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: Church St. Page 3 of 5

Connect Ireland, Flavins and a Coolard School History is Launched

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On March 4, 2016

In Uncategorized

Breakfast like a king,

Lunch like a prince 

And dinner like a pauper.

This ancient nutritional advice seemed to be the order of the day last week when I was invited to attend a breakfast meeting in The Horseshoe. The invitation came from my lovely past pupil, Lisa O’Carroll who works in the local Enterprise Office.

This is Lisa with her good friend, Jennifer Scanlon of Coco, Listowel

This is Tomás Hayes of the Enterprise Office who welcomed us and told us what this gathering was all about. Lisa and Tomás are the people to contact if you are an entrepreneur starting up a business or expanding an existing one in the Kerry area. They are all about job creation and they will help you with every aspect of doing business in Kerry.

Below you will see many of the local people who were in attendance.

The special guest was Tom Dowling.

As soon as he got up to speak, I knew I’d met him before. Tom was none other than the judge who came to town last summer to see our town put on its best face for The Pride of Place competition.

My photo shows Tom and his wife in The Seanchaí last summer, chatting to Eddie Moylan of Listowel Vintage Wireless Museum.

On Wednesday, February 24 2016 Tom had his other hat on. He had come this time to talk to us about Connect Ireland. This is an initiative to bring employment to rural Ireland. It’s all about the emotional connection.

Many Irish people abroad would love to relocate a business here or would love to start up a new one here. Many other people know people who are thinking of locating a business elsewhere but might be open to coming to rural Ireland. Connect Ireland is all about getting the message out there that Ireland is a great place to do business.

If you know someone like this, Connect Ireland will give them every help to start up here.

Take a look at the Connect Ireland website . You’d never know, this could be the start of something.

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Flavins has a new shop assistant



 The fifth generation Flavin is too small to stand behind the counter but Clara posed with her mother, Anne and her aunt Joan in Flavins of Church St. Listowel last week

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Chimney and Roof Repairs at Allos and Lees


Up on the roof in Church St. Listowel on February 24 2016



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Big Night planned for Coolard Scholars




The above photos from the great Kennelly Archive were taken in December 1957 when Santa visited Coolard.  These children are all grown up now. I wonder do they remember that day in 1957. No doubt this and many other school memories will be relived as people dip into Maurice O’Mahony’s History of Coolard school which will be launched in St. John’s on Saturday evening next March 5 2016.

Writers Week team, Horans and The Brogue and a wet day on Church St.

By

On December 10, 2015

In Uncategorized

 The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow

And what will the robin do then, poor thing?

He’ll hide in a barn and keep himself warm

And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

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The power behind the throne at Listowel Writers’ Week 

Maria McGrath,  Éilish Wren and Máire Logue show off their new reading mittens as they work away in the basement of The Seanchaí , putting together another great programme for June 2016.

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Down Memory Lane




John Keane with the late Gerard Relihan a few years ago  (photo; Ita Hannon)

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Horan’s was a Great Venue in its Hayday



Historical Tralee shared this old one. The Horan Centre is here in Tralee today. Gone but not forgotten by many.




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Kirby’s Tralee, Maybe a Tad Overdecorated for Christmas 2015?





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A Wet Morning stroll in Listowel, early December 2015

Come with me down Church Street in early morning, December 4 2015. Storm Desmond is on the way and the streets are wet and empty. The Christmas lights are trying bravely to add a bit of festive cheer to the scene. This was to be the day we switched on the Christmas lights and partied in The Square but that was all later cancelled due to the usual spoilsport; the weather.



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Change in Main St.


A new sign….a new tenant?

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photo: Scoil Realt na Maidine

Junior and Senior Infants helped Mrs. Sheehy with on the Christmas lights.

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A Collectors’ Item


A message from Knockanure Parents Association:

“Scoil Chorp Chríost Parents Association 2016 Calendar. Our fundraiser for this Christmas. €10 per calendar. Loads of pictures from 1966 onwards. School will be 50 years in September 2016. Celebrations ahead! 
For Sale in School (9.30 – 12.30 from secretary), Flynns Bar, Knockanure, Holly’s Gala, Moyvane, The Parish Office, Moyvane, The Flying Saucer, Cafe, Listowel or enquire from Parents’ Assoc Committee members.”

Listowel in the 1950s, Church Street, Hannah Keane and Ronan Wilmot in St. John’s

By

On August 12, 2015

In Uncategorized

Main Street, Listowel 2015

The Small Square; looking good in summer 2015

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The Advertiser

The Advertiser is running a great series on old Listowel and North Kerry. Denis Walsh is doing a great job and his free publication is flying out of the shops as soon as it hits the shelves on Fridays. Here are a few photos from an issue on Church St. You can read the full magazine by clicking the link above.


This is taken in front of Larry’s butcher’s. The house was then owned by Mr. Keane.


Like Flavins, this business is still trading on Church Street.

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Hannah Keane of Church Street








On August 2 2015, Conor Keane posted this photo and tribute to his grandmother.



Today, the Keane, Klaben, O’Connor, Schuster and Purtill families celebrate the memory of the late Hannah Keane, nee Purtill, who died on this day in 1989, aged 88. 

Hannah Keane was a remarkable Kerry woman who was threatened with summary execution by the Black and Tans for the daring role she played with her late brothers in Ireland’s successful battle for independence from 1919 to 1921. Like many of her generation she rarely spoke about those days, instead preferring to look to the future.

She raised an exceptional family with her school teacher husband Bill (William) who pre-deceased her in 1963; their offspring in turn raised some amazing children who I am proud to call friends first, but cousins also.

And now another generation of Keanes, Klabens, O’Connors and Schusters are on the go – all great friends and great grandchildren of Bill and Hannah Keane of 45 Church Street, Listowel, County Kerry.

Here’s to my grandmother Hannah Keane late of Listowel and Ballydonoghue, affectionally know as ‘Hanny honours’ by her numerous grandchildren who loved her dearly.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam



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Liz Chute shared this Church Street memory

 Church Street was a wonderful Street filled with interesting people . Over thirty years ago Mr Lawlee got a heart attack and was obviously in hospital . A few days later my own wonderful mother had a heart attack herself and believe it or not within a few days Michael Quille had one .  These houses were within 500 yards of each other . One evening whilst all three were in hospital a client of Allos hopped the ball that he had better watch out but Allo quick as ever responded ” not at all lads ‘ tis going in the other direction !!


And from Maurice O’Sullivan



I agree with Liz. Church St. was a wonderous place to grow up with so many characters or oddballs. Molly Flaherty shared Hannah Keane’s interest in leaving cert results or “d’onours”. Hannah had a massive opposition in the McMahons across the road. It didn’t matter that she had such successful children Eamon and John B. d’onours were still paramount. I suppose never in history had so many characters lived in such close proximity. Moll Troy, Dillon (who hated dogs) Lina Mullally, Ginny with the lame step, Nora O’ Grady, Short Pants the harness maker, John Joe Dillon, captain Shanahan, Mickey and Delia Kearney, Ina Collins. This is only a fraction.





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Summer Walk 2015



Bobby Cogan and his sons, Killian and Sean walking on William Street, August 2015.

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Ronan Wilmot in St. John’s


(photo:Flickr images)

Ronan Wilmot is the son of a Listowel man. He was back in his father’s hometown to give us three nights of excellent theatre in The Tailor and Ansty.

For people who don’t know the story, the tailor was Timothy Buckley of Guagane Barra in Co. Cork. He was a well known seanchaí and with his gentle wife, Anastasia, held open house for all who wanted to come to listen to his stories.  Tim was a well travelled Kerryman and he had married in to the Buckley holding; a cottage with the grass of one cow. He was a very witty man and had a way of turning a phrase that made him much sought after in the 1940’s as a colorful character and storyteller.

The acclaimed Cork stone sculptor, Seamus Murphy. made a bust of him  and Eric Cross a Cork journalist, wrote a book about him, full of stories and anecdotes he had collected from him.

It was this book that brought ruination down on the heads of Tim and his wife. The book was banned by the Censorship of Publications Board because of its ribald content. A delegation of 4 priests came to the tailor’s house and forced him to burn his copy of the book.

The poor couple were devastated, disgraced in the community…”read from the altar”. Their neighbours shunned them. No one came to hear Tim’s stories any more. They were ruined.

This is the story that was brought to life for us by Ronan Wilmot and Ena May of the Dublin Theatre Company. It was a great night’s theatre. Both actors had their subjects to a T. The tailor was lazy but eminently entertaining, a witty, larger than life presence who had an abundant store of stories and observations which made him great company. Ansty, his long suffering wife, clearly loved him and took pride in his great store of learning. Their uncomprehending acceptance of the injustice visited on them was poignantly portrayed in the final scene where they close the door as they realize that their usual nightly visitors are not coming and they settle down to their other nightly ritual, The Rosary.

1942 Ireland is hardly recognizable to today’s young people. The closest we come to it today is the Taliban of Afghanistan. Important plays like this make sure we never forget.

1960s advertising, Kanturk and some Church St. people

By

On April 20, 2015

In Uncategorized


It’s Official; Summer is here



Yes, we know one swallow doth not a summer make but I’m still delighted to see that Mike Enright spotted this little harbinger of sunny days in Ballybunion last week.


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Wild Flowers in the Park

Primroses and buttercups on the bank of the glaise that flows through the park

“Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang.”

This section of the pitch and putt course is covered in daisies.

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Back to my Roots


Kanturk in Times Past

Ger Greaney alerted me recently to this great old series of photographs of my hometown. Looking at the comments when he shared the Youtube video I realized that you don’t have to be from Kanturk to enjoy this one.

The sequence opens with an old railway carriage in the train station at Kanturk. The station is now only a memory but what a memory!

The ballad of The Bould Thady Quill has a line, “Proceed to Banteer to the athletic sports and hand in your name to the club committee”. In my youth the way to proceed to Banteer was by train. It cost 3d for the short train journey and I can only remember making it on Sports Day.

Michael O’Sullivan, who made the slide show, is the next generation of O’Sullivan’s from Klamper who have left their mark on the town forever. The O’Sullivan brothers emigrated to the USA where they did very well. They brought their wealth back to Kanturk, set up several businesses in retail, catering and the licensed trade and they transformed the face of Kanturk. They brought with them a whiff of US glamour and they opened our eyes, in the Kanturk of the 1950s and 60’s to a world we only saw in the movies (films we called them then.)

Just doors away from the local cinema the O’Sullivans opened a café, the like of which had not been seen before in Kanturk. It had a juke box!!!

Do you know the lyric? “Please Mister, please, don’t play E17. It was our song; it was his song but its over…..”

Only people who remember a juke box will have any idea what this is all about. Each record had a number and for 6d. you could choose the song you wanted played. Through a glass, you could watch the drum turn the records and then  the selection tool would take the chosen record and place it on a turntable, the stylus would come across and the whole café listened to your selection. There was a kind of honor system in operation where people took turns to pay for the music. He who paid the piper always called the tune despite much pressure. The proprietors got in new records regularly and there was great clamouring to listen to the latest arrivals.

One of the photos in Michael’s slide show was taken in the café. The machine in the photo is a weighing scales and, sadly, not the juke box. There are also other familiar local scenes like the official opening of the Marian grotto, the mammoth Corpus Christi procession, Fancy Dress parades, firemen, FCA and much more.

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Talented sisters

Rosaleen and Patricia hard at work in Craftshop na Méar. These two are multitalented and make many of the lovely items available in Craftshop na Méar in Church St.

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Bang for your Buck

Listowel people were well versed in the art of advertising back in 1960. Who could resist these bargains?

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Snapped in Flavins, Church St. April 15 2015




Flavins is an old style newsagents where the personal touch is valued. In the words of John B. in another context, “Courtesy and civility guaranteed at all times.”  Long may it continue!

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Well done, girls!


(photo: Listowel Celtic)


Listowel Celtic U12 girls after winning their match away to Killarney Celtic 6.0. They are now JK Sports U12 league champions!

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2015 Nano Nagle Poker Run

These and lots  more lovely photos from Saturday’s bike run in aid of Nano Nagle school  here;

John Kelliher

Ballymullen Jail, The late Helen Leahy and changes on Church St.

By

On February 23, 2015

In Uncategorized

Ballymullen, Tralee



The following account of Ballymullen jail is taken from Historical Tralee and Surrounding Areas



“The old jail in Ballymullen Tralee, formally opened in 1819 . it was described as a ” large substantial structure , convenient for the accommodation of three hundred prisoners” much more than the older Tralee town jail which was situated in the Square. Many hundreds of people were incarcerated in here for crimes as simple as stealing a loaf of bread to major crimes of murder, and treason. There was a time no matter whether you were man woman or child you could end up there.”



Ballymullen today





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Obituary from 1988

(I have retyped this obituary to the late Helen Leahy of Mount Rivers. It was printed in Kerryman of   13 March 1988.)

It is a notable fact that in the wide parish of Listowel, during the fortnight when all the clergy were on retreat not a single person died.  This is the end of chill February. “February, I dread you,” as the older generation calls it. It is as if The Grim Reaper were saying, “I will not take an unfair advantage of you at such a time.” Coincidence or amnesty, one may name it as one wishes.

On the clergy’s return The Reaper resumed his seemingly arbitrary choosing. First he called Ed. Synan, a fine old neighbour from Dromin, who had seen more than four score and ten years. Then he chose gently Jotty Holly, a stalwart of native games, with the happiest of personalities. Finally he called Helen McElligott Leahy of Mount Rivers- one who occupied a unique place in the affection and esteem of  all North Kerry people.

The most ill used words in the local vernacular are, “saint” and “lady”. In the case of these two words, the image and superscription of true meaning have been erased by overusage. And yet it is difficult to avoid these same words when recalling Helen’s place in the community.

For, there was not a single good cause that needed support but Helen came quickly forward to offer her assistance. No speeches, no heroics, no seeking of public acclaim or reward; undeterred by hail, rain or snow, Helen took her place.

And serve she did, without ever raising her voice, for she was dedication personified to that which was worthy. The few quiet words she spoke after due consideration, were sufficient to influence any meeting to a firm decision.

She served so many societies that it is difficult to list them all. The Red Cross, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Listowel Drama Group, ICA, The Old Folks’ Home, I.S.P.C.A. and every ad hoc appeal for distress anywhere in the world could rely on Helen.

At the time of her passing she was president of the local branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann.

She lived to see the national fleadh restored to its rightful place in the calendar of festivals and was one of those who, under the untiring chairmanship of Michael Dowling saw successive fleadhanna in Listowel reach a plateau of excellence that it will be difficult to surpass.

An observer saw her standing outside The Listowel Arms Hotel, formerly a McElligott family hotel, on the final Sunday of the national fleadh 1987. She was looking up Church Street as band after band approached, filling the town with music and colour. The observer noted tears of joy in Helen’s watchful eyes. This, her last public appearance when her health was ebbing, was completely worthy of so gracious a lady.

Historic memories going back to the thirteenth century were evoked at her graveside. She was a descendant of the McElligotts of Gale, the northern branch of the McElligotts of Ballyseede and Ballymacelligott. A fragment of their castle survived until recently at Drombeg near Gale Bridge.

The presence of her brother, Dr. Robert McElligott of Folkstone at the graveside brought to mind a former member of the clan, Colonel Roger McElligott who fought for King James at The Battle of the Boyne, was subsequently in command of Cork City and later still imprisoned in The Tower of London.

On his release, he joined The Irish Brigade on the continent where he commanded Regiment de Clancarthy; his son, Charles won the cross of St. Louis for exceptional bravery at the historic Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. Today, some of the foremost families in Austria are bearers of McElligott blood.

On her mother’s side, Helen would possibly have traced relationship with the Von Trapp family, so recently celebrated in the Salzburg-sited film, The Sound of Music.

Mention of music recalls memorable nights in The Coach House of Mount Rivers where Comhaltas crowds were entertained by Helen and Timmy, her music loving husband who pre-deceased her.

Music also at the mass where a fine tribute was paid by Rt. Rev.Mons. Leahy, P.P. Listowel and Fr. O’Mahoney. Later Comhaltas provided a guard of honour to the local cemetery where generous sympathy was extended to all her relatives and a sincere tribute paid by Michael Dowling.

Very fitting indeed was the tune, Táim-se im’ chodladh  also played on this occasion for it was a tune beloved of both Helen and Timmy Leahy.

Go raibh coinnle na bhFlaitheas ar lasadh di. May heaven’s candlelight be on her serene face. Now, in the words of the traditional song she is asleep and will not be awakened until Judgement Day.

B.MacM.

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Church St. then and Now



 

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