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

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Athea Mural Relocation

Market Street on Saturday, February 1 2025

From the Archives

Every now and again Jer Kennelly delves into the nespaper archives and finds something with a Listowel connection. Sometimes the story ends there and sometimes the story (remember John J. Foley and Thade Kelly’s Hin?) takes on a life of its own.

Here is such a cutting from 1895 for you.

San Francisco Call, Volume 77, Number 133, 22 April 1895

PARISH PRIESTS NAMED

Father Kirby Assumes Charge of the New St. Agnes Church.

SUPERIOR OF THE PAULISTS. Father Wyman Appointed to Succeed Father Brady of St. Mary’s. Rev. Father Kirby has been appointed pastor of
the new parish of St. Agnes by the Most Rev. Archbishop Riordan, and
Rev. Father Wyman has been named superior of the Paulist community at
old St. Mary’s Church on California street to succeed the late Father
Brady. Father Kirby preached his first sermon at St. Agnes Church,
which is a neat little edifice on Masonic street, near Page, at the
high mass yesterday morning. The church was built as an outside
mission to the Sacred Heart parish, and was under the jurisdiction of
Rev. Father Flood. Father Kirby is a young man of zeal and talent. He
was born at Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland, on April 16, 1860. His
early education was gained at Mount Melleray and at All Hallows. Later
he attended the seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris. On the 17th of
March, 1883, he was ordained by Bishop Higgins of Kerry, Ireland. He
“came to San Francisco in the spring of 1883. His first appointment
was as chaplain of St. Mary’s College, from where he was transferred
to Father King’s church in Oakland. Later he served two years as
assistant to Father Serda at Temescal. On September 2, 1885, he was
appointed as assistant at the cathedral, where he has since resided.
Of his family a brother is a priest, Rev. Thomas Kirby, at Mission
Dolores, and two Sisters are members of the Presentation Order, Sister
Augustine in Berkeley, and Sister de Sales in the Powell-street
convent, this city. Father Wyman has long been a Paulist missionary
and is well known throughout the United States. He prefers missionary
work to the cares and responsibility of a pariah and looks forward to
the appointment of a permanent superior to succeed him that he may go
into the country and preach. “We have received requests for
missionaries from different parishes all over the coast,” he said
yesterday, “and we are anxious to comply. Missionary work is the
object of the order, and for myself I much prefer that field. If we
had the priests we could send them north to Washington and south to
Arizona. Besides, California and Nevada must be looked after.” The
work of remodelling old St. Mary’s Church will begin this week. The
interior is to be handsomely painted and frescoed, and the idea of the
Paulists is to make the historic tabernacle one of the most beautiful
in the city.

An Interesting old Post Box

in West London

Another Photo from Carmel Hanrahan

Left to right: Tom and Eileen O’Halloran, John and Breda Hanrahan and Joe Mc Namara & Betty. 

I took this picture late last year.

This is just a small section of the artwork but it gives you an idea of the complex detail of flora and fauna, legend and history woven into this masterpiece.

The mural was given a temporary home on a long wall until the nearby premises was sold. This has now happened and the new owners have plans for the space so the masterpiece so dear to everyone in Athea must be relocated.

Athea Tidy Town Group undertook the task of dismantling it and minding it.

Here are some of the pictures they shared on Facebook.

A Fact

In Germany about 2000 schools were closed between 1989 and 2009 because of the fall in the numbers of children in the population.

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Listowel, Athea and Brehon Laws

“The trees are in their Autumn beauty.

The woodland paths are dry….”

Sustainable Fashion at Listowel Races 2024

These are the Tidy Town volunteers who introduced this event which has become the Saturday highlight of race week. They turn up year after year to run this marvellous competition. It has evolved over the years from having some entries that looked like school projects to be a themed fashion competition to rival Friday’s best dressed lady’s event. Many of this year’s outfits would not have been out of place in the Friday competition.

Kathleen O’Flaherty always looks stylish.

This lady got a special prize for inventiveness.

Frances O’Keeffe was the winner of the first sustainable fashion competition at Listowel Races. Her daughter, Edel, won a few fashion prizes too.

The story of the outfit is part of the entertainment of this competition. Maria’s stories areaways the best. Maria Stack was wearing gloves and a hat gifted to her by her late friend, Mary O’Halloran. Mary was a great supporter of Listowel Races.

Tidy Town ladies and An Taisce judge are intrigued by the back stories.

Something Old

This is the kind of old fashioned pram babies slept in in the 1900s. The net over the pram was to protect the infant from flies and wasps and to deter the cat from jumping in with the baby. There was usually a string of coloured rattles across the hood in view of the baby and nearly always a holy medal pinned somewhere.

In Athea

The celtic mural in Athea celebrates Irishness in hundreds of symbols but it also celebrates local people and the enormous talent in the area.

This young flautist is like a snake charmer conjuring up shamrocks, birds, snakes and entwined celtic symbols.

What could be more Irish than a step dancing cailín?

A local young girl immortalised forever among the oak leaves in this impressive piece of wall art.

Brehon Laws

Lately I came upon this treasure of a book in the IWA charity shop. It’s all about the Brehon Laws. These laws were passed on orally since the first centuryBC. They were written down for the first time in the 7th century AD and they were in use until the reign of Elizabeth 1 who replaced the old Brehon Laws with English common law.

The laws give us a great insight into how our ancestors lived.

The great assembly was usually held on Tara. The elders came together to discuss and, if necessary, amend the laws.

Music has always been part of Irish life. There was a hierarchy of musicians with the harpist having pride of place.

A Fact

Percy Spencer invented the microwave oven. He patented it in 1945.

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Last day before the Launch of Moments of Reflection

Ballybunion, September 2024

We had one of these

This was always by the phone. It had all our frequently called numbers. We had a telephone directory for looking up numbers we rarely if ever called. Making a phone call has certainly been made easier by the advent of the mobile phone.

Listowel Pitch and Putt Club Honours

(Picture and text from the club’s webpage)

Pitch and Putt

Since its foundation in 1971, Listowel Pitch and Putt Club has operated on a volunteer basis. Last night, we honoured seven of those volunteers, for whom without their hard work and commitment, largely in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the club would not be in the strong position that it is in today. They are Teresa Carey, Nuala McAuliffe (RIP), Jim Cronin, Willie Enright, David O’Shaughnessy, Robert Harrington (RIP), and Jerry Brick.  A big thank you to their families, especially the families of the late Nuala McAuliffe and the late Robert Harrington, for joining us on the night to celebrate these seven wonderful people.  Unfortunately, Jerry Brick could not attend on the night, and we look forward to presenting Jerry with his award in the coming days. Thank you to Bernard and Kelvin (Trophy World, Tralee) for the lovely awards, and the Listowel Arms Hotel for hosting us on the night. Last, but not least, a big thank you to local photographer, John Kelliher, for taking the pictures on the night.

My little book has reached Amsterdam

Fergus Ashe has a very strong Listowel Connection. His dad is a Listowel man and Fergus spent many happy holidays with his Listowel grandmother and his Listowel family.

He got an early copy of the book but the payback was he had to pose with it for Listowel Connection.

In Athea

Across the road from the church I caught up with Jim Dunn’s mural.

It is almost impossible to tell where the old stone wall ends and the Jim Dunn’s wall begins.

This scene takes me back to my childhood. I love that the men are not dressed in casual clothes but, like all of us before the days of leisurewear, they are wearing old good clothes.

Once upon a time I could name every piece of tackling on that horse.

The hens are Light Sussex.

Looks like the men have called to the forge on their way home from the creamery. The tableau is just so relaxed and easy. The pace of life is slow. We have time to chat as we wait our turn.

The business end of the forge is here. A horseshoe is being hammered on the anvil, a seed drill is being repaired and a horse is being attended to by the farrier/blacksmith.

The onlookers…this is a lovely touch where people from our time look on in awe at the work of the forge.

There is something very touching about the artist’s inclusion of his own grandchildren admiring the skill of the blacksmith as we look on in wonder at their grandfather’s talent and skill.

This has to be one of the most beautiful pieces of wall art I have ever seen. If a picture paints a thousand words, Jim Dunn’s picture, better than any book, achingly evokes the world of my childhood in 1950s and 60s rural Ireland.

Modern, more simple murals, are often larger than life, emblazoned with slogans and demanding our attention. Jim Dunn’s scene is just there as we pass, unobtrusive and undemanding, quietly passing into history.

I predict that, when it is finally finished, it will be a place of pilgrimage for art lovers.

A Fact

There can be up to 60,000 bees in one hive in mid summer.

A Break

Next week is race week. Tomorrow evening is the launch of Moments of Reflection in The Listowel Arms at 7.00p.m.. So next week I will be racing and book promoting. I will be taking a break from blogging. I hope to be back soon with lots of photos for you.

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Athea

Bridge Road in February 2023

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In Athea

I don’t think I’ve been in Athea since Covid. It was high time I visited my favourite outdoor art gallery. Last time I was there Jim Dunn, artist/muralist had a cover erected so that he could work in all weathers. That was gone and I could see the work in progress in all its splendour.

The forge mural is across the road from the church.

The morning was sunny and the standard for the hanging baskets was casting its shadow on the doctor.

The blacksmith/farrier is a new addition. Isn’t that such a kindly face? The anvil awaits another day.

I love all the men in the artwork.

I love all the horses too.

While I was there I met two lovely real men who stopped for a chat and posed for a photo.

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The Optical Suite

Lower William Street, February 2023

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A Very Sad Relic of 1950s Ireland

When “many young men of twenty” said goodbye to Ireland forever.

This was donated by Eileen Fahey to John Creedon’s National Treasures.

Here is what she wrote;

“A Catholic Handbook. This little booklet measuring 9cm x 11.5cm, which cost sixpence highlights a very different Ireland. Published in 1954, the handbook was drawn up because “economic difficulties especially the scarcity of work in counties like Mayo, Kerry and Galway have caused boys and girls to leave homes in Ireland and seek a living in the land across the water.” When I took up my first teaching post in Roscommon in 1974, it was part of the library in the school. I was given the responsibility to sort out the school library and when I found this document, I decided to keep it because it speaks volumes about Ireland at a certain period in time. You wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry reading it but when I first read it, I recognised its historical value. In many ways, it was sad that it was a reference book in a school library where many students would have emigrated from. It gives insight into the loneliness, isolation, and fear of emigration in the 1950s. On arrival in England, the book advises that one of the first things you should do is look up the local parish priest.”

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Fact of the Day

Actor and film star, Jack Lemmon was born in 1925…..in a lift.

His mother was playing Bridge and was engrossed in a particularly good game, so good that even though she realised that birth was imminent she refused to leave the table until the last minute.

History doesn’t tell us if she won the game.

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Athea, Green Oranges, Ignorance Dispelled, a Boland Poem and a Walking Tour

Listowel’s Carnegie Library


This is Listowel’s Carnegie Library, now KDYS Youth Centre. Andrew Carnegie was an American philanthropist  who endowed communities all over Ireland with free libraries. Kerry seems to have benefited more than many other Irish counties. This year we are commemorating 100 years since Carnegie’s death. An Post is bringing out a commemorative stamp. The stamp is going to feature Athea’s Carnegie Library.

(Below photo and text are from Athea Tidy Town on Facebook)

Delighted to learn that our Carnegie Library here in Athea will feature on a postal stamp to be released on August 8th to mark the centenary of the Death of Andrew Carnegie who provided the grant to build the Libraries! Stamps will be available to preorder online shortly.

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Athea Mural

I finally got to Athes to see the restored mural and all the recent developments.

This Jim Dunn mural is still my favourite. Every time I see it I enjoy it afresh. If you haven’t seen it yet, put it on The Bucket List today.

The other celtic style mural featuring local people, and celebrating Athea talent and legends has been fully refurbished and is looking vibrant and striking. It’s absolutely lovely. It is now preserved from the elements as well.

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A Charity Shop Find


I found this gem in the Irish Wheelchair shop in Listowel.  It’s full of interesting pieces of information, stuff most of us get wrong. I’m proposing to drip feed some of my newfound wisdom to you here.

Once a teacher……..

Are oranges orange?

No, is the short answer. In many countries, oranges are green, even when ripe, and are sold that way in shops.

There are no oranges in the wild.  An orange is a cross between the tangerine and the pomelo, which is pale green or yellow. They were first grown in South East Asia. The first oranges were green and Vietnamese oranges are still green. Thai tangerines are green on the outside and orange on the inside.

In Honduras the people eat their oranges green at home and orange them up for export. They do this by blasting them with ethylene which removes the green outer layer, allowing the orange layer to show thorough.

So if you are visiting Vietnam or other really hot country, buy the green oranges. They are fully ripe and delicious. I verified the ‘fact” with Google.

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Bob Boland’s Heartfelt Plea



Bob Boland, Farnastack poet and agricultural contractor, lived through World War Two and all the privations of rationing that accompanied it. Here he pleads with the Dept. to give him a permit for fuel so he can do his job and work for the local farmers at the harvest.





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Guided Walk, Saturday July 13 2019


These lovely people walked with me on my first guided walk around town on Saturday. They came from Listowel, Duagh,  from Lithuania, from Canada, from the U.S. and the U.K. and there was a brave family from Mayo there too. They heard some stories and I heard some stories too. Great morning!

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