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
In this ESB booklet of yore here is what Maura Laverty suggests you eat at Christmas.
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Meeting Another Cousin
This is Peter O’Callaghan, better known in Kanturk as Cal. Peter is a videographer but it’s not his videos everyone is talking about these days.
Peter loves Halloween and he organised a massive display at his house this year. There were ghosts rising out of coffins and witches and goblins scaring half the town.
Peter is another generation away from Ben, the weaver.
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“One Man and his Dog”
Photo and text shared by Johnny Joy on Facebook
Irish Guide Dogs, Tralee Branch puppy in training, Winston, paid his regular visit to Paul Kennelly this evening. There’s only the small. difference of 93 years between the two lads. Paul.always takes a keen interest in the puppies in.training and is more thsn happy to add to their social experiences. Winston has grown a bit since his first visit in April
. He’s being expertly trained by Ber and Mike outside Listowel, but likes to check in on his pals in Finuge every so often too.
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Listowel Food Fair Craft Fair 2024
Some of the lovely people I met in The Listowel Arms at this year’s fair.
A mini Relihan clan gathering
Sr. Eileen and the famous chef are new friends.
Is Prifma Listowel’s prettiest shop? It certainly has a lot of pretty stock and a pretty and friendly owner too.
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A Fact
An Egyptian pyramid is 756 feet long on each side, 481 feet high, and composed of 2.3 million stones weighing nearly 3 tons each for a total mass of 6.5 million tons.
The lovely old sign has been uncovered during upgrading at Jet’s
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The Good Old Days
Watching My Father Shave by Joyce Sutphen
I see my father’s face in the mirror, stripping off the white mask that wraps along his cheekbone, over his mouth, and, chin jutted up, down his neck.
The river razor tap-taps the sink; the ivory-handled brush swishes back and forth in the cup, and every time he turns the handle, the faucet squeaks.
I watch the steaming water fill the sink, and when he splashes it on his face, the mask dissolves into his waiting hands; the towel turns on the wooden roller.
How I regret being a girl and never being able to find myself this way, to prove how steady I am, how close to the edge I can come.
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Mark Moriarty Book Signing
at Listowel Food Fair 2024
Breeda planning what recipe she’ll try first.
A signed copy could become a treasure in time.
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Mattie Lennon sent us this prayer.
Prayer for Good Humor
by St. Thomas More
Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also
something to digest.
Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary
good humor to maintain it.
Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure
all that is good
and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of
evil,
but rather finds the means to put things back in
their place.
Give me a soul that knows not boredom,
grumblings, sighs and laments,
nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing
thing called “I.”
Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor.
Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to
discover in life a bit of joy,
and to be able to share it with others.
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A Corner of Tralee
Church avenue in Winter 2024
Mural inside the gate of St. John’s
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A Fact
Both Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same day, April 23 1616
Take a look at this array in John R.’s Foodhall and you will know why the 20 places on the food trail are pounced on as soon as they go on sale.
I felt like a youngster nabbing a concert ticket when I bagged mine as soon as they hit the internet.
But back to the trail…
We started our tasting journey in the lovely welcoming Listowel Garden Centre and Cafe.
Like all 5 stops on the trail, Thyme Out Cafe and the garden centre, boutique and gift shop are businesses run by a Listowel family. Nick and Liz, Mairead and Feidhlim Roberts are the power behind Listowel Garden Centre.
The café converted a special corner of the shop into a crepe tasting zone for us. We sampled lots of different filled crepes and we gave feedback on the ones we liked.
Local born but world travelled chef, John Relihan, and his lovely wife, Thalita joined Jimmy Deenihan and Anne Marie O’Riordan to get us started on our food journey.
Jimmy met up with the wife of an old football buddy.
On we went to stop number 2, John R.’s
Again, this is a well established old family business. Joseph and Hannah (above) inherited the business and then passed it on to Pierce and Marian, who expanded it and grew it into the beautiful delicatessen, bakery, winery and accommodation that it is today.
We got delicious savoury and sweet snacks and some wine.
John Relihan who has tasted focaccia in eateries all over the world said that John R.’s focaccia is the best he has tasted. He has been looking forward to it since last year’s trail.
Here is the team behind the feast.
Nicole, was standing in for Pierce who is recovering well from surgery. She is actually on maternity leave but she brought the family along to be part of the occasion.
(more tomorrow)
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Something Old….
Do you remember the headline copy? This was the bane of so many lives. The skill of handwriting took care, precision and attention to detail. God help you if you were left-handed. Thank God for computers, autocorrect and the ability to scratch out and rewrite whole sentences and even whole paragraphs.
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Rock On
The Stick Of Sweet Rock
Maide Carraige Milis
( Mick O’Callaghan takes a trip down Memory Lane.)
When I see sticks of rock nowadays, I am immediately transported back into a long-lost part of my life. My taste buds are instantly activated, and the memory section of my cranial department goes into overdrive with thoughts and memories of rock.
I remember images of holiday times of my youth, day trips to Ballybunion and relations coming home from England and America. The English folk always seemed to come with Blackpool Rock while the American cousins brought candy cane to us when they visited. I can clearly remember the unbridled excitement of tearing off the wrapping and revealing the glorious spearmint flavoured stick of boiled sugar. I recall the dire warnings from my mother about damaging my teeth as we busily tried to bury our molars into the rock-hard piece of confectionery.
My memory tape plays on and I am now at Puck Fair in Killorglin in the glorious month of August. We crossed over the Laune Bridge and parked our bikes in Foleys yard where they were chained and padlocked and safe for the day. As we were emerging our nostrils picked up the scent of fish and chips and crubeens or pig’s feet. It was traditional to eat them and who was I to break the custom. We gorged on the greasy messy fat laden pigs’ trotters and having devoured them we plodded on to the first chip wagon where we ate round two of greasy lunch, all washed down with a bottle of Nash’s red lemonade followed by the bar of Cadbury’s chocolate for dessert. Then we left it to our overworked digestive system to look after that mixture.
Now that the gourmet dining was finished and appetites were satisfied, we headed up the hill to view King Puck who was crowned king and safely ensconced in his regal perch above the citizens of Killorglin, where he reigned for three days. There were hurdy gurdies, hucksters de gach sort, three card trick people, horse dealers, manure, and smells everywhere. You never in all your days saw such an array of loose sweets, rocks, loose biscuits on sale everywhere. They were filled into paper tóisíns [cone shaped paper containers]and handled by people who had never sanitised or washed their hands or wore plastic gloves in their lives. We ate them all and survived to tell the tale. On the way home we had to buy the souvenir rock from puck.
And then there was the annual pilgrimage to Knock Shrine. Pilgrims travelled by bus and train from all over the country to the shrine. I remember my father coming home exhausted after the trip. They recited constant rosaries, with each decade interspersed by an exhortation to Mary followed by passionate singing of hymns in praise of Mary e.g. Queen of the May. Then there was the mass in the shrine followed by the Stations of the Cross and benediction. The day wasn’t complete without a trip to the stalls, purchasing miraculous medals, scapulars, small bottles of holy water, rosary beads and the stick of rock from Knock for the children. All the religious paraphernalia were blessed, but I am not too sure about the blessed rock from Knock.
Years later when I was teaching in Arklow town there was one Tommy from Knock teaching there, and we shared digs. Tommy left school every Friday evening when there was a major pilgrimage group in Knock because he had a stall there. He travelled back early Monday morning and always looked very tired and dishevelled after his weekend of selling religious objects to the throngs of people who flocked from north, south, east, and west looking for some miraculous cure. I remember getting a lift down to school on one wet Monday morning from Tommy. He told me to clear the front seat. It was full of rosary beads, scapulars, medals and on the floor were two boxes of Knock Rock which he said were his best sellers as they had a special dental blessing. I believed him but thousands would not.
So, whether its spearmint, Neapolitan, peppermint, or green and gold sticks of boiled sugar stickiness you’re into, let’s all move on and eat our rock, if you can still buy them.
Rock on.
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A Fact
The Procrastinators’ Club of America sends a newsletter to its members under the masthead Last Month’s Newsletter.
The National Antiques, Art and Vintage Fair will be held in Limerick Racecourse on November 16 and 17. Dan and Maureen Hartnett of Listowel will be there.
Article from The Irish independent.
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Book Promoting
I’m busy with engagements these days.
These doors lead to Listowel Garden Centre and Café. The lovely people there have invited me to be a (small) part of their customer appreciation evening on November 21. I’ll remind you all again next week.
Here I am in Super Valu, replacing the stock of my book which was sold out.
Tomorrow, Wednesday November 13 2024 I’m on Radio Kerry with Deidre Walsh on Talkabout and on Friday, November 15 2024 I will be a guest of Listowel Tidy Towns at their prize giving.
Moments of Reflection is available in Woulfe’s, Eason, Listowel Garden Centre, Garvey’s Super Valu, Prifma, Kerry Writers’ Museum, Watsons in Duagh, An Siopa Milseán in Abbeyfeale and O’Mahony’s in Tralee.
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Presidential Messages
It is customary in the US for the outgoing president to leave a message for his successor. Below is the message George HW Bush left for Bill Clinton.
Biden never revealed the contents of the note Trump left for him in 2020 but he described it as “shockingly gracious”. I hope Biden will be just as gracious in defeat. I hope Trump will share the note with us all. It’s time for healing.
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Windows of Wonder
In the Church of the Resurrection, Mallow there are some striking windows.
Doesn’t this look like a priest with outstretched arms blessing the congregations. The window looks like his vestments
This window is in the baptistry.
This blue resurrection window has a look of the Harry Clarke studio about it but I couldn’t find the information online.
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Listowel Food Fair 2024
The big name celebrity guest this year was Mark Moriarty. His book sold out and his demonstration was enjoyed by a full house in the ballroom of The Listowel Arms.
Mark with Ruth O’Quigley, one of the longest serving members of Listowel Food Fair committee.
Jimmy Deenihan presented Mark with his commemorative plaque.
Breeda and Margaret, both keen cooks and fans of Moriarty, came from Co. Cork to see him in action.
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A Fact
The rose family of plants gives us flowers, apples, pears, plums, cherries, almonds, peaches and apricots.
If you are interested in any of these groups, here is how you can contact the centre
Facebook page: Listowel Family Resource Centre
Phone: (068) 23584
Ballygologue, John B Keane Road, Listowel, V31 EC62
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In Mallow
A benefit of producing a book is that it has got me out and about and reconnection with family, old friends and new. I met Eileen Vaughan in Mallow, a lovely lady who will recognise a few faces in Moments of Reflection.
I visited the Church of the Resurrection, which is the newer of Mallow’s parish churches.
This church was designed by J.R. Boyd Barrett and completed by the Cork building firm of Daniel Hegarty in 1969. It cost €150,000. It has had a few upgrades since but its original design is remarkably innovative and practical.
The lady who gave the diocese the site is commemorated in a simple plaque.
The church is very big. It has a capacity of 1,000. It is build in a fan shape, with no side aisles so that everyone in the congregation has a clear view of the altar.
I couldn’t find any account online of where the stained glass was sourced but the theme seemed to me to be resurrection with depictions of the risen Christ appearing to various cohorts of disciples.
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A Date to Save
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An Ancient Stone
This is on the outside wall of Benners Hotel in Tralee. Does it really date back to 1656?
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She’s Nearly There
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Listowel Food Fair 2024
I’ll be posting my Food Fair pictures later on this week. The Fair ends gtodcay and it wax a great success.
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A Fact
The very first London Underground station was officially opened at Stockwell, South London in 1890
