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
Listowel Fire Station at evening in September 2023
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Listowel Food Fair 2023
November 9th to 13th November 2023
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Flowers
Lovely Listowel is greatly enhanced in September 2023 by beautiful floral displays.
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The Last of the Concerts (for now)
Kerry Sentinel, Saturday, 17 March, 1906; Page: 4
Grand Entertainment at Ballylongford
LECTURE AND CONCERT. On Friday night last a highly interesting entertainment consisting of a lecture on the Irish Brigade, illustrated with lantern slides by Mr Thos F O’Sullivan, Listowel, concert of Irish music was held in Ballylongford and was well attended.
The Rev Fr. Pierce, P.P, presided, and was supported by the Rev Fr. Enright, Sacramento, and the Rev J Dillon, C.C, Ballylongford. At the conclusion of the address, a hearty vote of thanks was tendered to the lecturer on the proposition of Fr Enright, seconded by Fr. Dillon.
The concert opened with the children’s chorus “Erin the Tear,” which was harmoniously rendered. ” An incident of ’98” by Misses Bride Shanahan and Bessie Fitzmaurice was warmly received. Hour hath Come by the same young ladies, with Miss Maggie Carmody, was a decidedly attractive and humorous item and richly deserved the applause bestowed on it. Miss Collins and Miss Carmody were responsible for the training of the children in these contributions, which certainly reflected credit on them.
Miss Shanahan sang ” Carrigdhoun,” and was warmly applauded while Mr Jas Leahy’s recitation, ” Fontenoy,” was extremely popular. The duet ” Molly Bawn,” by Miss O Grady and Mr R Jones was much appreciated, and the Irish step-dancing of Messrs Hanrahan and Ahern evoked well deserved applause. In addition, Messrs ? Cotter and O Shaughnessy, Listowel, contributed largely to the success of the entertainment, which from start to finish was interesting, attractive and instructive. We understand a somewhat similar entertainment will be shortly held in Ballylongford when the lecture will be delivered by the Rev Fr. Enright, Sacramento.
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Another Gold
Representing Listowel Tidy Towns in Clonakilty on Monday last, Jimmy Moloney, Julie Gleeson and Breda McGrath picked up a well deserved 13th gold medal. In early October we’ll know the national result.
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Baile Mhúirne
This lovely little linear village on the road to Cork is soon to be bypassed. I dropped into the church on my way past last week.
Eucharistic adoration was in progress so I couldn’t do too much wandering around. The church was beautifully kept but obviously built in poorer times, with little enough stained glass and no mosaic work.
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1960’s Guide
Two businesses now the stuff of memory
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A Fact
In 1492 Pope Innocent VII was dying. On the advice of his physicians he drank the blood of three young donors. He was convinced that this would keep him young and healthy. It didn’t. He died shortly after.
Huguenot Cemetery, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin. Photo: Éamon ÓMurchú
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Listowel Tidy Towns at 30
Anyone who comes into town will observe how spick and span Listowel is looking. Our hard working Tidy Town volunteers have just organised a big clean up.
They play a vital role in making Listowel the attraction it is.
Listowel has many reminders of how important this organisation is as they give back to the town constantly.
This unique Darren Enright seat is just one example of the public seating they have provided for the town.
Éamon Ó Murchú visited the Falconry at Luttrelstown Castle
Éamon took some great photographs of the raptors;
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Doing my Bit to Promote Listowel Writers Week 2023
This is not the one chosen for Instagram but it’s the one I like best as it incorporates the old and the new. If you join me and my friends on Saturday June 3 2023, you’ll hear something about Listowel Castle and something about the latest piece of public sculpture.
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International Celtic Art Conference
At this conference in June 2023, Stephen Rynne will bring Listowel’s Michael O’Connor to an international audience of Celtic Art experts and scholars. O’Connor’s magnificent work will soon be available for viewing at Kerry Writers’ Museum.
This event encourages men and women to upcycle and reuse old clothes and accessories.
Unfortunately the men were much more reluctant than the ladies to enter the competition even though a few I saw on the course were sporting clothes that had seen better days
The winner of the competition was a veteran of these competitions and dressed up especially for the occasion.
The winner was Sean Donoghue and the reason he is hugging the judge is because he is well known to her from dressing up competitions.
Any men reading this who may be thinking of coming to the Races on Saturday 2023, start sorting out a vintage outfit. There is a prize of €300 for the taking and there are fabulous goody bags sponsored by local shops, for the finalists. If this year is anything to go by, to enter is to be a finalist.
This snappy dresser was the runner up.
These are all the finalists.
If there was a prize for the most stylish young lady, Maire Enright would have got my vote. This young lady told me she loves to buy clothes in the second hand shop, New2You. It was there she got her dress and her gorgeous fascinator. If she keeps up this good practice, and I think she will, she’ll be winning that 300 euros yet.
When you’re putting together your vintage outfit the shoes and accessories are all part of the look.
Lady’s fan repurposed from a Barbie doll’s dress.
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Listowel Harvest Festival of Racing
It’s a generational thing.
Paud Fitzmaurice was the second in three generations of the Fitzmaurice family to hold the position of Race company accountant.
He followed in the footsteps of his late father David. His son, David succeeded him.
This generation’s David, (aka Classy) pictured at Listowel Races 2022, on the seat that commemorates his late father.
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A Poem for the Season
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Great News from my friends in the Save our Cinema campaign
Here is the latest update;
First the bad news. KCC rejected our submission under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme 2022 to fund a new cinema, military museum and associated community cafe in Listowel. It was not a total surprise even though a lot of work was put into the 25 page proposal including a face-to-face meeting with the Municipal District Officer in Listowel and multiple conversations with the helpful admin people in the Community Department in Tralee. The rejection came in the form of a cursory letter at the end of July.
The Good News. While the above was ongoing a very generous benefactor got in touch and to make a long story short they have pledged €200k (yes, €200 000) with the option of a further €200k subject to some conditions for a new cinema auditorium in the town.
This clearly is huge news and changes everything and it has been difficult to contain our excitement during the fabulous summer we’ve just had. The starting point is that any new cinema has to equal or ideally surpass what one gets a home. So no mouldy carpets, seats not much better that one gets on a budget airline, dank toilets and indifferent customer service. Instead the bar has been set to compare with the 3 screen, 112 seat Electric Cinema in the old television building at White City in London with its comfy and luxurious armchairs (pictured below).
Friends of Listowel Cinema are currently looking at two options on the back of this amazing proposition. One, an existing building in the town and secondly a green field site outside of Listowel. Needless to say both options will have to go through the full planning process and so the timeframe is lengthy unfortunately.
We promise to keep you updated though where appropriate. In the meantime heartfelt thanks to everyone on here for their continued support and on the other social media accounts and in person. We will continue to share exciting movie and cinema news with you every week and in particular now that we are in late autumn after the Races and facing into an uncertain winter.
This Fall also marks the first time in 35 years that the big screen will not light up in Listowel and the end of 25 years of Kieran’s beloved film club. Last but not least the €2 920 that was raised on the GoFundMe campaign will be gifted to the 3 named charities in the coming weeks. The delay is simply because the Classic Movieplex is still for sale on the auctioneers web site and no ‘Sale Agreed’ has yet appeared on the building despite being told to the contrary in early June.
Martin Chute is, sign by sign, leaving his mark on Listowel. His work is an invaluable asset to our heritage town. I snapped him painting Finesse Bridalwear sign. Note he is writing in the traditional way with maul stick and brush.
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Sam Maguire in Town
There was a huge crowd in town to see the cup. I was amused to see the event described as a homecoming.
I wasn’t in The Square. I took the following photos on Upper Church Street.
Three lovely Hannon ladies
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Tom Coffey R.I.P. Playwright and Teacher
A lady was one day Googling her ancestors and she came upon the above headline in Listowel Connection
Tom, pictured at the back right between Mick Relihan and Pat Mc Elligott is remembered. I asked Marie Shaw if she remembered him and this is what she wrote:
“I can’t claim to know him personally Mary, I didn’t even remember his first name until you mentioned it, but I did take a commercial course with him at the Tech. What I remember vividly is his “Movie Star” good looks. There wasn’t a teenager in the town of Listowel at the time who wasn’t madly in love with him. Makes me smile just thinking of him. He was probably teaching at the Tech for two years. I left Ireland in 1958 and I would guess that he was in Listowel in 1956 and 1957.”
(I hope his family Google him and find out this forgotten corner of Tom’s life)
The lady who was doing the Googling was Tom’s granddaughter and she wrote
Hi there,
I found your posts about Tom Coffey—he was my grandfather. (I’m his son, Brian’s daughter.) I found the photo and sent it to my dad and grandmother. Thank you so much for posting about him; we all miss him very much, and it’s lovely to read about the other lives he touched. (I saw you hoped his family found the article, so I wanted to mention that, yes, we did.)
Thanks again,
Katie Coffey
The backstory: Junior Griffin gave me the photo and he told me that Mr. Coffey taught him Irish in the Tech. now Coláiste na Ríochta. Here is what Junior wrote in 2014
Having a look at this week’s Kerryman I see an obituary on page 20 for the late Tom Coffey, very sorry to read about his recent death. You will see him in the back row of your recent photo.
They write about his time In Kerry but no mention of the time he spent here in Listowel. Now I started work in McKenna’s in Sept. 1953 and as time went by struck up a friendship with 2 work colleagues, Willie Barrett and Pat Somers. Indeed, Pat who lived in Billerough, just before the Six Crosses, used to call for me in the morning and give me a bar up on his bicycle, a fine strong lad he was.
It must have been the following year that we decided to do an Irish evening class in the old tech and our teacher was none other than Tom Coffey. Irish dancing was another one of his subjects and those ladies in the front of your photo were also involved.
The Kerryman obituary mentions his first play called Luiochan, Irish for Ambush, and it seems it won an Oireachtas award.
In actual fact, it was a group of us that put on that play first. We did it in Moyvane, Ballybunion and Listowel, hence our presence in that photo. He decided to enter it for the Limerick Drama festival and we were highly commended by the judge, who happened to be a brother of Gay Byrne but we did not receive a prize due to the fact that we were the only Irish play taking part that year and we were not in competition with anyone.
I honestly believe he was here in Listowel for 2 years, maybe the school terms of 1954 and 55. The obituary says he was in Dingle in 1955 so, if correct that could be starting the school term of ’55.
I did learn a good bit of Irish dancing from him but I most certainly did learn that I had 2 left feet.
He was a lovely man, I never met him after he left Listowel.
May he Rest in Peace
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More Sustainable Fashion
This great event on the Saturday of Race Week was a first for Listowel Tidy Towns and is greatly admired by other festivals.
Wardrobes and attics are raided and charity and vintage shops scoured in an effort to win the coveted title of best dressed lady in sustainable wear.
The competition was judged by international model, Sydney Sargent and Elaine Doyle of An Taisce. It’s great to see so many local people supporting this great initiative
Some of the Tidy Town Ladies who organised the event
I have known Anne Leneghan since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. She is a great supporter of Listowel Races. Her outfit started life as a maxi dress and coat. Her bag she sourced in the charity shop and the hat was given to her as a present, all old and pre loved.
Lovely local lady, Nell Reidy, like myself, loves Listowel Vincent de Paul shop. She sourced her complete ensemble there over the years.
Maria Stack comes from a family who are both crafty, talented and dedicated to style, Maria always makes great effort in support of this event. Her beautiful tweed skirt she adapted from an A line one. It is one of many beautiful classic pieces she inherited from her aunt. Her coat was her mother’s but she had to reduce it a few sizes. She made her hat herself from material she bought from a man who was going out of the millinery business. Maria told us that she spent her spare time during Covid working on her sewing, crafting and hat making. It helped her de stress from her hectic job as a nurse in an acute respiratory ward.
Another local finalist was Deirdre Kissane. She found her classic red and black ensemble in her wardrobe. Deirdre looks after her clothes and buys pieces that will last.
When your mother is the very stylish Marian Relihan, then all you have to do to look this good is raid her wardrobe.
(more tomorrow)
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Just a Thought
If you missed me on Radio Kerry last week, and you would like to hear my reflections, here is the link
Our fellow Kerrymen in the Kerrymen’s Association in Dublin held a great award night recently to honour the recipients of their Laochra Chiarraí awards. These presentations had been held over due to Covid.
My photos of the Tidy Towns window show Dr. Patricia Sheahan who was named Kerry Person of the Year and Listowel Tidy Towns who got the Community Group Award. Well deserved recognition for all of these people.
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A Catholic Glossary
People of my vintage will be familiar with these terms. Non Catholics and even younger Catholics will scratch their heads.
The list was published in the paper to accompany a review of Mary Kenny’s new book.
I hope you can enlarge it to read it.
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A lovely restoration job
This makeover on William Street is superbly suitable for a Heritage Town. Everyone involved, take a well deserved bow!
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Walk for the Hospice
The walk in Camp in aid of the hospice and in honour of the late Betty McGrath was held in glorious sunshine. I found these photos on Facebook.
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Out with the old; in with the new
Our lovely new shiny parking meters are installed. They accept coins and cards.
