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: Ard Churam

Placenames from Dúchas collection, a 1994 quilt for charity and The Haunting Soldier in Dublin

By

On November 30, 2018

In Uncategorized

In Gurtinard Wood I was thrilled to see a little bird at home. No bats about though.

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Duagh from the Dúchas collection


Photo; Caoimhín Ó Danachair



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Place Names

Informant, Mrs K. Quilter

Collector-Maureen Lynch- Informant- Muiris Ó Loinsig

GLEANN na BRÓN

The name is still used by the local inhabitants and probably means the Glen of the Quern. It is beside this glen the “brittlen” woman used to be heard.

In the farm of Pat Trant Jnr, Behins, there was a blessed well. This was known to the older people as Tobar Uí Leidhin. There was an old midwife living in Behins named Moll Barry. One May morning she went to the well for a can of water. She had hardly reached the well when she was lifted off the ground and the next place she found herself was below at the monument in Lixnaw, spirited away by the good people.

Beside the well there was a graveyard. A glen beside it is still known as Gleann Dóighte.

Beside our house is a place called Pike, on the main road between Listowel and Castleisland. Old Ned Prendiville use to say that there were two gates here and everybody who passed the way with cattle or cars had to pay a toll of a halfpenny. There was also a pound there. 

There is a Dispensary at Pike. In this building was the old National school whose first teacher was John O’Connor. O’Connor was not long there when he had to flee the country owing to his connection with the Fenians. Then came my Grandfather old Master Lynch who taught there for six years and who opened the school at Rathea in 1875.

My Grandfather was a native of Knockanure. He used to tell stories about a woman name Joan Grogan of Knockanure. This woman used to be “out” with the good people. One night they were on their way to Castleisland to decide whether a girl there named Brosnan was to be taken away or not. On their way they called in to my grandfather’s aunt the wife of Michéal Ruadh Kirby of Behins and took her snuff box as a joke. Micéal Ruad’s wife met her a few days after at the big fair in Listowel (13th May). Joan asked her did she miss her snuff box on such a morning and she said she did. Micheal Ruadh’s wife told her she heard them laughing in the kitchen that night.

Maureen Lynch

M’athair Muiris Ó Loingsig O.S a d’innis an méid sin dom. Rathea Listowel.

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Kerryman 1994



Does anyone know where this is now? Does anyone remember it, the making of it or the handing over of it?



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The Haunting Soldier



I went to Dublin to see The Haunting Soldier and I was mightily impressed.


This art installation commemorates all the soldiers who served and suffered in the Great War . The artist was invited to bring the creation to Dublin to remind us of the tens of thousands of Irishmen who soldiered in WW1. Many of them were killed or received life changing injuries.

The statue is forged entirely from scrap metal, bits and pieces of nuts, bolts, cogs, springs, horse shoes, chains etc., etc.



My two friends, Assumpta and Peggy, posed with two people with a Listowel connection who were also in St. Stephen’s Green to see the Soldier.



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Ard Churam Concert in St. Mary’s, Listowel



A super variety concert with the very best of music, singing and recitation was enjoyed by a packed church in Listowel on Friday evening, November 23th. 2018


Owen MacMahon was our host for the evening. No better man for the job. He entertained us with anecdotes, jokes and poems as he provided continuity between the acts.

Finbar Mawe welcomed us on behalf of Ard Churam. He told us about the ambitious plan to build a dementia unit, following the success of Ard Churam which is soon to be working six days per week.

Karen Trench’s Silver River Feale was a highlight of a show full of highlights. We also heard Seán Ahern, Kim Healy, the excellent Ballydonoghue Comhaltas group as well as a group from Listowel Comhaltas and a junior choir from The Kerry School of Music.

It was a night for meeting old friends.

The Ard Churam choir were the stars of the show. They were a credit to their musical director, Mary Culloty O’Sullivan. Mary, a world class soprano.  also sang for us . Heavenly!



Mike Moriarty said a few words on behalf of Ard Churam.


John Kelliher who did a great job of photographing the proceedings has posted a video of the performances on Youtube

Ard Churam Concent in St. Marys

It comes in at the end of Owen’s joke so I’ll fill you in. The wife of the great Seanchaí, Eamon Kelly once said that he wore his hat at all times only taking it off in the church and in bed. “And he slept in both places.” she said.


Ard Churam Official Opening, Upper William Street, Siamsa in London in 1991and WIM 2016

By

On April 18, 2016

In Uncategorized

Mallard duck photographed by Chris Grayson

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Some More Local People at the Ard Churam Opening



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Siamsa in London 1991


From the archives of The Kerryman

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Correcting a Mistake

Upper William Street, early April 2016

County Council workers are replacing the window in the house next to St. Patrick’s Hall and restoring the streetscape to its original beauty.

This is how Upper William Street has looked as far back as anyone can remember. Then in 2014 when the council bought and refurbished the house next to St. Patrick’s Hall they replaced the upstairs window with a tiny one.

How it looked up to the mid eighties. Photo: Vincent Carmody

You can see in this photo how in 2014 they bricked up the lower half of the window and installed  a window half the size of the original.

The window ruined the uniformity of the streetscape. Vincent Carmody who is a lifelong resident of the street was determined to have the situation remedied. He complained to all the relevant bodies and singlehandedly fought a battle to have the historic panorama of the street restored. Last week he was thrilled to see that his perseverance was vindicated and a new window of the original shape was installed. Harmony is restored on Upper william Street.

Follow Vincent Camody’s very interesting Living History posts on Facebook to learn all about this street and its residents.

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An Invitation for You




Among the Listowel people featured in the book are;

Patrick ‘Sonny’ Griffin

Servelus Jones

Patrick (Paddy) Landers

James Sugrue

And the book also has an essay by Fr. Antony Gaughan entitled Austin Stack, a portrait of a Kerry separatist.

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I was in Ballybunion at the Weekend


Once again the Women in Media Weekend was a Great Success. I’m sorting my photos for you. Check back here during the week for my account of my trip.


Team Kerr, Ard Churam and Rev. Thomas Griffin

By

On April 15, 2016

In Uncategorized

Running with Team Kerr




 Team Kerr on the road on one of their many marathons.

Here is the back story as told to Fiona Bugler of Runners World;

Running enriches the lives of most who take it up. But for the Kerr family, from County Down in Northern Ireland, it has brought about a transformation – helping them through some dark times and creating many good ones.

David and Sandra Kerr’s 18-year-old son, Aaron, was born with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, renal failure and a rare chromosome disorder. ‘His complex condition means his mobility and opportunities in life are restricted,’ says David. It also required Sandra, 44, to be at home as Aaron’s full-time carer – a tiring and challenging role that often left her feeling isolated.

In October 2010, Aaron, then 13, needed a kidney transplant to save his life. David was a match. ‘I didn’t even have to think about donating my kidney,’ says the father of two. (Aaron’s sister, Holly, is 20.)

Both David’s and Aaron’s operations were a success but it was a traumatic time for the whole family. ‘David and I have been married for 21 years and we have always had each other to lean on in difficult circumstances,’ says Sandra. ‘But this was very different. For the first time, I felt alone, with no-one to support me. I also felt bad that I couldn’t be there for David because Aaron needed me with him.’ (The two were in different hospitals for their operations.)

A year later, with Aaron growing bigger and his needs as great as ever, Sandra suffered what she says was something like post-traumatic stress disorder. ‘It was the lowest point of my life,’ she says. Her GP recommended she try the gym. ‘I found that I loved it, especially the treadmill. I’d put on music and switch off from the stress. I built up the miles quite quickly.’ She and David also swapped roles, with Sandra going back to work and David giving up his job as a courier to become Aaron’s full-time carer.

The rest of the Kerr story is on Runner’s World.

The short version is that both David and Sandra  got the running bug. They fundraised and bought a special chair for Aaron so that he could “run” with them . They met The Kerry Crusaders who were only too willing to help them push the chair some of the way. This partnership is proving enjoyable and beneficial for everyone. They are now all part of the inclusive running movement.

Team Kerr with some of their  Crusader friends in Listowel

 Running through Listowel town park during the recent Listowel marathon.


Everyone’s a winner


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Some people who attended Ard Churam official opening



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A Fr. Griffin from Listowel


Irish Examiner Saturday, 27 January, 1894; Page: 8

A KERRY Missionary. Among those selected by the Holy Father to go
forth during the present year to preach the Gospel in foreign parts,
is the Rev Thomas Griffin, a young Kerryman, who comes of a family
which have given many faithful and zealous servants to the Church.
Father Griffin, who is a son of Mr Jeremiah Griffin, formerly of
Listowel, and late of Queenstown, was educated at the College of the
Pious Society of Missions (to which Order he belongs) at Rome, where
be was ordained last autumn, and had a most successful collegiate
career, acquiring in addition to the indispensable classical and
theological curriculum, a thorough knowledge of French, Italian,
Spanish and Garman, which he speaks with fluency and ease. In addition
to his linguistic accomplishments, he is also a skilful musician, The
rev gentleman, whose family on the maternal side hail from Finuge,
Listowel, sails from Genoa next week for Monte Video, South America,
and will be absent from home five years. Lately while on a visit to
his parents in London, he did duty at the Italian Church, Hatton
Garden, to the congregation of which be endeared himself during his
short stay amongst them by his humility and gentleness.

Tena and Rochelle Griffin and their marathon adventures, Christy Moore and a few from Ard Churam Official opening

By

On April 14, 2016

In Uncategorized

Photo: Jim MacSweeney

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Griffin Sisters: Runners


This is Tena and Rochelle Griffin of Listowel with their proud parents, Martin and Carmel. The photo was taken at the finish of the recent marathon in Listowel. I asked Rochelle where this love of running came from and here is what she said,

“My running journey began with joining the local
running group, Kerry Crusaders.

In January 2013 myself and my sister, Tena
started running from lamp post to lamp post on the John B Keane road,  eventually building up to running the length
of it.

We had run a mile and we wanted to tell the
world

We  entered lots of races to build up the miles
and we set our sights on the Dublin Marathon in October 2013.

The Kerry Crusaders offer a fantastic training
schedule for this marathon so our summer involved very early mornings and very
long runs. That marathon was the start of a journey I didn’t expect. Along the
way we have made lots of fantastic memories.

The family I ran with Saturday, Team Kerr,  have really worked hard to promote inclusion
so that children with special needs can get involved in activities like anyone
else.

Myself and Tena have ran a lot of races lately
with them to help them and keep them company on the 26.2 miles of a marathon.

Absolutely anything is possible if you try it.

As the Crusader motto goes, Inch by Inch.

Team Kerr after completing the Listowel marathon  ( more on this bunch tomorrow)

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John Halkett’s retirement party in John B.’s


Photo; Neil Brosnan on Facebook




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The Man of the Moment

photo: Irish independent

Christy Moore, the Kildare singer songwriter is basking in a wave of adulation at the moment. He has a TV programme made about him and in the papers he is described as “a national treasure”.

It was not always thus. The below photo from Rabble shows Christy being searched by a British Secret Serviceman at the height of the Northern Irish conflict.


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Ard Churam Official opening (photos by John Kelliher)


Two of the people who have been with this project from the start are Micheál OSuilleabháin and Joan Walsh.

Jimmy Deenihan is a great supporter of the venture. He helped with the funding and it was he who made the contact with The Ring of Kerry Cycle which became the main plank of the fundraising. He cycled The Ring himself and intends doing it again this year. He quipped at the opening that he has a little more time for training this time round.



Ard Churam committee at the official opening on Friday April 8 2016

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Sixty Five Roses




Cystic Fibrosis is a hard term to pronounce when you are very young, so some genius came up with the idea of telling the newly diagnosed children to say 65 roses instead and people would know what they were trying to say.

This is CF Awareness week and if you want to help raise funds for this very worthy charity you can pop along to Christy’s on Friday

“On April 15th we will hold a Coffee morning in Christy’s Bar “The Well”listowel, fundraising for CF 

CF ireland have to rely alot on fundraising 

We will be selling rose pins and there will also be a raffle. Come in for tea coffee and lots of goodies to be had.



Raffle tickets on sale 2xeuro a strip or 3x strips for 5euro “

Ballybunion Concert, A Humanist with a Listowel connection and some people at the Ard Churam opening

By

On April 13, 2016

In Uncategorized

A Pigeon in the park


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Denis turns his hand to a new Career

(photo and story from The Irish Examiner)


“…As well as weddings he will preside at the
‘naming’ of babies and funerals in an area which includes Kerry, Co Limerick,
Clare, Tipperary and a large area of the western side of Co Cork.

Denis, who worked with the Bank of Ireland in
Killorglin and Abbeyfeale before he retired in 1999 said: “I am a lapsed
Catholic and I got interested in humanism at the naming of one of my
grandchildren in Dublin about four years ago. This ceremony would be like a
Christian baptism, but non- religious. I became very interested in humanism as
it takes in responsibility, respect and there is also a philosophical side

After joining the humanist association, he
became a regular attender at meetings in Cork and Dublin.

“Somebody then suggested that I should become a
celebrant which is done by an apprenticeship. I had three mentors, all of them
established celebrants and I would attend ceremonies they were doing and see
how they planned ceremonies, meeting with couples who were planning to get
married. I then had to do a test,” he said.

Denis said his involvement with amateur drama
groups in Listowel, Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West and Athea over the years was of
great benefit in training to be a celebrant.

He said: “At the weddings there is an element
of performance and you have to present yourself in front of the wedding couple
and their guests and this involves preparation and scripting yourself. The
couple apply for a licence and this is approved by the HSE and they can choose
the contents of the ceremony, whether that be the music and poetry. I might
give certain suggestions. There can be rings, and it is not dissimilar to
church weddings as there are vows specified by the State and the signing of a register
and the usual things you have at weddings. The beauty is that the couples have
a big say in what the ceremony entails. In the lead up to the wedding there are
meetings with the couple so that all their wishes can be taken on board for the
big day.”

There are now 22 humanist celebrants in the
country and given the huge area he will cover, Denis expects to be very busy on
his new mission in life.”

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Ballybunion organized a great night in 1949

Kerryman Saturday, 19 November, 1949; Page: 7

Ballybunion M. na T. Stages Question Time And Concert.

The Ballybunion Muintir na Tire Guild got off to a flying start on Friday night last, when they staged their first social function. This took the form of a Question Time Challenge between teams from Ballybunion and Ballydonoghue, supported by concert items. Question Time which was compered by Mr. Louis Dillon, N T. who had as his adjudicator Rev Fr. Hanley, CC and Messrs W O Sullivan and Liam McCabe as scorekeepers was won by veteran competitor Mr. Robert Leslie Boland of Liselton. Jack Kissane of the same team was runner up.

The supporting concert was set rolling with an item by the local troop of Irish Catholic Girl Guides. This was followed in rapid succession by dancing item from Misses Maura McCabe, Bernadette McCabe, Laurie Kendenson, Bella O’Sullivan and Mr. Liam Tarrant. Songs were contributed by Miss Carrie Day and Master Paddy Wren, and musical items by Miss Margaret Hannan, Mr. Sean Noonan and Mr. W. Collins. A very nice juvenile item came from Miss Mary OMahony.

Then came one of the highlights of the night—the first appearance on a stage of the newly-formed Catholic Boy Scouts Band. Their appearance and performance shows great promise of things to come and they are a credit to their troop and to their director. Dr. J. Hannon. Mr Paddy O’Sullivan acted as M C, and in a brief address to the audience thanking all those who assisted, appealed for increased membership of the Guild to ensure the success of their efforts for a parish hall.

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Some of the People who addressed us at the Official Opening of Ard Churam Friday April 8 2016

 Finbar Mawe was the master of ceremonies.

 Canon Declan O’Connor blessed the venture.

 Tom Pierse is the chairman of the Board of Directors of Ard Churam.

 Mike Moriarty is the hard working honorary secretary of the Board.

 This man was once a familiar face in North Kerry during his time as a Garda in Ballybunion. His new role is as organizer of The Ring of Kerry Cycle. The cycle was one of the main planks of fundraising for Ard Churam.

These two young men provided the musical entertainment.

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