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 Races 2015 Page 1 of 2

Last photos from Ladies Day 2015 and A Little bit of Christmas Magic in October in Listowel



Heather at Bromore Cliffs


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Just a few more


Yesterday I promised you that I was done with Ladies Day 2015. After all, it is the middle of October.  then I discovered that some that I had not included were some of my very best friends so here goes …this is really the last of them before I lose every male follower I have.

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An Old One




Liam OHainnín is a great lover of old songs and Irish music. He posted this old song on Facebook and this is what he said about its provenance,  “My Uncle Tom got it from the singing of Mike Hennessy of Beale whose family were the last native Irish speakers in Beale. I wrote it down from my Uncle Toms singing.”



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Listowel’s Own Winter Wonderland




In Listowel Garden Centre it’s all polar bears, angels and snowmen these days. Here are a few more of the displays.






Listowel Races 2015 Vintage Fashion Event and Transition Year Class 2007

Listowel Tidy Towns Vintage fashion event continued



It’s Saturday, September 19 2015 and we are back at Listowel Races at the great Listowel Tidy Towns vintage fashion event.


Everyone had to register and tell their story in preparation for their interview. Here Kay Twomey is telling Orla the story of the ICA Make and Model competition in Killarney and of how she made this maxi dress on an old manual sewing machine.

 All of the entrants were interviewed by Orlagh Winters who was also one of the judges. Nora Moriarty’s elegant wool cloak and matching hat were once worn by her mother. Under the coat she was wearing a beautiful dress she had made herself and which she wore  on her daughter’s communion day.

This fashionista, Anne Leneghan from Cork is looking fabulous in green. Anne and I are old friends and I took the below photos of her on the racecourse before the event.

Anne was wearing a vintage dress in a beautiful green brocade. She had accessorized it with vintage gloves and handbag, both worn originally by Anne’s mother. But the piece de resistance was Anne’s hat which was made for her by her friend, milliner, Maria Stack. The base is a piece cut from the dress when the girls decided to shorten it. The next bit was made from an old handbag and the “feathers” are not feathers at all but some things they sourced from an artificial flower display. Anne’s beautiful vintage earrings are connemara marble and marcasite.

Maria Stack, whose family were so successful at this event in 2014 had suffered a family bereavement. So Maria was here on her own to support her friend, Anne. Maria is always beautifully turned out and a great supporter of Ladies Day and Vintage Fashion Day.

Husband and wife team, Paudie and Carmel Moriarty were one of two husbands and wives who were chosen to enter the competition.

This handsome couple disappeared before the judging.

Listowel florist, Betty McGrath was sporting a fabulous orange and black ensemble. Her hat, which she made herself was full of flowers and fruit.

Betty’s boots were a present from her husband about 20 years ago.

Kay, on the stage, told the story of her outfit to Orlagh. Her beautiful timeless woolen cardigan was handknit by her mother. Her bag and gloves also were once worn by her mother and she wore vintage pearl necklace and earrings to set off a beautiful piece of workmanship.

Aoife Hannon’s classic hat was the focus of much attention.  Aoife appreciates, more than anyone, the timeless elegance of this hat and she wore it to much admiration with a vintage wool suit.

The beautiful and stylish Eilish Stack is a great supporter of Listowel Races and of everything that goes on in town. On vintage day she confessed to having a bad hair day. This did not stop Eilish. She cut up a pair of tights, wrapped the leg part around her head and tied it with a vintage red brooch. Eilish certainly embodied the spirit of the day, recycle, up cycle and reuse. And she looked a million dollars.

This lady was one of the more modern vintage entries. She upcycled her coat with a new belt and she set if off with a lovely bag from Tae Lane Store.

This entrant from Moyvane is here showing Orlagh a locket that has been in her husband’s family for three generations and it contains a picture of her very handsome husband who was today rocking the Conor McGregor look.

I think Anne looks the picture of vintage elegance in her very well put together green outfit.

Aoife Hannon owes much of her stylish wardrobe to her brother, Jim Culloty. When she collected her winnings on Lord Windemere she bought these gorgeous leather boots. Her bag was another investment piece from Chic after another successful wager. Her beautiful red and black vintage suit was perfect for a day’s racing.

A lady who would look lovely, even if as he wore a black refuse sack, is Eilish Stack. She wore a red polka dot fifties dress and her shoes were 20 years old but the essence of comfort; perfect for a day at the races.

Marion O’Connor looked stunning in gold.



For Carmel  Moriarty it was all about the hat.  A good few years ago she persuaded her husband to buy her the hat. She had only worn it twice so she felt it needed another outing. So she built her outfit around it,  fishing in her wardrobe for a jacket and skirt that only fitted at some stages in her life, and very stylish it all  looked too.

This young lady bought her vintage maxi dress in New York. The judges loved it and she was the eventual runner up.

(more tomorrow)

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Who Needs The Sam Maguire?





We had hoped to have the All Ireland Football trophy doing the rounds of the schools. Listowel Tidy Towns did what the footballers couldn’t do and gave the children something to cheer about.

(photos; Listowel Tidy Towns on Facebook)

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Telethon in Pres Listowel 2007

Happy Day! Transition Year Class 2007.  If anyone can give me all the names I’ll post them.

Listowel Tidy Towns Upcycle/Vintage event, Listowel Vocational School Teachers in 1961 and St. John’s Tralee

Ireland’s Best Small Town; Listowel 2015

The great Listowel Tidy Towns Group are on a high since their win. They invited the whole town to share in their celebrations with a family fun day in The Square on Sunday Oct 4 2015.  The photos were posted on Facebook.

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As well as keeping Listowel tidy, Listowel Tidy Towns run one of the best off course events at Listowel Harvest Festival of Racing. Below is my account of the event in 2015.

Saturday September 19 2015

In the Guinness tent all is quiet.  Soon it will all liven up  when Listowel Tidy Towns Vintage fashion event starts up.

The bookies’ ring is quiet too.

Members of Listowel Tidy Towns take a minute to pose for me before the excitement begins.

The first glamorous lady I met was Kay Twomey. Kay was wearing a beautiful maxi she had made herself on her old manual sewing machine. Kay loved sewing and she used to make many of her own and her children’s clothes. She kept this dress because she wore it in Killarney at an ICA Make and model competition and it held happy memories for her.

Kay brought an old photo of herself wearing the dress in the ICA competition.

She showed me the lable saying that she was representing the Clounmacon Guild.

A Clounmacon lady, Anne Dillon, came by to admire the workmanship in Kay’s creation.

These vintage bikes were restored by John O’Connor of Listowel

 Orla Diffley of Upfront Media was doing her thing, advertising the event on TG4.

Betty McGrath and Eilish Stack look the part on the vintage Raleigh.

The Moriarty family supported the event in numbers.

 Mary Hanlon was taking the opportunity to pose with all the handsome men.

Imelda Murphy of Listowel Tidy Towns was resplendent in a vintage dress, worn originally by the late Mary John B. Joe Broderick, looking very dapper, was charming all the ladies.

As with every best dressed event attention to detail was important, with shoes and other accessories playing a big part in the overall look.

( more tomorrow from the interviews and back stories)

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Listowel Vocational School Trip to Killarney in 1961



This final tranche of Maureen Barrett’s photos are photos of the teachers who went on the school outing. The captions are Maureen’s.

Maureen remembers these two men as the bus driver and conductor and she thinks they might have been C.I.E. employees.

at Torc Waterfall:

Miss Burns- She substituted temporarily for someone on medical leave. Her father was Police Super.in Listowel at the time if I recall correctly.

Miss Fitzgerald-who I think went on to become Mrs.Galvin, ? male teacher( can’t remember his name), Harry Nielsen-was a shop teacher I think..

Paddy Drummond who was the school principal

Dick Fitzgerald and Patsy O’Sullivan

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News from St. Johns Parish, Tralee



St. John’s Parish Pastoral Council are planning a new Stained Glass Window in the church on the theme of Reconciliation and are seeking the support of parishioners and friends of Tralee at home and abroad. The window is being commissioned to coincide with the Tralee 800 celebrations in 2016. The artist is Tom Denny, of Tralee Denny family and a famous stained glass artist, who is giving his services as a contribution to the project. The central themes are reconciliation, healing and renewal. It will be the first stained glass window to be installed in St. Johns in over 60 years. A fundraising drive seeking to raise €20,000 was launched over the weekend of August 14-16th. Donations from individuals and businesses are welcome. Donation envelopes are available at the back of the Church and can be returned to St. John’s Parish Centre.

Source: St. John’s Parish Website

Drowning Tragedy in 1934, Ladies Day 2015 and a new look for Sheahans

An sad old story that unites Kerry and Galway


Those of us of a certain age learned at school Raftery’s sad dirge which tells the story of how 19 people and numerous sheep were drowned in Anac Cuan in Galway Bay. I’m putting it in here in Irish and with an English translation for those of you who would like to take this trip down memory lane. If you never heard of Anac Cuan skip to the end of the poem for the other drowning story with  a Kerry connection

ANAC
CUAN

Ma
fhaighimse sláinte is fada a bheas trocht ar

an
mhéid a báthadh as Anach Cuan.

Mo
thrua amhrach gach athair is mathair

bean
is páiste atá ag síleadh síl.

A Rí na nGrásta, a cheap neamh is Páthas,

nár
bheag an bhacht dúinn beirt nó triúr?

Ach lá chomh
breá leis gan gaoth gan báiisteach

is
lán an bháid acu a scuabadh ar siúl.

Nár
mhór an t-íonadh os comhair na ndaoine

a
bhfeiscint sínte ar chúl a gcinn?

Screadadh
is caoineadh a scanradh daoine,

gruaig
cíoradh is an chreach á roinn.

Bhí
buachaillí óga ann, tíocht an fhómhair,

Síneadh
ar chróchar is tabhairt go cill.

Is
gurbh é gléas a pósta a bhí dá dtorramh

Is, a
Dhia na Glóire, nór mhór an feall?

Loscadh
sléibhte agus scalladh cléibhe

ar an
áit ar éagadar is milleán crua,

mar
is iomaí críatúr a d’fhág sé ag géar-ghol,

ag
sileadh is ag éagaoin gach maidin Luain.


diabháil eolais a chuir i dtreoir iad

ach
mí-ádh mór a bhí sa gCaisleán Nua.

Is é
críochnú an amhráin gur báthadh mórán

is
d’fhág ábhar dólás ag Anach Cuan

Source: http://www.angelfire.com/ri/domhan/ceolta.html)

If my health is spared I’ll
be long relating,

Of
the boat that sailed out from Anac Cuan,

And
the keening after of mother and father,

As
the laying out of each corpse was done.

Oh
King of Graces, who died to save us,

It
was a small affair but for one or two,

But a
boat-load bravely on a calm sailing,

Without
storm or rain to be swept to doom.

The
boat sprang a leak and left all those people,

And
frightened sheep out adrift on the tide,

It
beats all telling what fate befell them,

Eleven
strong men and eight women died.

Men
who could manage a plough or harrow,

For
to break the fallow or scatter seed,

And
the women whose fingers could move so nimbly,

To
spin fine linen or cloth to weave.

Young
boys they were lying where crops were ripening,

From
the strength of youth they were borne away,

In
their wedding clothes for their wake they robed them,

Oh
King of Glory man’s hope is vain.

May
burning mountains come tumbling downward,

On
that place of drowning may curses fall,

Full
many the soul it has left in mourning,

And
left without hope of a bright day’s dawn.

The
cause of their fate was no fault of sailing ,

It
was the boat that failed them the Caislean Nuadh,

And
left me to make with a heart that’s breaking,

This
sad lamentation for Anac Cuain.

Corrib Tragedy January 18 1934

Over
the years, the River Corrib has seen many tragic moments because of drowning
accidents. While the Anach Chuain disaster of 1828, was terrible, with the loss
of 19 people, one of the saddest must be the tragedy that occurred during a
cold winter’s night of January 1934.

What
makes this accident so haunting is the fact that the people who lost their
lives were neither boating or swimming: they were occupants of a motor car who
should not have been in that particular area on that night. What is even sadder
still is that they drowned within ear-shot of a dance that was being held in
the Commercial Boat Club. As young people enjoyed the dancing and music in the
hall, four others struggled for their lives in a submerged car just outside.
Many people say that one cannot escape fate, and this is a story of just that:
it is haunting to say the least as one examines the circumstances that led to
this appalling tragedy.

The
following account of the accident was published:

“Drowned
Within Sound of Dance – Agonising Search – For Four Bodies in Motor Car –
Pathetic Final Scenes.”

“Whilst
the band played and the dancers danced at the Commercial Boat Club, Galway, on
Thursday night last, a motor car returning from Ballinasloe plunged into the
Corrib at the end of Steamer’s Quay, carrying its four occupants to death in
four feet of water.

No one
heard the splash: no one witnessed the grim tragedy of a mistaken road. All was
over in less time than it takes to write the story. It was not until Saturday
morning, after a diligent search by the Civic Guards, that the car with its
huddle of dead bodies in the back seat was found lying on its left side beneath
the waters.

The
names of the victims were as follows:

            Sergeant Forde (28) in charge of Maam
station, a native of Tynagh, Co. Galway, married; leaves a widow, a son and a
daughter.

            Guard Kenneally (32) Maam, a native
of Newtownsands, Co. Kerry, married; leaves a widow and one son.

            Martin Keane P.C. (45) Maam,
shopkeeper and farmer the driver of the car, married; leave a widow, three boys
and two girls.

            Miss Margaret Laffey (25) Carragh,
Cornamona.

The purpose of
the ill-fated journey that day was to take a girl, Sarah Laffey, who had been
ill for some time, to a hospital in Ballinasloe. The first leg of the journey
was from Maam to Carragh in Cornamona, where the girl lived. Her sister,
Margaret, decided to accompany her and travelled with them. The party started
on their journey for Ballinasloe about 12:30pm and arrived there at 3:30pm. They
travelled in a 1929 green saloon, Fordor Ford car, the property of Martin Keane
of Maam, who was also the driver.

The drowning tragedy happened on their way back to Galway.

( Source: Alice Kennelly, granddaughter of Garda Michael Kennelly)



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Fashion on Ladies day 2015



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Another Lovely Paint Job




Sheahan’s Bar and Grocery is rebranding. Fred and Roly Chute were putting the finishing touches to paintwork when I met them on Saturday September 26 2015.

   

Listowel Races Ladies Day 2015 and another success for Dairymaster

Friday Sept 18 2015

 Listowel people were surprised to see these signs erected in Main Street on one of the busiest days of the year in town.

Traffic was beginning to back up as two lorry loads of hay made their way towards the stables and the racecourse.

The problem was  soon sorted by the Gardaí. Apparently the NRA were to do a survey of the road on William Street. They were expected the following week but, without consulting anyone with local knowledge, they rocked up and erected their signs and began work on Friday Sept 18.

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Later the same day

Below are some photos of some of the style on The Island on Ladies Day

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What used to Jerome Murphy’s Corner of Charles St.

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More Accolades for Dairymaster


If you are at The Ploughing, drop in to the Dairymaster stand and congratulate our neighbours on another success.



“Causeway-based Dairymaster has scooped two top technology and innovation awards at the championships.

The company’s Swiftflo Commander won the innovation honour as well as the award for best agri software technology.

The device displays information about each member of the herd in the milking parlour to allow farmers deal with any problems.

Dairymaster chief executive Dr Edmond Harty welcomed the awards which were announced by Minister Richard Bruton.”    (Story from Radio Kerry website) Photo is an old one from Dairymaster’s website.

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