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

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Conkers and Conquerers

Listowel Courthouse in July 2023

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I saw this picture on the internet and I was back to my childhood. These photos are English but some Irish shops used this method too.

My late mother used to work in a drapery shop. (The word drapery has fallen out of fashion now.) Drapery refers to curtains but the shop sold everything in the household line as well as ladies underwear and knitting wool and haberdashery (another word gone out of fashion.)

My mother told me that they had to be able to calculate how much material to sell a customer who came with the measurements of her window. The shop sold dress material as well and often the customer came with just the paper pattern and the shop assistant had to furnish everything required to make the garment. In short the job involved more skill than simply taking something from a shelf and handing it to the customer.

There were no calculators so the price had to be calculated by the shop assistant. It was very easy to make a mistake. The above devices were the start of specialisation in the retail trade.

In a shop that had this system the shop assistant just had to put everything she had supplied on a docket, whizz the docket to the office. When it came back the calculation would be done, the customer handed over the money, another whizz of the canister to the office and back came the change and the receipt.

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Won’t be Long Now

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Well done to a superb Kanturk Horsewoman

This is Felicity Ward and I took the photo in her yard in Kanturk last August.

Well, Felicity and the talented Cuba have just gone and done it. They are selected to represent Ireland in the European Senior Eventing Championships in France.

Horse Sport Ireland ..”Dag Albert has named his squad that will travel to Le Pin Au Haras next month for the FEI Senior Eventing European Championships, with a blend of experienced combinations added to some up-and-coming talent representing Ireland.

The squad travelling to France to compete on August 9th-13th, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

  • Susie Berry and Clever Trick (ISH)
  • Ian Cassells and Woodendfarm Jack O D (ISH)
  • Sarah Ennis and Grantstown Jackson (ISH)
  • Jennifer Kuehnle and Polly Blue Eyes
  • Joseph Murphy and Calmaro
  • Felicity Ward and Regal Bounty (ISH)

Listowel, Kildare and Ballylongford

Church Street, Listowel, Photo by Eamon ÓMurchú

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According to Jane Powers we could meet a lizard or two hanging about in these mild days

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Distinguished North Kerry Scholar

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 7, 20 November 1891, Page 9

Kerry.— The death is announced of Rev. J. L. Heffernon of South Melbourne from congestion of the lungs, brought on by a severe cold. The deceased was born in Ballylongford and received his early education at a classical school in Listowel, afterwards entered All Hallows College, Dublin, where, for six successive years, he carried off the first prize in his class. He was ordained in 1878 and was offered a professorship in All Hallows, but he declined, preferring to join the Australian mission. At college his career was a most distinguished one, and his masters freely admitted that he was the most brilliant student that ever passed through the college. In 1878 he arrived in Melbourne and was for some years attached to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

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Remember the Pulper?

This beautifully restored pulper is on display in Kildare Town Square. I remember such a machine from my childhood days as pulping was a job that was often left to the children.

Farm animals were often fed mangolds and turnips and other home grown beets. These root vegetable had to be pulped for the cattle to eat.

You fed the bucket of beet in at the top of the pulper and then swung off the handle to turn the rotating blades inside to pulp up the vegetables.

There were always dire warnings of the dangers of putting your hand in to free a blockage.

It was tough work but clean and in comparison to many other jobs in the yard, I’d take pulping any day.

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Listowel Courthouse and Áras an Phiarsaigh looking good in summer 2021

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A Fact

In August 1962 the popular Hollywood actress Marlyn Munroe was found dead. It was suspected that she had died by suicide. A number of medicine bottles were found on her bedside table.

Source: Irish Examiner

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A Minute of Your Time, Listowel Courthouse Plaza and Turf Cutting

Walking in The Regional Park, Ballincollig in January 2020

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St. Bridget, Muire na nGael




These are actually Wren boys but in the same tradition of mumming Biddie boys traditionally came round at the feast of St. Bridget on February 1 bringing with them a Biddy or effigy of St. Bridget.

Her cross woven from rushes was thought to protect against fire.

There was an old proverb that predicted good weather until St. Patrick’s Day

Gach re lá breá ó mo lást amach

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The Courthouse Plaza in January 2020


Listowel Courthouse

New seating in front of the courthouse

Arás an Phiarsaigh with new planting in the foreground

Listowel Public Library

New planting and seats outside the library

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Another Kerry Winner in Dublin this Weekend




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More Photos from my Book Launch

From Dunmanway, a friend from my schooldays, Elizabeth McCarthy

We three; with Geraldine O’Connor and Bridget O’Connor

Jerry and Annette

Hannah Mulvihill

Helen Lane McPhillips

The best neighbour and friend any one could have, Helen Moylan

Helena Halpin and  Sheila Horan

Jimmy Deenihan

Jimmy Hickey

Joan Kenny

Joe Murphy


John and Tina Kinsella


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Definitely not Lyre


Remember this poor man cutting turf. I posted this photo last week and I didn’t know on what bog it was taken.  I got this response from Joe and Kay in Lyreacrompane.

Great photo Mary but not Lyreacrompane. Bord na Mona cut only machine turf in Lyreacrompane and also the horizontal style of sleán cutting was never used in Lyre.  The Lyre style is displayed by Kate Ahearn from California in this photo. Kate and her father Bob had discovered their roots in Lyreacrompane and while on a visit, a few years ago, joined our annual Dan Paddy Andy Bog Walk which always includes a chance to try out cutting turf in the old style.

Joe and Kay in Lyreacrompane


Two Strange All Ireland Stories and James Kissane Remembered

Listowel Courthouse

August 26th. 2019

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Where Stories Begin

Maurice Kelliher and his friend, John Leahy (reluctantly) posed for me beside Kempes photo in the collage of Town faces on Lawler’s window.

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Take the Soup


A story from Mattie Lennon for All Ireland Final weekend

Take the Soup

Up to today no senior Wicklow football team has ever graced the hallowed sod of Croke Park on the penultimate Sunday of September. Even Mick O Dwyer couldn’t do anything for us. Imagine letting soccer and rugby into Croke Park before Wicklow got a crack at an All- Ireland final. . and then the Queen . . . and The Pope.  And we almost had Obama. I suppose we’ll soon have Trump.

    But Wicklow men and sons of Wicklow men have played for many another county’s winning team.  

Such was the case in 1928. It was the first year of the Sam Maguire Cup and Kildare met Cavan in the final. One of the Kildare forwards was of Valleymount parentage and, of course, the locality claimed him as its own. Now, money wasn’t plentiful  in the West-Wicklow of 1928. The Wall Street crash was in 1929 but we were well ahead of them. The people in our area couldn’t afford to travel to Dublin for a match. But they were a  resourceful people. And they did a very clever thing. They took up a collection and appointed one man, a sort of an emissary, to go to the match and bring back the information. The man selected as representative was a farm-labourer, Matt Colley, who had a phenomenal memory, a good eye and ear for detail and was a good storyteller (sometimes with a little bit of embellishment).

   Though times were hard subscriptions surpassed expectation. With the proceeds Matt boarded the steam Tram, in Blessington, and set out on his journey to Terenure  or Roundtown as it was called at the time (where the tram terminated) He walked, at a leisurely pace into the city centre and in the unfamiliar surroundings of the main thoroughfare of the Metropolis he spotted an impressive building; The Gresham Hotel.  When he entered the posh foyer of the Gresham, of course the head porter and others were amused by his mountainy walk.

  He took his seat in the dining room but didn’t consult the Menu. With all due respect to the man, he had a near photographic memory, was a gifted raconteur but the written word meant very little to him. A liveried waiter with notebook, and pencil poised, materialised at his elbow. ” Soup Sir?”?

“I don’t want any soup”, says Matt.

“But the soup of the day, Sir is the Chef’s – “

“Amn’t I after telling ye I don’t want soup.”

 “All right Sir, the main course – “

   The waiter goes on the list the many choices, only to be told, “I don’t want any o’ that, I want a feed o’ bacon an’ cabbage an’ a few good floury spuds. Have ye any bacon an’ cabbage?.”

Taken aback and getting annoyed the waiter says, “I’ll see what we have in the kitchen.”

 “I don’t want to know what ye have in the kitchen, I want bacon, cabbage and potatoes.”

 The waiter now decides to teach this Russ-in-Urbe a lesson. He brings out a large serving dish (like the big Willow-pattern dishes that Matt’s mother kept on the top shelf of the dresser). It was heaped to capacity.

Matt ate and he ate and he ate – and then he ate more.

   He ambled upstairs and spotted, through an open door, a double bed. It wasn’t near match time so he stretched out on the bed; face down. Of course he was asleep in seconds.

Now – as luck would have it, sometime later, the male guest in the adjoining bedroom “took a bit of a turn.”  The Doctor was called and promptly arrived accompanied by a nurse. Seeing the prostrate figure of Matt, with a belly like a poisoned pup, he made a rapid diagnosis. “I know what’s wrong with this man,” says he.

   Without any further instruction the nurse left and reappeared quickly with a red rubber hose, tapered on one end and a funnel on the other. The necessary garments were removed, a large white enamel jug of warm, soapy, water was produced and a certain medical procedure got under way.

  Halfway through the irrigation process Matt woke up. And would you blame him?  

The match was over. He had no information for his financiers. He hadn’t done what he was sent to do.

He headed for Terenure and the tram but he wasn’t walking too well.   On the tram he met a few fellows from Brittas and Manor Kilbride who filled him in on the main points of the game.

By Tallagh he knew that Kildare been awarded ten frees in the first half and that the score at half time was one two to three points in favour of Kildare. Jobstown saw him rehearsing his “report.”  “Cavan won the toss and played with the wind, from the Railway end, for the first half. Smith of Cavan got the ball at the throw-in and passed it to Higgins who was fouled.  

Devlin of Cavan scored the first point after twenty minutes of play.  

Fitzpatrick of Kildare was injured and spent a long time on the ground. Joe Loughlin of Kildare was injured and replaced by Dan Ryan.”

   As the tram passed the brick-works in Tinode , Kildare was playing with the wind in the second half.

When Matt alighted at the tram-sheds in Blessington, in his head the match was over.  Cavan was two goals and five points and Kildare was two six and the final whistle blew.  There were men there to meet him from Kylebeg, Lacken, Blackrock, Lugnagun and Ballinastockan.

   It was like a press conference. They were shooting questions at him from all sides. ” Who won Matt?”, “Was it a good game, Matt?”, “What was the score Matt, “ “How did our man fare, Matt?”

   During a lull in the interrogation he put up his hand: “I’ll tell yez all about the match in a minute, But first I want to tell yez this, If any o’ yez ever goes to Dublin and yer in a place called the Gresham Hotel, if they ask ye d’ ye want soup, for Christ sake take it. For if you don’t they’ll put it in a big enamel jug an’ they’ll get a length o’ hose an’ a tundish. They’ll take down your trousers an’ savin’ yer presence they’ll  administer it in the most undignified manner . “

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James Kissane


 At the Ballydonoghue WW1 commemoration on Saturday August 24 2019 the soldiers who fought were remembered by their relatives. No descendant was more proud than Eily Walsh who has researched in detail her soldier relative, James Kissane.

Eily is a very keen family historian and the acknowledged expert on the Kissanes of Kilcox.

James was the second youngest of 12 children of John and Catherine Kissane. He is the man at the back in the bow tie in this family photo.

He was born in 1889. James had a first cousin who had risen to the rank of Inspector in the Cairns Police Force in Queensland, Australia. James and this cousin, John Quilter, corresponded and James decided to seek his fortune in that police force down under. James emigrated to Australia in 1910 and immediately joined the Australian Police force. 

In September 1915 James took leave from the police force and joined The Australian Imperial Force. The army took him to Egypt, to England and eventually to Flanders in Belgium.

At the Battle of Ypres he was in charge of transport and supple of ammunition to the front line. Ammunition in that battle had to be transported by cart and mule in horrendous conditions.

It was for acts of gallantry  on October 12 1917 that he was awarded the Military Cross.


This is Britain’s third highest honour.

This extraordinary achievement and James’ outstanding war record could never be acknowledged at home by his very republican family.

After the war James returned to Australia. In 1924 he took up a full time paid position as Secretary of the Queensland Irish Association. He changed jobs a few times more, got married and raised a family. The family home in Brisbane was named Listowel.

James passed way in 1954. His family are tremendously proud of their Irish roots and his Irish cousins are proud of him too.

Bridget O’Connor and Eily Walsh, cousins of James Kissane at the Ballydonoghue WW1 commemoration on Saturday last.

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For the Weekend that’s in it


Mattie Lennon has been in touch with a tale for you.

The All Ireland Walkover.

Come this time next week there will be a lot of sore heads around the Town as Dubs supporters celebrate having Sam AGAIN’..as they begin to contemplate is it worth their while removing the buntings and flags from the front of their gaffs, after all they will have the hassle of getting out the ladders and going over the same routine come Sept 2020 when the Dubs are certain to be back at Croker picking up Sam Maguire yet again !

Anyway before a ball is kicked in Croke Park I can hear the mutterings from the Kingdom in ‘Healy Rae language’ about the advantage the Dubs had because the game is in The Capital, or how expensive it is now for a day out in the ‘big smoke’ for the small farmers etc etc etc. 

So here’s a true story that can be told relating to a Kerry Team from 1910 that can be discussed over a ‘sangwich’ on the train to Dublin.

In 1910 Kerry were due to play Louth in the All-Ireland.  There was great interest in the Kingdom and Louth for the game and a huge crowd in excess of 16,000 were expected to attend, a large majority would have been supporters who had attended the Final that was held in Jones Rd the previous year in 1909.  That year Kerry beat Louth 1-9 to 0-6, that 1909 final had attracted 16,000 supporters which was enormous for its time.  By 1910 there was great expectation from many Louth supporters who were hoping that their team could exact revenge for the previous year’s result.

So, understandably enough, all the culchies were looking forward to their day out ‘up in Dublin’, but there was a problem and that came from the expense that was incurred in getting to the venue.  In those days, by all accounts, the train fare from both counties would have been expensive, many of those travelling would have had the extra expense of at least one night if not two in Dublin, a few pints, something to eat and perhaps a ramble around the Monto’s streets (just to have a gander at the ‘quare wans’ as ye do) wouldnt have left much change out of a £5.

So hearing the mutterings from the locals, the Kerry team took the bull by the horns (as ye do in Kerry) they approached the Railway company Great Southern & Western railway and asked them to reduce their fares for those travelling for the Match, quoting the huge interest in the game, the extra business, and numbers expected to travel…the Railway wouldn’t have a bar of it, they refused point blank the Kerrymen’s request, so as a point of principle the Kerry team refused to travel and Louth were awarded the All-Ireland as a ‘walkover’.

I hope the Kerry Team spent their train fare in the Pub.

That’s an absolutely true story.  I Googled it.

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Showing our colours




last Train, The Courthouse Plaza and The Little Lilac Studio

A Photo of Listowel Town Square in March 2019



John Kelliher of JK Photography

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A Lament for A Railway Line

posted on Facebook by Liam O’Hainnín

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Definitely not Gas 


I speculated that the digging outside the courthouse might be something to do with town gas. Wrong! definitely not gas. Seating and raised flower beds, I’m told.

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Farewell Little Lilac Studio

Listowel has lost one of its little gems. The Lilac Studio was a really lovely visitor experience . My grandchildren loved it and we spent many happy times there. We have some lovely souvenirs to show for it.

Here are some photos from our last visit.

Kathy was always infinitely patient and kind to her customers. She is a natural teacher, supportive and encouraging. We always left her little studio, feeling better for the experience. Our town is poorer for the loss of this little artistic, child friendly place.

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