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 2 of 3

Shortis of Ballybunion, Fleadh 1987, Holy Trinity Church, Adare and Hay and Tae in Bromore

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On August 17, 2015

In Uncategorized

Another great Then and Now from Time Travel Kerry

-Shortis bar Ballybunion-

Located in the middle of the village at the corner of Main St. and Cliff Road, it was a shop in the original picture and is a public house called the ‘Bunker bar’ today. It’s great to see that almost all of it’s original exterior plasterwork has survived in good condition.

William Shortis, owner of the shop at the time of the original photograph was also the manager of the Ballybunion station of the famed Lartigue monorail. He died in 1905. The Lartigue closed down in 1924.

The building was built around 1890 with a renovation in the 1930s which included building the pub and changing the facade slightly to accommodate this. The rear extention and dormer roof lights were added in later years. There is a cut-stone plaque on the building inscribed: “To the memory of Lr Patrick Shortis(Son of William)born here in 1895 killed in action in the Easter Rising, Dublin 1916 erected by The No. 7 Kerry Republican Soldiers Memorial Committee 1966′

The houses to the left of the modern picture were also added after the original picture was taken.

(Original photo – Lawrence early 1900s)

(Modern photo April ’15)

Historical ref – Listowel blogspot, Buildings of Ireland)

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Church of the Holy Trinity, Adare, Co. Limerick


This is a copy of a Trinity icon by Andrei Rubiev of Moscow. This ancient Russian icon represents the Trinity as three angels. “The church chose this icon as it most fully expresses the dogma of the Holy Trinity; the three angels are depicted in equal dignity, symbolizing the triunity and equality of all three Persons.”


This beautiful church in Adare has an old fashioned look to it. It still has statues, a pulpit and a railed off sanctuary. It has some beautiful stained glass windows but many very plain ones too. Call in and have a look for yourself if you are passing through Adare.


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August 28 1987



Photo of The Fleadh committee 1987 in two halves        (photo from Betty Stack)

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The more things change, the more they stay the same.  I found this on the internet. I have no idea of the year referred to but there is clue in that the recruiting agent is Lieut. Charles Friend, His Majesty’s agent for Emigration.

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Two postscripts


Adrian McCarron wrote to me about this one. Betty Stack identified most of the people in this photo but Adrian’s name eluded her. So, for the record, the little boy in the blue jumper, third from left in the front row is Adrian McCarron and Adrian reckons the year is 1978 and not 1976 as I stated. He remembers the fleadh in Buncrana in 1976 and this is definitely Listowel.

Adrian, like so many others was delighted to see this old photo and we owe a debt of gratitude to Betty Stack for sharing it. So let me take this opportunity to ask other readers of Listowel Connection to take the time to seek out and share more old photos, a small thing to brighten someone’s day.



Ethel Murphy took the time to email me to tell me that Pearse Street is in fact, William Street. Thereby hangs a tale which I must investigate further.



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Hay and Tae in Bromore



On Friday evening, Mike Flahive organized his now annual Hay and Tae festival. This could be called the Meitheal in the Meadow because that is what it is…a group gathered together along Bromore Cliffs to save a meadow of hay the old fashioned way.



Ah, the memories!


The hay in the meadow is cut into swarths, these are long rows of mown hay. Here Mike is gathering the hay into cocks with the wooden tumbling paddy.

There is a huge skill in tumbling this much hay without injuring yourself. I remember my father operating this implement but then he also had a horse to control. This way the tractor can stop dead still and there is no fear from that quarter.

This is an old fashion wynnd.

This is a new one! Spectators on chairs! In my young day there were no spectators in a meadow. Everyone had a job to do.

What a lovely setting for an evening of haymaking.

The man on top of the wynnd had a very hard job to do because he had to distribute the hay evenly to give the wynnd its cone shape.

Once the wynnd is made the man on top is helped down.

The loose bits of hay are raked down.  later these bits will be made into another wynnd.

Every farm has to have a young fellow on a tractor. Looks like this young lad wasn’t even born when this tractor first saw the light of day.


Ah,  tea in the meadow, the taste of yesterdays.

(photos; Ballybunion Prints, Beautiful setting ,hay and tae; Bromore Cliffs)

What a beautiful setting for such a simple yet great event. Well done all!

Cork, Adare, Ballybunion and Listowel; a miscellany of images

By

On August 4, 2015

In Uncategorized

IWA shop relaunched


Jimmy Moloney, Mayor of Listowel Municipal District relaunched the refurbished IWA shop on Upper William Street.

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New Kid on The Block

This new hairdressers’ on Church Street has just opened for business.

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In Fitzgerald’s Park, Cork



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Fenn’s Quay restaurant


They were being careful not to alienate the Kerry crowd.

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Spotted in Adare

A post box from the P and T era.

Made in Scotland

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An Old Train

Train from Macroom arriving Capwell 1914                 Photo; Patrick J. OShea

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Public Convenience


The very old sign on the men’s toilet’s in Ballybunion



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+ Martin Sheehy R.I.P. +






In June 2007 when Martin visited Jim and myself

I have a friend who was born and reared in Listowel. She says that every time she mentions someone from Listowel, her husband enquires, “Were they a very brainy family?” Because she uses the phrase so often in relation to Listowel people.

The title brainy family would be certainly true in the case of the Sheehy brothers. Martin, maybe the brainiest and the brightest of them all went to his eternal reward a few short weeks ago. Martin and his four brothers grew up in Main St. He lived most of adult life in Phoenix Arizona but his heart never left Listowel. He returned often especially for Writers’ Week and he was a great supporter of Listowel Connection. He wrote frequently to encourage and praise me. I will miss him. May he rest in peace.

Kildare, Kildare people in Kerry and some Adare photos

By

On July 8, 2015

In Uncategorized



I go there and they go here






Photo: St. Brigid’s cathedral and round towel by ireland.com


Photo: Oliver Murphy

Recently the Kildare Archeological Society made a field trip south to North Kerry for a few days. Hugh Crawford and Oliver Murphy documented the trip in text and photographs. You can read about what they did and how they enjoyed their trip if you click on the link below:

County Kildare Archeology Trip to North Kerry

While they were in Kerry I was in Kildare, exploring in their home turf.

I was taken to the military cemetery on The Curragh Plains. This is located in an absolutely beautiful setting in open grassland. I could imagine the military funerals with buglers and volleys of gunfire as officers and men were buried alongside casualties of the two world wars. As well as soldiers, families of soldiers are also buried here and the beautifully kept resting place is still in use today.

There is a Kildare hero called Dan Donnelly. His star burned brightly but briefly from 1788 to 1820 . He is now commemorated by this memorial in a place named after him, Donnelly’s Hollow.

Dan Donnelly was a naturally gifted boxer in the days when there were few health and safety rules and boxers just battered one another senseless. Dan was very good at this battering. Unfortunately he was also fond of carousing. His boxing talent first came to light when an early promoter spotted him taking on all comers in a bar room brawl. This promoter, Kelly,  persuaded Donnelly to become a professional  boxer and he brought him to Kilcullen. Donnelly’s first professional fight was in 1814.

The memorial commemorates Donnelly’s second and most famous fight. He fought a man called Cooper in a natural amphitheatre on The Curragh. This fight attracted much attention and huge crowds. His opponent was a skilled fighter and much more disciplined than Donnelly. The bold Dan relied heavily on brute force. The fight went eleven rounds and Donnelly eventually ended it by landing a mighty blow that floored his opponent senseless and broke his jaw bone.

If you look to the left of my photo you will see a track from the monument to the top of the hill. Apparently as Donnelly walked away from his victory, his admirers dug up the sods where his feet had walked and took them away as souvenirs.

Donnelly was the best boxer in The British Isles and this was recognized by George iv who gave him a knighthood. Fame went to Dan’s head and he became more famous for his extravagant and riotous living than for his exploits in the ring. He did, however, win another big fight but this one took him 34 rounds!

He eventually died a pauper at age 32. His funeral was attended by thousands and his gloves were carried ceremonially on a silk cushion.

In a strange addendum to this man’s tragic story, his grave was robbed and his body stolen. It was eventually acquired by a Dublin surgeon who cut off the mighty right arm to study the muscle development. He buried the body again but the right arm went on to be part of a circus peep show and eventually was brought back to be exhibited in a pub in Kilcullen.

Sounds like something from Ripley’s, doesn’t it?

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Weather vane in Newbridge


This lightening conductor thingy has recently been erected on this old building in Newbridge. Local opinion is divided on its suitability in style and colour for this old edifice which was once a church.

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Adare now


I could still smell smoke as I stopped  in the village to see for myself the damage caused by the recent fire.

It is so sad to see the destruction.

Right beside the destroyed cottages are some lovely intact ones with colorful floral displays everywhere.

This monument is across the road.

The beautiful Adare church, very popular for weddings.



I took these below two photos last year at the same spot.

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On the Street




Marcella Holly and Peggy Hilliard were on Market Street with their young friend on July 2 2015.

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Date for the Diary



Clounmacon
Community Gathering and Past Pupils’ Re-Union

On
the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the closing of
Clounmacon(Listowel) National School(1878-1975) and the opening of Clounmacon
Community Centre(1975-2015) a Community Gathering and Past Pupils’ Re-Union
will be held in the local Community Centre on Friday, Saturday, 11th
and 12th September, 2015:

Further
information from:

J.Doyle,
Jnr 0874550373               D.Carmody 086
6095350

clounmaconcalling@gmail.com   dickc8@gmail.com

Writers Week and a US wedding in St. Mary’s

By

On June 9, 2015

In Uncategorized

Opening Night Writers’ Week 2015

It may seem that I did, but I did not take everyone’s photo who attended opening night.

 I did take quite a few!

Children’s author, Philip Ardagh, looked an imposing figure at the door of the Listowel Arms.

 Some of the following people I know well and some I have no name for so if you recognize someone, do tell them that they feature in my blog today.


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Full Circle

Andrea wrote to me from the U.S. to tell me that her daughter is to be married in St. Mary’s in summer 2015. The wedding will see this bride back in the church where her great great grandmother was baptized.

The ancestor is Catherine McCoy, known in the family as Kate. She was 1 of 8 , John, Patrick, Mary, Margaret, Joanna, Daniel and Ellen all born between 1857 to 1868. Their parents were Lawrence McCoy and Margaret Collins. Margaret was born in 1827 and had a sister Mary  born in 1825. Their parents were John Collins and Mary Lynch. Kate  came to the states at 18 and met up with her sister Joanna. They settled in Albany Ny. Kate married Oliver English.  They had 5 children. Andrea’s grandma was the oldest, Margaret. She lived to a ripe old age of 103 and was very dear to Andrea. 

Ellen McCoy stayed in Ireland and lived to a good age, but Andrea is not sure if she married. Kate’s family lived in a area of Listowel  called Coolnaleen.

This is all the information Andrea has and this was got from the records in Listowel. If anyone knows anything else about this family, do drop me an email please.


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Jason at Ballybunion Prints posted this great photo of goats on the cliffs at Ballybunion.



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Meanwhile in Scoil Realt na Maidine




Boys are gardening, running in the park, going on outings as well as playing a football league, all part of their well rounded education.



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Adare Now. June 7 2015




It is so sad to see this image of Adare. It was taken last Sunday by Knockanure Local.

The MacMahon River Walk at Writers’ Week 2015

By

On June 8, 2015

In Uncategorized

Heather at Bromore Cliffs, Ballybunion, Co. Kerry, June 2015

Photo: Bromore Cliffs

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A Writers’ Week Walking Tour

Vincent Carmody organizes a programme of walking tours every year at Writers’ Week. For many people these are among the high points of the festival and such is the reputation of the walks that it is now getting difficult to cope with the big numbers of people wanting to follow.

Last year’s river walk with Owen MacMahon was so talked about that this year I resolved not to miss it. So here I was (with my camera) at The Listowel Arms on Saturday morning May 28 2015 ready for a treat. I got it.

Owen MacMahon was our guide. Along the way he sang his late brother, Gary’s, songs, he read from his father’s works and he told anecdote after anecdote to the delight of his enthralled audience.

Our first stop was at Listowel castle. He told us a bit about the history of the castle and the famous siege.

We headed off for our walk along the banks of The Feale. We heard of a time when the river was teeming with fish and Owen’s late uncle, Bubs, liked nothing better than to slip away from his home and surgery on Market Street for a few hours fishing.

We learned that when the pontoon bridge linking the town with the racecourse collapsed into the Feale, the people who fell in were compensated with a new trousers. One man got two.

Owen telling another amusing tale of judges, courts of law and drinking.

Some people found a picturesque place to sit and listen.

Walkers hung on every word.

Owen and Vincent seemed to have identified appropriate perches along the way so we could see as well as hear them.

We stopped at the ball alley for another rann or two of a song.

At the Garden of Europe we listened amid reminders of Europe’s darkest hour. The tour finished in the nearby graveyard where  many of the people remembered along the way in so many anecdotes are buried. There were a few more footballing stories and a song or two before we dispersed, having made a great start to a memorable Writers’ Week Saturday. This Saturday was to end for me with a trip to Listowel Community Centre to see Graham Norton.

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Only in Kerry


Some well known local people pick the winning tickets from a very valuable ‘hat” in Brosnan’s Bar  at the charity fundraiser on Friday Night. Photos by John Kelliher.

Norah Browne
Sean Moriarty
Gerry O’Carroll

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Wild Atlantic Way Seaweed Festival

(Photo: Facebook)

This group were on the beach foraging for edible sea weed as part of the first Wild Atlantic Way Seaweed Festival in Ballybunion on Saturday June 6 2015.

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Adare, Saturday June 6 2015









These photos from the internet show the devastating fire that destroyed part of the picturesque terrace of cottages in Adare on Saturday. There was no loss of life but one lady who was renting one of the houses lost all her  possessions. It would appear that the fire started in one of the chimneys.

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