Teeing off at the Munster Championship Pitch and Putt in The Town Park, June 2019
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Listowel’s Jumbo’s does it again
In Listowel, Jumbo’s is a brand as big as McDonalds. It is a local institution. Every Listowel person and people who visit Listowel have a special Jumbo’s memory. Good food, friendly loyal staff, social responsibility and efficient service are the hallmarks of this business. I’m delighted to see it in line for another award.
A Kerry business has been shortlisted for a national award for their social media activity.
Jumbos Family Restaurant, Listowel is one of seven nominations for the Facebook Small Business 16+ staff category in the 2019 Social Media Awards.
The ceremony will be held in Dublin’s Liberty Hall Theatre on July 25th.
(Story and picture from Radio Kerry on Facebook)
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Loughlin Dolan Remembered
Above if the plaque on the wall at Listowel Garda Station commemorating the mutiny of 1920.
Two of the relatives of Loughlin Dolan, one of the mutineers, came to Listowel to see the plaque and to find out more about him.
Loughlin was born into a farming family in Lusmagh, Kings County, Co Offally in 1889. He served as RIC officer in various places in Kerry ending up in Listowel. After the mutiny he stayed for several years before he was reposted to Cavan. He never went to Cavan however but emigrated to Liverpool. From there we went to Australia. It is not clear if he was on the run or if his mental health had deteriorated but he eventually was found in the Australian bush where he had lived the live of a hermit for three years.
Loughlin Dolan
It’s now nearly 100 years since the infamous mutiny in Listowel Barracks. It’s an incident in a very troubled time in Ireland which has been variously denied and glorified, depending on which side you are on. This is my take on what happened.
In a nutshell in1920 North Kerry was a republican stronghold. The RiC in Listowel were a band of Irishmen, doing a job who now found themselves in direct conflict with their friends and fellow Irishmen. Col Smyth, a decorated English soldier was sent to commandeer Listowel barracks as a military headquarters for the region and the police officers therein were to act as agents of the military and lead them to the ringleaders of the republican dissent.
Fourteen of the police officers, led by Jeremiah Mee laid down their arms and refused to obey. North Kerry was now under martial Law but without the local knowledge of the RIC men there was nothing left for the military to do but to rely on The Black and Tans and their brutal tactics led to much bloodshed and destruction.
After the mutiny the mutineers were dispersed to various other police stations but four were left in Listowel.
One of these four was a man called Loughlin Dolan.
Martina Dolan, who has been searching for information on her relative sent me these accounts from Australian newspapers of the mystery surrounding Loughlin’s turning up unexpectedly and his refusal or inability to say who he was and why he was living like he was. Unfortunately after he recovered he left the hostel before his brother could get to him and there the trail goes cold.
It would be interesting to hear from the relatives of the other mutineers to see what happened to them after that fateful event.
HERMIT OF THE HILLS
Loughlin Dolan’s the handsome young
Irishman who hid himself for three
years in the hills near Strathatbyn and
was discovered three weeks ago unconconscious and emaciated has now recovered much of his lost vigor.
Dolan. is recuperating and doing light
work in an institution in an Adelaide
suburb.
He still refuses to say why he be
came a hermit, but one statement he
made yesterday to a visitor may throw
some light on the mystery.
Today Louglin Dolan believes that,
unless .something is done for him, he
is doomed to an early death. Examined
by a doctor,since he forsook the isolation
bush pronounced physically sound, -he persists that he
is suffering from an ailment which, if
not checked, wili kill him. Is this
strange dread born off reality or delusion?
Is it the solution of Dolan’s
astounding three years of isolation?
Yesterday morning he was whistling
happily as he trudged along ‘behind a
horse ‘ attached to a single furrow
plough. The flowing hair and beard
which obscured his features before he
entered the institution have vanished:
be is a stone heavier, his skin is fresh
and clean, and his eyes sparkling with
the brightness of health.
He showed no trace of that timidity
that governed his speech and actions
three weeks ago. He was eager to
talk.
-How do you like sleeping inside?’
”All right now, but I didn’t take
kindly to a bed at first.’
‘What are you going to do about the
future?’
‘It depends on my health.’
‘But the doctor has said you are fit
and well.’
‘I know, but I am not satisfied. I
will not be satisfied until there has been
a blood test.’
‘Would not the disease you are afraid
of have done its work during your three
years’ stay in the hills?’
‘No; it will take five years to lull
me.’
‘It will not kill you. You are physi
cally well. The doctor said so.’
The young Irishman shook his head.
”I know they think it is imagination,’he said,
‘but it is not. It is in the
blood. -I -wish to God it wasn’t.’
Any attempts to brush aside the pos
sibility of his being mistaken were met
with refusal. He discussed the matter
quietly and rationally, and his man
manner was not that of a man suffering
delusions.
LIVED AS HERMIT
Three Years in Bush
DOLAN KEEPS SECRET
Why Loughlin Dolan lived in the Adelaid hills for three years,
existing on rabbits, water, and apples, is
known only to himself.. He refuses to
say. He is recovering his strength,
and intends to go to work.
An uncle of the Irish immigrant
and a brother reside in Western Aus
tralia. Dolan loved a girl in London,
but will not even hint that that was
the reason for cutting himself off from
the outside world.
One of the strangest stories revealed
for many years in Australia-is. that of the
life during, the past three-years of Loughlin
Dolan, the Irish immiigrant whlo was found
in the bush “at Bull’ Creek on Sunday
night.
Dolan talks willingly to those whom he
is convinced are his friends. He has a
cultured voice, and has-evidently been well
educated, but he is shy and sensitive and
shuns idle curiosity. He is
tall and handsome and his curly reddish
beard is streaked with grey, but he is
weak through lack of food. Normally he
Is a powerful man. He is unaffected and
gentle.
Why he took to the hills is a mystery
and a subject upon which he steadfastly
refuses to talk.’
In a conversation today
Dolan’ said, that now he knew he was
among friends he was glad he had been
found. He was deeply grateful for what
Sgt.G A: Heinemann, of Strathalbyn, had
done for’ him.
“You have been a good friend to me,”
he said sincerely. He did not profess to
have liked his life n the bush..but it was
his own choice.
“It has a grim fight,”‘ he said. and
it was evident that had he not'”been en
dowed with a hardy constitution he could
not have lived through the many hard
ships he underwent. Out in the open-in
all weathers, ill-clad with a scanty covering of bags and with rabbits and water as
his diet was his life for three years. It
is probable that in a few weeks’ time he
will regain his health and strength.
. REARED. ON FARM
“Wait unitil you see me shaved and well
again,” he said.. ‘”I will be a different
man. I can work and will be anxious to
work” as soon as I am well.”‘
Dolan said he was brought up on a farm
in Ireland, and was used to farming work
and could also drive a motor car. About
eight months, before he came to Australi
he was in Liverpool and worked as a gar
dener at a college. His sweetheart was in London, and they intended to make a
home in Australia.
Be had an unIcle who had been a farmer
in Western Australia for 40 years, and his
brother had been there 14.
LOUGHLIN DOLAN–As he was when
he arrived in Australia three years ago.
Intended to go to them. He had about
£200 before he left Liverpool and brought
that with him to Adelaide.
It was on his arrival here that he made
for the bush for some reason which he
will not disclose,but he says he has been
worrying and fretting while he has been
there. He made no attempt to go to
Western Australia although the he
travelled on and called at Freemantle . That
he is not troubled over money matters is
indicated by the fact that he had more
than £70 tied in a small bag round his
waist when he was found This.has been
taken charge of on his behalf by friends
at an institution where he is now being
cared for.
He is much concened about his rela
tives in the West, and also in England and
Ireland. He has made no attempt to
communicate with any. of them while he
has been in hiding, and he realises that
they will have been worrying, about him.
He said he was anxious for someone to
write to them on his behalf.
For three years he has been absolutely
out of touch with the world. While he
has seen many people he has carefully
kept out of sight. He had-no newspapers
or anything to read, and did not do any
writing during that .time. He evinced
great interest in’European affairs, and was
glad to know that in his native country’s
matters were somewhat peaceful.
BATHED REGULARLY “
“I Will soon pick up the news of what
has happened during the last thiee years
by talking to friends,”‘ he said. “
Concerning his: life in the bush he had
not much to tell. He did not travel far
from the spot where he was found. He
lbathed regularly, and lived in a most
primitive manner.’
“I always liked to, be on the move,’ he
said, *”and I did not build a permanent
shelter. I was afraid someone might find
me. Sometimes, in the.winter, I lept in
water I had apples.occasionally,
but 1 never caught anything but rabbits.
I never knew what month it was;, but I
always knew the. seasons… The climate
here is-beautiful, and I have found the
people very kind.”
Regarding his future, Dolan has no
plans, but he is definite in his.desire to
work.
Sgt. Heinemnann said the country in
which Dolan had been living was rocky
scrub, in which a man would find no ditffi
culty in hiding, but would probably find
it hard to live.
“You would not stay there two hours.”
he said. Dolan told the sergeant that life was hard
he had had nothing to eat for a fortnight,
as the rabbits were scarce and he was getting
weak.
When he was found he could not walk and it required
Three men to carry hiim.
The sergeant provided hlim with some
clothes, for which he was grateful. At
the hospital Dolan said the nurses had
been kind to him. He had had a good
night’s rest and a good breakfast. He
expected he would be well again in a few
days.
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Coffee Morning
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Ted is Back
Well done to the people behind the Kilflynn Enchanted Fairy Festival who defied the vandals to rebuild Ted. The festival is a lovely event for children and the young at heart. It’s on this weekend starting on June 29 at 7.00 p.m. Killflynn will be buzzing.
