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
Chris Grayson’s photo of a robin in The National Park, Killarney
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Milk Market Lane, Tralee
This unusual lane has a mixture of real shops and facades painted to look like old shops.
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Deserters
Kerry Evening Post, Wednesday, 11 July, 1855
THE KERRY REGIMENT
Some of the deserters from the Kerry Regiment have been at length arrested, and will be tried by district court martial this week.; The hiding places of several others have become known to the regimental authorities. This will, we hope, check the practice of desertion, which had grown in two or three weeks to a fearful extent in our county corps. A recruiting party under the command of a non-commissioned officer, has just been sent to Listowel, there to be stationed till further orders.
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Comings and Goings
New Thai eatery for Church Street
Tattoo has ceased trading
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Some People at the Launch of Moments of Reflection
Helena and Teresa Molyneaux
Mary McGrath and Cathríona O’Neill
Judy MacMahon
Marie Moriarty
Martin Chute
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In the Town Park
I was in Childers’ Park on Sunday taking a few pictures when this lovely lady insisted that I allow her to take my picture. She said that I am always behind the camera. She thought it was time I was in front. Here is her photo;
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A Fact
An average person produces about 25,00 quarts of saliva in a lifetime, enough to fill two swimming pools.
A beautiful spot down by the Feale is the community orchard. The pears are nearly ripe. The horse chestnut tree is laden with conkers. There are herbs galore for all to pick and use. It’s the perfect spot for a picnic.
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In Duagh
I like to call to Duagh church and grounds to reconnect with Fr. Pat Moore. He is still very much there in spirit.
“Somedays I just sits.”
I sat on the bench dedicated to Fr. Pat’s memory.
I sat and looked at the church where he ministered and the house and parish centre where he lived, worked and prayed.
On a sunny September day in 2021, it was a haven of peace and birdsong. Fr. Pat’s spirit is there among the people who loved him.
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Kitchener (1901)
A correspondent of Mr. T. P. O’Connor’s weekly writes as follows regarding the present Commander-in-Chief of the forces in South Africa.
Let me set you right about Lord Kitchener’s natal spot, regarding which I happen to know a good deal, having myself been born within a couple of miles of it. He was born at Gunsborough Cottage, which was lent to his father, Lieutenant-Colonel Kitchener, by the father of the well-known ci-devant Irish M. P., Mr. Peirce Mahony, of Kilmorna. Gunsborough is within three miles of Listowel, the capital of North Kerry. He was baptised at the little Protestant Church hard by now in ruins, I believe by the late Rev. Robert Sandes, a representative of the family of which the late Mr. George Sandes, of Grenville, Listowel, was a well known member. The Kitcheners subsequently went to live at Crotto House, which Colonel Kitchener afterwards sold to Mr. Thomas Beale Brown, a near relative of Sir Michael Hicks-Beach. The true history of the whole vexed question of the connection of the Kitchener family with Kerry was told during the late Soudan campaign in the columns of the Irish Times by Major Kiggell, of Cahnra, Glin, County Limerick, whose son, Major Lancelot Kiggell, is now on Lord Kitchener’s staff.
New Zealand Tablet, 25 July 1901,
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Church Street Tattoo Shop
The tattoo shop has gone from pink to blue. It is probably more in keeping with the dark vibe coming from the shop.
Still the king of the castle but sheltering from the heat.
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The Blessed Well in Kilshenane
From Closing the Circle, an anthology of the poems of John McGrath
Hare
I met a hare along the road today,
Tall as a greyhound.
He hopped towards me,
hesitated,
hopped again,
stopped to listen
to my freewheel click,
then turned and loped away.
I gazed in grateful awe
as with each simple spring
the distance grew between us,
marvelled how his quiet grace
belied his hidden power.
Then with one bound
he cleared a ditch
and disappeared from view
leaving me to wonder.
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Dancing in the 1970s
Those were the days.
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Church Street Tattoo
Our local tattooist was taking the opportunity in a lull in business to paint his door jamb.
He had a cancellation due to his client getting sunburnt.
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Master at Work
Martin Chute sign writing in the old fashioned way at Sheahan’s, Upper William Street on Saturday July 24 2021.
Martin was so focussed on his work, he wasn’t even aware I was photographing him. This man is the best at what he does. Listowel is blessed to have him working on our shopfronts.
Listowel Presbytery with two church spires in the background
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Artists
On Church Street I met Martin Chute who was planning his sign for Lizzy’s Little Kitchen and with him is Mr. O’Mahoney who is opening his tattoo shop soon. Martin is doing that sign too.
A few days later I observed that the sign was done. Cool!
Lizzy’s is a great addition to Church Street The paintwork and colours are perfect and the sign is everything a sign should be, artistic, clear, well proportioned, uncluttered and tasteful. Well done all.
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Dominican Church, Tralee
This is the corner stone on this magnificent edifice. Below is what it says about it on the Dominican website.
The builder is named as Mr Arthur Crosbie and the cost at about £6000. The cornerstone of the building was laid on 15th August 1866, the Feast of the Assumption, by Mrs Anne Jeffers, wife of the Benefactor.
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In Gurtinard Wood
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same….
Robert Frost
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End of an Era
Junior finishes his story for us;
By the 1970s a new generation of handball lovers had come on the scene. Some of these that Junior remembers are Denny O’Connor, Eddie and Mike Broderick, Charlie Nolan, Tony Stack, Jer Loughnane, Con Gorman, Tony O’Neill, Jimmy Canty. There were many more in this new cohort too. The building of the Community Centre in the mid 1980s drew away from the old alley and handball ceased to be played there.
The new centre had an enclosed 40ft. by 20 ft. court. This was used by handballers but with no club structure it never really took off. Then the community centre courts became squash and racketball courts before they were eventually utilised for other purposes.
By 2008 Junior Griffin was the only surviving trustee of the old handball club. No committee had been formed for years. Junior took advice from former members and from solicitors. He decided to sign over the alley ground, which was purchased by the handball committee in 1962 to the safe keeping of Listowel Town Council. One proviso in the deal was that if ever a handball club was formed in the future, the council would facilitate that club in building a new handball alley.
We are very grateful to Junior for preserving and sharing all of this valuable information about the story of handball in Listowel.
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Many handballers spoke to Caoimhe Coburn Gray for her Coiscéim project. If you are interested in handball at all, especially if, like Michael Enright, it was a big part of your life, you will love reading and hearing handball stories from around the country. You will be struck by the similarities, e.g. Sunday was the big day. Nobody taught you how to play handball. You observed and learned. Rivalries developed into life long friendships.
“Now we’ve two buildings in Ireland that are vernacular to Ireland you will not find them anywhere else – the round tower and the handball alley!”
Here is the link to the marvellous Coiscéim project
