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: Ballincollig Page 5 of 7

The Well, Coburg St. Cork, Beano and Storied Kerry

By

On November 1, 2018

In Uncategorized

Main Street, Listowel

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Water fromThe Well

The following extract is taken from Jim Costelloe’s great rural memoir of Asdee in the 1940’s and ’50s



In the days before group water schemes were introduced to rural areas, domestic water was sourced from wells and pumps. If the water supply lasted through the summer and into October it was the sign of a good spring. I well remember trips to the local well with a white enamel bucket and trying to move the green moss on the surface of the well water so that it would not get into the bucket and make the water in the pure white bucket appear dirty.

Getting clear water into the bucket was a skilful job, between trying to avoid the green moss on the surface and the “dirt” at the bottom of the well. How wonderfully cool and refreshing a mug of water was straight from the well. There was always a mug beside the well and we often drank from it during those warm summers that we seemed to get long ago.

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Random Item


From Random Cork Stuff on Twitter


Incredible snap of Coburg St, Cork, with Shandon in the background, from 1905. (found by Joe Healy)
Random fact: Coburg was the old family name of the British royal family before they changed it to Windsor to make it sound less German.



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When I Made a Little Girl’s day



Yesterday I told you about my child minding on polling day in Ballincollig and the find we made in the charity shop.

These pictures were taken when we got home with our haul.




Oh to be nine again!



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Storied Kerry Meitheal Saturday October 27 2018




This man is Professor Joseph Sobol, professor of storytelling at the University of South Wales and, as far as we know, the only professor of storytelling . He was reluctant to claim that distinction as he sees everyone as a storyteller. He told us about story tellers who have influenced him and he told us how the story is centralised in all our lives.



At the seminar we were divided into eight districts to discuss where we go from here.


Mary Kennelly was the board member of Storied Kerry in charge of our North Kerry breakout group.



Here we are, ready to discuss the North Kerry story. We got a bit bogged down in the story of decline, pub, shop and post office closures, rural decline and rural isolation. We touched on the rambling house and festivals as a way of keeping the story alive. We decided on tourism as the most likely industry to keep our story going. we decided to meet again and to spread the word.

A Braddy Cow, Local Historians, old Santa letters and rare book finds in a charity shop.

By

On October 31, 2018

In Uncategorized

 Church Street, Listowel

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The Braddy Cow


( The word braddy comes from the Irish bradach, a bó bradach was the thieving cow who was forever breaking into the neighbours pastures)

The following extract is taken from Jim Costelloe’s great rural memoir of Asdee in the 1940’s and ’50s



Every herd of cows- although I doubt if the few short horn cows we had could be called a bawn- had a leader. When given the task of minding the cows she had to be supervised at all times. After all she was the inquisitive one and led the others around the boundary ditches when they were first let in to the aftergrass. While most of the cows were content to feed on the new grass which was a feast in comparison to the bare grazing fields, the braddy cow chose to roam around the field and, of course, she had to inspect the tilled area. The important part of minding the cows was to prevent any of them from getting a taste of the garden. Once the cows got the first taste of the growing turnips or cabbage at all, the job was twice as hard. The forbidden fruit was all that was on their minds after tasting the garden produce and the aftergrass, while welcome, was only to be eaten when the animals were prevented from going into the garden.

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My Fellow Local Historians

I met Charlie Nolan and Jer. Kennelly in The Square. Charlie is the greatest supporter of Listowel Connection bar none and without Jer. I wouldn’t have half the great stories from the papers or photographs. It is always a pleasure to meet these two gentlemen. We are ploughing the same furrow, preserving the stories, the sights and the memories. We are  keepers of the flame.

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A Listowel Supplement to The Kerryman in 1994

A blog supporter found this great old paper and he gave it to me to share. I’m sure these girls will be thrilled to see their innocent letters to Santa reproduced here. School off for two months, Helen!


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On Being a Nana

I enjoy a privilege not granted to everyone. I have lived long enough to get to know my grandchildren.


These are three of my five grandchildren. I got to spend a day with them recently when they had a day off as their school was being used as a polling station for the presidential election.  Here we are on Station Road, Ballincollig on our way to the shops.


Then this happened. We hit the Balance charity shop in Ballincollig on the day that some Beano lover had donated his old stash of comic albums. Róisín loves nothing better than a vintage comic. She literally danced and leapt around the shop when I bought the lot. This has to be one of my best days as a Nana.

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In Lixnaw, the cradle of Kerry hurling, they are celebrating




Photo from Twitter

October horsefair, Ballincollig Remembers the Army, and a photo of some Kerry legends

By

On October 22, 2018

In Uncategorized

Chris Grayson in Killarney National; Park

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October Horsefair 2018



Some photos from the recent horsefair

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Remembering the Army in Ballincollig.

Many of my family live in Ballincollig so it is a town that is dear to my heart. By the way, Listowel beat Ballincollig by only one point in the 2018 Tidy Town competition. Ballincollig, like Listowel, won its category and got another gold medal.

Ballincollig was a kind of garrison town as it was home to the gunpowder mills and military barracks during the years before independence. The barracks was handed over to the Irish army and was eventually closed 20 years ago.

To mark the 20 year anniversary of the closing of the barracks the army held a remembrance ceremony and they brought a few big guns to remind Ballincollig of its military past.

This building occupies a central location on the main street in Ballincollig. It was once an army  gun store. Now it’s a Starbucks café.

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Some Kerry Greats



Photo and caption from Des Cahill on Twitter




Proper#Kerrylegends!! Taken by photographer, John Bambury, 28 years ago when the#FAI“International Club” honoured#Kerry. Jack O’Shea, Micheál O Muirceartaigh, Moss Keane, Mick O’Connell, Chief Justice Liam Hamilton (Inter. Club), J.B., Brendan Kennelly, John B.Keane

More from Brendan of Kerry, All Ireland final in 1940s and Parnell in Listowel

By

On August 21, 2018

In Uncategorized

By the River Feale

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Greaneys and Careys in Brendan of Ireland



This is Frank Greaney’s grandmother, Mary Greaney, nee Carey. She loved to play Patience and played it every day. Frank remembers her just like this in this very navy blouse with the white polka dots. She took snuff and she was partial to a Baby Power. She was in bed by 10.00 every night.

This is Frank’s mother, Bridie.

 This the Greaney family around the table.

Here they are all saying the family rosary. Pidge is on the far right in the photo. The little girl kneeling by the small chair is Frank’s sister, Máire. His younger sister was not born when the picture was taken.

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John Brassil’s Constituency Office in Church Street



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Up for the match


Photo from North Kerry Camera….Vincent Carmody

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Parnell in Listowel




I have been told recently that Parnell did not speak from the hotel window at all but from a platform in The Square. Could it be that he addressed the crowd twice?

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Update on Molly



Some of her fans have been asking me how Molly is doing. She is doing fine and dandy. She is just back from her holiday in Rosslare and is settling down to her last weeks before  back- to -school life in Ballincollig.

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Mike the Pies, Remembrance Day and Romance in Cork

By

On May 15, 2018

In Uncategorized

In Listowel’s Pitch and Putt course



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Mike the Pies, Upper William Street


Brief history of Mike the Pies by Vincent Carmody

McElligott and O’Connor families.

Number 28 Patrick St (Upper William Street), has been the family home for only two families since it was built in the 1890s. The McElligott family who built it, resided there until their emigration to the United States in 1907 and the O’Connor family purchased it that year. 

In 1906, as news of the San Francisco earthquake filtered through, William McElligott visualized how his architectural skills could be of value in the rebuilding of the now badly devastated city. Having decided to sell the business, it went up for auction in February 1907.
The successful new owners, Michael and Kate O Connor did not have to travel far to relocate, they had been tenants of Lar Buckley, cooper, at number 24, just two doors down. Here, they had ran a grocery shop and here Kate baked meat pies, which she sold at fair and market days. In an amazing twist, the O’Connors had been in America and had returned to set up a business in their native North Kerry, while the McElligott’s were selling out in Ireland, eager to find out could they to make fame and fortune in America. 

Michael and Kate concentrated on running the public house and had a busy grocery and flour and meal business, Kate continued with her pie making, so much so, that the pub acquired the name ‘Mike the Pies’. Their son, Michael, married Mary McElligott from Moyvane in the 1940’s. They had six sons, Michael, Thomas, Roger, Eamon, Denis and Maurice. Mike the Pies is still operated by the O’Connor family, it is as busy as ever and over time has developed into a popular music venue.
The photographs include,
The frontage with the McElligott name on the fascia board.
A family group taken in Moyvane, (c) 1945. including,
Back,
Michael O Connor, his father in law, Thomas McElligott, brother in law, Dinny McElligott, Mary (Mac) O’Connor.
Front,
Bridget McElligott holding Thomas (Tom) O’Connor and Michael O’Connor.

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Wreath laying at Listowel History Festival on a glorious May weekend 2018


In The Square Listowel on Saturday May 5 2018 we had the annual veterans parade and wreath laying. The Killorglin Pipe and drum band led the parade and dignitaries from church and state, including Minister Brendan Griffin attended.





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Who said Romance is dead?




This is the Mills and Boon section in Ballincollig library. God knows, we need a break from all the doom and gloom but do we need so much romance?


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