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: Bernard Brogan

A Dr. OConnor of The Square story and some photos from the switching on of the lights

Dan Doyle, Jerry Kiernan and Raymond Keane, St Michael’s 1968 (photo; Dan Doyle)

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Junior Griffin wrote to me recently. This is what he said.

“Mary, in
reading your blog in recent times on Doctor O’Connor who lived in the
Square, I’m one, at least, that has cause to be very grateful to the good
doctor.  Growing up in the Bridge Road I
always heard the story that there was no doubt but that he saved my life.

I was
born in Nurse O’Donovan’s nursing home which was then based in Church Street,
which would have been adjacent to the now North County guest house.

It seems
that I got a severe dose of the whooping cough when just 3 days old and
I’m told there was little chance of me surviving.

Doctor
O’Connor was called and his prescription was to feed me on so many spoons of
whiskey daily and to keep that up for a week or ten days.

As I’m
still around over 70 years later it must have worked.  I often thought,
should I have been entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest
boozer of all times.

However,
I must have not liked the taste as that was the last drop of the hot stuff that
ever passed my lips. 

As I grew
up my late mother had another theory on the whiskey. Coming from a farming
background, she had the story that when a greyhound pup was born, in order to
keep him small the owner fed him with the whiskey. As I turned out to be the
smallest of my siblings maybe there was some truth in that story. In the
football sense, I would rate myself nothing more than a town league footballer,
but like the greyhound I did have the bit of speed. So, who knows!!!.

Until his
death in the early 1950’s Doctor O’Connor would have visited our home on many
ocasions and would have treated me several times after for the flu. and
other childhood problems.

But as
mentioned above, I do owe my life to him.”

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Hardy boyo! From the Discover Kerry website comes this photo of a goat on Carrantuathail.

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A few more nice ones from the switching on of the Christmas lights

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 Jean OReilly the familiar face of RTE News for the deaf for 21 years retired recently.

Irish dancing, Munster Championship  1953

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From Noreen Keane Brennan on Facebook comes this picture of Listowel publicans at Harp Brewery, Dundalk. No year yet but research is underway.

Some of the names from Brenda Daly on Facebook

Cis Browne(Eric’s mother),R.I.P. beside her Bridie Carmody from Church Street, behind her Kats Walsh, The Square and beside her Olivia Murphy R.I.P. late of William St., then there’s Jetta Barry, William St.,R.I.P. and in the front beside Mai Chute, there’s Nora Daly, formerly of the Horseshoe Bar and Mary from Mary B’s and a little behind her, is Peggy O’ Carroll, wife of the late Jet and Mairead and Eamon’s mother.

Chrstmas is coming

This lovely postcard of Listowel Town Square on Friday evening is the work of Gillian Finucane.

Doreen Buckley’s photo of the crowd in town.

Church St,  Christmas 2013

Fealegood video of the switching on of the lights here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNrkobuO0iY

We got mulled wine

Jennifer and Kelly were well pleased with a job very well done.

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Behind the Scenes

The lights going up: the postman busy….Must be Christmas.

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Mary Frances Behan, Eileen O’Sullivan, Mary Sobieralski, Tina Kinsella and Marie MacAuliffe

I took this photo of the lovely ladies volunteering  in Second Time Around on Friday. The local conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is also expecting its shop to be busy for Christmas.

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This is a patchwork head of a horse. Students taking the V.E.C. textiles course in The Family Resource Centre are making a full life-size patchwork horse as part of their project. I visited them on a bad day as  many of the ladies were attending a funeral but I met three lovely hospitable ladies. I’ll be back.

Brenda Rochford, Pricilla Sweeney and Anne Lavery

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St. Senans Under 16 champions

Listowel’s fine young men named

Names as supplied by Aidan OMurchú

Front row 

Oliver Doyle, ?, Ned Lyons, John Burke, Mark Walsh, ?, Christy Walsh, Tommy Moore, Padraig Walsh, ?, Aidan Murphy, Ned Moriarty, Eamonn Hartnett, John Beechinor, Stephen Coffey.

Middle row

Neville, ?, Keating, Maurice Chute, Colm Keane, Paudie Carey, Michael Hannon, Paddy Horgan, Pat O Donoghue, Tom O Connell, John Sweeney, Gerry Kiernan, Gerry Murphy, PJ Browne, Tom Connor,

Back row

O’Reilly, Pat Stack, Eamonn O Carroll, Maurice Carroll, Kevin Woulfe, Raymond O Mahoney, ?, Nelius Scannell, McElligot, Tadhg Moriarty, Barry, Reidy, Pat Duggan, Dan Doyle, ?

Without being 100% sure, I think that 6 from photo are deceased.

Not bad. I see a few names there who might be able to name the rest.

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Some premises then and now

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One thing I love about Listowel people is their enormous pride in their own. Anyone with a Listowel connection who does well is a source of great pride. That is why when I heard that a Redemptorist priest who was born in Listowel is coordinating the relief effort is his part of the Phillipines, I had to share the news with you.  His name is Fr. Aidan MacMahon and he has served in the Phillipines mission for 35 years. He is a long time gone but he is still one of us and we’re proud.

Listowel, a staunch GAA town is proud of Jonathan Sexton and Tadhg Kennelly who have found success in different codes. So I was thrilled to hear that Bernard Brogan is coming to town on Friday next to switch on the Christmas lights. Bernard, with a very strong Listowel connection, is a huge star of Dublin GAA. It will be great to welcome him home to his mother’s hometown. I hope that a huge crowd turn out in The Square on Friday November 22 2013.  There will be mulled wine and hot chocolate to warm us.

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A Christmas image from last year to get you in the mood

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Newtownsandes Creamery Social 2013 from Jer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TnwMwLVqJU&feature=youtu.be

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