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: Ballybunion Page 1 of 33

American Irish Historical Society

By

On April 16, 2025

In Listowel, Poem

Listowel Pitch and Putt Course Sunday April 13 2025

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Reggie in Ballybunion

Reggie made several trips to Ballybunion while he was on his Kerry holidays. He loved playing with MaCushla

On Saturday morning he befriended a few Dippers. He loves attention.

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Hassle in the Castle

Damien and Joan Stack with Mark Holan

I met Mark in Listowel on Saturday, April 12 2025. Mark is an American Irish journalist and historian. He is a frequent visitor to Ireland. He writes in his Irish American blog about Irish history, politics and current issues. He is a frequent visitor to these parts, visiting both here and Northern Ireland and catching up with relatives in North Kerry.

We had arranged to meet for a quick chat on Saturday. Talk fell to the American Irish Historical Society where Mark was scheduled to give a presentation…

COMING APRIL 21, 2025, “Michael J. O’Brien: Defending Ireland’s Record in America”: US Sen. John Sharp Williams attacked the Irish character in a widely reported October 1919 speech. Michael J. O’Brien of the American Irish Historical Society was drafted to make the reply on behalf of Irish immigrants. Register here for this AIHS online presentation.

This presentation now seens highly unlikely to go ahead as a result of the bitter upheavel taking place at the AIHS.

Listowel’s own Elizabeth Stack was doing an excellent job as CEO at turning around the fortunes of this extremely important but troubled organisation. The board has treated her appallingly badly.

You can read the story in the link below

Irish Echo

https://www.irishecho.com/2025/4/stack-formally-fired-and-locked-out-of-aihs

Mark Holan had interviewed Elizabeth Stack and was aware of her passion for Irish American history and her vision for the society whose significance she recognised and was anxious to restore to its rightful place in the history of our Irish emigrants in the U.S. He was shocked to learn of her dismissal. AIHS holds invaluable archival materials.

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Another Popular Old Poem

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Annual Walk

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A Fact

Iceland’s parliament is the oldest active parliament in the world. It is active since AD930.

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The Black Valley

By

On July 5, 2022

In Ballybunion, Listowel

Listowel Town Square, June 28 2022

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The Black Valley

The Black Valley is one of the most inaccessible places and also one of the most beautiful in Co. Kerry.

Recently a man, Michael Rodgers, posted some extraordinary photographs on Facebook. There are no people in these shots, just sheep and nature at its rawest.

These abandoned houses tell their own story.

There are some inhabited houses too, a church and a school, a community hanging on by the skin of its teeth.

Before they built Our Lady of the Valley church in 1955, people had to go to Derrycunnihy Church to worship.

“Long before the Lady of the Valley Church was built after quite a Battle to Build it the Black Valley Residents traveled from Lord Brandon’s Cottage, took a boat rowed by Teresa Tangney to a spot across the Upper Lake to a spot near the Derrycunnihy Church which was still a hike from the Dock which took a couple hours.” Michael Rodgers

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Presentation Secondary School Yearbook 1991

The early days of football for ladies in Listowel…

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President Clinton in Ballybunion 1998

Photo; Bert Griffin

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Ring of Kerry Cycle 2022

Listowel’s Ard Chúram crew were out in force volunteering as stewards at the very successful cycle. Unfortunately the weather was fairly miserable but the mood was upbeat among the cyclists and volunteers.

Dr. Colm Henry HSE Clinical Director with Árd Charm chairman, Finbarr Mawe

Timothy Hurley, Cahirsiveen, with Finbarr and Kathy Mawe

Volunteers, Angela Quinlan and Anne Donegan at Kenmare Food Station.

At the Kenmare food station, Anne Donegal looking after AC cyclist Fergus O’Brien, Cork

Cathal Walshe, PRO of ROKCC with Listowel Árd Chúram volunteers, Mike Moriarty and Brenda O’Halloran on Friday evening at the registration desk

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The Claddagh Ring, The Listowel Connection

Yesterday The New York Times’ Sandra Jordan did a story on the Claddagh ring

Claddagh Ring

Walt Disney, Queen Victoria, Mia Farrow, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts and Gabriel Byrne have all worn them.

200 Claddagh rings were recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers.

These are some of the great titbits I learned from the article.

When it comes to a modern take on the Claddagh design, the New York Times has this to say about Eileen Moylan of Claddagh Design

In 2013, the Overall Winner at Showcase Ireland, a national exposition presented on behalf of the Design and Crafts Council Ireland, was a minimalist version of the Claddagh ring. The design, which eliminated any detailing on the hands, cuffs and crown, was created by Eileen Moylan, a goldsmith with Claddagh Design.

Ms. Moylan said she was 8 when her grandmother gave her a Claddagh ring. “It was my first proper piece of jewelry and I adored it,” the 44-year-old said. But when she studied jewelry design, she found the traditional Claddagh ring too ornate.

“I was inspired by fede rings, lovely, simple things,” she said. “I didn’t want to remove the elements of the hands, heart and crown — my rings are still recognizable as Claddaghs.”

Ms. Moylan, who makes all her rings by hand, does sell traditional rings, but she said her contemporary designs, which start at 196 euros ($206), are her best-sellers. She uses only recycled metal: silver, white and yellow gold, platinum and palladium.

A lot of customers “like the simple, clean lines,” she said. “I sell a lot of men’s wedding rings, they are not ornate. And an awful lot of men are getting my Claddagh rings as engagement rings.”

In 2017,commissioned by Writers’ Week, Eileen made an extraordinarily beautiful presentation piece for Brendan Kennelly. Here she is pictured with him on Opening Night, Listowel Writers Week 2017.

All of Eileen’s work is exceptional. She deserves all the recognition she gets.

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Ballybunion and Shannonside Journal 1996

By

On October 1, 2020

In Uncategorized

 

Today’s reflection from Tralee’s Garden of Contemplation

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Sit A While and Remember


There is a big surge in the popularity of commemorating people with seats in their favourite places.

I spotted these recently along the footpath looking out to sea in Ballybunion.

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From the Cliff Walk

Virgin Rock

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A St. Patrick’s Day Parade Back in the Day



Listowel ICA were great supporters of the Glor na nGael St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This is Noreen O’Leary in costume for one such occasion

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Tom Fitzgerald found this old treasure. The photographs of the photographs didn’t come out great. But I’ll share a few over the next few days.

These girls were at Sports Day in Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail.

Virgin Rock, The Pilgrim Paths and Raceweek 2020

By

On September 25, 2020

In Uncategorized

Ballybunion 2020

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Kerry Already making the Headlines in 1972


New York NY Irish American Advocate


24 June 1972


North Kerry Milk Products—————–
Biggest factory of its kind in both Ireland and England and its finished product, which goes into edible foods, is being exported to the American Erie Casein Company of Illinois which holds a 15 per cent share in the North Kerry Company. Of the remaining 85 per cent of shares half are held by the Dairy Disposal Company and the balance by nine Co-operative Creameries. DYNAMIC MANAGER Young dynamic General Manager of the North Kerry Company is Mr. Denis Brosnan, M.Sc, a native of Kilflynn near Tralee, who said that there was 34 million gallons of milk in the North Kerry area last year which is as big an amount as in the areas of the other major processing groups. At this time about 11 million gallons of whole milk and four million gallons of skim milk were being sold while the remainder had to go back to farmers.

 

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Pilgrim Paths of Ireland


( Photos from Martin Moore on Facebook)


Ireland has several penitential and monastic sites. Some of these are laid out now in several  Irish Caminos.


Martin Moore treked The Pilgrim Paths of Ireland and here are some of the sites he stopped off in on the way.




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The Beauty of an Old Machine

This is a Wexford Pierce & Co. horse drawn finger bar mower. Shane McAuliffe of Parknageragh House refurbished it and shared the before and after pictures on Facebook.

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A Very Different Raceweek


Local shops are doing their best to make us feel like its Raceweek.

This bookie themed window is at Broderick’s Pharmacy.

The NCBI shop are going with a best dressed lady theme.

Finesse Bridal has close ties to the horse racing world. It’s window is definitely a winner alright

 

Listowel’s First Picture House and Cowboys Remembered, Ballybunion RIC and Races on TV

By

On September 17, 2020

In Uncategorized



John Kelliher’s photo of the empty racecourse in September 2020 says it all. The sun is setting on a forgettable summer.

Yes, there will be a race meeting this year, but it will be behind closed doors. We’ll have to be happy with watching the races on telly.

TG4 coverage will be hosted again by Seán Bán Breathnach with Mánus Ó Conghaile.  Race commentary comes from Mícheál Ó Sé and reporter will be Daragh Ó Conchúir.

TG4s schedule is as follows:

*Monday, September 21 – On-Air @ 3:00pm

Five races live including the main race of the day ‘The Liam Healy Memorial Lartigue Hurdle’ @ 3:40pm.

*Tuesday, September 22 – On-Air @ 3:00pm

Five races live including the main race of the day ‘The Edmund and Josie Whelan Memorial Stakes’ @ 4:30pm

*Wednesday, September 23 – On-Air @ 3:00pm

Five races live including the main race of the day ‘The Guinness Kerry National’ @ 4:30pm

*Thursday, September 24 – On-Air @ 3:00pm

Five races live including the main race of the day ‘The Listowel Printing Works Handicap’ @ 4:30pm

*Friday, September 25 – On-Air @ 3:00pm

Five races live including the main race of the day ‘The Southampton Goodwill Plate Handicap Steeplechase’ @ 4:25pm

*Saturday, September 26 – On-Air @ 3:00pm

Five races live including the main race of the day ‘The M.J. Carroll ARRO Handicap Hurdle’ @ 4:00pm

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Cowboys and Irishmen


Liam Dillon’s story of his mother’s frightening experience in Listowel’s first cinema prompted many cinematic memories for blog followers.

Mattie Lennon thought of Gene Autry, one of the biggest stars of the Cowboy genre.

Gene Autry was  a huge star of the silver screen and on Sept 7 1939 he and his horse, Champion, rode in parade near the theatre Royal. The crowd was estimated at 250,000. Autry was known as The Singing Cowboy. His many films were immensely popular on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mattie remembers a line from  the late great Seán MacCarthy

Sean Mc Carthy said that when the first chipper was set up in Listowel two fellows came out of the cinema and bought two bags of chips. One of them said, “I  don’t care what anyone says, there’s spuds in them.”

Cyril Kelly remembers the first Listowel cinema as well. Here in his own inimitable style is his reminiscence…

My erstwhile neighbour, Liam Dillon, relayed a story about his mother’s scary visit to the first ‘cinema’ in the town. That reminiscence aroused a memory that I have of my own mother and her recollections of the same picture house, aka cinema, aka fleapit. In her accounts the pictures were shown in Cooney’s, a shed/lean-to/stall behind Nurse Donovan’s Nursing Home (next door to North County House) where all the hair-raising episodes seemed to be confined to the brass beds of the lying-in rooms at the front rather than any six guns blazing to the rear. Dickeen Daly was the anti-hero in my mother’s cinema tales (People may recall Dickeen, caretaker to the old Courthouse).

 

At any rate, during the showing of a picture, Dickeen’s job was to provide sound effects ….remember, this was the silent movie era. So when a new picture came to Cooneys, Dickeen was at the ready for the first few nights with his rattles and whistles and squeaks, plus pebbles and rocks in empty biscuit tins. But, inevitably, as the week wore on and as Dickeen became overly familiar with the latest western or who-done-it, flickering on the whitewashed wall, his stamina was sorely tested. And as Cooney’s ventilation system was not designed to cope with a packed and hyperventilating audience, the poor sound effects man was known to nod off. With the result, audience screams of Dickeen! Dickeen! rang out when the gunfight was at its most ferocious, when the fusillade should have been ear splitting. But by the time Dickeen was roused, and the biscuit tin and the rocks and the pebbles were primed, the soundtrack was merely providing rolling thunder and teeming rain for the victim’s burial on Boothill.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

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North Kerry man is new CEO of Lee Strand 

Gearóid Linnane takes the next step in his very successful career as he takes up the role of CEO of Lee Strand

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Burning in Ballybunion 


The 1920’s was a terrible time in Kerry with shootings, reprisals, burnings and brother pitted against brother in a bitter fight that has left scars that are only barely healed today.

John Keane shared this photograph of the RIC barracks in Ballybunion which was burned to the ground.

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