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

Tag: Adare Page 1 of 3

Looking Forward to Listowel Writers’ Week 2023

By

On May 26, 2023

In Listowel

River Feale in May 2023

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A Fleadh to look forward to

And a fleadh to Remember

1997 photo first shared by Elizabeth Brosnan

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Guided Tours of Kerry Writers’ Museum

In Kerry Writers’ Museum I met the brilliant Angeline in costume for her tour. During Writers’ Week 2023, you can book a guided tour for Saturday June 3. Booking for this is directly with the museum.

This year lots of events are taking place in our lovely library. What better place to launch a book than in this dedicated place of books. Page 13 of your brochure or Listowel Writers Week website for details.

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Yes, It’s Adare

Bob Jewell wrote to us from Marietta in Georgia in the U.S. asking our help in identifying the town where he took this photo in 1980. He thought it might be Adare. I thought it was almost definitely Adare. Then David O’Sullivan and Jim Ryan did the research for us. Google street view confirms it is Adare. The signs are gone but the distinctive house in the background of Bob’s photo is still the same.

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Another Innovative Event

This year Listowel Writers’ Week programme is being curated by a lovely young man, Stephen Connolly, who has fallen in love with our town.

Stephen looked at Listowel with the fresh eyes of an outsider and he has come up with new ways of bringing writers to new corners of the town.

Our performance area in The Square will be the location for Lunch Poems, a brilliant new event in association with Poetry Ireland.

Every day during Writers Week, June 1-3 there will be free poetry and a spot of lunch at 1.00 p.m. Each day we will hear two young emerging poets, we will get a short pamphlet of the poets’ work and we’ll get “a light lunch” from Dough Mamma. Their pizzas are delicious.

That’s lunch sorted for a few days.

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More Busking Photos

Photos from the annual MS fundraiser in Main Street Listowel on May 19 2023

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Sciath na Scol

My granddaughter Cora is the last of her family in Gaelscoil Uí Riordáin in Ballincollig, a school with a Kerry Principal, Gabriel ÓChathasaigh and a fine cohort of teachers, many with Kerry links. It’s a school steeped in the GAA. This year for the first time the school won all four competitions in its section of Sciath na Scol, football boys and girls and hurling boys and girls.

Here Cora is showing her medal to her little cousin. Better than an All Ireland to the little ones!

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A Fact

Paul Galvin is in The Listowel Arms Hotel on Saturday June 3 at 3.00p.m.

A Listowel Writers’ Week 2023 event.

Our fact today comes from:

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Sr. Consolata’s Arizona Story

By

On February 11, 2022

In Listowel

North County House, Listowel February 2022

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Sr. Nuala R.I.P. and Sr. Consolata

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Sr. Consolata’s adventures in Arizona (Concluded)

In 1997 Sr. Consolata Bracken spent a year in Arizona. She wrote an account of her time in the U.S. for the school magazine. Here is the final extract from that essay.

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Historic Adare

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A Lovely Family Occasion

A Baptism is a truly lovely family occasion. Even in times like these, welcoming new life into a parish community is an uplifting event.

Anne Cogan was ten years old when her baby sister was born. She has always had a motherly relationship with Cliona. It is lovely to see her developing the same motherly bond with Clíona’s baby.

Isn’t that the sweetest face ever?

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Adare, Ballybunion Street Names and a Look back at Writers Week 2018 and a few photos from the weekend

By

On May 27, 2019

In Uncategorized

May 24 and 25 2019

This weekend I was at two Michael D. events, two book launches, MS busking and the Eucharistic procession. I took tons of photos. It will take a while to process them, to tell the story and to drip  feed some of the best of them into blog posts. This week I’m busy with Writers’ Week so please be patient. There will be lean days yet and I’ll post the pictures for you.

VIP visitors, Michael D. and Sabina Higgins with Listowel VIPs, Julie Gleeson and Mary Hanlon.

Hard working Listowel/North Kerry M.S. Society volunteers with Ballybunion musicians and singers at their annual busking day in Listowel on Friday May 24 2019.

Joe Hanlon can’t wait to read his copy of Under the Bed…. Robert Pierse’s autobiographical work launched on Friday May 24 2019.

John Devoy signs his book, Quondam  for Limerick visitors in Woulfe’s bookshop on Saturday May 25 2019.

Annual Eucharistic procession at Convent Cross on Saturday May 25 2019

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Picturesque Adare, Co. Limerick

I stopped recently on my way home from Kildare. Adare is such a beautiful little town.



Adare Manor is a no-go area but otherwise the town is charming and welcoming.

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Ballybunion Street Names


Remember I told you all about the palaver Listowel had over street names?

Well we could take a leaf out of Ballybunion’s book. They used a very simple method, e.g. if the road leads to a doon call it Doon Road. If it leads to a sandhill, call it sandhill Road

Here are just a few examples I snapped while I was in town last week

All self explanatory but wait……..

A few roads are named after famous Ballybunion people but that’s understandable.

and




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Two More Sleeps to Opening Night Writers Week 2019


A few more from last year.

Adare, London Irish and Dispute resolved in Emly in 1877 and Up the Kingdom lyrics

By

On August 30, 2017

In Uncategorized

Photo:  Ita Hannon

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Adare, a Picturesque Village



Adare  is a beautiful village of thatched cottages, stylish shops and great restaurants.



These cottages are being rebuilt and will soon be returned to their former glory.

If this sign was in Kerry, people would be citing it as a Kerry joke.

Contrasting new and old thatched roofs.


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London Irish Centre 2017

Dermot O’leary is a big star on British TV. He has never forgotten his Irish roots and he visits the London Irish Centre often. He is its patron. They shared these pictures from a recent visit on their Facebook page.

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Freeman’s Journal (Australia)  1877


Catholic Archbishop Leahy issued a pastoral denouncing the Three-year-old and the Four-year-old factions in the parish of Emly, County Limerick. Since then it appears there has been a mission of Redemptorist Fathers sent down to the district, followed by a visit from the Archbishop himself, who so worked upon the impressible population that the two factions met in chapel, took the sacrament together, and in a wild burst of enthusiasm clasped each other by the hand, renounced all their ancient feuds, and vowed they would never so much as pronounce the offensive words more. 

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The GAA Family



My grandchildren are members of Ballincollig GAA. I have a renewed respect for this organisation. Recently I attended an Under 8 camogie game and it was a lesson in sportsmanship, enjoyment and sheer hard work. I watched the coaches, referees and helpers give freely of their spare time to teach these little girls valuable lessons.

While these under eights have a concept of team, they have no concept of rivalry. My little full back chatted and played with her “marker” whenever the sliotar was at the other end.

No one keeps a score and every half attempt at striking the ball is praised to the heavens.

“Hurley down” was the constant exhortation since only ground hurling is allowed at this level. The coach cum referee, cum mentor cum Daddy was infinitely patient and encouraging.

Here he is giving the team pep talk.

At the end everyone troops by and shakes everyones hand. No one won or lost and they all had a great time in the open air among friends.

Well done the GAA.

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Up The Kingdom



In response to a request, here are the words of Up the Kingdom. I can confirm that it was written by Cormac O’Leary, a fact that seems to have been forgotten over time.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,

To every Kerry heart both young and old;

To the kingdom we’ll be true

and to dear old Ireland, too,

Up the kingdom, may God bless

the Green and Gold.

Sons and daughters of
the Gael,

come and listen to my tale,

Of a kingdom that is held in high renown;

It’s the place that they call Kerry,

Where there’s not a care nor worry,

From the highest hilltop to the smallest town.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,

To every Kerry heart both young and old;

To the kingdom we’ll be true

and to dear old Ireland, too,

Up the kingdom, may God bless

the Green and Gold.

There’s a rumour up in
heaven,

said a scholar of religion,

That a Kerry man composed

the great Lord’s Prayer;

For when he wrote, Thy kingdom come,

His will has well been done,

There’s Kerry men and women everywhere.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,

To every Kerry heart both young and old;

To the kingdom we’ll be true

and to dear old Ireland, too,

Up the kingdom, may God bless

the Green and Gold.

Oh, they say that Sam
Maguire

he is getting very tired,

Of his yearly trip from Dublin to Listowel;

If you’re after football honour,

Well, the ones you have to conquer,

Will be fifteen men dressed up in Green and Gold.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,

To every Kerry heart both young and old;

To the kingdom we’ll be true

and to dear old Ireland, too,

Up the kingdom, may God bless

the Green and Gold.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,

To every Kerry heart both young and old;

To the kingdom we’ll be true

and to dear old Ireland, too,

Up the kingdom, may God bless

the Green and Gold.

Up the kingdom, may God bless

the Green and Gold.

And if you want to hear it one more time, here are Sarah and Elizabeth Marince giving it welly.

Up the Kingdom

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We have a Winner



We may have lost the football but…..




Listowel native, Declan McCarron on the podium. This weekend he won the Dutch Open Pitch and Putt 2017 in Friesland, Holland.

Adare, Ballybunion, a chance meeting on a Dublin bus and some people up for the match

By

On August 29, 2017

In Uncategorized

Photo; Ita Hannon

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Upper Church Street in Summer 2017



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Adare

Recently, on my way home from Limerick I decided to stop to stretch my legs in the beautiful village of Adare, County Limerick. Adare is a martyr to traffic congestion. That is perfectly understandable as it is one of the prettiest villages in these parts. I met the two lovely ladies below in the local café. They are volunteer Adare ambassadors. They just chat to visitors and answer any questions you might have. They were very welcoming and friendly. Every town should have ambassadors like these.

I decided to take a stroll through the park which is in the heart of the village.

The site for the park was donated to the people by the Earl of Dunraven. Above, at the end of the path, you can see a gate into the Dunraven estate.

I’d highly advise a stop in Adare if you find yourself with a while to spare on the way to or from Limerick.

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Ballybunion Sculptures


This lovely floral boat adorns the Doon Road in Ballybunion. It is the work of the Ballybunion Tidy Town’s Committee


Nearby this sculpture to past Doon families has been unveiled.

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Well, be the hokey!


When I went to Dublin for the Horse Show recently I travelled to and from the show by public transport. I took a No. 4 bus from O’Connell Street to Ballsbridge.

On my return journey I again boarded the No. 4. Just to  be sure to be sure I was on the correct bus, I asked the lady beside me if the bus I was on would return me to O’Connell St.

To cut a long story short, this lovely lady turned out to be none other than Betty Given, a lady with a very strong Listowel connection. Truth is often stranger than fiction.

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Up for the Match



John Kelliher was in Dublin for the match on Saturday August 26 2017. He wisely took his camera with him and here are a few of the great photos he shared on Facebook

Lovely day for the rematch

The hope before and the desolation afterwards well told in these two pictures.

Will you look who John caught on camera on their way to the match: None other than Jimmy Deenihan with Elizabeth, Sarah and Mary Kay Marince of Florida  AND could that be the Rose of Tralee escort still in attendance on the Rose?


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