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: Martin Chute Page 3 of 7

The Carnival

By

On August 29, 2023

In History, Listowel

The Small Square looking towards the Square in August 2023

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A Beautiful Shopfront in Main Street

The colourful corner pieces at either side of the nameplate are unique to here. Notice how Martin Chute signed his name in tiny writing. He should be announcing it loud and proud. Beautiful paintwork!

The sign writing is superb.

Wow!

My photographs don’t so it justice.

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The Carnival

In 1940s rural Ireland the annual village carnival was often the social highlight of the year. My interest in revisiting this phenomenon came about because of this photo.

To recap, this is Maria Stack wearing a vintage dress first worn at a carnival queen dance in 1948.

I enlisted help and went on a search for the back story. Thank you Margaret, Lisa and Anna for the hard work and the enjoyment.

The information about this carnival came from this invaluable local journal published in 1990, full of great local lore. The book is, of course, no longer available, but Anna in Kanturk library sourced the article in the local studies archive.

The carnival in question was held in Kilcorney, Co Cork in 1948. This was the second year of the holding of this three-day event. The selection of the carnival queen and her ladies -in- waiting was made at a dance in early June. The 1948 Kilcorney Carnival Queen was the lovely Mary Ring of Horsemount. Margaret, her daughter, took this photo out of its frame to photograph it for us.

The photograph was black and white but had some colour added later. Behind the photo in the frame was this.

A precious souvenir of one of the highlights of a young girl’s life.

The queen and her ladies were dressed in regal costumes with crown and sceptre for the festival as they presided over events like horse trotting, climbing the greasy pole, football matches and in 1948 a huge attraction was the mysterious Madam Know all, who, with the covert aid of a local assistant, could read very accurate fortunes in her crystal ball.

The Queen for the duration of the festival travelled on horseback or was carried with her royal entourage in “a four wheel car pulled by two beautiful steel grey horses”. The car was usually used for carting milk to Rathcoole railway station.

I loved reading the journal’s detailed account of the carnival and its picture of rural life in the days before mechanisation and technology.

There were carnivals and carnival queens in the areas around Listowel. Id love to hear the stories or see the photos.

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There’s No Place Like Home

John McElligott welcomes home his niece, Helen (Gore) Mitchell.

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They Did It!

Photo from the official announcement on Aug 26 2023

This extraordinary bunch of people organised a day Listowel will never forget. They assembled a record breaking number of people dressed as Dolly Parton in Páirc Mhic Shithigh, Listowel on June 25 2023. In the process they raised €74,670 for two great local charities, Kerry Hospice and Comfort for Chemo. 1,137 people took part in the fun challenge and many more made donations.

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A Fact

This “fact” was sourced in a book called “Strong Absorbent Trivia for the Toilet” so don’t blame me.

On average a woman utters about 7000 words in a day while a man uses just over 2,000.

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Holidays 2023

By

On July 7, 2023

In Listowel

Holocaust Memorial, Garden of Europe, July 2023

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Flavins Window

July 2023

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Well Clamped Turf

Turfshed in Ferbane, Co. Offaly Photo from the internet

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Should Old Acquaintance….

My friend, Phil and I, visited Boherbue. She now lives in Dublin and hadn’t visited her old home for some time. Phil has no family left in Boherbue now and has lost touch with her old school friends. My sister in law Breeda is from Boherbue so we planned to meet Breeda there to hear some of the old stories. In my photo, Maureen Ahern, her old neighbour, is next to Phil and Breeda and I are across the table.

Boherbue is much changed since the twentieth century. The lovely café where we met was one such welcome change serving delicious food and with super friendly staff.

Phil attended secondary school in Mrs. Kerrisk’s in Boherbue. There were 5 girls in her Leaving Cert class. The boys went to the tech in Kanturk. One of the 5 girls has passed away and almost incredibly the other 3 all turned up in the café while we were there. Above with Phil is Noreen OConnell, a lady full of local information and history.

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Listowel Arms Now and Then

Apart from the colour very little has changed in 20 years.

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Martin Chute, Master Signwriter

It’s done and it’s absolutely beautiful.

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Holidays 2023

My boys were at Longitude. They are very independent now that they each have a part time job for the summer.

The Kildare branch were at The Derby.

Darby family still fraternising with Olaf and other Disney characters in the sweltering 36 degrees in Orlando.

Meanwhile back at the ranch….

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Home and Nearly Home

By

On July 4, 2023

In Listowel, Poem

Molly in Listowel, June 2023

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July 4 2023 in Listowel

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Progress Report

Rain has delayed work on the painting of The Harp and Lion. So far so good, looking great!

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Newly appointed cattle adviser with a Listowel Connection

(Story and photo Agriland)

Teagasc has appointed a new cattle specialist, Niall Kerins, who will be based at Teagasc Moorepark, Co. Cork and will cover the south west of the country.

Niall Kerins is from a drystock farming background based in Co. Kerry.

He is currently a Teagasc business and technology drystock advisor in the Kerry or Limerick advisory region. He previously worked as drystock advisor based in Kilrush, Co. Clare, and as a dairy advisor in Listowel, Co. Kerry.

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Kiskeam

I was visiting Kiskeam as a tourist and this charming little north Cork village has a tourist offering out of all proportion to its size.

A dear friend gave me a present of these two treasured books. They contain a comprehensive insight into the history of this lovely corner of North Cork.

These murals by Paddy Ronan depict a way of life that is now just a memory.

This extract is from Fr.ORiordáin’s book. It describes lovely old customs like boolying, the infield and the outfield and the meitheal.

This is the local brass band back in the day. So many of the men (they were all men) are identifiable, I’m sure their descendants love to see them immortalised here.

The Kiskeam Brass Band was legendary. Here is Fr. O’Riordain’s explanation;

“Kiskeam Brass Band will attend ” was a kind of coded message.

In 1918 an anti conscription rally in Newmarket was led by The Kiskeam Brass band. A vicious unprovoked attack by RIC men saw the poor unarmed musicians beaten mercilessly and all their instruments smashed.

It took three years to recover from that loss and to have all the instruments replaced.

It struck me that all the imagery depicted on the walls is of a bygone time.

I am one of those people who likes to look back.

The is my father, Bill Ahern, on a wynnd of hay some summer in the 1950s.

If you like to look back too, Kiskeam is well worth a visit.

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Another Chute, Another Master Painter

Francis Chute at work on Footprints on June 1 2023

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Is this You?

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Kiskeam

By

On June 30, 2023

In Listowel, Personal

Molly at the Tim Kennelly Roundabout, June 26 2023

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Kiskeam, Co. Cork

Kiskeam is a lovely rural North Cork village. It has, in the last few years, taken to preserving its heritage in murals and other initiatives aimed at connecting its diaspora at home and abroad with their roots.

Kiskeam suffered during the Famine and its population was further decimated by emigration in times of tough unemployment since. Kiskeam people are lovely and they have done every thing they can to welcome home the huge population worldwide with roots in this corner of the diocese of Kerry.

My friend, Phil, met this lovely man, Dan Lane who remembered her parents and was very knowledgeable about the village and knew the location of many graves .

Barr na Sráide is one visitor initiative.

Opposite the graveyard in Kiskeam is an old lane where once local tradesmen plied their trades.

Nowadays on one side are lovely new homes and on the other side murals commemorate the many trades that once kept the village folk alive. A way of life now faded from memory is commemorated for today’s children.

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Summer Maintenance

The fine weather is ideal for painting and decorating our shopfronts. Martin Chute is working on The Harp and Lion.

The Pat McAuliffe plasterwork has stood the test of time and is now ready for Martin’s skilled paintwork.

I disturbed Martin to ask him to pose with Jed Chute who happened to be passing by. Two lovely Listowel men.

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A Last Few Dollies

Who better than Danny to reproduce a good Dolly look?

The Colorado branch of the Groarke family called in to be part of Dolly Day.

Dolly Day was a very inclusive event bringing babies, pensioners and everyone in between together for 2 great charities.

Boasting impressive frontage were Eithne, Barry and Brenda O’Halloran

These three went creative with the costumes even if some of the attire was a tad unseasonal.

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Meanwhile in Sunday’s Well

I’m dead proud of my Anne who, with her partner Kevin, won the mixed doubles in Sunday’s Well recently

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Shop signs and artwork in an old Galway Hotel

By

On April 4, 2023

In Listowel

Photo: Éamon ÓMurchú in Malahide

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Martin Chute; Master Signwriter

Martin stopped for a chat as he was putting the finishing touches to Tadhg Horan’s sign in The Square.

The sign is top class as always. I’ll be back to photograph the finished sign soon. Martin was adding a border.

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A Few more from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Michael and Noreen Queally with Mary Browne

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Tony O’Callaghan, The Galway Connection

Dave O’Sullivan found us this story from July 1972

Tony O’Callaghan was commissioned by the owners of The Great Southern Corrib hotel to make 15 copper relief pictures in honour of the 15 tribes. The finished works hung in the hotels de Burgh Room.

The hotel was demolished in 2021. I wonder where the artworks are now.

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Then and Now

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Lartigue Production at St. John’s

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