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: Duchas Page 2 of 7

Childers’ Park, a Cautionary Tale and Some Listowel Firsts

By

On February 17, 2020

In Uncategorized



Crocuses in Gurtinard Wood in February 2020


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Childers’ Park Do’s and Dont’s

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Drunk Man’s Wall

This is Lower Bridge Road as it divides for the riverside walk and the road to Tralee. When I came to town first there used to be a wall here. Local people told me that a low wall was built at the end of the footpath so that drunkards who were making their way home on foot would be alerted to the danger of going straight ahead and into the river. The wall would make them stop and veer to the right so that they could continue their homeward journey in safety.



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The New Look William Street




Sexton’s canopy has been removed and a new sign hasn’t been erected yet. Sexton’s children’s clothes shop is now located between two new style shops, phone and PC repairs and vaping.


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Listowel Firsts


From the Schools Folklore Collection

1. The first man having a gramophone in Listowel was Timmy Molyneaux and he had it where Mrs Stack in Church St. has her house now. It was staying in a box and the country people used flock in and thought it was a man in the box was singing. There was a slit in the box and the people used put in 1d for every tune. They thought it couldn’t work without the 1d and the owner used lead them on I believe this so as to get money. This man had also four St. Bernard dogs.

2. J. J. Kennelly of Patrick St. (Tailor) had the first motor-car; J. T. Galvins garage in Market St. the first wireless

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A Fact



Entrance to The Tower of London used to be free if you brought a dog or a cat to feed to the lions.

Banna , Convent Street and Flavin’s of Church street

By

On February 7, 2020

In Uncategorized

Banna by Bridget O’Connor

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Convent Street, Listowel


The sign is on the wall at the entrance to the hospital. I’ve discussed this at length on the blog but it still fascinates me to see street signs where the Irish has absolutely no connection whatsoever to the English name. In most cases the English street name is an English Christian name, thought to be named after Lord Listowel’s sons, e.g. William and Charles. In this case however and in the case of Church Street the English name refers to a well known building, a landmark located on the street. The Irish name refers to an older superstition. One didn’t mess with the Púca. He was a wicked spirit who rode around the countryside after dark spiriting away anyone foolish enough to be out late.

The entrance to Listowel hospital grounds



They are making great progress with the dementia day care centre. The organising committee are still looking for volunteer cyclists to do the Ring of Kerry Cycle to raise funds for them. If you can’t do the cycle, please sponsor one of the cyclists.

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Bryan MacMahon and  Flavin’s Bookshop



Dan Flavin and his son, Micheál at the door of the shop sometime in the 1950s. The photo appears in Vincent Carmody’s Snapshots of a Market Town.



Flavins is closing tomorrow, Saturday February 8 2020

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Famine Poverty and a Kind Landlord


from the Schools’ Folklore Collection

The Quarter field is situated on the side of a hill. It contains nine acres in the begining of the nineteenth century many families lived in this field The field was owned by a Land Lord and he allowed these poor people build houses in it. Each family got a quarter of ground. There was no division between the quarters only paling. They used to set potatoes in the quarter every year and used to get the manure from the neighbouring farmers. These people had no other way of living only when ever they would work for another farmer for small hire. When the potatoes failed in the years 1845 to 1847 all these people died of starvation. When they were gone my grandfather bought this field with more land surrounding it and my father is in possession of it now My grandfather threw the remains of the houses away and it is all one level field at present. If you walk through parts of it on a Summers evening you could see the form of the houses and the little gardens alongside it

COLLECTOR
Liam Ó Duilleáin
Gender
male
Address
Gortacloghane, Co. Kerry
INFORMANT
(name not given)
Relation
parent
Gender
male
Address
Gortacloghane, Co. Kerry

Garda Station, a poem, Mat the Herder and some local ladies

By

On February 4, 2020

In Uncategorized

Listowel Garda Station in January 2020

The burning of Listowel police station in the Civil War, Aug 1922.

Republicans held Listowel. They burnt the police station as Free State troops advanced on 3 Aug 1922. . Courtesy of Vincent Carmody. 

This building was restored, and today is the impressive Listowel Garda station, Church St.

(photo and caption shared on Facebook by Historical Tralee and Surrounding Areas)


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A Poem from Noel Roche



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Girls’ Night Out




Snapped in Allos last week, Aimee, Maria, Eilish, Máire and Sinead

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Mat the Herder 


From Rathea in the Schools Folklore collection



Mat Sheehy lived in the townland of Gurtaclohane in the begining of the nineteenth century. He was commonly known as Mat the Herder. He was a stout firm man and had great arms. Another great man lived long side him by the name of Sean O Leary. The two of um used to go to Cork once a fortnight with firkins of butter in a horse & car.

 At the same time there was a great fighting man in Cork. One day the Buffer of Cork challenged any man to fight him. Mat came up to Leary and said that it wouldnt take such a great man to beat him. “You better keep your tongue in your pocket” said Leary dont he hear you. At that the Buffer heard him and challenged him to fight and handed him a black torn stick so they took at it. 

The Buffer was giving him great strokes in the head but they were taking no effect out of him. In the finish Leary said to Mat in Irish “Tóg íseal é” to take him low. At that Mat struck him across the ribs and brought him to the ground and the Buffer said to Mat “You’re a good man. I was never beaten before”. The Cork people said they would give him his hat full of gold if he shouted as a Cork man but he said he would not saying “I am a Kerry man and I’ll shout for no other County but Kerry”.

Mat had fourteen heifers grazing in the mountain owned by Stephen Galvin at present. He had a big dog. His dog was called Bully and he used to be always minding the heifers for fear they would be stolen. One morning as the ground was covered with snow Bully came came barking to the door and made signals to Mat that the heifers were stolen. 

So the two started out in search of them. They tracked um as far as Limerick and there they found um between two glens. They went about turning the heifers home when ten men attacked um to take the heifers of um so they started fighting and he beat the ten men but he would never do so without the dog. When five of um would come in front of him and five more behind him the dog would jump up and ketch um by the cape of the coat and bring um to the ground and in that way he beat the ten men and brought home his heifers to Gurtaclohane

Soon after a great man from  County Limerick heard about Mat so he said he would have a trial out of him. He picked two good sticks one for himself and another for Mat. He enquired from house to house until he came to Mat. As soon as Mat saw him he got in dread of him so he said he was not Mat the Herder at all but he’d carry him to Mat’s house. But that if he’d like, himself would fight him but that Mat (M) should be present at the fight. 

Mat was indread to attack him alone without Leary with him for Leary was a better man than himself. If he beat him himself Leary would have an other chance and if Leary beat him Mat would still hold his good name. When they landed at Leary’s house Mat had a private talk with him and Leary said to him not to be in dread. Then they started fighting and no one of um was getting the upper hand for a half anhour. It was getting very hot then and Mat was getting two much of it Then Leary told him in Irish not to draw at all but to keep up his guards and that he would get tired. Mat did so and stroke by stroke the other fellow was failling. Then all of a sudden Mat struck him across the ribs and brought him to the ground so Mat held his good name and gave up fighting at the age of fifty.

COLLECTOR
Liam Ó Duilleáin
Gender
male
Address
Gortacloghane, Co. Kerry
INFORMANT
(name not given)
Relation
parent
Gender
male
Address
Gortacloghane, Co. Kerry
The actual handwritten version states 
“ó m’athair a fuaireas é seo.”

Ballybunion, Launch of a minute of Your Time and a Mad Shoemaker

By

On January 29, 2020

In Uncategorized

Sanctuary, St. Mary’s, Listowel



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Ballybunion’s old toilet building is Demolished

Photo: Danny McDonnell

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What a Night!


If you’re getting a bit tired of photographs from the launch of A Minute of Your Time, you’ll have to help me out. I knew that material for this blog would eventually wear thin and that time has come. I’m struggling to find something to share with you every day so if you have any material that would be of interest to people with a Listowel connection, do help me out please.


Meanwhile here are some more of Breda Ferris’ photos from October 19 2019

Liz Dunne

My lovely neighbour, Michael Salmon

Mike Moriarty

Miriam Kiely OGrady

Some more lovely neighbours and former neighbours, Alice, Eileen and Eddie Moylan

Namir, Kay and Roza Karim

Nancy

Noreen O’Connell

From Ballyduff and New York, John, Bridget and Pádraig O’Connor

A great supporter of Just a Thought, Pam Brown

Pat Murphy and Vincent Carmody

Pat Galvin

Pat Given

My only brother, Pat Ahern

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A Wintry Walk

Nothing beats Ballybunion on a clear day.

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Only a Few Weeks left


This photo of Namir Karim and Michael Dillane was taken in Flavins just before Christmas. Sadly all that stock is now sold off and there remains but a few last bits and pieces before Joan locks up for the last time, closing the door on an important chapter in Listowel’s history.

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Shoemaking In Listowel Long Ago


From Dúchas, the Schools’ Folklore Collection


About fifty years ago in Listowel in addition to men making boots there was also men who used to make cheap brogues or low shoes. Every time there would be a fair in Abbeyfeale they would take an ass load of these brogues to the fair and sell them in the fair just as people sell second hand clothes now. The best known one of those was called Johnny the bottoner (O Connor) a brother to famous Patsy. Patsy used work hard making brogues up to the time of the fair. On that night he would be mad drunk. Most of the houses at the top of church street at this time were thatched houses. Patsy would roll home about midnight and break most of the windows up on his end of the street. He would take the road the following morning and would not come back again till things were forgotten again. These brogues were stitched by the hand but at that time the shoemakers used work by “lamplight” and often worked well after midnight.

COLLECTOR
W. Keane
Gender
male
Address
Listowel, Co. Kerry
INFORMANT
Mrs M. Keane
Gender
female
Address
Listowel, Co. Kerry

Glenteenassig, Europe on William St. and Listowel Primary Care Centre and Knockane

By

On January 23, 2020

In Uncategorized

Glenteenassig


Photo Credit:  Gosia Wysocka on This is Kerry

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Clounmacon GAA




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Polish Restaurant



Sometimes I regret not putting dates on photos. Listowel people will recognise this as Lower William Street and the premises that is now Lizzy’s little Kitchen. For a short time this restaurant was a Polish restaurant called Europe.

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Entrance to new Primary Care Centre




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Hidden Treasure



This is from the Dúchas folklore schools collection. I’m including the original manuscript because the handwriting is so beautiful.

This is what it says in case you are finding it hard to read. Cnochán is Knockane.

There is a hill in the townland of Listowel and it is called the Cnocán. This is a fairly large hill and it covers about two acres of ground. It is composed of a mixture of sand and clay. It is supposed to have been drawn in bags by the Danes. The hill is situated midway between two Rivers – the Feale and the Gale and according to local legend the Danes drew the sand from both rivers on their backs. At the south end of this hill which is about twenty feet high there is a beautiful well continually overflowing with clear water and which never runs dry even in the most prolonged periods of drought. But the most remarkable thing about this hill, is that it was raised up in the middle of a flat boggy plain and was supposed to command a view of the River Feale and the River Gale.

COLLECTOR
B. Holyoake
Gender
male
Address
Listowel, Co. Kerry
INFORMANT
Michael Holyoake
Gender
male
Address
Listowel, Co. Kerry

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