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A Window in St. Mary’s
This is the Darby O’Mahoney window in the sanctuary of St. Mary’s Listowel. Fr. Darby O’Mahony was a much loved parish priest during the worst of The Famine years in Listowel. He brought four sisters from Milltown to establish a Presentation Convent to help the starving people of North Kerry. The nuns set up a soup kitchen and they spent hours making simple garments for the poor inhabitants of the workhouse to wear. Very often people arrived at the workhouse, destitute, starving and in rags.
Once when the starving people threatened to storm the workhouse in their demented search for food, Fr. O’Mahiny addressed them until he himself collapsed from exhaustion. He succeeded in quelling the riot.
The people of Listowel donated a stained glass window and a memorial to him in his church. The scene depicted on the window shows Fr. O’Mahony ministering to a dying famine victim. As far as I know he is the only person who is not a canonised saint whose image is commemorated in a memorial window in our church.
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Footing the Turf
This photo was uploaded by Myles Campbell. It’s obviously hand cut turf and there’s acres of it. Could it be a Bord na Mona bog in early days?
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Memories, Memories
Knitwits in happier times in Scribes Café in Church Street.
R.I.P. Anne and Joan, friends gone before us.
Paudie sent us this obituary to remember his mother, Joan, by.
Joan Carey (Nee O’Connor) was born on the 22 October 1945 to Thomas O’Connor and Mary (Moll) Looney at Boltons Cross, Skehenerin, Listowel. She was the youngest of 6 children and the last surviving sibling.
She attended the Presentation Convent in Listowel and after completing a secretarial course in Tralee, she worked as a shorthand typist initially at Raymond Solicitors, and subsequently at Robert Pierse’s, Listowel before meeting her husband and moving to London in 1970. In Oct 1972, she married Gerald Carey and worked in Central London at such famous streets as Dover Street, Bond Street and Oxford Street.
After a number of years in London, residing at 45 Blawith road, she and Ger returned to Listowel, settling initially in 7 Holytree Drive and finally at 105 Church Street, Listowel. 105 Church Street was to be the family home for over 40 years.
In 1982, she opened her little grocery shop, very popular with the children from the Boys National School nearby. In 1987, she opened a larger premises in 107 Church Street. Over the years, she built up a loyal following of Customers, many of whom became friends from all over Listowel town, Cahirdown, Skehenerin, Clounmacon and Kilmorna.
Her greatest achievement were her 3 children, Paudie, Thomas and Siobhán. She was equally proud of a all three. As a mother she was loving, caring and affectionate. She had a great sense of humanity and compassion and was always concerned when she saw a fellow human being troubled or in distress. She always did what she could to help, living the true Christian message.
In 2002, with the shop closed she worked at Galvin’s off-licence in Lower William Street and knew all the goings on the centre of town. Since retiring, she had the joy of seeing two wonderful grandchildren been born, Séan and Paddy Hand. She was always looking forward to the next picture or video of them on Whatsapp, drinking her Glass of red wine in the evening.
She enjoyed a good murder mystery on ‘Albi’ and had a keen interest on current events. In addition, what gave her great pleasure was meeting her Knitting friends (Knit Wits!) at Scribes in Church once or sometimes twice a week, where she developed many friendships.
With the arrival of Covid, a very difficult two years begin in her life, and it was the great care she received in Kilcara Nursing Home, that her suffering and pain was made bearable for her to endure. She bore her illness with remarkable humility, dignity, and courage. To the end she showed concern and love for her family and that will always be her greatest legacy.
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People I Met
Jed Chute and Maria Fitzgerald in Main Street last week
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A Fact
If Monaco’s ruling house of Grimaldi should ever be without a male or female heir the country will cease to be a sovereign state.
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