Photo; Chris Grayson in Killarney National Park on January 7 2025
<<<<<<<<
A Tree of Hope Knitting Project
This is the St. Conleth’s Parish newsletter which was sent to me by Mary McKenna.
As you can see this was a massive undertaking, a huge credit to all involved. In Newbridge, knitting is a huge community thing. I have seen and documented here their previous yarn bombing and St. Brigid projects.
Detail shows how each branch and bauble was made.
And someone wrote a poem.
<<<<<<<<
A Birdseye view of Snowy Listowel
John Kelliher took this fabulous photo of the recent snow.
<<<<<<<
Growing up in Listowel in the 1960s and 1970s
By Carmel Hanrahan
(Continued from yesterday)
… My father grew a lot of vegetables alongside all the flowers and ornamental plants he had – he was a passionate gardener and I inherited that gene. There seemed to be a type of barter system going on amongst the other gardeners and himself as it wasn’t unusual to look out the window and see one of the neighbours collecting some vegetables, (or strawberries in the Summer), but we also picked peas and other items in Hilda O’Donnell’s Garden. Between us and the O’Donnell’s was the Crowley’s house. Kitty Crowley was also a keen gardener. Together, Hilda and Kitty (it seems strange to call them by their first names as, growing up, most people were addressed as Mr or Mrs) often did “a run” to Ballybunion during the fine weather. It seems in my memory that no invitations were issued but if you spotted a car being packed you just turned up with your towel and your togs and joined the group. I think we may have broken a few Guinness records for the amount of people in those cars. Kitty drove a Mini and Hilda a VW Beetle and yet, their combined 6 or so children – Susan and Nuala may not have been born at that time, – plus whatever number of neighbour’s children all travelled in layers to the beach – often only one car was taken. A veritable “Lasagna” of people.
We were taken fruit picking by Mrs. O’Donnell, to give her her full title, to a fruit farm where you picked your own. She would then spend several days making jam and marmalade. Her Kenwood Chef was her pride and joy and I later visited her when I was in my 20’s and the machine was still going strong. Mrs. Jones, further down the road taught me to make apple and rhubarb tarts which I proudly brought home. Sometimes we were sent to the Creamery for bottles/jars of cream which you filled from a tap and then paid for through a window on the side of the office building. I also recollect a man with a bike, not unlike a butcher’s bike but with a churn of milk or cream on the front and ladles in pint and half pint measures hanging from the bike, possibly called PJ – end of an era I think.
Another instalment tomorrow
<<<<<<
Just a Thought
I have been fairly busy on Radio Kerry over the holidays. Here is the link to some reflections you wont have herd before. Some of these are included in my recent book, Moments of Reflection.
<<<<<<<<
A Postbox Story
From Folklore.ie’s Michael Fortune
I was just going through an old photo album from around 2002 and came across the photo on the left of an Edward Rex Letter Box somewhere in south-west Wexford and said I’d share this with ye.
Many of you will know this already but in case you don’t, when ‘The Free State’ was setup, the old red boxes associated with the British Empire were rebranded and painted green. To this day, you’ll spot these around the country and obviously this one in Wexford caught my eye some 22+ years ago.
The letter box on the right is from over in Buckinghamshire in England and as you can see, they are almost identical in design. I’m no expert on this but I believe these were installed/made between 1901 – 1910.
A great bit of rebranding and a sensible and practical thing to do back in the day.
<<<<<<<<<
<<<<<<<
A Fact
The first cheque written in decimal currency in the UK was for £50.30p in March 1968.
<<<<<<<
