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
Donie O’Sullivan of CNN and the Listowel Connection
Donie O’Sullivan posed with his dad and the man who sat beside his dad in Primary school a good few years ago, Con McCarthy of Listowel.
Rhona Tarrant knew Donie in Storyful. She did a great job of interviewing him and the prize winning journalist, Malachy Browne of the New York Times.
Malachy was Donie’s boss at Storyful.
Rhona also interviewed another great journalist, Lara Marlowe, at Listowel Writers’ Week 2022.
Rhona posed with some of her former teachers and the current principal of Presentation Secondary School. Listowel. The photograph was taken for me by Rhona’s very proud mum, Jenny.
Mary Cogan, Lisa Whelan, Geraldine O’Connor, Rhona Tarrant, Katherina Broderick, principal, and Bridget O’Connor
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Meanwhile
In the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet an international eventing competition was taking place and my Kanturk Connection’s Enzo was having his first big day out.
Remember the naming after rugby players? That’s gone by the board now and the children are being allowed to name the horses. They know an Enzo. Like actors who have a stage name, horses have an eventing name. Enzo’s is EPA Endeavour.
Enzo was beautifully turned out and ridden by Felicity Ward who is a partner in the business. I saw them on Sunday which was day 3 Cross Country of their three day event. They jumped clear but incurred a few time faults.
This was a brilliant result for a young horse just starting out on his eventing career.
Kerry chief executive, Edmond Scanlon with Minister Norma Foley at the 50 year celebration.
It’s 50 years since the “12 Apostles” led by Denis Brosnan came to Listowel to set up a dairy enterprise.
From that little acorn a mighty oak has surely grown.
Denis Brosnan with Catherine Moylan at the celebrations.
Some local people representing local supporters were also invited to the do.
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Meanwhile in the U.K. More Celebrations
While we were going to the races or to plays, book launches or lectures on the June bank holiday weekend 2022, our friends and relatives across the pond were in party mode.
Everyone was baking buns for the street party. You’ve heard them called queen cakes. These are queen- to- be cakes, I suppose.
Artist: Eleanor Tomlinson’
The hit image of the celebration was the queen sloping off home hand in hand with Paddington after their marmalade tea party.
Wait ’til I get you home.
There is always one! In a buttoned up family where rules of behaviour are tight and restrictive, it was lovely to see the naughty behaviour of Prince Louis “showing them up” on their big day.
In case we were in any doubt, his mother is a saint.
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Opening Night Listowel Writers’ Week 2022
Éamon and Nora ÓMurchúWriters’ Week volunteersLinda Galvin greeted the guests with some jazz
Joan and Rose couldn’t resist the pull of the music and they broke into a little impromptu jive.
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+Eileen Worts R.I.P.+
Eileen passed away peacefully on June 9 2022. She slipped away from us quietly but Eileen had made her mark in life and she leaves many memories. She will not be forgotten.
This is my favourite photo of Eileen. She is in Halo with her dear daughter, Elaine.
Eileen was a dedicated Listowel woman but above all else, her family came first,
Here she is having a chat with her brother, Charlie.
Eileen was always ready to stop and chat. It was a joy to meet her on her stroll around town.
I snapped her having a chat with Martin Chute as he took time out from sign writing.
We all know Eileen as a dedicated member of Listowel Tidy Town Committee. But do you know that Eileen was volunteering to look after Listowel even before Tidy Towns?
This picture is from a an organisation that predated Tidy Towns. It was called TABLE…Towards a Better Listowel Everyday. Eileen is helping Ned O’Sullivan to plant a tree in Feale Drive in 1994.
One of Eileen’s proudest moments was Listowel winning the overall prize for Ireland’s Tidiest Town in 2018.
In 2019 Eileen and her fellow Tidy Towners welcomed President Michael D. Higgins to Listowel.
In 2016, when Listowel was Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town, Eileen was there at the unveiling of the lovely commemorative seat.
Eileen was not just there for the glory days. Here she is helping out with the annual recycling event at Listowel Harvest Festival of Racing.
Despite failing health, Eileen Worts rolled up her sleeves and joined her friends, Breda and Jackie to do some of the hard work.
May the sod rest lightly on her gentle soul.
I hope this little poem is a small comfort to Elaine and those who loved Eileen in life.
What a great few days, (Writers’ Week is not really a week) we had. I enjoyed every moment from start to finish. I haven’t had such a hectic time since before Covid.
I’m going to tell you all about it, not necessarily in the order in which it happened.
This event happened in St. John’s on Friday June 3rd. 2022. The ladies onstage are best selling authors, Catherine Ryan Howard, Carmel Harrington and Hazel Gaynor. They write in three very different styles. What they have in common is that they are all really successful, they write full time and their work has been categorised as commercial fiction as if that was somehow inferior to literary.
As Catherine said, they write the books people read.
With them on stage is Catherine Moylan who is chair of Writers’ Week. Catherine is passionate about including these writers in the festival of writing. It was a great event.
Catherine Ryan Howard wrote a brilliant thriller set in lockdown Dublin. It is called 56Days and I’d highly recommend it. Her Nothing Man is great too.
Carmel Harrington writes what is called up lit. Up Lit is a new trend. It stands for uplifting literature, stories with kindness at their core. Carmel is hugely popular. She is on her 11th book. Her tenth, A Mother’s Heart is in the shops now.
I particularly love Hazel Gaynor’s books. She writes historical fiction and she is a meticulous researcher of sometimes little known topics. Many of her books are available in audio book form or for Kindle.
I’m delighted these three ladies came to Listowel. They have proven that they deserve their place in a festival that celebrates writing.
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Meanwhile
While I was enjoying plays and books, another exciting thing was taking place.
A lovely lovely Listowel girl was being picked as Kerry Rose for 2022.
Édaein O’Connell has everything you could want in a Rose. She is “lovely and fair as the rose of the summer”. She is also media savvy, well able to account for herself, a witty and entertaining journalist who appeals to readers at home and abroad.
I hope she sings The Night Visiting Song as her party piece. It will bowl the judges over. My money is on Édaein to be the first ever Kerry Rose to win the contest outright. Even if she doesn’t, she will be a brilliant Kerry Rose for the year.
Édaein was sponsored by Garvey’s Super Valu and one of her first tasks as Rose was a visit there.
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A Half Century Ago
This class of Leaving Certs. from 50 years ago had a reunion lately but I got no pictures unfortunately.
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A Request
Dear Mary
I am writing because I found your blog, and I was wondering if you could help me with some research I am conducting.
In particular I am looking for fifth and sixth year class photos of the Presentation Secondary School, for girls in Listowel for the following years: 1957, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63.
I would really appreciate if you could help point me in the right direction, or if indeed you might know anyone who might have a yearbook with class photos, that they could send me by taking a picture of the yearbook themselves.
I posted this picture yesterday and I wondered why there were so few boys in the class. Vincent Carmody solved the mystery.
There were always junior (locally called Babies) classes in both the boys and girls schools in Listowel. There was a custom for boys who lived in O’Connell’s Avenue or other houses near the convent or for boys who had an association with the convent to go there up to First Communion class.
I presumed that the full class of communion boys must have been in the new school. Not so. Éamon ÓMurchú remembers boys communion classes in the old school and in The Carnegie.
Everyone agrees that Quirkes of Church St. was the place to go for the best after communion breakfast.
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Lovely Listowel
This Church Street shop has very elaborate and unusual embellishments on the first storey.
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St. Vincent de Paul Society Honours Hannah
Listowel St. Vincent de Paul Society recently honoured one of its most treasured members, Hannah Mulvihill.
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Illuminated Parchment Presentation
This photo was shared by Mike Hannon on Facebook. I recognise the occasion. It is the handover during race week 1958 of an illuminated work of art to the directors of Listowel Race Company.
The picture being presented is the work of Bryan MacMahon and Michael O’Connor.
Jer Kennelly found a great clip online that explains the work of an illuminator.
It is well worthwhile to watch this to appreciate the genius that was Listowel’s Michael O’Connor.
I am looking forward to developments at Kerry Writers’ Museum which will see O’Connor’s work displayed for us all to see. Many examples of the great artist’s work have been promised by their owners, often his family members, to the museum as soon as it has a place to conserve and display them.
Example of a Michael O’Connor illuminated letter
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Betty Remembered at The Races
In memory of Betty McGrath, her good friend, Larry Buckley, has organised a race at this weekend’s race meeting. The race will be run on Sunday June 5 2022, Ladies Day
In The Lingerie Room, Elaine is a is also remembering. Her window display remembers Betty, a queen of style.
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New on Church Street
I checked out their website. I think it is a kind of government recruitment agency. This is what the website says;
“Get the tailored support you need Turas Nua is delivering the JobPath programme to help long-term unemployed people get the support they need to move into suitable, sustainable employment….”
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NCBI Window Display
NCBI Listowel is getting behind Writers’ Week with this apt window display.
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Mary O’Halloran was pictured at Navan recently.
Mary is a frequent visitor to Listowel Races where she is always one of the best turned out ladies on the course.
Mary is living with Motor Neurone Disease.
I can’t give her the 2 page spread Charlie Bird got in last Sunday’s Independent. But I can tell you that I greatly admire Mary and all the other people with MND who are quietly getting on with life.
Friday promises to be a great day at Writers’ Week. Why not come to town early for the walk and stay for the day. Poets’ Corner in Christy’s with the wittiest of M.Cs, Sean Lyons, starts at 9.00p.m.
Some of the people in the 2019 audience have told me that they will be back again.
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Edel Quinn
I come from Kanturk in Co. Cork but my home was in the parish of Castlemagner. I was back there last weekend for my lovely grand niece’s First Holy Communion.
Jessica Ahern on her First Holy Communion Day, May 21 2022
Castlemagner is also the parish of Edel Quinn and they have erected a little grotto to her in the Church Grounds.
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From Pres. Yearbook 2006
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Laundry for the Elderly
The generous volunteers who work in this vital service attended their annual mass and get together recently.
Standing; Helen Kenny, Majella Stack, Margaret Leahy (hidden), Jenny Tarrant , Eileen Sheehy, Anne Doran, Bridie ORourke, Josephine Cronin, Mary Commerford, Eleanor Cronin, Joan Kenny, Olwen Keane Stack, Joan O’Donnell, Bridie O’Connor, Joan Buckley, Jean Quille, Anne O’Connor, Margaret Murphy
Sitting; Nora Scanlon , Mary Walsh, Julie Gleeson, Helen Moylan, Fr. Jack O’Donnell, Mary Hanlon, Norita Keane Killeen
