Listowel Connection

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

Sunday morning walk, Dancehall Days and a few more Race photos

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On September 23, 2015

In Uncategorized

John B. among the flowers

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Walk through the park and by the River


This little picnic spot by the ball alley looks very inviting.

With heavy rainfall this summer, growth everywhere is luxuriant. The ivy on the ball alley wall was never so thick and heavy looking.

By contrast, the level of water in The Feale seems low.

When I photographed here previously, there was a lovely cherry tree in the shot. I don’t know when or why that went.

 What a lovely shady walk.

This is like a road with a roof.

 Local people love to walk here. I met Seán and Peggy Treacy out walking a dog who was recuperating after surgery.


“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…”

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Super Ballroom


All the way from Germany via Canada and the U.S., through cyberspace came this treasured memory of a dance in Listowel long ago.

I posted this photo a few weeks ago and it opened memory’s floodgates for many. This ballroom had various names including the Las Vegas but I don’t think it was ever the Super Ballroom. I think that was in the premises below which once housed two dance floors and where Listowel dancers danced the night away until, Cinderella like, they headed for home at the stroke of midnight.

The line up of the Bunny Dalton Showband changed a little over the years.

   Left to Right;  Bunny Dalton,Teddy Moloney,

   then Bunny’s two sons, Tommy,  and Buddy [ R.I.P.]  Thanks to Noel Roche for the photo.

The below photo features the same lineup

Bunny Dalton, Dr. Johnny and Vincent Walsh, Tim O’Sullivan and Joe Keogh in front

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Wednesday Sept 17 2015 on The Island




Katie Walshe chatting in the ring before The Kerry National.

Niamh O’Rourke with Liam, the youngest racegoer? No doubt it will be the first of many trips to The Island.

Finding Your Kerry Ancestors, Upper William St and a Fr. James Connolly

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On September 22, 2015

In Uncategorized

Listowel Credit Union






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Finding Your Kerry Ancestors


Kay (Moloney) Caball of Listowel and Limerick spends much of her time nowadays helping people find their Kerry roots. As well as her marvelous Find Your Kerry Ancestors website  and her face to face work with Kerry descendants in The National Library, she has now produced an invaluable resource in book form. Finding your Kerry Ancestors is the latest in a series of Finding your Ancestors books, produced by Flyleaf Press, each written by a local expert genealogist. 

I attended the launch of Kay’s book in The County Library in Tralee on Monday Sept 7 2015 and I found myself in very illustrious  and congenial company. I think, as a local historian, I have arrived!

Jimmy Deenihan launched the book and Tom O’Connor, Kerry County Librarian was our host for the afternoon. Listowel was well represented among the attendees. Kay’s husband and family, her brother Jimmy, sister Marie, nephew, in-laws  and grandchildren were all to there. Local historians were well represented as well as friends and supporters of Kerry. 

My photos only show a small sample of the audience.

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Lovely Little Corner of Lovely Listowel








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Rev Fr James Connolly, C.SS.R. (1822 – 1891)



This Redemptorist Father had just entered his seventieth year, having been born on the 26th of May, 1822. Father Connolly was a native of Sligo.



“Ordained on May 17th, 1856, he laboured as a secular Priest, in the diocese of Elphin, for about seventeen years, and for many years discharged the duties of Administrator. He joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in 1872. He was stationed for several years in the various houses in Ireland, England and Scotland.



He offered himself to help at the renewal of a Mission at Newtown Sandes in Kerry. When the work was near its end Father Connolly complained of being unwell. Dr. Dillon, who was called in, declared from the first that his illness would probably prove fatal at such an advanced age. When his fellow-missioners returned to Limerick, Rev. Father Moynahan went at once to take care of the invalid, and nothing could equal the kindness and attention of the Rev. Father Dillon, P.P., Newtownsandes, to the dying Father and his companion.



“When he heard that his case was hopeless, ‘Blessed be the Holy Will of God,’ answered Father Connolly, ‘I have been preparing to hear this news for seven and thirty years.’

“He spent all the time that remained to him in prayer, and received the last Sacraments on Tuesday, May 26th,1891, his sixty-ninth birthday, and on Friday, in the afternoon, he passed painlessly away.

( From  Northkerry blog)


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A few photos from Saturday September 19 2015 at Listowel Races



Listowel Races 2015, Listowel Rugby 1970 and Ballyduff swans

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On September 21, 2015

In Uncategorized

Wednesday Sept 16 2015; my day at The Races

In the corner of Main Street the usual display of dolls and recorded music was in full flow. This year the man who runs this show has dressed up in a  a leprechaun like outfit. I don’t know if this adds anything to this very strange orchestral display. This has become an iconic feature at Listowel Races.

Gypsy Kathleen is in situ in The Square but she is not using her crystal ball to predict winners.

The Listowel Arms was busy.

At the corner by The Seanchaí

No one in the river but lots of little ones begging on the roadway.

The Listowel Arms were displaying a very confident message of support to the Kerry team.

They will surely have that flag lowered today.

This young busker was rolling up his sleeves in order to get to grips with one or other of his two musical instruments.

His method of playing the melodeon is a little unorthodox.

A steady stream of racegoers made their way to The Island.

The racecourse now is one big shopping centre. You could buy all sorts of stuff at The Races in 2015. I think this is a very regrettable development. Especially since it seems to be at the expense of more facilities related to horse racing. A few years ago I was lured by a special offer to invest in a Tote card. This works like a debit card. I put money in, the Tote keep my money and get the interest on it and I put my card into a machine in order to bet at the racecourse. I can also use this account to bet online. I only use this account once a year, in Listowel. Up to 2015 there were lots of locations on the racecourse where I could use my handy little card. There was a kind of Tote bus with lots of machines and people to help you if you had forgotten how to use the card after a year’s absence. This year all that had changed. There was only a fraction of the machines of previous years, no Tote bus and no one to give you a hand if you were in trouble. Many of the machines were broken down and there seemed to be no one on hand to repair them. There was a rough sign saying Customer Service on one Tote window and the service involved this Tote teller, who was also dealing with selling and paying out cash punters, making a phone call to someone who would then come and sort me out.

 I had to do this several times.

There was a good crowd on Wednesday.

The best part of racing is running into old friends. Below are some of the people I met on Weds Sept 17. 2015

I took loads of photos so if you are interested in “the style” keep checking back here.

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Listowel Rugby in 1970

This old photo of Listowel’s u12 rugby team in 1970 was published in The Advertiser some years ago. Second from right in front is Billy Keane and next to him, third from right, is Gerry Sexton, father of Joanthon.

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Ballyduff Swans


Do you remember these?

Well, they’re all grown up. Bridget O’Connor who took the original photos went back to photograph them last  week and there they were, big strong teenagers, still with some of their baby feathers and not yet able to fly.

Two of the family seem to have moved out into a nest of their own.

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