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: Olive Stack

Ring of North Kerry Cycle 2015 and Listowel in 1978 and two new artists in town

(From the internet)

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Lovely Listowel



This is Jesse Barry at Changes Listowel doing his bit for Listowel Tidy Towns

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Ring of North Kerry Cycle



This great event took place on the first weekend in August 2015. A huge crowd turned up to cycle through the beautiful countryside of North Kerry. Ger Roche took some lovely photographs. I’m just putting up a few here but he took lots and lots and you can contact him by clicking the above link if you would like to buy a souvenir of the day.

This is the main man behind al this great venture, Johnny Joy of Finuge Freewheelers.

The scene at the start

This event was very well run. There were pit stops along the way manned by volunteers with refreshments for all.

Some cyclists ploughed a lone furrow.

Some stopped along the way to admire the scenery or the cattle.

Some more rode as a peleton.

Doesn’t the North Kerry countryside look absolutely beautiful in August?

There were more refreshments at the finish for the leg weary cyclists.

Duagh Sports Centre snapped this one of Jimmy Deenihan.

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Listowel in Times Past



Anne Wixted had a rummage around in her old photos and she has sent us these treasures.

Mass time in The Square 1978

“The first photo is of cars parked in The Square while people attend 12.15 pm mass. It was taken from a first floor window in the Castle Inn Guest House in June 1978. The Hartnett family owned and ran the Guest House at that time. ” 

Army trucks in The Square 1978

“This photo was also taken from the first floor of the Castle Inn Guest House in June 1978. It shows Army Trucks in the Square in front of the old National Bank. Also notice the hearse parked in the bottom left hand corner of the photo, as well as the old style school bus and Massey Fergusson Tractor on the right of the photo.”

Mamie O’Donnell Gunn on her way home from the creamery in June 1978;

“This photo is of the late Mamie O’Donnell Gunn, who was married to the Bodhran maker Davie Gunn of Ardydonaghanin the Parish of Duagh. Mamie would go to the creamery in Listowel every day on her donkey and cart. And on her way home she would do some shopping in the Square. This photo was taken in front of Lynch’s shop in 1978.”

(photos and captions: Anne Wixted)

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Excitement in The Small Square


This is Emily from Charlotte, North Carolina in the U.S. She is currently in residence in Olive Stack’s gallery in Main Street. She is in love with Listowel and she is blogging her love Here



Emily and her friend, Kerry are putting their time in Listowel to good use.  Here is Emily’s portrait of Olive Stack and above is her portrait of Joe Murphy which was the work in progress the day I met her. I saw a few other familiar faces among the pictures dotted all around the gallery. It looks like this is going to be a very busy and productive visit.

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Rose of Tralee 2015



John Kelliher was at the Rose parade on Saturday and he took some great photos, as usual. Click on his name above to view them all.

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+ Mary Keane R.I.P.+


(Photo: Irish Independent)

Billy Keane wrote one of his finest, most moving pieces of writing in tribute to the mother who meant so much to him.

Billy Keane’s tribute to Mary Keane

Mind the View and a few older photos

RISE in Listowel



This lovely book was launched in Olive Stack’s Gallery on Friday last, February 6 2015

The book is a compilation of poems by Paddy Creedon and images by Olive Stack. Proceeds from the sale of the book go to RISE, a charity set up by Frances Black to help families impacted by a family member’s addiction.

Heart Broken is one of my favourite poems from the anthology;

Hidden-Features, 

Golden_Silences,

Alone-Apart.

Emotional-Bonding

Hand-Holding.

Small -Things

Little- Surprises

Proud-to-be

With You.

Proud of You

Making-Good

Making-Up

Making -Love

Breaking-Down

Missing-You

Heart-Broken

SOME-TIMES.

The poem speaks eloquently to me of the up and down life of someone living with a loved addict in recovery.

The launch of the book was a great night in Olive Stack’s lovely gallery. The party carried on after I left in Lynch’s, Main St.

Paddy Creedon, poet

Olive Stack, artist

Frances Black was the special guest on the night. She was very accessible, signing everyone’s book and chatting to all the local people. She even gave us a song, Bright Blue Rose, despite having laryngitis. Robert Pierse, Nora Relihan, Elizabeth Dunn and Gabriel Fitzmaurice were among the guests who read their choice of poem.

Here are a few photos I took on the night.




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Then and Now



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A few old ones



(photo; Pat Del Savio)



Pat is looking through her old photos and she came up with this one of three generations of Ballybunion Culhanes, Sonny, Jackie and Jackie.

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Do you remember this one from Pat last week?

Update: The Babs Scully here in the white dress is looking forward to her 102nd. birthday!

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Duagh and a Hollywood connection




 This is the cover of the latest edition of National Geographic Traveler magazine and this is an article from Irish Abroadabout the article everyone is talking about.

The  front cover of February/March edition
of the prestigious travel magazine National Geographic Traveler has a picture
of Ross castle in Killarney in County Kerry and the headline ‘ Return to
Ireland – A Journey Home’.

Inside is an 11 page feature with an article
about Kerry written by award winning travel writer and actor Andrew McCarthy,
where he talks about his journey to find his Irish roots and traces his origins
back to the village of Lacca West in the parish of Duagh in County Kerry.



The article ‘A Song for Ireland‘ is adapted from Journeys
Home, the book Andrew McCarthy wrote about his journey to Ireland. 

In the
article, McCarthy writes “My own relationship to my Irish heritage had
always been one of casual pride and affectionate, if uninformed,
identification. When people asked what part of Ireland my people hailed from,
“Cork” was always my answer. Yet I had no idea exactly where my clan called
home.”

However, he was soon to find out that his people
had come from County Kerry. “It was as if I awoke, after a lifetime of
supporting the New York Yankees, to find that my people actually hailed from
Boston, and I was meant to be a Red Sox fan.”

He then talks about his
visit to Kerry, his climb of Carrantoohil, his visit to Killarney to buy an
Aran sweater, through Kenmare, around the ring of Kerry and onto the Dingle
peninsula and the long stretch of Inch beach. He moves from the town of Dingle
on through Tralee to the town of Listowel and then finally to his ancestral
home of Lacca West, a small yellow cottage where he meets cousins and extended
family and where the crests of the McCarthy and Fitzgerald family hang.
“This is is my family”,  he writes.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s head of North
America, said: “We are delighted with the coverage in the latest edition of
National Geographic Traveler, which is an excellent way of showcasing Kerry and
Ireland to a large audience of potential holidaymakers.”

Journeys
Home: Inspiring Stories, Plus Tips and Strategies to Find Your Family History

The
book, published by National Geographic,  leads with Andrew McCarthy’s tale
of Irish genealogical discovery and also includes tales from twenty-five other
prominent writers across the globe of their explorations in family history with
tips on how you can start looking for your roots.

The above are photos from Facebook of Andrew McCarthy taken during his visit to Ireland. He is pictured with his relatives and with Ger. and Damien who helped him trace his roots.

Ballybunion Church and M.S. Busking Day 2014

Nightime in Ballybunion photographed by fisherman, Mike Enright….Perfect!

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Ballybunion Church  Nearly there….




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Mural, mural on the wall…..

Olive Stack’s mural always fascinates me as I sit in the waiting area in Bank of Ireland The Square.

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Annual M.S. Busking Day Friday May 27 2014

Laura collecting outside Glamorous

Jimmy Hannon and the hard working musicians who entertained the crowd all day.

Bridie receives a donation from a previous chairman of the local M.S. branch.

A group of charity cyclists posed for photos with the collectors.

Gary and family.

Liam and Tom cheerfully collecting.

Comfort stop for the cyclists.

Noelle and Bridie do their bit.

Below are a selection of collectors and friends.

No one was safe , even election candidates and Co.

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