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: Christopher Hennessy

Vintage Day at Listowel Races 2018 and a new Alzheimers Day Centre planned for Listowel

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A Touch of Glamour from Times Past

Anna brought a touch of US chique to the restyle recycle event at Listowel Races.

Tis young lady favoured a tan palette for an outfit that would look as well today as in a bygone era .

Maria had a story.  She was wearing a themed outfit. The theme was Ballybunion during race week in Listowel.  It is customary for people who overindulge at Listowel Races to go to Ballybunion for a seaweed bath the morning after the night before.  Maria’s dress was the green black colour of the black rocks and her lacy sleeves were a sea weedy black. On her head Maria wore one of her own millinery creations. This one was particularly inventive. It involved collecting and drying out seaweed, fashioning it into a hat and painting the finish product. It was definitely the best and most creative piece of the day.

This man was rocking an upcycled ploughboy look. He wore a grandfather style shirt,  an old trousers and a flat cap. He brought a pitchfork as a prop to set off the look. It’s certainly a lot easier to win a prize in the men’s section of this competition!

Kieran and Imelda, members of the Tidy Town committee looked on in fascination.

The men are usually the ones to bring a bit of levity to proceedings.

This year the token “stag”  was present but he was reluctant to take part.

This outfit was worn by lady who was born in the wrong era. She loves vintage fashion and chooses it over modern stuff every day.

Proof, if proof were needed, that style is timeless.

Marlyn dressed herself for the competition in clothes from the IWA shop. She looked magnificent in her floral dress and red jacket and her vintage shoes were perfect match for her outfit.

Jean is one of these ladies who would look good in a binbag. For this event she sourced this beautiful royal blue dress on eBay. She teamed it with white accessories and she could have worn it any day and looked a million dollars.

This lady from Duagh looked perfectly turned out for a day at the races in browns and tans…timelessly stylish and worn with confidence and ease.

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Jackie Moore, Whitesmith



I posted this photo from the Johnny Hannon collection some time ago with the heading Jackie Moore, Pipesmith. Now I’ve learned something new from an old neighbour and friend of this craftsman.

Jackie was not a pipesmith but a whitesmith. A blacksmith takes someone’s design and makes it. A whitesmith designs and makes his own design from scratch. A blacksmith works with iron, a whitesmith usually with lighter metals such as tin.

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Remember those who can’t Remember



Listowel is soon to have a new Alzheimer’s Day Centre. Planning is granted and it is hoped to have it up and running by 2020. Below is a photo of the site. Are Churam is in the background.

Here is a poem  on the theme of growing old from local poet. Mary McElligott

ME



Help me save my memories, 

Each day I’m here with you.

It won’t take up all your time, 

As I only have a few.

Don’t ‘correct’ or ‘fix’ the gaps,

Just let me rattle on.

Feel free to move me on a bit,

If my story is too long.

Help me to keep myself, 

From disappearing down a hole. 

Save me from destruction,

As my body leaves my soul.

Show me my old photographs,

You can talk about my dog.

Help me dip around a bit,

If my memory needs a jog.

They wrote up ‘my story’,

The first week I came in.

It’s to help me remember me.

Now where do I begin?

I know I can’t remember much, 

Not too sure about this place

But I don’t feel so worried, 

When I see a smiling face.

If I’m ever feeling frightened,

‘You might see it in a frown’,

Come and sit beside me

And in time I’ll settle down.

Help me to be myself,

The best that I can be.

Remember who you’re looking at, 

The one and only…………ME.

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Remembering Christopher Hennessy…A Short Life Well Lived



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Positive Ageing




Joe OMuircheartaigh posted (on Twitter) these photos of his uncle, the legend that is Micheál Ó Muiurcheartaigh, abseiling in Dún Síon, west Kerry

The sweet factory, Pope John Paul 11 in Ireland and Berlin G.A.A. with a Listowel Connection

Charles Street, Listowel Co. Kerry in 2017

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Liam O’Hainnín unearthed this old one


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Armstrong’s Sweet Factory


The building covered in ivy is the castle and the four story building on the right is the old mill which became the sweet factory. I hope I have it right this time.

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The Pope’s Visit



Photo; Photos of Dublin

This is the Phoenix Park in 1979. It is estimated that one third of the population of Ireland was there.

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Christopher Hennessy’s Legacy 



( thanks to Mairead OGorman for the heads up on Facebook))



Christopher Hennessy, who in 2015  passed away from cancer at the age of 40, grew up in Listowel. He was, like many another young fellows at the time, mad for sport…every sport

Christopher is second from the right in the second row of this scouts picture from 1984.

Like many another young man, he wanted to see the world, to travel and to make a mark. He went to  Australia and from there he went to several countries in that part of the world before settling down eventually in Germany with his lovely wife Katharina.

Chris biked and ran and regularly partook in Sunday morning kickabouts in the park. But he missed the cut and thrust of competitive football. Not one to sit and moan, Chris did something about it. He set up the first Berlin G.A.A. club. He rounded up friends who had played Australian Rules football, a few soccer players and a few hurlers. These with the handful of lads who had some experience of Gaelic football formed a team. There were already one or two G.A.A. clubs in Germany so they had a league to join.

In 2014 Christopher’s was living the dream, beautiful wife, handsome son, Tristan,  a fledgeling football team for recreation, his allotment to keep him busy and close to nature. Then cruel Fate took it all away. Christopher was a fit young man. He endured the pain and the treatment in the hope of recovery. His Listowel family travelled to Berlin to be with him and to do everything they could to make life easier  for his devastated wife and son.

Christopher’s funeral mass in St. Mary’s Listowel  in February 2015 was one of the saddest I have ever attended. In his 40 years Christopher had done so much and had achieved so much. He had everything to live for. His parents, John and Helen were so proud of him.

The reason I am writing about him today is because the RTE programme, The Geansaí, featured his club in Berlin on it’s second episode of 2017.

The Geansaí on RTE Player

His club is still going strong. Their jerseys bear the name Criostóir in memory of their founder. The Dresden G.A.A. club hold a Hennessy Hurling Cup competition and Christopher’s own club, Berlin were this year’s winners.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh anam uasal Chriotóir.

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