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: Fr. Michael Morrison

Bits of Listowel News

In The Square in May 2025

Facade Upgrade

The shopfront at Maguire’s Pharmacy, Main Street entrance is having a lovely makeover to bring it in line with the rest of the shopfront.

Dowd’s Road

The work of expansion and building is going on apace at the top of Dowd’s Road. When I came to town in 1975, the gate here led on to the railway track. I’m presuming a family called Dowd lived in this house sand that they were the gate keepers.

I looked up Listowel and its Vicinity but could find no reference to any Dowds. Mybe someone will fill me in.

Book Launch

Paul Byrne launched his For the Love of Kerry, a beautiful book of poems and photographs in Kerry Writers Museum on Saturday May 10 2025.

Poet and photographer Paul Byrne and Mary Cogan before the launch.

Paul poses for a photo with Anne Donegan who helped launch the book.

Music at the event was provided by Ian and Hannah O’Shea.

In St. Mary’s

The ambo on First Holy Communion Day 2025

An Easter resurrection display

Everywhere I go there seem to be reminders of the late Donal Walsh. This icon in tribute to Listowel born Michael Morrison who served as a chaplain in Bergen Belsen concentration camp was presented to St. Mary’s by Donal’s family.

A Fact

In 1920 women were admitted to degree programmes at Oxford for the first time.

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Listowel Town Park, A Listowel chaplain in WW2 and a Church Street landmark gets a touch up

A Great Tit

Photo credit: Graham Davies

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Childers’ Park


Pedestrian entrance to Listowel Town Park with Dandy Lodge in the background

The newly enlarged entrance from Bridge Road

Sign flattened by the elements

1916 commemorative garden

Dandy Lodge



Listowel Community Centre

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Listowel Parish commemorates The Holocaust


This is Fr. Michael Morrison who was born in Listowel in 1908. He was a chaplain who attended at the liberation of Bergen Belsen concentration camp at the end of WW2.

His story is here

 BBC Archive; World War 2 People’s War

Photo: Kerry’s Eye

At Sunday mass in Listowel on January 28 2018, Holocaust Memorial Day, Fr. Morrison’s grandnephew, Finbarr Walshe of Tralee presented an icon to Listowel parish. The family believe that the icon was made by inmates in the concentration camp.

The Bergen-Belsen camp was built to hold 10,000 people, but on the day it was liberated 60,000 were crammed into appalling conditions. An estimated 50,000 people died there between 1941 and 1945.

Following the war, Fr Morrison served as a parish priest in Australia, before eventually returning home to Ireland, where he died in 1973.

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Plasterwork getting a Facelift



A little touching up to the famous plasterwork was in progress as I passed by on Church St. in January 2018.

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The Success of Sive in 1959



Some more newspaper cuttings from the Sive 1959 archive. Thank you, David O’Sullivan.






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Listowel in 1968



Newsbeat came to town to see if it was snobbery that was keeping local girls from applying for lucrative jobs in a new local factory. The interviewer was the late Bill O’Herlihy.

Newsbeat in Listowel

April horse fair 2014 and Listowel Anglers 1960s

April Horse Fair

Yesterday, April 4 2014 was the day of the April horse fair. There were a few horses on offer but there were also donkeys, goats, dogs and lots of fowl. Today I’ll bring you a few of the horses and next week I’ll bring you a few other animals and a few humans too.

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Denis Carroll found this photo of an anglers protest at Listowel Bridge in the 1960s. I wonder if there is any better copy of this important photo in existence. 

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This is Fr. Michael Morrison, S.J. and his story is HERE

I wrote about him a while back.

I have been contacted by Con McGrath from Tipperary who wonders if this brave priest has any relatives still living in Listowel of if anyone knows anything about him other than what is in the story told on this link.

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 In advance of Michael D. Higgins’ visit to London The British Monarchy tweets as
Gaeilge

BritishMonarchy        

✔

 @BritishMonarchy

Follow

Sonraí na Cuairte Stáit deimhnithe
ag Pálás Buckingham, chéad chuairt ar an Ríocht Aontaithe ag Uachtarán ar
Éirinn:

http://

bit.ly/1p6cmCk

5:36 PM – 27 Mar 2014


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