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: Jimmy Deenihan Page 5 of 10

Moyvane, Lixnaw, Wartime Rationing and Roddy Doyle in Listowel

<<<<<<<

Moyvane, Then and Now

The creamery now and then

Crows on Main St. then and now

from https://moyvane.com

<<<<<<

Lixnaw and the Fitzmaurice clan

Kerryman 1957

If you would like to learn more…

<<<<<<


Been There, Done That




With all the talk of food shortages if the U.K. crashes out of Europe, I thought it might be timely to look back to a time when there were food shortages in Ireland.

Above is a wartime ration book. Certain foodstuffs and other stuff like fuel were in short supply so the government issued books of coupons to people. Coupons could be exchanged for these rationed goods.

A little known fact is that the health of British children improved during the period when rationing was in force. When I see the list of goods that will be in short supply after a hard Brexit, I think we might see the same unintended consequence.

Another fact that is not widely known is that food was also rationed in Germany. This poster from 1916 illustrates, in cartoon form, the range of foodstuffs rationed there.

<<<<<<<



Fighting Words




Kate Kennelly, Kerry Co Council Arts Officer, Roddy Doyle and Jimmy Deenihan.

Roddy Doyle was in Kerry Writers’ Museum on Tuesday, September 24 2019 to promote Fighting Words, an organisation that he co founded to promote creative writing among young people. Fighting Words workshops have been running in Listowel since 2017. The workshops are held outside of a school setting, are free of charge and facilitated by adults who are not necessarily teachers. All you need to be a volunteer is a love of stories and a desire to help young people to write them.

If you would like to volunteer, contact Cara at Kerry Writers’ Museum.

Bernie and friends at Fighting Words Launch

Molly, The Pantomime in the seventies, St. Michael’s Ball in 1999 and a Barn Dance in 2019

Doggy in the Window

If Molly had a big red button, she’d put it here.



<<<<<<<<

When the pantomime was the talk of the town


<<<<<<<


Year 1987; Photographer Danny Gordon




<<<<<<<


St. Michael’s Black Tie Ball


They’re planning a black tie ball in St. Michael’s. It will be held on March 15th 2019 and tickets are available at the school.

The last time they held such an event was in  December 1999  when the college was celebrating 120 years of education for boys in Listowel.  Here is the souvenir booklet.

<<<<<<,



Barn Dance




I found this photo on Facebook of two happy barn dancers, Patsy Kennedy and Kay Lane at William Street on Friday 8 2019 for Listowel’s barn dance in aid of Listowel Tidy Town’s proposed purchase of a van.

Tralee in the sixties, Rebel Abbey, 2 Day Revival 2019 and Listowel, A Printer’s Legacy

The Gap of Dunloe


Photo: Chris Grayson





<<<<<<<<<<<<



Christmas Shopping in Tralee in the sixties


Photo: Historical Tralee and surrounding areas



<<<<<<<<<

Maureen Flavin of Knocknagoshel and Black Sod



Remember Billy McSweeney’s great story of the Kerry lady who married the son of the Blacksod Lighthouse keeper and found herself playing a vital role in the timing of the DDay landings. Well didn’t a loyal blog follower know all about Maureen and he sent us this.

This is Maureen in a wedding photo from 1946

Maureen’s mother was a Mulvihill . The Mulvihill family was also famous. Ned Mulvihill bred a greyhound called Rebel Abbey who won all round him.





<<<<<<<

Listowel, Get Ready to Rock in 2019




<<<<<<<<



Leonard, Listowel Mill Owner; Villain or Saint



The next instalment in the debate;

Hi, Mary,

 Interesting debate opening up. I don’t think any heavy work was done by inmates in the workhouses- they were in poor shape, weakened and poorly fed- certainly not enough work to enrich anyone.  More importantly, able-bodied persons were liable to the rigours of the law if they attempted to get into the workhouses! Auxiliary Workhouses in premises privately owned were  rented by the Board of Guardians and they ran the show after that. I have never come across a privately owned and operated workhouse. I don’t see many certain ‘facts’ on either side of the current debate.  TF Culhane  wrote about Maurice Leonard being ‘remembered’ as having given the barrels of flour; he was not recalling that as his own personal memory. The Folklore Commission relied on stories and memories also. Using ‘recalls’ is no worse that using ‘Keane reported…’ as ‘reported’ has the following meaning:  “give a spoken or written account of something that one has observed, heard, done, or investigated.”  ‘Folklore’ hardy meets this qualification. The reference to TF Culhane’s thoughts are included in the North Kerry Literary Trust, Listowel, excellent 2007 edition of  the book, “Kerry Memories”- this is steeped in Listowel Connections spanning generations. This book is painstakingly thorough in relation to what it includes. Pádraig de Brún and Jimmy Deenihan were instrumental in this publication. It is well-worth a read by anyone connected with Listowel. Bets or speculation and political points are not of much use at this remove. I was a bit doubtful of the number,  ‘six thousand barrels’ as that would be an enormous amount of wheat for the Listowel area in those pestilential days. Perhaps the local memory  was a bit defective in both cases in debate? And there are those who would claim that all such wheat would have been exported in any case to England, while the local people starved. I agree that a factual and disinterested  assessment of the ‘Listowel wheat or barrels of flour’ conundrum is required.  I am sure there will be many well-qualified and  willing to take in on.

Regards,

Nicholas.

<<<<<<<

People at a Book Launch


Seán Kelly, Nora Sheahan, Peggy Hilliard, Lilly Nolan and Vincent Carmody in The Listowel Arms on December 9 2018 at the launch of Listowel , A Printer’s Legacy.

Vincent Carmody with Jimmy Deenihan

Historians and politicians at the launch.



Maurice O’Mahoney gets in a quick read before the crowd gathers.

<<<<<<


Christmas 2018 in Listowel


Another great idea from Christmas in Listowel 

The Listowel Treasure Train

Join us on a magical trail around Listowel’s beautiful shop window displays on the Listowel Treasure Train.

Each of the 14 participating shops have a Little Green Train displayed somewhere in their window. Can you find them all? 

The Runaway Red Train
Our Runaway Red Train has a mind of its own and moves from window to window.

Each day we will post a photo of the Runaway Red Train’s new location, as well as the day’s prize on the Christmas in Listowel Facebook Page. Simply tell us where the Red Train is, to be in with a chance of winning one of our amazing prizes every day.

The prizes will be displayed in Galvin’s Window and available for collection at the end of the competition after Saturday 22nd December.

Follow us at “Christmas in Listowel” on Facebook to take part in this fun game.

Church Street, Jimmy Deenihan, Listowel Visual Arts Week and Sea Bathing in Ballybunion

Sunrise on top of Carrauntoohill  at 5.18 am

Photographer Seán ÓLoideáin

<<<<<<<




Church Street, Listowel in Summer 2018




Lots of painting and preparations for new tenants going on here.

The Harp and Lion, one of Listowel’s most iconic buildings. What a pity the lovely artistry of the sign is covered over.

<<<<<<<<

Meeting a Hero



We see Jimmy Deenihan on the streets of Listowel every day so we don’t regard him as a celebrity but when this lady ran into him in the Small Square recently she became a bit star struck. If you know her, tell her her photo is here. I forgot to give her my card.

<<<<<<<

More from Visual Arts Week

It felt so cosmopolitan to have artists and art at every hand’s turn in Listowel.

I met this artist painting St. Mary’s as viewed fro St. John’s

In the Seanchaí Jim Dunn was among many Kerry artists whose work was on display.

Jim Dunn and the esteemed Killarney artist, Dermot McCarthy



Some artistic window displays

<<<<<<<



Photos from Paul Murphy






This is what Paul writes about them;

“One in a field my dad with side face and Danny Kelleher sitting down far left, the other i think is a Tom Doodle get together, I only know John b far right and dad third right.  Hopefully somebody on FB  or your great blog could help.”

<<<<<<<



An Artist’s View of Ballybunion Last Week




Photo; Mike O’Donnell

M.S. Busking Day, Roadworks and Entertainment in summer 2018

Photo; Graham Davies

<<<<<<<


North Kerry M.S. Society Busking Day



The North Kerry branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society had three blessings on their busking day for 2018. They had  a great group of hard working volunteers, they had some brilliant musicians and they were blessed with the weather.



<<<<<<<<<


Roadworks are still a feature of our Lives in Listowel 




Workmen temporarily removed the John B. Keane Road sign while they placed  the pipes.

Traffic is heavy in town these days too,

<<<<<<<<

Musicians at the Friday Market

On the Friday I was in The Square there was a much increased number of stalls  and some talented young musicians creating a great atmosphere.

<<<<<


Living Literature at The Seanchaí



I met Angeline O’Donnell in character for her Living Literature performance in The Seanchaí

<<<<<<<



From 1938 Schools Folklore Collection



Han Savage of Lisselton  had a story about William Diggin. Mr. Rice from Moybella had several men digging potatoes. He promised a quarter of tobacco to the man who would produce the biggest potato. William Diggin was one of the men digging the spuds. He dug a big potato and cut it in half. Then he got another potato and quartered it and he tied the two potatoes together with string to make one enormous potato. He won the quarter of tabacco.

<<<<<<



Lartigue Friends Reunited

In a marquee in the sunshine on June 2 2018 this group of Lartigue theatre friends met up and reminisced.

<<<<<<<<



A Food Hub for Listowel?




I met this delegation in Tralee yesterday., June 19 2018 as they were readying their pitch to Kerry County Council for a food hub in Listowel.

Page 5 of 10

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén