for Republicans captured by the soldiers. It wasn’t always the notorious Black and Tans who did the killing. It was as often as not trained and supposedly disciplined soldiers.
The show is a triumph. Even if you are not from North Cork and even if your mother’s first cousin is not one of the Men of the South you will enjoy this performance from an actor at the top of his game. If you get a chance to see it, grab that chance. You won’t regret it.
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What a Picture!
Philip O’Carroll has very generously opened his photograph album for us. This precious photo below was taken in 1951, according to Philip the only occasion on which all the O’Carrolls were together.
Philip has named the people in the photo for us.
The year is 1951, the only time that the O’Carroll Clan was ever assembled in one place.So, let me name the family starting from right to left:
Philip (me!) Born 1948
Gerard, who was a prominent and controversial detective
Joseph, who is a priest in Manchester
Michael, retired from the World health Organization, now living in Nicaragua
Gene, deceased
Eleanor, deceased
Dympna, deceased
Liam, deceased
Denny, alive and well at 88
Vincent also alive and well and about to celebrate his 90th
John, who was always known as Bob, deceased
Tom, the eldest, deceased
Mother, Mary Ellen Moloney deceased
Louis, in mother’s arms, deceased
Father, James, long deceased
And finally, my grandmother, Kate Moloney
In the background is the family’s rick of turf, fuel for the winter.
Philip remembers days spent in the bog.
We had a bank of turf in Coil Bui, a few miles from Cahirdown. At one time or another we all paid our dues cutting the turf. There was a wonderful stillness to the bog, so quiet you could hear people talking hundreds of yards away. The curlew’s cry only accentuated the stillness.
The turf was cut by the man on the slean, usually a man of some heft, whose reputation depended on how much turf he could cut in a day. A pike man tossed the heavy bricks to the youngsters who spread it out to dry, footing it and re-footing it into little stacks and then ever bigger stacks until it was time to bring it home. The milk and the porter (in bojonters) was cooled in the bog water until it was time for the tea. The tea tasted of the bog but it was sweet and strong. And the sandwich! I have dined in Michelin star restaurants across the planet but nothing has ever rivalled the taste of the bog sandwich.
When the turf was home and stacked, “There was great comfort in looking at that great mass of turf.”
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A Fact
The Cairo Opera House was destroyed by fire in 1970. The Cairo fire station was located inside the same building.
This junction is no longer a roundabout. It has traffic lights now. The roundabout sign has now been removed. The junction is taking a while to get used to.
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Another Concert
Kerry Evening Post, Wednesday, 04 January, 1899; Page: 3
CONCERT IN LISTOWEL (FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT).
Arrangements are being made for the holding of a grand evening concert of vocal and instrumental music in the hall of the Total Abstinence Society, Listowel, on Wednesday next, in aid of the funds of this very deserving organization.
The work of organizing the entertainment was entrusted to the Rev P Courtney, the respected President of the Society, who has been most successful in his energetic efforts. He has been fortunate not only in procuring the services of the most talented of local artistes, but also in enlisting the invaluable assistance of Mr Willie Lee and other distinguished vocalists of equal merit.
The idea has been to make the concert the most successful ever held in Listowel from an artistic point of view, and having regard to the material at his disposal there is no reason to fear that Father Courtney will not be entirely successful in his ambitious exertions on behalf of the Society over which he so worthily presides.
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The Primary Cert
This certificate of a man called Seán OConghaile was shared by his grandson online. This man, like so many others finished his education with his Primary exam in 1939. He emigrated to the US in 1948.
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Good Advice in Verse
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Today’s Fact
A lion’s roar is, like an adult human’s voice, unique to the individual. The roar is used to warn off intruders and to gather together scattered members of the flock. An adult lion’s roar can be heard as far away as 5 miles.
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A Tribulation of Blogging
This is my statistics page for Listowel Connection. It shows that on weekdays I have usually between 500 and 1000 page views.
Yesterday at 5.00 pm I had 2996 page views. Danger here.
The last time this happened the blog was unavailable for 24 hours. It means that Listowel Connection is under attack from bots. When the server spots this suspicious activity it shuts down the page (a denial of service) and I get a message telling me that I can’t access the page for now. If this happens we will be off air until the coast is clear again.
Sorry folks. If this happens there is nothing I can do about it. You won’t need to tell me either. I’ll know!
The Small Square looking towards the Square in August 2023
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A Beautiful Shopfront in Main Street
The colourful corner pieces at either side of the nameplate are unique to here. Notice how Martin Chute signed his name in tiny writing. He should be announcing it loud and proud. Beautiful paintwork!
The sign writing is superb.
Wow!
My photographs don’t so it justice.
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The Carnival
In 1940s rural Ireland the annual village carnival was often the social highlight of the year. My interest in revisiting this phenomenon came about because of this photo.
To recap, this is Maria Stack wearing a vintage dress first worn at a carnival queen dance in 1948.
I enlisted help and went on a search for the back story. Thank you Margaret, Lisa and Anna for the hard work and the enjoyment.
The information about this carnival came from this invaluable local journal published in 1990, full of great local lore. The book is, of course, no longer available, but Anna in Kanturk library sourced the article in the local studies archive.
The carnival in question was held in Kilcorney, Co Cork in 1948. This was the second year of the holding of this three-day event. The selection of the carnival queen and her ladies -in- waiting was made at a dance in early June. The 1948 Kilcorney Carnival Queen was the lovely Mary Ring of Horsemount. Margaret, her daughter, took this photo out of its frame to photograph it for us.
The photograph was black and white but had some colour added later. Behind the photo in the frame was this.
A precious souvenir of one of the highlights of a young girl’s life.
The queen and her ladies were dressed in regal costumes with crown and sceptre for the festival as they presided over events like horse trotting, climbing the greasy pole, football matches and in 1948 a huge attraction was the mysterious Madam Know all, who, with the covert aid of a local assistant, could read very accurate fortunes in her crystal ball.
The Queen for the duration of the festival travelled on horseback or was carried with her royal entourage in “a four wheel car pulled by two beautiful steel grey horses”. The car was usually used for carting milk to Rathcoole railway station.
I loved reading the journal’s detailed account of the carnival and its picture of rural life in the days before mechanisation and technology.
There were carnivals and carnival queens in the areas around Listowel. Id love to hear the stories or see the photos.
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There’s No Place Like Home
John McElligott welcomes home his niece, Helen (Gore) Mitchell.
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They Did It!
Photo from the official announcement on Aug 26 2023
This extraordinary bunch of people organised a day Listowel will never forget. They assembled a record breaking number of people dressed as Dolly Parton in Páirc Mhic Shithigh, Listowel on June 25 2023. In the process they raised €74,670 for two great local charities, Kerry Hospice and Comfort for Chemo. 1,137 people took part in the fun challenge and many more made donations.
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A Fact
This “fact” was sourced in a book called “Strong Absorbent Trivia for the Toilet” so don’t blame me.
On average a woman utters about 7000 words in a day while a man uses just over 2,000.
Kerry Evening Post Wednesday, 01 December, 1897; Page: 4
EVENING CONCERT IN LISTOWEL.
One of the most successful concerts ever hold in Listowel was the grand evening entertainment which came off in the Hall of the Total Abstinence Society, Listowel, on Wednesday evening. From every point of view the concert was a most pronounced success. The fact that the entertainment was held under the auspices of the society, and in aid of the funds of the organisation, fully accounts for the large and fashionable attendance ; but the enthusiasm of the audience can be accounted for only by the fact that the various contributions were performed in the most capable and finished manner. The programme was varied and interesting in character, judiciously drafted and calculated to appeal to every taste. In addition to local artistes, a number of other ladies and gentlemen also contributed to the programme.
The vocal items were rendered in fine style, and did not fail to draw enthusiastic plaudits from the audience; but the success of the entertainment must, to a great extent, be attributed to the recitals by the Misses Rahilly, and the instrumental contributions, which rank amongst the finest performances ever witnessed at a local concert. Every one, of course, expected that Miss Florence Rahilly would sustain her widespread reputation in a department which she has made peculiarly her own; but the excellence of the performance of Miss Tessie Rahilly, on the occasion of her first public appearance, took everyone by surprise. Needless to say, her reception was of the warmest character. The instrumental items: particularly the contributions of the Misses Creagh, were rendered in a style which betoken splendid musical ability and an appreciation of the composer’s work as admirable as it is rare, at a local entertainment, and which reflects infinite credit on local talent, which never showed up in better form than on Wednesday night.
The arrangements left nothing to be desired with the result that, though the hall was crowded to its utmost capacity, no inconvenience was caused. A special word of praise is surely due to Mrs Fitzpatrick, to whom, in a great measure, the success of the entertainment is to be attributed. She conducted the practice meetings with a degree of success, which only wide experience and splendid abilities as an instrumentalist and vocalist rendered possible. It is to be hoped, she will be long associated with our local entertainments.—Correspondent.
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A Gift of Ink….Update
Philip O’Carroll is sorted. Many people have offered him digitised versions of the LP . Philip and his family are remembered with great fondness in Listowel and many of his old friends were only too willing to help him. Thank you everyone who offered to source the album for him.
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Aspects of Ballybunion
The Beach Mission, always a reliable on the beach in August is back this year.
Signage on the beach has greatly improved. Clear flagging of areas of rip current means that the beach is now safer for everyone.
A Feature of the beach in recent years is beach art. It is a lovely way to send greetings for a birthday, wedding other celebrity occasion.
Seats are often memorials where a visitor can rest and remember someone who loved this spot.
