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 Page 4 of 33

Listowel’s Public Toilet, Listowel, A Printer’s Legacy U.S. launch and Old Friends meet up

Ballybunion Sunset, March 2019. Photo: Bridget O’Connor

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A Listowel Lavatory Saga

Dave O’Sullivan was fascinated by Michael Guerin’s video account of the battle for the location of Listowel’s public toilet. So he did a bit of research on our behalf and he found that finding a spot for the convenience proved very inconvenient. Here are some old newspaper stories chronicling the story

 This takes us up to 1968. The saga continues tomorrow.

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The Book Tour


Vincent Carmody combined a family holiday with the launch of his latest book, Listowel, A Printer’s Legacy in Chicago and New York recently.

Here are a few photos of the very enjoyable and successful trip.

A section of the attendance at the Chicago launch.

Vincent with members of his family in Chicago

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Old Friends Share a Moment

In Listowel’s Vincent de Paul shop recently

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Remembering Dad



I got the following email from Anne Lodge.

Hello, I was just looking up my Dads hometown and came across you.

My dad was (RIP) Peter Muldowney and he grew up with his 7 siblings on O’Connells st ? Before he left for London in the late 50’s. 

Would be lovely if you remembered them

Kind wishes

Anne x

Peter had left Listowel before I came to town but I know I have lots of readers from The Avenue. Any of you have any memories, stories or photos of Anne’s late dad?

1975 Cinderella, Spectators at the tennis and Listowel Writers Week Literary Evenings.

Robin in The National Park photographed by Chris Grayson

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Listowel Tennis in the 1980s


Watching a tennis game are Denis O’Rourke (standing) and the late Paudie Finnegan (seated).



Miriam Croghan and Jacintha Egan

Photos; Danny Gordon

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1975 Panto




This old newspaper clip of some of the cast of Cinderella in 1975 brought back many many happy memories.

One sad fact I was reminded of is that Mary Dooley who played Cinderella was tragically killed in a Road Traffic Accident a few years after this happy time leaving behind a young husband and family.

At the other end of the scale another blog follower told me that there is a video of this panto somewhere and the drag show at the intermission is hilarious.

If you have real photos or would like to pen a few memories, there is an audience out there hungry to relive those happy busy winter days in 1970s  Listowel.

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Listowel Writers’ Week Literary Evenings




You are still in time to catch the last of these tonight. This partnership between Writers’ Week and The Rose Hotel Tralee has added a whole new dimension to the festival and brought in a whole new local audience.

Because these soirees were free it was an ideal opportunity to sample a literary event and maybe find that it wasn’t quite so literary after all but warm, welcoming and accessible. The interviewers and guests have all done an excellent job, the venue is intimate and elegant and all in all this is a super venture and must be repeated.

On Weds January 23rd I went to hear Deirdre Walsh interview Carmel Harrington and came away eager to read the book. It was a lovely evening.

Mark, on behalf of The Rose Hotel, did the welcoming.

The inimitable Seán Lyons, on behalf of Writers’ Week, did the introducing.

Deirdre Walsh did the interviewing.

Here is the best selling author of seven novels with some of her Kerry friends, Mark Sullivan, Máire Logue, Liz and Jin Dunn and Deirdre Walsh (seated)

Posing with our books are Seán Lyons, Mary Cogan, Joan O’Regan and Mairead Costelloe.

Just like at Writers’ Week people queued to have books signed.

Just for a night, Liz forgot about Marie Kondo and the pleasures of decluttering. Anyway, this one sparked joy.

I missed the next one which was the very popular Tomi Riechenthal.

Tonight it’s the last in the series, the spoken word poet, Stephen James Smith. Should be a good one.

This series has been a resounding success. Thanks are due to Seán Lyons and Mark Sullivan for dreaming it up and to Listowel Writers’ Week  for organising another great project.  I think I can safely predict that this venture will be repeated.

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Big Night in Store for The Dublin Kerry Crowd




Everyone is welcome

Listowel, A Printer’s Legacy is launched and a few photos from Christmas in Killarney 2018

Christmassy Listowel 2018



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Killarney



Killarney on a quiet Sunday morning

This ice cream shop is next door to the cinema.

Killarney always looks clean and well kept. The road sweeper was out early on Sunday morning.

The Great Southern

The Friary

Christmas trees and wreaths for sale after mass

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Work up an Appetite for the Turkey




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Listowel, a Printer’s Legacy Launch



On December 9 2018 we launched Vincent Carmody’s latest book. Here are some of the people who were there.

Old friends, Paddy Keane, Liam Grimes and Jimmy OQuigley

Vincent and Kathleen Carmody

Carmodys and friends

Friends, Norah Canty and Mary Broderick at the launch

Arthur Caball met up with Eugene and Tadhgh Moriarty

At the top table, Seán Kelly, Kay Caball and Bryan MacMahon

Gabriel Fitzmaurice sang us a few ballads which were  written by Bryan MacMahon, printed by Bob Cuthbertson and sold on the streets for a penny or two. Many of the ballads are included in the book.

Scions of two great Listowel families, Bryan MacMahon and Billy Keane

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Bishop Ray in Knockanure



Ray Browne, Bishop of Kerry paid a visit to Knockanure on Dec 16 2018 and he met a few local ladies.

Mary O’Carroll

Mary Fitzgerald

Boy at the Window, Killarney at Christmas and the Launch of Listowel, A Printer’s Legacy

Killarney, December 2018

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A Winter Poem

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Old Post Box in Killarney



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Christmas in Killarney


I was lucky enough to spend a weekend in Killarney recently and they are pulling out all the stops to make it a Christmas destination.

The jaunting cars and horses were converted to sleighs and were filled with children singing carols.

The bollards were converted into tin soldiers.

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Launch of Listowel, A Printer’s Legacy



We had a great night in The Listowel Arms on Dec. 9th for the launch of Vincent Carmody’s book.

Finbarr and Cathy Mawe were helping out with the selling of the books.

Mary and Joe Hanlon came early on their way to St. John’s for Mike O’Donnell’s Goddess of Lust.

John Pierse is adding another book to his library of Kerry history books.

Gerald Fitzgerald with his book

Declan Downey and Paddy Keane exchange a word .

Kay and Arthur Caball with John Pierse

Derry and Marie Reen with Kathleen Carmody

Tim O’Leary and Michael Guerin

Ruth O’Quigley buys her book from Kathy Mawe.

Tralee in the sixties, Rebel Abbey, 2 Day Revival 2019 and Listowel, A Printer’s Legacy

The Gap of Dunloe


Photo: Chris Grayson





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Christmas Shopping in Tralee in the sixties


Photo: Historical Tralee and surrounding areas



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Maureen Flavin of Knocknagoshel and Black Sod



Remember Billy McSweeney’s great story of the Kerry lady who married the son of the Blacksod Lighthouse keeper and found herself playing a vital role in the timing of the DDay landings. Well didn’t a loyal blog follower know all about Maureen and he sent us this.

This is Maureen in a wedding photo from 1946

Maureen’s mother was a Mulvihill . The Mulvihill family was also famous. Ned Mulvihill bred a greyhound called Rebel Abbey who won all round him.





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Listowel, Get Ready to Rock in 2019




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Leonard, Listowel Mill Owner; Villain or Saint



The next instalment in the debate;

Hi, Mary,

 Interesting debate opening up. I don’t think any heavy work was done by inmates in the workhouses- they were in poor shape, weakened and poorly fed- certainly not enough work to enrich anyone.  More importantly, able-bodied persons were liable to the rigours of the law if they attempted to get into the workhouses! Auxiliary Workhouses in premises privately owned were  rented by the Board of Guardians and they ran the show after that. I have never come across a privately owned and operated workhouse. I don’t see many certain ‘facts’ on either side of the current debate.  TF Culhane  wrote about Maurice Leonard being ‘remembered’ as having given the barrels of flour; he was not recalling that as his own personal memory. The Folklore Commission relied on stories and memories also. Using ‘recalls’ is no worse that using ‘Keane reported…’ as ‘reported’ has the following meaning:  “give a spoken or written account of something that one has observed, heard, done, or investigated.”  ‘Folklore’ hardy meets this qualification. The reference to TF Culhane’s thoughts are included in the North Kerry Literary Trust, Listowel, excellent 2007 edition of  the book, “Kerry Memories”- this is steeped in Listowel Connections spanning generations. This book is painstakingly thorough in relation to what it includes. Pádraig de Brún and Jimmy Deenihan were instrumental in this publication. It is well-worth a read by anyone connected with Listowel. Bets or speculation and political points are not of much use at this remove. I was a bit doubtful of the number,  ‘six thousand barrels’ as that would be an enormous amount of wheat for the Listowel area in those pestilential days. Perhaps the local memory  was a bit defective in both cases in debate? And there are those who would claim that all such wheat would have been exported in any case to England, while the local people starved. I agree that a factual and disinterested  assessment of the ‘Listowel wheat or barrels of flour’ conundrum is required.  I am sure there will be many well-qualified and  willing to take in on.

Regards,

Nicholas.

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People at a Book Launch


Seán Kelly, Nora Sheahan, Peggy Hilliard, Lilly Nolan and Vincent Carmody in The Listowel Arms on December 9 2018 at the launch of Listowel , A Printer’s Legacy.

Vincent Carmody with Jimmy Deenihan

Historians and politicians at the launch.



Maurice O’Mahoney gets in a quick read before the crowd gathers.

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Christmas 2018 in Listowel


Another great idea from Christmas in Listowel 

The Listowel Treasure Train

Join us on a magical trail around Listowel’s beautiful shop window displays on the Listowel Treasure Train.

Each of the 14 participating shops have a Little Green Train displayed somewhere in their window. Can you find them all? 

The Runaway Red Train
Our Runaway Red Train has a mind of its own and moves from window to window.

Each day we will post a photo of the Runaway Red Train’s new location, as well as the day’s prize on the Christmas in Listowel Facebook Page. Simply tell us where the Red Train is, to be in with a chance of winning one of our amazing prizes every day.

The prizes will be displayed in Galvin’s Window and available for collection at the end of the competition after Saturday 22nd December.

Follow us at “Christmas in Listowel” on Facebook to take part in this fun game.

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