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: Dough Mamma

Famous and Less Famous People

By

On November 18, 2024

In Listowel

William Street Upper

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Important Date to Remember

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What’s Happening This Week at the FRC

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Meeting a Celebrity in Kanturk

I was home in Kanturk for the sad occasion of a family funeral. While there I had a cuppa in this lovely cafe, Yumm, in Strand Street.

Me and my sister-in-law, Breeda with Eddie Dunbar.

This is the same lovely young man earlier this summer winning a stage at La Vuelta.

This is what Sticky Bottle (a kind of bible of cycle racing) said about him. I sourced the photograph there too.

Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco Alula) has held off many of the best climbers in the world to win the final mountain stage of La Vuelta after an absolutely sensational ride on stage 20 to Picón Blanco.

The Cork man, who already had a stage win in the bag before this second win, today rode away from all-comers on the final mountain, also moving up two places in the overall to 11th after a brilliant final week of the race.

And though the best went after him today, they simply were not able to get back on terms with Dunbar, who had only 15 seconds on the general classification group by the time he went under the red kite for 1km to go.

Dunbar followed today for a long time on the 172km queen stage from Villarcayo to Picón Blanco. But when the time came, he pulled the trigger and rode a powerful and controlled final climb to take – by far – the best win of his career.

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Listowel Food Fair Food Trail 2024

After Listowel Garden Centre and John R’s we headed to Lizzie’s.

The Home Ec. teacher and the international chef with his wife, surely a table of knowledgeable food critics.

We got a kind of noodle broth with dumplings served with bruschetta loaded with goodies….absolutely delicious.

On then to Dough Mamma. By now we are flagging a bit, well behind schedule and waddling rather than walking at this stage.

I told you earlier that all these businesses are family owned and run. Eoin was unavoidably absent but his mother stepped up to greet us and to present the food

From humble beginnings in a food truck on the forecourt of a garage, this food business has built a loyal and discerning following. We sampled delicious piazzas, loaded fries and more, a feast worth waiting for.

Here are a few of the food trailers enjoying hospitality Dough Mamma style.

The reason people are standing is that we were late and they had to give “our” tables away to loyal customers. The place was packed.

On to another packed eatery tomorrow.

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How it Used to be

I found this photo on the internet but it could be anywhere in Ireland in the 1960s or 1970s.

Bet this brings back memories to many.

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A Fact

Two chapters in The Bible, 2 Kings and Isaiah 37 are so alike as to be almost word for word.

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Drivers, Footballers and Local People at Listowel Races 2024

By

On October 14, 2024

In History, Listowel, Listowel Races

Dough Mamma, October 2024

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Older Drivers

Kerry County Council held an Age Friendly Conference for older drivers in The Rose Hotel on Tuesday October 8 2024.

If you are wondering at what age you become an “older’ driver: 55, apparently. You may have noticed since Covid the term Age Friendly appearing in parking spaces. It’s a kind of euphemism for “Reserved for Old People”. It’s a misleading term as it’s certainly not friendly to twenty somethings.

Now this seminar was free for us oldies but you had to reserve your place through the booking site, Eventbrite. It doesn’t really take a genius to know that that alone is off-putting for many older people. Next time you, Kerry County Council, organise a seminar for older people make it ring to book your place or even send a text message. Eventbrite is fine for concerts and shows.

90 year old Anna May McHugh was the guest of honour. Anna May is seated beside the Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Breandán Fitzgerald. Breandán welcomed us and told us that Kerry is an Age Friendly County. The newly appointed chair of the Older People’s Council, Kerry, Catherine Lenihan, addressed us as well.

Then followed some excellent speakers. I’m not going to go through it all but here are a few facts:

Environmental factors are usually weather related, e.g. icy roads or sun glare.

Even if you are old and one of the above is an issue for you, you may still be able to get a restricted driving licence, e.g restricted to driving in daylight or to a radius of 30 kms from your home.

Having listened to all the really good speakers we then got tea and a scone or two and we were free to find our inner child and visit the stands gathering a bag of swag to take home. I felt like a child at the summer show with my free pen and my trolley token, my air freshener and my hi viz jacket.

It was a really worthwhile event, well worth repeating.

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From the Swap Box

In Listowel Library there is this marvellous resource. It’s a swap box, where you can leave a book and collect a book. You don’t have to donate to collect. Sometimes it’s oversubscribed, and you have to take home your “donation”. I love it and I have found many treasures there. Last week I took three old Ballydonoghue Magazines from the box. Look what I found:

Two very promising footballers receiving an award from a former footballer who too fulfilled his young promise.

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From Jer’s Archive Trawl

May 1936

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A Few More from Listowel Races 2024

Mostly local people, friends and neighbours today

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A Corner in Abbeyfeale

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A Fact

In 1737, a cyclone in Calcutta, India is believed to have killed 300,000 people and caused 40 foot waves.

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In The National Stud

By

On August 15, 2024

In Listowel, Poem, Schools

Bee at work;

Photo: Mick O’Callaghan

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Changes

Dough Mamma on Lower William Street in August 2024.

Here are some of the previous iterations of that premises.

Europe

Off the Square Café

Oscar Wilde

Lizzy’s Little Kitchen

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Resilience in a Poem

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In The National Stud

Aoife is a regular visitor to The National Stud. She introduced me to this magical place.

It isn’t all about horses. Aoife’s favourite part is the playground.

There are really famous horses at close range.

There are magnificent gardens and flowers all around.

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William Street Mural

People loved yesterday’s photos of Cora posing with the beautiful murals. Here is another one.

I’m waiting for the artists names. When all the GDPR hurdles are jumped I hope to bring the names to you.

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Down Memory Lane

Sr. Patricia’s class in Listowel Girls Primary School 1971

Front: Mary O’Flaherty, Siobhán O’Shea, Maura Walsh, Bridget O’Brien, Kathleen Dillon, Geraldine Kenny, Breda Sugrue R.I.P. Deirdre Sullivan

Middle: Theresa Conway, Kathleen Curtin, Margaret Doyle, Isobel O’Dowd, Joan Loughnane, Anne Costello, Margaret Canavan, Bernadette Costello

Back: Marie Scanlon, Margo Kennedy, Cora Stack, Marie O’Sullivan, Marie Stack, Veronica Corridan, Eileen Kennelly and Bernadette Walsh

Thank you very much to all who helped with the naming the girls.

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A Fact

The music video Gangnam Style was so popular it broke YouTube’s view counter. The view counter had to be upgraded as a result.

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Hearthsong, Brosna and Jumbos

By

On November 20, 2023

In Listowel

“The trees are in their autumn beauty

The woodland paths are dry……”

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Our 2 Final Stops on Food Trail 2023

Our marvellous trek around town during Listowel Food Fair’s Food Trail 2023 ended in William Street.

In Dough Mamma, this lovely lady told us about their offering which is much more than just piazza. She told us that dishes in her native Ukraine are much more complex. Even a simple soup has 10 ingredients.

We got samples of different piazzas and bruschetta.

On to Jumbo’s, another Listowel institution. Jade filled us in on their latest offering , a Listowel burger made completely from local components.

Damien brought us all a sample. I’m not surprised that it sells out every day.

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A Second Coming

The Rose and Crown has reopened.

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Capuchin Annual Archive

There are some marvellous photos documenting Irish life in days gone by in the Capuchin Archive. Here is one such photo and the caption by the archivist.

Brosna National School, County Kerry, 1944 

A common issue faced by archivists is trying to identify locations and dates for photographs but fortunately there is some evidence attached to this particular image in the form of the placard held by the child in the foreground. The board seemingly reads ‘Brosna / 2nd / R44 / 2’. Brosna is a small village situated in northeast County Kerry, not far from the town of Castleisland. It is located close to the Kerry-Limerick border. The reference to ‘2nd’ on the placard probably indicates that this group is composed of students in the second class of the local boys’ national (or primary) school in Brosna. The mention of ‘44’ is possibly a reference to a year (1944), but this is not certain. However, it is very likely that the image dates to the early 1940s. The Irish for Brosna is ‘Brosnach’ which can be translated as the land of dried wood or firewood. Interestingly, the surname Brosnan, from the Irish ‘Ó Brosnacháin’, is most likely derived from the place name as in ‘a descendant of Brosna’. The image forms part of the photographic archive of ‘The Capuchin Annual’

(It is important to remember that going barefoot in those days did not necessarily denote poverty. In the 1940s and 50s many children went barefoot by choice.)

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Hearthsong

Heartsong is one of the many anthologies that have been published by John McGrath, either as a collection of work from his writing group or a compendium of the work of one poet or writer. John is an important cog in Listowel’s wheel of creativity, teaching, encouraging, organising and publishing the work of some talented local writers we might otherwise never get to see.

In 2009 the Just Write writing group produced Heartsong.

The writers

Below is an example of one of the lovely essays from Winnie Greaney. As we approach the Christmas season, Winnie’s reminiscences will resonate with many who have experienced emigration.

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A Fact

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to improving sanitation throughout the world.

In India, sanitation in some slums is very poor with many people having no toilet so they poo outdoors in open air latrines.

Sometimes tomatoes and watermelon plants grow on these middens. The seeds of these plants pass through the digestive system intact.

Word of advice; If you are in India and you see proof of this phenomenon, you would be very ill advised to eat a tomato or watermelon you see growing in this way.

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