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

Reminiscing

By

On May 8, 2023

In Ballybunion, Ballylongford, History, Listowel, Personal

Ballybunion; Jason ODoherty

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Moya Sunday Fair

Ballybunion’s MOYA festival on the May bank holiday weekend was a resounding success. I was at the craft and food fair on Sunday…the best ever.

This Ballylongford crafter and her daughter had a wide range of unusual crafts for sale.

Delia was there with her beautiful unique ceramics.

These were just two of the myriad of stall holders

Drumdance Ireland were entertaining the younger ones. Bouncy Castles, treats, animals, food, a great festival going from strength to strength.

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Call Cards

Remember the call card?

Once upon a time these were the nearest we had to mobile phones. I always carried one of these in case of any necessity to make a call from a phonebook.

There were thousands of these issued and they featured all sorts of things, like famous people, festivals, advertising products etc. I used to collect them. Mine have absolutely no value as only ones in mint condition are valuable and even only very few of those. If you have a few still in their cellophane wrapper, you’ll have to hold on for a few hundred years before your descendants cash in

Here are a few to jog your memory;

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Bed warmers

I mentioned a hot water jar I spotted in Tankers’ window, and lo and behold, Eddie Moylan, an antiquarian, literally on my doorstep, has a collection of them.

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A Poem

Poetry Ireland published some poems on convenient little cards for World Poetry Day. They are all lovely, touching and accessible.

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At Punchestown

Beautiful Mary O’Halloran and her daughter Louise at the recent Punchestown meet.

Mary is living with Motor Neurone Disease, In true best dressed style, Mary gets up, dresses up and shows up. All her Listowel friends are hugely proud of her.

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A Fact

Botanically a strawberry is not a berry but a banana is.

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Birds and Public seating

By

On May 5, 2023

In Listowel

Huguenot Cemetery, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin. Photo: Éamon ÓMurchú

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Listowel Tidy Towns at 30

Anyone who comes into town will observe how spick and span Listowel is looking. Our hard working Tidy Town volunteers have just organised a big clean up.

They play a vital role in making Listowel the attraction it is.

Listowel has many reminders of how important this organisation is as they give back to the town constantly.

This unique Darren Enright seat is just one example of the public seating they have provided for the town.

Thank you all.

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Daffodil Day 2023 in Listowel

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It’s Here

This year’s Writers Week programme is here

Listowel Writers Week 2023

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Falcons

Éamon Ó Murchú visited the Falconry at Luttrelstown Castle

Éamon took some great photographs of the raptors;

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Doing my Bit to Promote Listowel Writers Week 2023

This is not the one chosen for Instagram but it’s the one I like best as it incorporates the old and the new. If you join me and my friends on Saturday June 3 2023, you’ll hear something about Listowel Castle and something about the latest piece of public sculpture.

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International Celtic Art Conference

At this conference in June 2023, Stephen Rynne will bring Listowel’s Michael O’Connor to an international audience of Celtic Art experts and scholars. O’Connor’s magnificent work will soon be available for viewing at Kerry Writers’ Museum.

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A Fact

A shrimp’s heart is in its head !

A Singer, a Poem, a Lamb and a Shuttle

By

On May 4, 2023

In History, Listowel, Poem, Tralee

Young Sika Deer; Photo: Chris Grayson

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A Winning Poem

Old Ghosts 

© Neil Brosnan 2022

Until today, I’d thought of you as old,

But sixty-three is far too young to die,

And as I stand here in the rain and cold,

The question I am asking still is why.

Why pick on me to be your captive muse? 

A toehold on your meteoric climb,     

Your love canard has made me a recluse,

Forever chained to your most hackneyed rhyme, 

 

And publicans not taken with your verse

Nor needful of your custom to survive,

Parade in sombre garb behind your hearse;

Your status greater now than when alive.

But fallen leaves and old ghosts must away

Like nightmares at the dawning of the day.  

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An Old Custom

from Folklore.ie

“Some of you who keep sheep will know it very well and more of you won’t. These photos were sent to be a neighbour of mine, a sheep farmer called Maura Ryan up here under Mount Leinster. It’s a little lamb wearing an ‘adoption jacket’ which was made from the skin of a lamb that died at birth and put on another spare lamb in order to get the mother to bond to her.

This has been going on in cultures all over the world for a very long time and is always special to see it – especially when it works. It’s a sad and happy sight and as you can see from these photos the mammy here has taken to the little yoke and it’s triving. I saw this over in rural Newfoundland too back in 2019 and great to see these photos today in my inbox.”

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Listowel Badminton Club 50 Celebration

Photos from the club’s Facebook page

Listowel Badminton Club held its first invitation mixed doubles tournament fifty years ago. It is still going strong in 2023.

The winners of the first competition, Teresa Broderick and Patsy Sweeney with this year’s winners. Teresa told the story of how the partner she was originally picked with was a no- show. Patsy, who had not intended playing, was plucked from the crowd to step up. They went on to win.

It was great to hear that a competition has been named after Roly Chute, who has spent a record 50 years training juvenile players.

Roly presented the Roly Chute Perpetual Shield for the first time to this year’s Mens doubles winners, Fergal & Sean with runners-up Adham & Ethan.

The man with all the badminton stories, Junior Griffin with Tom McElligott at the Badminton Social.

On Saturday I ran into Tom McElligott as he was delivering her copy of the commemorative booklet to Joan Flavin. He gave me mine too, a vital piece of Listowel history recorded for posterity.

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In Tralee

This is the Christy Hennessy Plaza in Tralee.

You are a star, Christy, forever remembered in your native Tralee.

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A Fact

The actors who were the voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse were married for nearly 20 years in real life.

Wayne Alwyn passed away in 2009, aged 62 and his wife, Rossi Taylor passed away in 2019 aged 75.

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Fr. Anthony Gaughan

By

On May 3, 2023

In Listowel, Tralee

April 2023

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Fr. Anthony Gaughan

Fr. Anthony Gaughan, who has donated all of his awards to be displayed in Kerry Writers’ Museum is the author of 45 books, most of them scholarly histories of important people and places. His best known book of local interest is Listowel and its Vicinity which is now a much sought after collector’s item.

At age 91 he is still going strong and will launch another book, a collection of his reviews, at this year’s Listowel Writers’ Week.

Helen Moylan, mother of the silversmith artist, holding Fr. Gaughan’s Writers’ Week Lifetime Achievement trophy at the handover of his precious decorations on April 24 2023. This piece of Eileen Moylan artwork depicts Listowel landmarks, dear to Fr. Gaughan and it has a quotation from his dear friend, John B. Keane. . It is very generous of Fr. Tony to bring it back to Listowel, where it can be be displayed and appreciated.

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Gardaí Raise Awareness of Domestic Abuse

On Friday last, April 28 2023, Listowel Garda Station joined other Garda stations nationwide to raise awareness of domestic violence.

Purple day was winding to a close as I passed but I was welcomed in and treated to a bun.

John Ryan joined Sergeant Fidelma O’Leary and the representative of Adapt Women’s refuge in Tralee for my photograph.

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Steinbeck Letter

Found on the internet;

In 1955 John Steinbeck wrote to Marlyn Monroe.

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In Tralee

The telephone kiosk is back.

This is the new public telephone in Tralee.

The phone accepts coins and cards. There is a minimum charge of €2. Not cheap but it could be a lifesaver in certain conditions. Beside the phone there is a touch screen with vital phone numbers and other handy information. The sun was shining on it so I couldn’t photograph it for you.

This looks to me, like a welcome development .

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A Fact

Bagpipes were introduced to The British Isles by the Romans.

Bet you thought they originated in Scotland.

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Writers Week 2023

By

On May 2, 2023

In Listowel, Personal, Schools, Tralee

Éamon ÓMurchú took this photo of the bridge to Listowel Racecourse in December 2021

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Beautiful door on Courthouse Road

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Grave of the Presentation Sisters in St. Michael’s Graveyard

The last time I posted the nuns’ headstones I omitted one. It was missed. So for the sake of accuracy I’m putting them all together here now. Sisters who have died since 2013 have been buried “with their own people”. May they all rest in peace.

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Coming to Listowel Writers’ Week 2023

The future of Irish writing is in safe hands. Sarah Gilmartin is one of the new generation of Irish writers and novelists.

On Friday, June 2 2023 in Listowel you can hear Gilmartin discuss her novel with Una Mannion and Elaine Feeney.

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In Tralee

Tralee’s Pikeman

These are two of the inscriptions on the plinth of the statue

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My Weekend Visitors

Listowel looking beautiful in the sunshine As I welcomed the Kildare branch of the family.

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Important Donation to Kerry Writers Museum

Fr Anthony Gaughan is one of Listowel’s most prolific and respected writers. On April 24 2023 he donated all his awards to be displayed in Kerry Writers’ Museum.

Not all of the board of the Writers’ Museum could attend the hand over of this generous donation. Those present were Seán McCarthy, David Browne, Cara Trant, Fr. Gaughan, Jimmy Deenihan, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Bernie Carmody and James Kenny pictured with the awards.

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