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: McAuliffe

A World full of Change

Charming door in Courthouse Road in March 2025

Lovely Ladies in Vincent’s Listowel

Nancie, Hannah, Mary and Liz volunteering in my favourite charity shop on Friday March 7 2025. It is always a pleasure to meet these ladies and they are always so helpful and hard working.

Listowel and Curraghcroneen

Deborah Cronin has been in touch with pictures of her Irish ancestors. These McAuliffe and Fitzmaurice people are the Chicago branch of a very Kerry family.

McAuliffe sisters; the child standing is Deborah’s grandmother, Maude Fitzmaurice

These two people are Deborah McAuliffe Fitzmaurice and
John J Fitzmaurice 

Deborah gave us a full list of the family;

John J. Fitzmaurice was born in Listowel in 1861. His parents were James Fitzmaurice (1833-1898) and Mary Dee (1840-1905.)  John arrived in Chicago in 1879 and ultimately became a Police Sgt.
Deborah McAuliffe was John’s second wife. She was born to Thomas McAuliffe & Margaret McCarthy in Curraghcroneen in 1870. She died in Chicago in 1896. John & Deborah were parents of my grandmother, Margaret (Maud) Fitzmaurice born in 1892 in Chicago. 
Deborah died when Maud was 3 so she (standing child) was raised by her Aunts (Deborah’s sisters.) All the Aunts moved to Chicago, their brothers stayed in Ireland.


The McAuliffes:
Johanna 1861-1945
John 1862-1926
Bridget 1864-1944
Nell 1867-1914
Margaret 1868-1958
Deborah
Ellenor(1872-1915)
Michael (1874-1933)
Catherine (1876-1954)
Daniel (1879-1912)
Thomas McAuliffe’s children from a prior marriage to Honora Fitzgerald.
Hannah (1856-?)
Patrick (1858-1948)
Mary (1858-1917)

Just because

A horse is a horse, of course, of course

And no one can talk to a horse, of course…

Not true. This fellow was out to the door posing for the camera with his ears cocked as soon as he heard my voice.

End of an Era

Postboxes in Copenhagen…(picture from the internet)

The Danish post office has been collecting and delivering letters since 1624. After December 2025 that service will be no more and the postboxes will be removed from the streets. 1,500 jobs will be lost. Parcel post will still be handled and I think you will still be able to send or receive a letter through the post office mail room.

A Fact

The first Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place in Dublin in 1931.

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Something old, something new….


Then and Now




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Car Boot Sale

(Source: Rare Irish Stuff on the internet)

This is a far cry from today’s car boot sale. These are becoming increasingly popular. There was one in Listowel last Sunday and one in Ballybunion next Sunday. They have dispensed with the car boot and these are now held indoors in community halls.

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Church St. tailor and draper

Tom McAuliffe, son of Tom P McAuliffe( 1846-1921) and Catherine Gleeson  (1879 -1954) lived 79 Church Street, Listowel,  and his wife,  Elizabeth Gaire who died in 1957.

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Calling all Griffins



John Griffin who lives in the US is having difficulty pinpointing where in Kerry his ancestors come from. The most reliable method of doing this is to find a DNA match with some other Griffin from that area. The naming patterns in this man’s family match many of the Griffin families in North Kerry.  His request now is for some male Griffin from North Kerry, who is willing to undergo a simple saliva test, to contact him. There will no cost to the volunteer.

Drop me am email if you are interested and I’ll get you some more details.

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Market Street in Bloom



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