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: Garden of Europe Page 1 of 9

Visitors and a Concert

Schiller in The Garden of Europe in June 2024

Welcome Visitors

My three children and some of their children in John Paul 11 cemetery last weekend.

It’s lovely to have family come to visit. My grandchildren are at the stage where tennis, horse riding, football, golf, weekend jobs and other activities get in the way of weekends in Kerry. Aoife, the youngest is freer than her older cousins.

Aoife loves the library almost as much as I do.

We met a local celebrity, Billy Keane, on our walk around town. Billy had just returned to work after nipping out for a packet of biscuits to have with his cuppa. He generously shared his snack with Aoife.

We rested on the Michael Dowling seat at Kerry Writers’ Museum.

We took photos at many of the landmarks.

Aoife was unwilling to get into the o of the Lios Tuathail sculpture. She will yet.

A Poem by John Fitzgerald

This deceptively simple poem probes the dilemma faced by many, the awful choice, to treat or not to treat.

“How precious is a single day,” indeed.

I was in The Marquee

Ireland seems to be concert central this summer. My gang are going to Taylor Swift this weekend. The bracelets are made already.

Three and four concerts in a week is not unusual for the big cities in summer 2024.

The selfie went a but awry but I was trying to show that we started with our preshow supper in the Marina Market. This was a first for me too.

This is a fast food hall that started with food trucks during Covid but has now expanded into a huge indoor and outdoor food court. There is a huge variety of fast food available. Anne, who is a sometimes visitor, has her favourites among the vendors. It was really busy on the Friday night we visited.

This is Anne at The Marquee, which is just a 5 minute walk from the Marina Market.

Mick Flannery on stage. He was fantastic. I’m more used to him singing soulfully on his own or with Susan O’Neill so the big sound he brought to this show took a bit of getting used to for me.

A small gripe from my first concert. My daughter, who was treating me, bought seated tickets but apparently people with seat tickets can choose to stand nearer the stage if they like. They can wander down to the standing area and back to their seats as often as they like. Also drink is served throughout the concert and of course liquid in, liquid out, so there is a constant trek to the bar and to and from the toilets. This is all part of the concert experience, I’m told.

A Bit of History

On the 25th of March 1923 Private Hayes of Óglaigh na hÉireann/National Forces was accidently shot dead when challenged by a sentry at Newtownsandes County Kerry. Hayes was a native of Killarney County Kerry.

A Fact

The strongest muscle in the human body is the masseter, the jaw muscle.

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Canon Adderley of Listowel

Friday Morning walkers trecking through the Garden of Europe during Writers’ Week 2024

Window Displays

During Writers’ Week 2024, shopkeepers displayed books in their windows. Some people concentrated on books with a local connection.

I was chuffed to see my A Minute of Your Time among the pictures of calves on Horan’s window.

Moloney/Maloney

According to this week’s Ireland’s Own the Maloneys were a bright and holy bunch.

Canon Adderley

Jer. discovered this piece of Church of Ireland history for us.

Edward Adderley and his wife Mary Hale were ancestors of the Adderley family of Innishannon, Co Cork. Francis Adderley of Innishannon, Co Cork, and his wife Elizabeth (Fowkes) were the parents of Thomas Adderley (1713-1791), a politician, landowner, amateur architect, developer of the linen industry and MP.

Thomas Adderley was still a child when he inherited his father’s estate, and was educated at Trinity College Dublin. He built the town of Innishannon, Co Cork, brought 60 Huguenot families to Innishannon in 1747 to establish a linen manufactory, and built a charter school there in 1752.

Robert moved to Limerick in 1905 and was Curate of Saint Mary’s Cathedral (1905-1908) and Vicar Choral (1905-1918). During that time, he was the Precentor of Limerick for ten years (1908-1918). During World War I, he was also a chaplain to the forces in 1915-1919.

After the war, Canon Adderley spent almost 30 years as Rector of Listowel (1918-1946), which was amalgamated with Ballybunion in 1922, and Brosna and Abbeyfeale in 1928, all now part of the Rathkeale and Kilnaughtin Group of Parishes.

In the cathedral chapter, he was Prebendary of Croagh (1918-1924), Prebendary of Kilpeacon (1924-1940), Treasurer of Limerick (1940-1941), and then Dean of Ardfert (1941-1946). But the position of Dean of Ardfert was a sinecure or nominal appointment: the parish of Ardfert was amalgamated with Tralee in 1921, and the Church of Ireland parish church closed in 1945.

He died in hospital in Tralee, Co Kerry, on 12 October 1946.

Graveyard Masses 2024

Another Nursery Rhyme Fact

Goosey, Goosey, Gander is a nursery rhyme originating in the time of Cromwell. Cromwell’s soldiers persecuted Catholics. They sought them out everywhere, even in “the lady’s chamber”. When caught, the unfortunate Catholic was sometimes executed by tying a rope to his leg and flinging him down a flight of stairs.

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Trees and racquets

The Big Bridge from Childers’ Park

You Win Some….

This old tree has been cut right back.

A new tree has been planted by the Holocaust memorial.

It promises to be gorgeous.

It is directly in line with the John B. Keane sculpture.

Watching the Tennis

I was in Rushbrooke for much of Easter 2024

Rushbrooke is a really old club in Cobh, Co. Cork. They play tennis and croquet. The club is very friendly and welcoming.

We were the Lakewood support on Easter Monday. Aimee took the selfie.

Rushbrooke’s nine tennis courts were in pristine condition for their big week

Titbits from the Newspaper Archives

April 19 1930

New York NY Irish American Advocate

The returns of the Registrar-General for the year 1929, show that Kerry had the lowest death-rate in the Irish Free State during that period

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The old Carnegie Library on the Bridge Road, Listowel. one of the few remaining traces of the stormy period of 1920-1921, has been purchased by R. Moloney, who Intends converting it into a concert and picture hall.

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A few good-steed salmon were amongst those landed within the past few days, between Kilmorna and Abbeyfeale. John Creaghe Harnett got three, 10 to 15 lbs.; J. Kelly, Kilmorna, landed a 28.5 lb. salmon; J. Hickey, one 19 lbs.; W. R. Collins, two, 10 and 12 lbs.; M. Galvin, Duagh, one, 10 lbs.; J. Relihan. one, 11 lbs.; D. Downey, two, 9 and 10 lbs.; J. Clancy, one, 11 lbs.; W C. Harnett, one 9 lbs.

A Poem

A Fact

Morse Code was devised as a communication system by Samuel Morse, Joseph Henry and Alfred Vall in 1837. Its huge advantage lies in the fact that the dots and dashes that make up its alphabet can be relayed in many different ways, visually, audibly and via touch to accurately relay messages across distance.

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Remembering The Famine

Horse chestnuts ripening nicely in the sun and rain of summer 2023

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Famine in The Lane, Kiskeam

The Lane in 2023

Extracts from Kiskeam by Fr. John ORiordáin

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Social History

We’ve had an email from Sarah Moore with some invaluable guidelines for anyone going about recording the reminiscences of an older person

Hi Mary,

I was just wondering if you were still updating https://listowelconnection.com/australian-kenneallys-some-family/. We’ve just created a great guide to help people interview their elderly family members for genealogical research, and how to get the best experience and understanding from those interviews. You can see it here: https://ourpublicrecords.org/interview-elderly-relatives/

If it would be useful to your readers, we’d love to be included on your page!

Thank you,

Sarah Moore

Marketing Specialist

https://ourpublicrecords.org/

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Molly in The Garden of Europe

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A Thought

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Back to Base

Listowel Garda Station in February 2023

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Nearly There

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Brompton Cocktail

This old medicine bottle turned up a few years ago. It was dispensed in Keane Stack’s Pharmacy so it definitely had some medicinal intent.

Liam Grimes solved the mystery for me. This is a Brompton Cocktail. It was given to relieve the pain of terminally ill patients. It got its name from the fancy London hospital where it was first dispensed.

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In the Garden of Europe

The statue of Schiller is looking fairly bare these days. Not too long now until it will be surrounded by yellow roses.

At the other end of the Garden is the Holocaust memorial. Chains and iron bars surround railway sleepers, a horrible reminder of Europe’s dark days.

Rough translation; Will remembering help?

If you stand with your back to the holocaust memorial you can see Schiller, author of Ode to Joy.

This is a good spot to sit and ponder. Listowel Tidy Town’s have obliged us with a seat.

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The Honan Chapel, UCC

When I visited UCC recently I made my way to the Honan chapel. In my day there used to be daily mass in the Honan and it would be packed. That was when we had a resident chaplain and Tigh an tSagairt was a meeting place for anyone in need of company.

The beautiful stone carving around the door has featured in many a wedding photo.

The lighting on the day had this pink tinge which made photographing difficult. Above is just a small detail of the magnificent carving on the pews.

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