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: Jim Stynes

Zentangled Art. Jim Stynes and Stack Clan win Gathering Award

This is Zentangled Art. I took a class on this in Craftshop na Méar on Saturday and found it positively addictive.

Maria was our very patient teacher. She managed to bring out artistic talent in everyone. This art form is most accessible even to to an artistic klutz like me. I’d recommend it.

Here are a few photos I took of some of the other participants in the class;

Patsy O’Connell
Bernie Carmody
Ruth O’Quigley
Eileen Fitzgerald
Anne Moloney
Carine Schweitzer

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Jim Stynes R.I.P.


(Photo by Paul Rovere)

Dublin-born Australian Rules player Jim Stynes, who died in 2012 after a long battle with cancer, is to be commemorated with a bronze statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

When he died, the 45-year-old was honoured with a state funeral in Victoria, where he spent his life after leaving Ireland aged 18 in 1984.

In a statement, MCC president Paul Sheahan said: “It is fitting that 30 years after the Gaelic footballer was recruited from Dublin, we announce Jim Stynes’ induction into the Australia Post Avenue of Legends series.

“A true gentleman of the game, Stynes is an exceptional individual whose achievements as a non-Australian born player remain unmatched.

“There is no doubt that he is one of the most extraordinary and inspiring figures in the history of Australian sport.” 

Before he left Ireland, Stynes won an All-Ireland minor football winners’ medal with his native county in 1984.

The captain of that team, Paul Clarke, attended the funeral, along with GAA President Christy Cooney.

Stynes holds the AFL record for the greatest number of consecutive games at 244 – over 11 years.

He played a total of 264 matches for the Melbourne Demons after making his senior debut in 1987.

But his stature went beyond his on-field deeds as he took over as Melbourne chairman in mid-2008 when the oldest AFL club was in dire financial straits and steered them to financial stability.

He was awarded an Order of Australia in 2007 and was Victorian of the Year in 2003.

Stynes is the fifth sportsperson, after cricketers Shane Warne and Neil Harvey, and footballers Norm Smith and John Coleman, to feature in the Australia Post Avenue of Legends.

(Source; Rte News)

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Congratulations to Damien and everyone involved in organizing The Stack Clan Gathering 2013. They won in the category of Best Family Gathering at the recent Gathering Awards ceremony. Another great Stack festival is planned for 2014. There is no stopping them now.

St. Patrick’s Day in other places

After that flurry of activity over the weekend I am now returning to my normal pace of one post per day. I have lots of photos which I took over the weekend and I will share some of them in due course. But today I am sharing with you some stuff that people were kind enough to send us.

Our friend, Joanne Dillon was at the New York parade and she sent us this Smilebox of photos

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Thank you Joanne.

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I am posting Ed. O’Connor’s email in its entirety

For those from Listowel who may have connections to western Massachusetts, particularly Holyoke, check out the following site for reports of yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Holyoke….just for information, Holyoke was once called Ireland’s Parish….it is a small city of about 40,000 souls which dramatically increases in size during parade weekend….they crown a colleen who wins a trip to Ireland as part of the prize…

Although Boston, New York and Chicago are much larger cities, the Holyoke parade is impressive especially if the weather is good as it was yesterday…..there can be up to half a million folks who watch the parade and the organizers always have a large number of floats and marching bands…

Check out www.masslive.com

Enjoyed watching your parade….

Ed O’Connor


Ed. is a good friend of listowelconnection and NKRO and he is coming to our festival this summer.

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I’m glad so many people are enjoying the video clips of the Tea Dance. It was a great success. Kay O’Leary, the driving force behind the venture has sent me some photos and I took a few as well on Saturday. I’ll share them with you during the week.

Meanwhile an old photo from a bygone St. Patrick’s Day; Dublin 1939

I found the photo on the internet. The writing is indecipherable. I don’t really know what is going on with those planes.

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http://www.breakingnews.ie/archives/2012/0320/sport/aussie-rules-hero-stynes-loses-cancer-battle-544124.html

Very sad news breaking from Melbourne this morning. Jim Stynes, who blazed a trail for young Irishmen like our own Seán Whyte and Tadhg Kennelly has passed away at the age of 45. He is being awarded a state funeral, such was his status in his adopted city.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal dílis.

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2012/03/20/goodbye-jim/

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