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: Mallow Camera Club

Public Benches, Sundays in the 1950s and painting at St. John’s

Photo: Elizabeth O’Connell of Mallow Camera Club for their People at Work project

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Public Seating invites us to Linger


We are very lucky in Listowel to have an abundance of public seats in beautiful corners of our town. They just invite the walker or sight seer to rest a while. Here are a few I photographed lately

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The Way we Were From Jim Costello’s Asdee Miscellany



“In days gone by we had a six
day week where Saturday was an ordinary
working day and Saturday night was spent preparing for Sunday. Sundays and
church holidays were days of rest and no servile work was done. If the weather
was very bad of a year, the priests gave permission to farmers from the altar
during Sunday mass to save their crops. Even with the approval of the clergy,
some farmers still would not work on the land on Sundays.”

………….

As I remember it Sunday was a day for visiting. My father would tackle up the horse and we would pile into the trap and go to visit our relatives who lived a few miles away. We would still be dressed in our “Sunday best” so we had to be on our best behaviour and keep our good clothes clean. As soon as we got home they would be put away until next Sunday. If there was no visiting on the agenda we changed out of our best attire immediately after mass. 

If the visitors were coming to us, it would be for a few hours in the afternoon between dinner and tea. They always brought sweet cake and there would be chatting and tea drinking for the adults all afternoon.

If we were not either visiting or being visited we used to listen to the radio or read.  Maureen Potter’s “C’mon Christy,” was always part of Sundays as was The Clitheroe Kid’s “Ow, me leg!”

We always did the crossword in The Sunday Press. This was no trial of skill really, just guesswork. I always hoped we’d win. We never did. My mother loved to take a shot at Spot the Ball. Again we never had any luck there either.


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Work at St. John’s



As I was walking in the Square I spotted a cherry picker accessing the roof of St. John’s

Our Arts Centre is getting a lick of paint

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Cherry Blossom Time


April Horsefair 2017, The Chastitute in St. Johns and two generation on Market Street

Rounding up the Flock

Teddy Sugrue of Mallow Camera Club took this photo for their monthly competition themed People at Work

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The Chastitute in St. John’s



Photos Mary Moylan and Frances Kennedy on Facebook


There is a bit of  a John B. Keane revival nationally and locally. Recently I attended the local St. John’s Group’s staging of The Chastitute which looks at a problem which is still with us. This problem is rural loneliness and isolation. John B. brings a touch of humour to the issue. The very competent local actors set us thinking as well as sniggering.

Rural isolation was then and still is no laughing matter.

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April 6 2017 in Market Street



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Walking with Nana




I Like to Walk with Nana 

I like to walk with Nana, 

Her steps are small  like mine. 

She never says “let’s hurry-up! “

She always takes her time.

I like to walk with Nana, 

Her eyes see things like mine. 

Shiny stones, a fluffy cloud, 

Stars at night that shine. 

People rush their whole day through, 

They rarely stop to see. 

I’m glad that God made Nanas

unrushed and young like me!





I met Noreen O’Connell bringing her grandchildren to see the horses.

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