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
The removal of the door seems to be a deliberate act. It makes access to the life saving equipment easier but it also leaves it vulnerable.
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Another Business Closed
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Court Sketcher
This drawing appeared on the front page of the Irish Examiner last week. The sketching style will be familiar to readers of Listowel Connection.
The taking of photographs is not allowed in Irish courtrooms. Our desire to see as well as read about a trial is satisfied by sketches. One of the most popular court sketchers is the very talented Mike O’Donnell.
We know him better in Kerry as a muralist. He is also the very witty cartoonist who kept us amused during Covid.
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Let there be Light
Replacing a light bulb on William Street
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Kilcullen at Easter
On the Saturday evening of my visit to Kildare, I was back for an evening in the most comfortable;e little theatre in Ireland.
We were early so we took a little stroll around town first. Kilcullen was going full tilt with the Easter decorations
Nolan’s Butchers had a well dressed and eye catching window displays. Bunnies, daffodils and eggs were everywhere.
The purpose of our visit was this play in the Town Hall
Tony and Mary McKenna congratulate their daughter, Sinead, on another brilliant performance as Mairead in this darkly comic McDonagh play.
Sinead’s mother in law with Clíona before the play.
Mrs. O’Neill was in the box office at the door. Her husband and son (Andrew is married to Sinead McKenna) made the sets. Another son is in the cast. All in all Kilcullen Drama Group is like an O’Neill family business.
Those not familiar with the play may be shocked by the poster. The protagonist, Mad Padraig, ” too mad for the IRA” is a lunatic republican torturer with a soft spot for his cat, Wee Thomas. The cast included a real cat who, on the night, played a blinder in his short walk on part.
The play is very violent, a hard watch, but this ensemble did a brilliant job on it. They deserved all of the standing ovations in this sell out run.
I wrote about this group before when I visited their lovely theatre in 2023
Old church tower on Church Street in February 2024
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Countdown… A Listowel Connection?
I love Countdown. It’s a very very old fashioned game show on Channel 4 on weekday afternoons. In a digital age it’s a quaint throwback to old times. Contestants write with pens on paper, Rachel picks actual letter and number tiles from physical boxes. The analogue clock ticks down the 30 seconds. The goody bag includes a hard copy of a dictionary and a teapot!
It’s all very low tech.
Now the Listowel connection? Well, I’m stretching it a bit. I know somebody who knows somebody who is currently doing very well on Countdown.
This is Jack Harvey from Grimsby. By the way, waterings is not a word. Jack tried and was shot down by Susie Dent. I think it definitely is a word but if it’s not in her dictionary it’s not allowed. ( Didn’t you often give the plants a good watering, and, if you were going away, two good waterings?)
Jack is a friend of Liz and Jim Dunn’s. They are looking forward to a big day out at Jack and Xenia’s wedding this summer.
Jack is a super countdowner, equally brilliant at unscrambling letters and doing Maths puzzles and he is the best conundrum solver ever.
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Education in Listowel Workhouse in Famine Times
The last of Kay Caball’s heartbreaking snippets…
9 October 1851 The Bedford Schoolmaster requests an Assistant: ‘Let the Assistant Schoolmaster Stack proceed to Bedford. Let the Schoolmaster divide the boys into three classes, each of which should get two hours instruction daily – Stack to be in charge of the boys when out of school’.
Dr. Enright – ‘Suggesting that the Schoolboys should be compelled to wash themselves daily – and that soap and towels should be provided for that purpose’. On washing being questioned by the Board the Bedford Master states that the boys wash themselves perfectly clean every morning, but they have no towels. A large canvas roller was therefore ordered to be supplied.
16 October 1851 Miss Nolan the Schoolmistress resigned … The Clerk was directed to advertise for a Trained Teacher in her stead.
10 July 1852 There were 617 boys/677 girls in the workhouse between 9 & 18 yrs of age. 24 boys and 22 girls were discharged that week, 1 boy had died.
15 July 1852 The Officers Reports were read as follows:
9 October 1851 The Bedford Schoolmaster requests an Assistant: ‘Let the Assistant Schoolmaster Stack proceed to Bedford. Let the Schoolmaster divide the boys into three classes, each of which should get two hours instruction daily – Stack to be in charge of the boys when out of school’.
Dr. Enright – ‘Suggesting that the Schoolboys should be compelled to wash themselves daily – and that soap and towels should be provided for that purpose’. On washing being questioned by the Board the Bedford Master states that the boys wash themselves perfectly clean every morning, but they have no towels. A large canvas roller was therefore ordered to be supplied.
16 October 1851 Miss Nolan the Schoolmistress resigned … The Clerk was directed to advertise for a Trained Teacher in her stead.
10 July 1852 There were 617 boys/677 girls in the workhouse between 9 & 18 yrs of age. 24 boys and 22 girls were discharged that week, 1 boy had died.
4 November 1852 An Inspector of National Schools reported that the Mill was far too small for the number [of girls] in it. The Visiting Committee stated in a letter ‘on visiting the house this day, we found in the girls’ schoolroom 525 persons including nurses and other women who should not be in the part of the house which overcrowding appears objectionable.
‘Education in the Workhouse’ is in my view a misnomer. The conditions at any time from 1847 to 1852, did not allow for normal schooling to take place. This is not a surprise considering that all workhouses from 1847 were overwhelmed with death, disease, and destitution. The Listowel Board of Guardians appear to have worked hard to cope with the many problems that arose each week. But responding to the daily urgent issues; collecting rates, providing bed and board, staffing and keeping the rampant diseases at bay did not allow for much consideration to be given to the education of the children in their care.
4 November 1852 An Inspector of National Schools reported that the Mill was far too small for the number [of girls] in it. The Visiting Committee stated in a letter ‘on visiting the house this day, we found in the girls’ schoolroom 525 persons including nurses and other women who should not be in the part of the house which overcrowding appears objectionable.
‘Education in the Workhouse’ is in my view a misnomer. The conditions at any time from 1847 to 1852, did not allow for normal schooling to take place. This is not a surprise considering that all workhouses from 1847 were overwhelmed with death, disease, and destitution. The Listowel Board of Guardians appear to have worked hard to cope with the many problems that arose each week. But responding to the daily urgent issues; collecting rates, providing bed and board, staffing and keeping the rampant diseases at bay did not allow for much consideration to be given to the education of the children in their care.
(Good to be reminded of such awful times. Thank you, Kay)
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Important Exhibition
An exhibition of artwork by Mike O’Donnell is currently on display in St. John’s Theatre and Arts Centre, Listowel.
Mike’s mural work is familiar to us all, but, before he was a muralist he was a court artist, sketching well known criminals and covering some high profile trials.
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First Year Groups from 1986
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A Fact
Dalmatians are born without spots. They are born with plain white coats with their first spots appearing after they are one week old.
People have been wondering about Molly. I’m glad to report that I met her in Cork recently and she was in great form. She has loved lockdown with her family at home all the time and lots and lots of attention.
I told her her Listowel admirers were asking.
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Tralee Artist, Mike O’Donnell
Last week I found myself in a part of Tralee that I am not familiar with. I’m sorry I should have noted the name of the area. I was delighted to see the work of one of my favourite muralist’s adorning the walls. The pictures are fabulous but I have no idea what exactly they depict. Looks like Famine times and a few extra unrelated images.
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Bíonn Siúlach Scéalach
I am old enough to remember when homeless men walked the roads, travelling from parish to parish in search of seasonal work. They often called asking if they could sleep in the hay barn for the night. It was unlucky to refuse such a request but my poor mother, who was a widow, never slept a wink if there was a man sleeping in the barn. She was in dread fear he would smoke and burn the barn, hay and all down.
This is what I found in the school’s folklore collection about these spailpíní.
Beggars seldom stay in the same house more than one night unless when the next day is bad. They always have their own food which they collected during the day but sometimes the people of the house give them their supper and breakfast. They also give them a bag of straw to sleep on for the night. Tinkers usually travel in families but the poor travellers go singly or in twos.
About five or six years ago a poor travelling woman stayed at our house for three days and she used to tell us a good deal of funny stories every night. The best known travelling folk in my locality are as follows:- Paddy Flynn, Bob Landers, Jimmy O’Leary, the O’Briens, Mrs Fitzgerald and they come the most frequently to my locality.
These travellers usually come at Easter and Christmas and before the Pattern and Listowel races.
These businesses are on opposite sides of Bridge Road as you approach town from the Tralee side.
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On This Day, June 30 1922
(information from a book, On this Day by Myles Dungan of RTE)
June 30 1922 was the day that future genealogists’ and family researchers’ hearts were well and truly broken. On that fateful day, the biggest explosion ever seen in Dublin destroyed records of Irish administrations from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Earlier damage had already been done during World War 1 with the pulping of census returns for 1861, ’71, ’81 and “ 91.
What was lost in the explosion of 1922?
Census returns for the years 1921, 31, 41, and ’51
One thousand Church of Ireland parish registers
Wills and deeds and land transactions
Court Reports
Military Records
Was this explosion an accident?
Sadly, no.
The public records office was housed in The Four Courts in Dublin.
On April 14 1922, anti treaty rebels under Rory O’Connor occupied this building.
Pro treaty forces of the Free State government under Michael Collins attempted to dislodge them.
On June 30th the rebels in The Four Courts, now under Ernie O’Malley, surrendered.
The arsenal of ammunition and explosives the rebels had stored in The Four Courts was torched and thus was lost a millennium of official Irish records.
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Jimmy Moloney, Mayor of Kerry
Jimmy Moloney was installed as Mayor of Kerry yesterday. Here he is with his two aunts, Kay Caball and Eila Moriarty.
The late Michael Sheehy grew up in Main Street, one of a family of very talented brothers. He sent us this a few years before he died. I’m sharing it again now, especially for the cocooners.
I remember the town league as if it was yesterday. What great games between the different streets!
I remember playing with The Ashes around 1960 and the Ashes winning. I still have the medal but it says 1957 which would have made me 12.
We had guys like the McMahons, Toddy Enright, Junior & Bert Griffin, Frank Murray etc. What great times they were just to have the bragging rights for a year. Now as I think of the places that made up the “Ashes” I doubt if you could field a team. How sad it is. Now as I think in the Small Square the only person to live there over the last many years was Mrs. Scully.r.i.p. Everyone else closed their business and lives somewhere else.
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An Old St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Don’t know the year. If you recognise yourself let me know.
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Troubled times
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The Square 2005
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Old Railway Bridge on Ballybunion Road in May 2020
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Mike O’Donnell at his Most Incisive
Mike captioned this “Boris paints coffins blue in support of healthcare workers” . The tide has turned against the British government which is now presiding over Europe’s most catastrophic Covid 19 pandemic tragedy.
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Darkness into Light 2020
The usual big walk through darkened towns did not go ahead this year but many still found a way of “walking” into the light.
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Thunderstorm in Lyreacrompane
Story and pictures from Joe Harrington on Facebook.
Saturday May 10 2020 was the hottest day so far this year.
Joe Harrington recorded record high temperatures at his glasshouse in Lyre.
Then this happened.
Lightening hit the power pole in The Glen near the old schoolhouse.
Within the hour help was at hand. ESB Networks removed the damaged pole and erected a new one.
Power was restored to this little piece of Heaven in The Kingdom.
This photograph was taken at a family reunion in 1970. Three of the Roche children died in infancy and this is the clan as it was in 1970. Sadly they have lost a few more siblings since.
Noel gave me the names;
Front left to right. Dolores, Eileen, Peg, Jacqueline, Val and Dolly.
middle l to r; John, Noel, Paddy, Jim, Mike and David.
back l to r; Dick, Eamonn and Tom.
Dolly was the oldest. I’m the youngest
Noel is a recovering alcoholic. He is proud to say that he will be 40 years sober this year. He used poetry as one of the tools to help him through the hard process of rehabilitation. I hope that hearing his story may help others who are struggling at a time that is hard for everyone but especially hard for anyone in the grip of addiction.
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A Covid Fact
In China a McDonalds delivery includes temp. check of food preparer, packer and delivery driver.
