St. Brigid

Chris Grayson’s great hare photo

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St. Brigid of Ireland

St. Brigid window in St. John’s church, Tralee

In preparation for her feast day, you may like to make a St. Brigid’s cross

Here are some simple instructions I found on the internet so you can make your own cross.

If you fail to make your own they are selling them in aid of Ard Chúram in Thyme Out Café.

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Listowel in 1970s

as remembered by Carmel Hanrahan

…You could even bring something home from the clothes shops on “appro” (approval).  Can you imagine it happening now?!  McKenna’s had a great system for payment that I never saw anywhere else.  Though I believe Cleary’s in Dublin had a similar system.  The bill and your money were placed into metal containers which then went whizzing across the shop on wires to an office – which looked like a pulpit – and your change and receipt were returned the same way.  They also had a builder’s yard in one of the back ways – around where Mr. Price is now.  Back ways, now there’s a thing…  I don’t think I’ve ever been in another town where the back ways were such a significant size.  Almost like hidden pathways to everywhere.  We used them for our walk to school, though we weren’t supposed to.  Probably because they weren’t as developed as they now are and were merely back entrances for the town’s businesses and houses with very little foot traffic.  There was the Bacon Stores on Church Street, owned by Toddy O’Connor where ham and bacon hung from the ceiling and there were barrels of salted meat.  He also sold eggs and butter.  The butter was cut from a very large block and he used butter pats to shape it.  He also had trays of drisheen on the counter along with trays of crubeens.

The Harrington’s lived at the Garda Station, Geraldine was in our class at school but, as is the way, they moved to another location.  The Lenehan’s lived at the Railway Station.  Joseph and Therese, and were there other siblings?  I met Joseph in Heuston Station once when I was returning for my father’s funeral.  Trains obviously in his blood. 

(to be continued)

Carmel sent this photo of a group of supporters at a Listowel Celtic match. She says

Here’s an interesting one.  We went to support Listowel Celtic football team – the photo is from 1977.  I’m not going to try to name people.  I see a few who are immediately recognisable including my lifelong friend, Kerry McAuliffe and Tommy Moore standing next to her.  Niamh Long is there and so Is Isabel Carmody.

Can you name a few more? Maybe Listowel Celtic have a team photo from that day.

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I Never Knew This!

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William Street Children

Photo and caption from John Keane on Facebook

This photo of six young William Street, Listowel men was taken in the early 1970s by Stephen Keane-Stack of Lower William Street. From left standing: Jerry Sexton, David Carroll, Willie Sexton and Billy Keane Sitting from left: Jim Keane and Gerard Beechinor. Thank you to another William Street native, William Carroll for the image which is from his late mother, Betty Carroll’s (nee Keane-Stack) collection. 

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A Fact

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan was written in 1673 and has never been out of print. Bunyan wrote the story while he was in prison for preaching without a licence.

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