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

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Treasures old and new today

The Curragh; photo by Éamon ÓMurchú

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The Greenway at Sunset

Photos shared by Listowel

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A Find

Marie Neligan Shaw was doing a clearcut when she unearthed these treasures.

Back in the days when we had old time and new time Listowel Musical Society crossed the border to hold a concert in Abbeyfeale.

Back in 1949 they used to have what they called “All night dances”. This is obviously one of those.

The Astor was where the Classic Cinema was more recently. It functioned as a cinema and occasionally as a ballroom.

Does anyone know who Pat Crowley was?

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A Few More from Ladies Day

I met a former Kerry Rose, Anne Marie Hayes, always smiling and always friendly. She is a doctor in Crumlin now.

I also met the lovely down- to -earth Edaein O’Connell, the current Kerry Rose. She was a about her rosely duties.

Local people were out in force on September 23 2022

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A Thought to Ponder

This one is sent to us by Mattie Lennon.

DON’T ARGUE WITH DONKEYS.

The donkey said to the tiger:

– “The grass is blue”.

The tiger replied:

– “No, the grass is green.”

The discussion heated up, and the two decided to submit him to arbitration, and for this they went before the lion, the King of the Jungle.

Already before reaching the forest clearing, where the lion was sitting on his throne, the donkey began to shout:

– “His Highness, is it true that the grass is blue?”.

The lion replied:

– “True, the grass is blue.”

The donkey hurried and continued:

– “The tiger disagrees with me and contradicts and annoys me, please punish him.”

The king then declared:

– “The tiger will be punished with 5 years of silence.”

The donkey jumped cheerfully and went on his way, content and repeating:

– “The Grass Is Blue”…

The tiger accepted his punishment, but before he asked the lion:

– “Your Majesty, why have you punished me?, after all, the grass is green.”

The lion replied:

– “In fact, the grass is green.”

The tiger asked:

– “So why are you punishing me?”.

The lion replied:

– “That has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green.

The punishment is because it is not possible for a brave and intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with a donkey, and on top of that come and bother me with that question.”

The worst waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who does not care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions. Never waste time on arguments that don’t make sense…

There are people who, no matter how much evidence we present to them, are not in the capacity to understand, and others are blinded by ego, hatred and resentment, and all they want is to be right even if they are not.

When ignorance screams, intelligence is silent. Your peace and quiet are worth more.

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Something old, Something New

The Square, Listowel in August 2022

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Brother and Horses

In Bettyville, Kanturk

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Weight Gain

Here is a laugh for today’s young people. Once upon a time, not a hundred years ago for I remember it well, you had to pay to weigh yourself. Scales like these stood in the pharmacy and you put a penny in the slot to operate the weighing scales.

People didn’t have bathroom scales. Many people didn’t have bathrooms. These scales offered a public service. This one appeared recently in a post in my Kanturk Memories group. It stood not in a pharmacy but in a diner style café. The owners , the O’Sullivan family, had returned from the USA and had brought all kinds of new ideas to Kanturk. Their café had banquette seating in booths just like in the movies, it had a juke box and this weighing scales.

When we went to the city; Cork, we loved to weigh ourselves in Woolworths because their scales gave you a little card with your weight on it. Would we want it now?

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Time Flies

These two young men walking with their Nana in Gurtinard last weekend are the same two boys I snapped on Church Street on a visit to Nana in another lifetime. They are Killian and Sean Cogan from Cork. I am the Nana.

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It was Roses, Roses all the way

Our girl is off on her tour around the country and by all accounts, she is wowing them wherever she goes.

I put my money where my mouth is but by the time I got there Edaein was already installed as the favourite. 😍 🤩 🥳

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Revival, the Reunion

It used to be the Races, now it’s Revival. One visitor described Friday evening at Revival as 1000 people in a carpark standing and chatting with old friends and 500 people upfront attending a concert.

Among the former were Seán, Valeria, Richard and Elaine.

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It’s still Heritage Week 2022

You’ve got two more chances to see Bliain dar Saol in Kerry Writers Museum. It’s on today, Tuesday Aug. 16 2022 and Wednesday Aug. 17 2022. Both showings are at 2.30 pm.

I snapped these two local heroes yesterday August 15 2022 on their way to mass.

John Lynch has preserved lots and lots of Listowel memories on film. He made Bliain dar Saol in collaboration with John Pierse. It records a year in Listowel fifty years ago.

Pat Walsh served us well in McKenna’s for years. He was also one of the men who worked so hard to keep the Pitch and Putt course in perfect condition.

Men like these are the salt of the earth.

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Haytime

Church Street Listowel July 2022

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It’s Haytime

Photo; Michael O’Sullivan

It’s been a good year so far for the hay. God be with the old days.

Photo from the internet

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Irishisms

Ronan Moore has a few more tips for us to keep the conversation flowing.

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Roses at the Races

Dominick Walsh of Eye Focus was at Killarney Races and his lovely photos of Edaein O’Connell and some other Roses are appearing on in papers and online

Kerry Rose Edaein O’Connell and Galway rose Clare Ann Irwin and Escorts from the International Festival enjoy a evening of racing at Race Week in Killarney Co Kerry . . Photo By : Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD . Domnick Walsh Photographer is an Irish Aviation Authority ( IAA ) approved Drone Pilot. Tralee Co Kerry Ireland. Mobile Phone : 00 353 87 26 72 033 Land Line        : 00 353 66 71 22 981 E/Mail :        info@dwalshphoto.ie Web Site :    www.dwalshphoto.ie ALL IMAGES ARE COVERED BY COPYRIGHT ©
13.7.2022 Killarney Races Killarney Co Kerry . Roses , Waterford Helen Geary , Wexford Joy Quigley , Killkenny Molly Coogan , Kerry Edaein O’Connell , Galway Clare Ann Irwin and Cork Jennifer Byrne and Escorts Brendan McSorley , Jamie Flannery , Gearoid McCarthy , Patrick Murphy , Sean Peyton and Shane McHugh from the International Festival enjoy a evening of racing at Race Week in Killarney Co Kerry . . Photo By : Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD . Domnick Walsh Photographer is an Irish Aviation Authority ( IAA ) approved Drone Pilot. Tralee Co Kerry Ireland. Mobile Phone : 00 353 87 26 72 033 Land Line        : 00 353 66 71 22 981 E/Mail :        info@dwalshphoto.ie Web Site :    www.dwalshphoto.ie ALL IMAGES ARE COVERED BY Copyright

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From Pres Yearbook 2009 2010

Many pupils were awarded for upholding the ethos of the school. I hope they and their families and friends will enjoy looking back on that happy time in Pres. Listowel

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Football and Street Names

Market Street in July 2022

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Remember these?

These are Clarks sandals, first introduced to the children’s footwear market in 1933. The ones I wore every summer were Robin sandals . They were very similar to these.

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New Kingdom, Church St./ Sr. an Ághasaigh

We have some really lovely shopfronts and signs in Listowel. Unfortunately we have recently acquired some ugly ones too.

In my opinion, New Kingdom Bar highlights the best of Martin Chute’s signwriting. I love it.

Church Street or Sráid and Ághasaigh, take your pick.

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Édaein, Kerry Rose

Édaein O’Connell is surely leading her best life since she was selected to represent Kerry in the Rose of Tralee Contest. Here she is taking a well earned spa break in Sneem to recharge the batteries.

She met up with her uncle in Roscommon.

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Tarrant’s Tralee

Photo and text shared on Facebook by Bailey’s Corner

Tarrant’s Garage, formerly in the Mart Car Park. The photo was taken during the Kingdom County Fair in 1956! Radio Kerry’s HQ occupies the site today.

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Kerry Football back to Winning Ways

John Kelliher’s photo of William Street Listowel on All Ireland semi final Sunday, July 10 2022

Picture of Croke Park was shared by Barbara Kissane, a frequent American Irish visitor experiencing her first live Kerry big match. Didn’t she pick a good one?

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Writers’ Week and other things

Listowel Town Square in June 2022

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Listowel Writers’ Week 2022

What a great few days, (Writers’ Week is not really a week) we had. I enjoyed every moment from start to finish. I haven’t had such a hectic time since before Covid.

I’m going to tell you all about it, not necessarily in the order in which it happened.

This event happened in St. John’s on Friday June 3rd. 2022. The ladies onstage are best selling authors, Catherine Ryan Howard, Carmel Harrington and Hazel Gaynor. They write in three very different styles. What they have in common is that they are all really successful, they write full time and their work has been categorised as commercial fiction as if that was somehow inferior to literary.

As Catherine said, they write the books people read.

With them on stage is Catherine Moylan who is chair of Writers’ Week. Catherine is passionate about including these writers in the festival of writing. It was a great event.

Catherine Ryan Howard wrote a brilliant thriller set in lockdown Dublin. It is called 56Days and I’d highly recommend it. Her Nothing Man is great too.

Carmel Harrington writes what is called up lit. Up Lit is a new trend. It stands for uplifting literature, stories with kindness at their core. Carmel is hugely popular. She is on her 11th book. Her tenth, A Mother’s Heart is in the shops now.

I particularly love Hazel Gaynor’s books. She writes historical fiction and she is a meticulous researcher of sometimes little known topics. Many of her books are available in audio book form or for Kindle.

I’m delighted these three ladies came to Listowel. They have proven that they deserve their place in a festival that celebrates writing.

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Meanwhile

While I was enjoying plays and books, another exciting thing was taking place.

A lovely lovely Listowel girl was being picked as Kerry Rose for 2022.

Édaein O’Connell has everything you could want in a Rose. She is “lovely and fair as the rose of the summer”. She is also media savvy, well able to account for herself, a witty and entertaining journalist who appeals to readers at home and abroad.

I hope she sings The Night Visiting Song as her party piece. It will bowl the judges over. My money is on Édaein to be the first ever Kerry Rose to win the contest outright. Even if she doesn’t, she will be a brilliant Kerry Rose for the year.

Édaein was sponsored by Garvey’s Super Valu and one of her first tasks as Rose was a visit there.

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A Half Century Ago

This class of Leaving Certs. from 50 years ago had a reunion lately but I got no pictures unfortunately.

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A Request

Dear Mary 

I am writing because I found your blog, and I was wondering if you could help me with some research I am conducting.

In particular I am looking for fifth and sixth year class photos of the Presentation Secondary School, for girls in Listowel for the following years: 1957, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63. 

I would really appreciate if you could help point me in the right direction, or if indeed you might know anyone who might have a yearbook with class photos, that they could send me by taking a picture of the yearbook themselves.

Kind regards,

Mel Cannon

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