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: Behan’s.

North Kerry

By

On December 2, 2021

In Listowel, Poem

Market Street, Listowel, December 2021

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Ads for North Kerry Businesses

From Shannonside Annual 1958

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A Christmas Window…Behan’s Horseshoe

One of these bunnies is a bit on the Kildare side. Maybe he overindulged in The Horseshoe.

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A Poem

Today’s poem is by Éamon ÓMurchú. It arose out of a recent hospital stay.

Fear Turns to Awe

Thirteen years 

of fear and trepidation

Change in the space of two days 

To Gratitude  and Admiration

Everybody here Displays

Commitment

Dedication

Expertise

Professionalism –

putting the patients first 

in all they plan and do

Front of House staff 

give warm and reassuring welcome

While in the pre-op room 

frenzied yet consistent attention to detail

Plan Prepare and Reassure

In the Operating Theatre 

one witnesses 

albeit briefly 

Extraordinary

Teamwork, 

Partnership, 

Cooperation, 

and Skill Sets 

that know no bounds

And there is the Patient’s room

where the Night Nurse

caring, patient, encouraging 

with kind demeanour makes a sleepless night 

manageable 

-the patient coping 

by looking forward to her next visit and chat

And the Day Nurse –

Kind comforting reassurance

coupled with

firm but sensitive directives

which hasten recovery and healing

People gifted kind unique

We owe them; let’s not forget that

All personnel here share 

a humanity and concern for life 

in all its manifestations – 

so exemplary,

so necessary 

in our world today  

Conversion is their trade

Fear into awe

Worry into relief

Darkness into light

Sadness into joy

These people 

are of the same stock as you and me

Vulnerable and proficient

Deserving affirmation

Let’s not be wanting in our response

Let’s praise, applaud and celebrate

In deed and word

Joining them in their healing

Thus making a better world

Éamon Ó Murchú 

12/11/2021

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Which Crest?

A blog follower needs help from O’Connors or anyone well versed in heraldry.

She wishes to know which of these family crests is the correct one for her Kerry O’Connor clan.

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Costing a Fortune

Mattie Lennon wrote a letter to The Sunday Independent. When he saw it in print he was surprised to see that someone had done the Math and came up with the answer to the question he posed.

I’d love to know did he arrive at the correct answer. It looks a bit big to me. I know that there are a few mathematicians among followers of Listowel Connection. Your help is needed.

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One for those with a Limerick Connection

Vincent Carmody has produced another triumph. In this latest book he has been joined by his good friend, Tom Donovan to produce a pictorial account of Limerick commercial life between 1840 and 1960.

The book was launched in Limerick on November 30th.

Left to right in St. Mary’s Cathedral at the launch were Tom Ruddle, Deputy Mayor of Limerick, Tom Donovan, Vincent Carmody and Jimmy Moloney, Mayor of Kerry

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Cattle and Pig Fairs and Behan’s The Horseshoe

By

On July 20, 2021

In Ballybunion, Listowel

Photo; Chriostóir Grayson

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One Hundred Years ago on this Day

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Digiwiz

I met these girls at the Community Market in Ballybunion. They were selling Digiwiz products and doing a great job of promoting this local business.

“Learn how the digital world works in a constructive way and how it can be used for more than social media and video games.” This quote is from the Digiwiz website. This Tralee based business aims to enthuse young people to engage with technology in a fun way.

I bought a small robot in kit form and the lovely girls gave me some batteries and a screwdriver to get us going. I’ll try it on some grandchildren and keep you posted.

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The Queen in Coronation Street

Coronation Street is my favourite soap.

Over the years several members of the royal family have visited the set. Vera Duckworth famously claimed to be a distant relative of the Windsors.

Queen Elizabeth was the latest royal to visit the cobbles.

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A New Old Word

I had a delicious morning coffee in The Horseshoe. The scones were beautifully presented, doily and all. They were fresh out of the oven, and served with jam and cream and all the butter you want.

But the new word I want to introduce to you is bojonter. I asked for my coffee in a mug rather than a coffee cup and this beautiful Woodford Pottery mug arrived on the table. It was a fine big mug that I know a certain sister in law of mine would describe as a bojonter. I had heard her use the word for a big vessel of any beverage but I didn’t really know where the word came from.

So I asked the host. Gerry not only told me what a bojonter is, he showed me one on the shelf in the bar.

This is a bojonter of Guinness and that measure is still available today.

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Glin Tragedy, A Poster of The Field, Dunlop Cup winning team 1970 and Behan’s Restaurant

By

On May 25, 2020

In Uncategorized

Blennerville, May 2020

Photo: Liam Enright on This is Kerry

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Another case of death by smothering from the Limerick Chronicle 18th January 1917. Tom Donovan

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Newspaper Cutting Connecting my Two Homes



This newspaper cutting from 1991 appeared recently on the Facebook page of a closed group to which I belong.

Fr. Padraig Walshe, a priest of the Kerry diocese, was part of a fundraising effort for Romania. He secured a huge poster of the film of John B.’s The Field. He got John B. to sign it, had it framed and put it up for auction where it was bought by Geraldine O’Toole for £500.

Sadly, Geraldine passed away at a young age. May she rest in peace. 

I wonder where the poster is now.

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St. Michael’s; Dunloe Cup Winners 1970



Photo; Neil Brosnan, text Kieran Fitzgerald

This  is the Dunloe Cup Winning Team from 1970 . This was a hard fought but satisfying success as , though underdogs ,  we beat the big two, among others, en- route . I think we beat Tralee C.B.S. in the semi-final and we certainly beat the Sem in the final . I can recall is that we were 4/5 points down with about 15 minutes  to go and won by 7/8 . 

If memory serves me correctly , Canon Linnane was multi-tasking on final day . He was team manager for the Sem and then , immediately after the final whistle ,  presented the Cup to myself ( in his official role as Chairman of the Kerry Colleges Committee) .

The panel was  :

Front  ( Left to Right )    :       Brian Hilliard , Danny Lyons , Pat O’Flaherty , Neilus Brosnan 

Seated ( Left  to Right ) :       David Kissane , Pat Quilter , Gerard Leahy , Kieran Fitzgerald , Maurice Sheehy , Pat Stack , John Houlihan 

Standing ( Left to Right):       Jerry Kiernan , Tommy O’Flaherty , Eamon O’Carroll , Tom Stack , Vincent Donegan , Tom Lyons ( R.I.P. ) , P J Browne ( R.I.P.)

Tim Kennelly ( R.I.P.)  wasn’t available for the photo .

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Martin Chute has painted another lovely mural



Proprietor, Jerry Behan, tells me that he is going to have the front painted in the same colour.

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First Holy Communion Day 2020



My granddaughter, Cora is a pupil of Gaelscoil Uí Riordáin in Ballincollig. Saturday May 23 2020 was First Holy Communion Day.

Since they were not to have their big day, their teacher sent each of the communicants a card and each teacher made a little video for the class and shared a photograph of themselves on their First Communion Day.

The card is so lovely that I’m sharing it with you .

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