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: Pieta House

Easter 2015

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On April 6, 2015

In Uncategorized

Easter Sunset in Ballybunion


(photo:  Mike Enright)

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Darkness into Light



Organisers of the fundraising walk for Pieta House are delighted with the response. Here are a few photos from their registration day on Easter Saturday 2015. Photos from Darkness into Light, Listowel

Listowel Emmetts
Tarbert GAA

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Duagh Bell Restored



Some people hold a raffle, others push a bed but Duagh set a new standard for fundraising with a marvellous food festival that set The Mall and half of North Kerry talking for a memorable weekend in Summer 2014. All in aid of their church bell.

A proud son of Duagh and master chef, John Relihan assembled a band of chefs, barbecue specialists and assorted volunteers and they provided a festival that will be talked about in North Kerry for many a long day.

John Relihan, Fr. Pat Moore and Nina Hayes

Amateur chefs taking part in a hilarious “Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook style cook off.

Ta Dah!  Behold the newly restored bell!

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Party, Party, Party


Two Listowel businesses celebrated in style on Easter Saturday April 5 2015

Listowel Garden Centre opened their awesome new store with a party for the town. Listowel Garden Centre is a family affair for Nick and Liz Roberts. Here are some photos of this very enterprising family who have truly enhanced our town with this beautiful new centre.

McAuliffes were out in force to support Liz and Nick. At the door I met Barry, home from the U.S. for the occasion. He was celebrating the grand opening with one of his cousins. Inside I met Nick and the entire Roberts family, busily serving customers. Barry’s family were also there  in numbers. I missed the big moment when Mrs. McAulliffe, Liz’s mum, cut the ribbon but Kelly McAuliffe kindly sent me her photo of the family at the door.

Listowel Garden Centre has passed a great vote of confidence in Listowel’s economy. Everyone wishes them well in their new venture.

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Perfect Pairs


The other party on Saturday was in the always stylish premises of Perfect Pairs on Church St. where Mairead and Martina were celebrating ten years in business.


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Easter Hope


Billy Keane has written  poem for our friend Fr. Pat Moore.

LINES FOR FATHER PAT MOORE ON EASTER SUNDAY MORNING 2015

The morning’s light

Was cueing outside

The black -out blinds

And men with cows milked,

Broke bread for a second time.

The sad choir sang the song of despair

But Our Moore’s prayers

Are the daily resurrection.

“We must peel life back to the essential,”

Of love and hope, the love of our time”

And the hosts of the Easter light

Shine through

In wafer lines.

Soon enough, they’ll be spraying our friend again.

He’ll be tired then from the rays of the gun,

But Our Moore knows as surely as anyone,

Even among the thorns and weeds,

Small flowers sing a te deum.

Billy Keane.

Tar Abhaile, Knitwits and Confirmation 2013

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On April 17, 2013

In Uncategorized

Day Two of the Tar Abhaile project and things  got underway in earnest.

The very genial Evelyn O’Rourke (whose mother hails from Ballybunion) is the presenter of the Tar Abhaile programme. Here she is with me and Kay in The Seanchaí to film the introduction to the story. Since this programme is for TG4 this part is in Irish.

  Then I signed my contract for one cent. We headed back to Teampall Bán to meet Julie.

 This is Julie with Michael Lynch, the county archivist, who brought the original books with the minutes of the Board of Guardians’ meetings. Julie saw her ancestor’s name listed as one of the orphans chosen to be sent to Australia. She saw the minutes of meetings noting how shoes were bought for the girls and arrangements made for their transport to Dublin.

Kay dons white gloves to handle the precious old ledgers.

Jeanette and her daughter Peta posed with myself and Kay at the freezing cold Teampall Bán. Jeanette is descended from another of Bridget Ryan’s 12 children.

Here we are at lunch in The Listowel Arms before we head off to Co. Limerick for the next turn in the saga.

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Saturday last was the kind of day when a lot of nice things happened to me. This is one of them.

We, Knitwits, were knitting and nattering as usual when this very stylish lady approached us. She said that she is looking for the person who knit the scarf and hat set she bought in Scribes in aid of the St. Vincent de Paul. I lay low even though I knew that what she was describing had been knitted by yours truly. I feared that she might have found a dropped stitch or the whole thing had unravelled or it had nearly choked someone.

Not at all. She was delighted with it and just wanted to know who had knit it. Happy days!

Better still, she remembered me from school. Emily Sugrue (for it was she)  and her lovely daughter, Alex posed for us.

I was thrilled to hear that Alex has taken up knitting and she is knitting herself a hairband.

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Tina, Miriam and Eileen posed for me in The Second Time Around shop. Miriam had dropped in to make arrangements for the Gaelscoil’s fundraising sale in the Plaza on Friday. They will have bric a brac and books for sale and they will have teas, coffee and buns to eat or to take away.

One man’s bric a brac is another man’s intriguing artifact.

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A dawn walk for suicide prevention will take place in Kerry next month.  The ‘Darkness into Light’ walk sees participants begin their walk in the dark and finish as the dawn breaks. It’s in aid of Pieta House which is to open a centre in Castleisland later this year.  The walk will take place in Muckross Park in Killarney on May 11th – beginning and ending at the Gleneagle Hotel.  The event was launched yesterday in Killarney by Joan Freeman, founder of the Pieta House organisation.

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Some more of the Confirmation children’s handiwork

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A workshop incorporating the person and ancestoral journey with Fr. Jim Cogley will take place form the 23rd-25th April in Ardfert Retreat Centre.

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John Kelliher’s photo of the Killocrim Confirmation class

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