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: Listowel Garden Centre Page 2 of 5

Memories from Clounmacon and Kanturk

Corner of Listowel Town Square on Dec 2 2022

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My favourite Grinch Window Display

Once again Doran’s Pharmacy on Church Street has a beautiful creative and entertaining Christmas window .

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From An Sleán

A Clounmacon Journal from Christmas 1985

Bryan MacMahon remembers old Clounmacon and old Clounmacon people.

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More Photos from Garda Centenary Commemorations in Listowel

These are some of the people gathered to celebrate with Kerry gardaí

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In Kanturk we were once Dead Posh

Source: Facebook Group, Kanturk Memories

( De Valera’s “comely maidens” had nothing to our “bright faced, laughing young girls”)

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Aoife in The Christmas Shop

On Aoife’s visit we had to visit the Winter Wonderland that is Listowel Garden Centre Christmas Shop.

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Thinking Ahead to Christmas

Church Street 2022

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A War Grave

This is the only war grave memorial in Listowel cemetery.

This headstone in St. Michael’s graveyard was erected by the War Graves Commission to a fallen soldier of The Great War. The soldier is D. Daly who died on December 26 1918 at the age of 26. His next of kin was a brother who lived in Convent Street.

Does someone know the story? So sad!

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Remembering Listowel Races 2022

When looking for something else I came across a few Races photos I think I never posted

Martina and her two lovely daughters were racing on Sunday
Emma was out with her family enjoying family day.
Gillian and John had little Robbie at his first outing to The Island
Me and past pupil, Lisa

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Listowel Garden Centre Christmas Shop

It’s as good as ever for Christmas 2022

It’s great to have a smallie as an excuse to browse in the Christmas shop.

A bit early for the letter. But no harm to be preparing.

Cora loved the idea of a pink display.

Nana is a bit more traditional (and boring!)

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A Poem

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Jerry Kennelly in Shannonside Annual 1959

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One for the Diary

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Listowel and Asdee Remembered

Main Street, Listowel in November 2021

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Asdee Memories

I met these members of Asdee Active Retired Group in Garvey’s Super Valu. They were promoting their great collection of memories and lore.

Do you know what a losset is?

I didn’t until I found out all about it and it’s biblical connections from a lovely lady, Noreen Dineen. Noreen remembers going to school in the 1930s when there were few facilities, no creature comforts and life was tough.

This delightful book is the first draft of Asdee history. It is full of precious reminiscences, old photographs and it preserves words used locally for a generation that is fast forgetting them.

I bought this window into the past as much for the next generation as for myself.

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Christmas at Listowel Garden Centre

It’s still November but this Christmas display is just the ticket to raise expectation levels for the season still to come.

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Then and Now

William Street 2007

2021

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Main street in November 2021

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A Listowel Fact

Listowel’s trade history began with the laying out of the market square in 1697. Fairs and markets were held regularly and Listowel was a busy town.

In 1829 the Big Bridge was built and this was a game changer. the Mail Road in 1827 and the Cork line in 1829 also made access to outside markets easier. In particular The Cork Line to Abbeyfeale and Newmarket meant a saving of 37 miles for the car men going to the Cork Butter Market. Before that they had to go through Killarney.

The railway came to Listowel in 1880. The Lartigue Railway was built in 1889

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A Few more Names

In Seán Keane’s lovely old photo we already had these names

Eamon O’Connor is lying in front with his hand to his head. On his right (left in photo) is Eamon Leahy. Behind him is his brother, Tadhg Leahy, beside him behind Eamon O’Connor is Ciarán ÓMurchú. Buddy Scanlon is the boy with the towel over his shoulder. Behind him is Monty Galvin and Toddy Scanlon is behind Monty.

Since publishing the photo we have a few more memories jogged.

Gerard Leahy recognised the little boy on the right looking on at the big boys. It is Gerard himself wearing the Fair Isle jumper his mother hand knitted for him.

Ned O’Sullivan saw “Paddy Fitz of Charles Street and possibly Peter McElligott of Bedford.”

Julie Gleeson thought that Michael Brennan and Eoin O’Neill might be in the picture.

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Christmas Shop, More Photos from THE launch and Dublin Marathon 2019

Harvest Home


This lovely display is in Abbeyfeale church.

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Christmas is Coming


Displays in Listowel Garden Centre Christmas Shop

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Memories of the Launch of A Minute of Your Time


Mother and daughter Anne and Cora Darby on stage as Anne read a reflection which was prompted by an incident involving Cora.

My old friend, Assumpta O’Sullivan came from Dublin. She is originally from Killarney.

Barbara Walshe was there on the anniversary of her dear father’s death. Many of the reflections in my book are about grief and remembrance.

Brenda Enright was there.

I have known Bridie O’Rourke almost since the first day I came to Listowel.

Canon Declan read me from the altar and reminded the congregation that I was launching my book across the road from the church straight after mass.

Helena Carmody was one of many of my friends from the Vincent de Paul shop who came to enjoy the night with me.

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Chris Grayson, Wild life Photographer and Runner



On the left is Chris Grayson whose  beautiful photographs I often feature on Listowel Connection. He and his friend, Fozzy Forrestal acted as pacers in yesterday’s marathon.

November’s butterfly, Unveiling a Famine Plaque and a Famine window in St. Marys’

Photo: John Kelliher

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 A Timely Poem; November’s Butterfly  by Larry Belt

Sometimes in November

When the sun is sitting high

An Autumn breeze will steal the leaves

And cause the trees to cry.

Sometimes in November

A butterfly will appear

A cherished thought, a battle fought

For one you loved so dear.

Sometimes in November

Loved ones pass away

You wallow in grief, seek relief

And then you learn to pray.

Sometimes in November

An angel gets its wings

It’s good and bad, but always sad

the joy and pain this brings.

Sometimes in November

A family says goodbye

as Heaven waits

To open its gates

To November’s butterfly.

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A Photo from 1975


The occasion was a presentation to Bryan MacMahon by the teachers of Scoil Realta na Maidine

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A Famine Commemoration in November 2017

The plaque was unveiled.

We took a few photos of the dignitaries.

Then we repaired across the way to Ard Churam  for a cup of tea, a chat and a few talks about Listowel and The Famine.

First up was historian and genealogist, Kay Caball. She took us back to the dark days of the 1840s when sending your 14 year old daughter to Australia seemed like the only hope for her future.

I heard a quote recently when someone was referring to today’s awful refugee crisis.

“No parent puts his child into a leaky boat on rough seas unless he believes that he is safer there than he is on land.”

Listowel in the 1840s and 50s was similar. Parents sent their daughters to the other end of the world and an uncertain future in order to save them from the horrors at home.

Kay’s talk was laced with anecdote and human interest stories. The Earl Grey girls came to life before our eyes.

Bryan MacMahon of Ballyheigue has recently published his history of The Famine in North Kerry. He too brought the story to life for us, giving us some insight into the hard task of the relieving officer who had to decide on admissions to the workhouse. His job was at stake if he made a wrong decision.

Bryan told us a story that sent me searching in St. Mary’s as soon as I could. According to Bryan’s research, the parish priest of Listowel, Fr. Darby OMahoney was particularly kind and caring to his flock during their harsh time. He told us that there is stained glass window in St. Mary’s depicting Fr. O’Mahoney ministering to the sick and dying.

The window is in a fairly inaccessible place, in the sanctuary on the right hand side. It depicts Fr. Darby O’Mahoney who was Listowel’s parish priest anointing the sick during the Famine. Behind him are some nuns with their mouths covered to prevent infection. In the forefront of the picture is a dead child.

Beside the window is this plaque saying the window and plaque were erected by the people of Listowel.

On Saturday the last  speaker was John Pierse who told us of his desire to see the flower of the lumper on a postage stamp as a fitting memorial of those who were lost when this crop failed in successive years.

All in all, the Listowel Famine commemoration was a very worthwhile event that I am glad to have attended. Well done to all those who made it a success.

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Listowel Garden Centre, November 2017



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Some More Polar Christmas Windows



Here are some more polar train windows from Christmas 2017

Chic’s magnificent window with Olive Stack’s Christmas scene is a striking first impression for motorists entering town this Christmas.

Vanity Case

Every Woman

Flavins

Footprints

Gentleman Barbers

Horseshoe

Lizzy’s Little Kitchen

Lynch’s

Mc Gillicuddy’s

O’Connor’s Pharmacy

Olive Stack’s

Woulfe’s Bookshop

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McGillicuddy’s Toys; A Listowel Institution




McGillicuddy’s Toys shared this lovely family photo on Facebook. Seeing it, I was whisked back in time to the days before Facebook and online shopping when Jackie McGillicuddy’s was an integral part of a Listowel Christmas.

In the 1970s when I was in the market for toys, Jackie’s was a Santa’s workshop. He had every toy the heart could wish for and he was so so kind and obliging. He operated a credit scheme for those who found it hard to come up with all the money at once. He also offered free storage until Christmas Eve.

Once, when we had a Christmas disaster and the stylus of the Magna Doodle got thrown out with the wrapping paper, Jackie was the soul of patience and understanding and even borrowed another stylus until the lost one was replaced.

Mary Gore R.I.P. used to be his right hand woman. I remember the year of Polly Pockets. Mary predicted that they would never sell, overpriced and so small that a child might feel thy had got a very poor present. It was one of Mary’s few mistakes. She had her finger on the pulse of the children’s   toy scene long before we had The Late Late Toy Show to tell us what was a “must have.”

Happy days!

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