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: North Kerry MS Page 1 of 2

Films, Books and People

Sunset in Howth by Éamon ÓMurchú

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Obituary to Eddie Gleeson

From The Irish Independent

Eddie was a brother of our own late cinema owner, Kieran. Like Kieran he was passionate about cinema and spent his whole life working in cinema.

Those of you who saw A Window in Heaven’s Gable will remember Eddie. He was part of Kieran’s adventure into cinema ownership and the two were close, sharing a family love and great knowledge of cinema and movies.

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Molly Madra Returns

Molly came back for a short visit. She had been to the groomers and so was all shaven and shorn.

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When You Love your book so much you want everyone to read it….

I have only recently discovered Tadhg Coakley although he is practically a neighbour’s child from my own neck of the woods. His new book is just brilliant.

By the way, my grandson, Sean, brought me the mug from Normandy.

I knew Bobby would love The Game. He does.

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People I met

My lovely friends, Peter and Mary McGrath

Peter, who is in his mid nineties, danced in Main Street with a teenage visitor on M.S. Busking Day August 25 2022.

Peter is truly “among the very young at heart”.

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A Fact

Alexander Calder, a renowned American sculptor, rigged the front door of his Paris apartment so that he could open it from his bath.

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Church Street Restoration, Asdee Chapel

Two pictures of Coomeenole in West Kerry taken by Éamon ÓMurchú on the same evening at almost the same time.

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Loyal to the Traditional Facade

Many premises in Listowel are undergoing refurbishment at the moment. In keeping with Listowel’s status as a Historic Town, Kerry County Council’s Heritage Officer is closely involved with the renovations. This house on Church Street is a case in point.

It is being lovingly restored by its present owner who takes her role as custodian of our traditional architecture very seriously.

Since I took the first photo the door has been painted.

This is a picture of the same house one hundred years ago. This picture was taken in the aftermath of the infamous Black and Tan raid in Church Street which saw the next door premises, Flavin’s, completely destroyed and much of Lower Church Street burned and looted.

Note how the present owner has restored the original look of the house and her new windows are absolutely faithful to the old design.

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The Story of Asdee Chapel Continued

From Shannonside Annual 1956

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M.S. Society Busking Day 2010

Musicians and volunteers in Main Street on one of the good old days.

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A Lovely poem from the late John McCarthy

(from John McCarthy’s anthology Hope on a Rope)

John was a passionate compassionate poet who tackled the subject of mental illness before it was fashionable to do so. He was an activist credited with starting the Gay Pride movement in Cork.

He was a great friend of John B. and Mary Keane.

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NKM Strike, MS Coffee Morning and Denny Factory is No More and some early spring flowers in Lyreacrompasne

Abandoned House; Photo; Chris Grayson

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Employment Unrest in Listowel in 1922


NKM on the banks of The Feale was going along nicely until 1922 . A strike at the factory caused the owners to relocate their business to Dublin leaving many in Listowel disappointed. Dave O’Sullivan did the research.

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There it is….Gone


Photo: Seán Lyons

The old Denny factory in Tralee has been levelled and the site cleared.

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North Kerry MS Coffee Morning


On Saturday February  16 2019 the North Kerry branch of MS Ireland held a very popular coffee morning in Tomáisíns in Lisselton.

I was there enjoying the fare and taking a few photos.

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Road Signs




At the junction of Charles St. and Courthouse Road

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February 2019 in Lyreacrompane





The green fingers  and the photographs are those of Joe Harrington and Kay O’Leary. Doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart to see such beauty and such promise of Spring?

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Looking for Love Second Time Around



Tune in to First Dates Ireland  on RTE 2 tonight, February 28 2019 at 9.30. Pamela Behan, formerly of Listowel, is one of the ladies looking to find love.

NKM Leaves Listowel, Account of an Old School in Derrindaffe and North Kerry MS Fundraiser

Photo: Chris Grayson

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Two Gentlemen

The late Jim Cogan and the late Dan Browne stop for a chat on a summer morning in 2004.

May the sod lie gently on both their souls.


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Maurice Mul in Ballybunion



Poster thanks; Liam OHainnín

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Listowel’s First Strike

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An Old School 


(In the Dúchas Folklore collection )

Mrs Quill of Derridaff told this story to an unnamed schoolgirl. 

There was a school in Meenganare. It was a low thatched building with only one very small window.The floor was earth and in Winter, when the roof leaked, the children’s feet were mired in muck.  Seating for the pupils was a plank of wood resting on two blocks of wood.

It was a one teacher school. The teacher was a Mr. Purcell, a native of Cork. He taught there from 1844 to 1879. Mr. Purcell lived in lodgings near the school and he was paid every Friday.

Both pupils and teacher spoke only Irish. The only subjects that were taught were Irish and English. The teacher wrote on a large stone flag which rested against the wall and the children wrote on slates.

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M.S. North Kerry Fundraiser


On Saturday February16 2019, I spent a very pleasant morning in Tomáisín’s in Lisselton. My old friends in the North Kerry branch of MS Ireland were holding their annual Valentine’s coffee   morning.

The confectionery was mouthwatering, all made locally by volunteer bakers. The company was good and there were lovely raffle prizes. It was a very enjoyable event.

Here are some of my photos from the day.

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Mystery Solved




I asked someone who knew. It’s a traffic counter according to Jimmy Moloney.


People at North Kerry MS Annual Busking Day 2012

It has been a hectic week in Listowel, sunshine, crowds, ceol, craic and culture. I’ve been out and about since Thursday and I have hundreds of photos to look through, cull and choose from to bring you a flavour of Writers’ Week 2013.

To give you a foretaste, here is Jer.’s video of the Poetry without Pints event and Mike O’Donnell’s sketch of Máire Mhac an tSaoi which he presented to her after her tribute event on Saturday evening

http://youtu.be/URupXdu_h7g

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You will have to wait just a little longer for my Writers Week photos. In the meantime, here are a few photos I took on MS Busking Day.

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John Stack’s photo says it all

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Best dressed lady at yesterday’s race meeting

Nollaig MacCarthy

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