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: Michael Guerin

Icon of the Holy Family in Listowel, New Road Signs and a Turf Powered Steam Engine

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On April 9, 2018

In Uncategorized

Denis Carroll in Ballybunion

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Icon of The Holy Family in Listowel



This icon will be with us in Listowel Parish church from this afternoon, Monday April 9 2018 until Wednesday.

What is The Icon of the Holy Family?

The icon of the Holy Family was specially commissioned by WMOF2018 (World Meeting of Families), written by iconographer Mihai Cucu, and assisted by the Redemptoristine Sisters of the Monastery of St Alphonsus, Iona Road, Dublin, as part of their ongoing prayer for families.  The Icon was unveiled and anointed on the 21st August 2017, during the launch of the one-year programme of preparation at the National Novena in Knock, Ireland. 

Everyone is invited to come and view the icon while it is in town. It doesn’t matter if you are a believer, a non believer, an art lover or just plain curious, I think you should come and take a look . 

If you have never been to St. Mary’s before of if you have and have never looked around you at the magnificent mosaic work and stained glass, take this opportunity to really look at this artistic treasure, St. Marys. It has been left to us by our forbears and beautifully preserved and enhanced by generations of Listowel priests and parishioners.

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Republican Funeral in 1918



A visitor to Dingle library during Easter took a photograph of this picture for us. Tomás Ruiséal died of a bayonet wound received during a confrontation with the army in Co. Clare.

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A Word of Caution




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New Traffic signs


These new Slow Zone signs are appearing in housing estates all over town. I have no idea why they have put them so high up on the poles.

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A Steam engine Powered by turf

This was a short lived and ultimately unsuccessful experiment. I read the story on

Bord na Mona Living History

When O. Bulleid joined CIE from British Railways in 1949 he decided to build a turf-burning locomotive.

Trials were made with a stationary engine using pulverised turf and these trials were observed by HMS Miller of Bord na Móna. CIE then converted a 1903 locomotive to burn turf and extensive steaming trials were carried out in 1951 and 1952. The engine was tried out on a main line in 1954 but broke down in Cork and had to be towed back to Inchicore. It was also too large to turn on any CIE turntable.

In 1955 the locomotive was tested using semi-briquettes. During a trial run in 1957 sparks from the locomotive set the leading coach of the test train on fire. It never hauled a fare-paying passenger but some use was made of it between Houston Station and the North Wall on goods trains. By that time the replacement of steam with diesel was well advanced and the locomotive was scrapped in 1965 when Todd Andrews was Chairman of CIE.

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Labour Then



This photo of Listowel men, Seán McCarthy and Michael Guerin with John Joe O’Sullivan and Dick Spring appeared in this week’s Tralee Advertiser.

Telethon, Cork, Killarney National Park and another Buckley visit to Listowel

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On September 7, 2016

In Uncategorized

Do You Remember the Telethon?



The telethon was a fundraising drive that took place ever second year in the late 1980s and 90s. It was televised and raised thousands of much needed pounds for small local charities.

In 1992 in Listowel, the local branch of the M.S. Society decided to spearhead this fundraising drive in our area by organising a local event.  The way the telethon was organised was that money raised locally was sent to Dublin and then it was channelled back to local charities. Anne (O’Connor) Brosnan came up with the idea of organising the longest Conga line in Ireland. The aim was the get 2,500 people to Conga around The Square. Other local organisations came on board with ideas for other fun events and soon it became a night of fun in Listowel Town Square. It was a great success.

The late Derek Davis with one of the baseball caps which was one of the promotional materials sent to those taking part.

Stickers with the People in Need logo were distributed to all the participants in the Conga line. There were 2846 people in all.

Recently Michael Guerin resurrected a video of the night which was shot by Patrick Guerin and Mike digitised it and uploaded it to Youtube.

Listowel People in Need fundraiser, May 7 1992

The singer is Louise Morrissey who kindly travelled from Tipperary to be the special guest on the night. She is still going strong. Louise is performing in the INEC, Killarney on Oct 1 2016.

Another special guest was Big Bertha, the oldest cow in Ireland who came from Kenmare to be part of it all. Bertha was a big celebrity at the time and raised thousands for charity.

Anne Brosnan, who filled me in on the details, is having a rummage for photographs of the night. If anyone else has photos or memories, it would be lovely to share them.

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The People’s Republic





I spotted these recently by the side of St Augustine’s church in Washington Street, Cork. I don’t know who did it or what it’s all about. I’m curious though.

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Heaven Reflects Killarney


Muckross on a glorious Summer Sunday.

Beautiful sleek Kerry cows, “the silk of the kine” shelter from the sun under one of the demesne’s ancient trees.

We walked from the great House to Torc waterfall.



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A Listowel Connection



Recently I received this email from another of the extended Buckley family of Upper William Street.

“My name is Bill Boyle. I saw your recent post about John Carpenter’s recent visit to Listowel in your blog.



Patrick’s first cousin is Regina Moore Boyle (daughter of Johanna Buckley). I am Regina’s grandson by way of her second oldest son, John.



Last May, I came over to Ireland as part of a college trip. We spent time in Dublin and Cork. Luckily, I was able to make an excursion to Listowel with my then fiancé (now my wife), Lauren.



We took the train from Dublin with Vincent and his wife. I’ve attached a few photos of our visit.



Regina turned 90 back on July 27th. We had a large group of Buckley descendants on hand to celebrate.



We weren’t able to get a picture during the party (very poor weather), but I have a picture of Regina with her children and grandchildren at my wedding at the end of this past May. She is center right in the gold jacket.”

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A Sporting Connection for the Moyvane class of 1989




Junior Griffin looked at this photo here the other day and he saw many people he  recognised. He got to know them as adults and he knows of another connection between many of these youngsters and their teacher. Here is what he says;

Looking at the names of that lovely photo of the 1989 Moyvane class which you posted last week I realised that I got to know several of them in later years as members of the very thriving Moyvane Badminton Club.


You mentioned that 4 of the class were married in recent times. Just to say that another member of the class was married last December  and I was an invited guest at that wedding.That was Timmy Hanrahan who married Catherine Murphy of the Castleisland Badminton Club. This was another romance that blossomed through the sport of Badminton and I have seen many of these over my 50 plus years in Badminton..


Another in the photo is James Sheehan. James has won the Kerry division 3 mens doubles County Championships for the last 3 years, each time with a different partner which is a rare achievement and he is the current secretary of the Kerry Badminton Association..


Their teacher, Mrs Goulding is the former Rita Groarke and she was an outstanding Badminton player also. She won a Munster under 15 mixed title with Listowel’s Mike Kirby in the late 1970’s and both were selected on the Munster team at that time. She also went on  to win Kerry titles at the division 2 and 3 grades.


Indeed her son, Jack Goulding, was a member of the Kerry panel that won the All Ireland minor football final in 2015 and this year, 2016, saw him starring on the Kerry senior hurling  team who had a great year on the hurling front.. Indeed, he is a valued member of the Ballyduff hurling team who will contest the Kerry County hurling final in Tralee on Sunday next.


Launch of North Kerry Line

By

On December 9, 2013

In Uncategorized

Betty McGrath’s seasonal window display

Gabrielle, Mary and Hannah took a minute to pose for the camera. They are very busy these days in St. Vincent de Pau’s Second Time Around shop. You can also buy new handmade goods in aid of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Craftshop na Méar  at 53 church St.

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It was great to see one of Listowel’s royalty, Mary Keane, back to her old self again after her recent hip replacement. She will cut the ribbon to officially open Craftshop na Méar tomorrow Weds Dec. 10 2013 at 1.30 p.m.

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The North Kerry Line by Alan O’Rourke

“Many lovely things are gone

That seemed sheer miracle to the multitude.”…Yeats

This book will make a great Christmas present for anyone with any interest in railways and particularly The North Kerry Line. I attended the launch recently and I have only now got round to posting some photos.

Some hard working local ladies served us mulled wine.

 Representing Kenny and Loughnane families long association with

 the line were Mark Loughnane and Joan and P.J. Kenny.

Liam O’Mahony who did trogan work to get this project off the ground chats to our mayor, Jimmy Moloney.

Doreen and Daisy helped with selling the books.

 Jimmy Moloney welcomed the arrival of the book, a written account of an important piece of North Kerry History.

This is Michael Guerin. Michael has dedicated long hours to making this launch happen. First of all he saved the venue we were in, the Lartigue Museum from destruction. He researched and preserved valuable Lartigue and Railway memorabilia and memories. He was responsible for the lovely old interviews we heard on the night to the accompaniment of  old footage of the line.  He it was who told me all about the book and the night and so he is the reason I am bringing it to you.

This is Alan O’Rourke who wrote the book. He loves Ireland and he loves railways.

Jimmy Deenihan did the official launch.

Among the anecdotes from the book that Alan told us was this account of an accident in The Newcastlewest station.

As you probably realize, trains like to run on flat terrain and even the smallest hill posed a problem for a heavy locomotive and carriages. En route between Newcastlewest and Listowel the train had to pass through Barnagh. Sometimes it climbed this incline with difficulty. But “on November 25th. 1947, a Limerick-Listowel empty stock special and 16 wagons stalled on Barnagh Bank at around 10.40 p.m.” The driver decided to divide the train. He decoupled 5 carriages but slipped before he could remount the train. The runaway train hurtled down the line towards Newcastle, tearing down gates and rattling crookery in the dressers of houses near the line. It eventually came to a halt in the stationmaster’s garden having demolished train, track, platform and numerous gates on the way. Luckily no one was killed. This was a miracle as, at that time, it was the custom for courting couples to hang out in a carriage that was left overnight in NCW. As luck would have it, there was a good film on in the cinema and lovers chose that venue instead.

This and lots of other stories are recounted in the book as well as more technical stuff for the Roy Croppers of this world.

The book is in shops for €15…a bargain for this collector’s item.

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