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 Writers’ Week 2015 Page 2 of 5

Book Launches and Writers at Writers’ Week 2015 and a trip to Kildare

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On June 30, 2015

In Uncategorized

There are few things more enjoyable in the annual Writers’ Week programme than the launch of a book by a local author. This year I missed Mary Kennelly’s and Matt Mooney’s events but I made John MacAulliffe’s in The Seanchaí. It was a really popular event and could have done with a bigger venue.  John is  much more than a local poet. He is now intentionally recognized .

 Barney and Anne O’Reilly with Mairead Pierse

 Section of the huge attendance

 Lucy MacAulliffe with her daughter Catherine and grandson

 Madeleine O’Sullivan who introduced the launch

 John MacAulliffe with his English teacher from St. Michael’s, Pat Given.

 Lucy with John’s wife and son

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Children’s Author visits Athea Primary School.



This is Andrew Cope and his wife Louise at The National Children’s Literary Festival at Listowel Writers’ Week 2015. Andrew writes the very popular Spy Dog and Spy Puppy children’s books.

It was my pleasure to be assigned to be his driver for the day. Andrew’s job was to visit Athea Primary School and to read from his novels and talk to the children about writing.

I gave him a quick tour of the village. He was happy to leave his worries behind at the worry tree. Andrew has studied the science of happiness and he is a very popular motivational speaker in his native U.K. He has developed a  course called The Art of Being Brilliant. Maybe he will be back with that next year.

Andrew with the principal and some staff members in Athea.

Athea pupils enjoyed Andrew’s stories and helped him with ideas for another one.

Boys queueing up for Andrew’s autograph.

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“Straight I will repair to The Curragh of Kildare”




I spent a few days last week with my family in Kildare.

Plans were well under way for the weekend’s big event, The  Derby

My hosts, Sean McKenna and Clíona Cogan

I’ll tell you more about my  trip soon.

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Black is the new white



Irish Independent photo of U.S. skateboarding star, Tony Hawk and his bride. They were married recently in Adare Manor.

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Tomás Ó Sé’s Sunday Game Clobber



Tomás Ó Sé gave the commentators on Twitter a great night on Sunday when he rocked up in a tux.

Here are a few of the best comments:

Anyone know who Tomás Ó Sé is playing in the snooker?

The name’s Ó’ Sé; Tomás Ó Sé

Did Tomás get dressed out of Dónal Óg Cusack’s locker?

Is Tomás Ó Sé going to his Debs later?

But the best came from a Kerry supporter;

The man has five All Ireland medals. He can wear what he likes.

People at Graham Norton, Fr. Pat Moore and Berkeley tragedy

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On June 18, 2015

In Uncategorized

People with the Golden Ticket

These happy people were photographed wending their way to Listowel Community Centre for Graham Norton’s Listowel appearance, with spirits undampened by the unseasonal weather. Happy days!

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Fr. Pat Moore’s poem for his mother



Less than a year ago Fr. Pat lost his beloved mother, Peg. As part of her memorial he wrote a poem for her. I reprint it here to keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers from his surgery.

This Much I Will Remember   _______ for Peg

It was a bright August morning, sunlight filled the kitchen.

I sat next to you remembering my birth.

Your heartbeat the first sound I heard.

A home you made around us, people you are now welcoming,

Alive and some dead.

And as I look past your shoulder at the glass on the windowsill,

That captures the sunlight inside the garden you once tended,

Which also drinks in the light.

Everything I see converges into a random still light,

Fastened together by colour.

It is fixed behind the foreground of what’s happening around you

As you are now being looked after.

And I can feel it being painted within me,

And brushed on the wall of my skull.

Then all the moments of the past begin to line up behind that moment,

And all the moments to come assemble in front of it in a long long row.

It gives me reason to believe that this is a ,moment I have rescued

from the millions that rush out of sight

into the darkness behind the eyes.

When I forget I will still carry in my skull

the small coin of this moment

Minted in the kingdom that we pace through everyday.

Hopefully these remembered moments are giving comfort to Fr. Pat as he goes through a part of life’s journey he will probably want to forget.

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Berkeley, June 16 2015




(photo;Internet)

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse

Graham Norton Audience; St. Mary’s and the seaside in summer

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On June 17, 2015

In Uncategorized

 Some More People who saw Graham Norton

Here are some more memories of a happy Saturday evening in May 2015

The smudge in the centre of many of these photos is a raindrop on my lens.

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Things you may not have noticed in St. Mary’s

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Ballybunion (photos by John Kelliher)




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Castlegregory




Fishermen at sunset photographed by Brenda Enright

People at Graham Norton at Writers’ Week 2015 and images of a back lane in Listowel

By

On June 16, 2015

In Uncategorized

Kissing Gates; the old and the new

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People at Graham Norton’s event at Listowel Writers’ Week 2015


As part of my Writers’ Week duties I was put on the gate at The Town Park for the Graham Norton Event. As always I had my camera in my little mitt and I snapped away as the audience ignored the downpour to troop into the Community Centre for the hottest ticket in town. Here are some of the people who were organized enough or lucky enough to have tickets.

Did you spot all the happy faces, despite the fact that it was raining cats and dogs?  In this first tranche of photos from the night you will notice a few of my fellow Writers’ Week committee members making their way to work at the venue. It was a case of all hands on deck on the night, and I think we played a blinder. It all went off oh so smoothly.

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Feale Sculpture



In The Square, Listowel

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Listowel Back Lanes


from the door of Listowel Garden Centre
Behind Church St.
old loft door



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Who is that in the photograph with Maria Stack?


(photo: Facebook)



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They are holding a MidSummer Fest in Cork


(Photos: Minihan’s Chemist)

This is Oliver Plunkett Street on Sunday where the Our Table event was a great success.

That’s it from Opening Night LWW2015: The forgotten diaspora

By

On June 10, 2015

In Uncategorized

John Creedon at Bromore



(photo; Bromore Cliffs on Facebook)

 John Creedon was at the fabulous Bromore Cliffs last week for the filming of his Wild Atlantic Way programme for RTE.

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Still More Photos from Opening Night, Listowel Writers’ Week 2015


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Welcome to Kerry



This is a photo from London Irish Centre’s Facebook page .

The London Irish centre run a yearly trip in conjunction with Kerry Emigrant Support Group, for 32 vulnerable Irish people who have not returned to Ireland in many years.

They send over a team of volunteers and staff to assist, and Kerry Emigrant Support Group hosts the group and pays for the project which is located in Ballybunion.

Here they are hitting the road at the weekend!

When we talk of emigration these days the image we see is happy young Irish people heading off to Australia of Canada. Many of these land good jobs, stay in touch with home through social media and have a tight and supportive network of friends. 

Things were different in the fifties, when many of Ireland’s young people were forced to labour in poorly paid jobs in English cities. Many lost touch with home. Some have no family left here now.This aging population of Irish emigrants are often forgotten about. 

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