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: The Square Page 2 of 7

Illumination

By

On May 31, 2022

In Festivals, Listowel, Listowel Races, Listowel Writers Week

Listowel Town Square in May 2022

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Clarification

I posted this picture yesterday and I wondered why there were so few boys in the class. Vincent Carmody solved the mystery.

There were always junior (locally called Babies) classes in both the boys and girls schools in Listowel. There was a custom for boys who lived in O’Connell’s Avenue or other houses near the convent or for boys who had an association with the convent to go there up to First Communion class.

I presumed that the full class of communion boys must have been in the new school. Not so. Éamon ÓMurchú remembers boys communion classes in the old school and in The Carnegie.

Everyone agrees that Quirkes of Church St. was the place to go for the best after communion breakfast.

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Lovely Listowel

This Church Street shop has very elaborate and unusual embellishments on the first storey.

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St. Vincent de Paul Society Honours Hannah

Listowel St. Vincent de Paul Society recently honoured one of its most treasured members, Hannah Mulvihill.

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Illuminated Parchment Presentation

This photo was shared by Mike Hannon on Facebook. I recognise the occasion. It is the handover during race week 1958 of an illuminated work of art to the directors of Listowel Race Company.

The picture being presented is the work of Bryan MacMahon and Michael O’Connor.

Jer Kennelly found a great clip online that explains the work of an illuminator.

Bishop Barron

It is well worthwhile to watch this to appreciate the genius that was Listowel’s Michael O’Connor.

I am looking forward to developments at Kerry Writers’ Museum which will see O’Connor’s work displayed for us all to see. Many examples of the great artist’s work have been promised by their owners, often his family members, to the museum as soon as it has a place to conserve and display them.

Example of a Michael O’Connor illuminated letter

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Betty Remembered at The Races

In memory of Betty McGrath, her good friend, Larry Buckley, has organised a race at this weekend’s race meeting. The race will be run on Sunday June 5 2022, Ladies Day

In The Lingerie Room, Elaine is a is also remembering. Her window display remembers Betty, a queen of style.

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New on Church Street

I checked out their website. I think it is a kind of government recruitment agency. This is what the website says;

“Get the tailored support you need Turas Nua is delivering the JobPath programme to help long-term unemployed people get the support they need to move into suitable, sustainable employment….”

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NCBI Window Display

NCBI Listowel is getting behind Writers’ Week with this apt window display.

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Mary O’Halloran was pictured at Navan recently.

Mary is a frequent visitor to Listowel Races where she is always one of the best turned out ladies on the course.

Mary is living with Motor Neurone Disease.

I can’t give her the 2 page spread Charlie Bird got in last Sunday’s Independent. But I can tell you that I greatly admire Mary and all the other people with MND who are quietly getting on with life.

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Old Days, Old Ways

By

On May 30, 2022

In Listowel, Listowel Races, Personal

Listowel Town Square in May 2022

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Carroll’s of William Street

On William Street this shop is being renovated and, keeping true to Listowel tradition, attention is being paid to the upper stories.

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First Holy Communion Time

I don’t have a date for this class photo but since its all boys it has to be after Scoil Real na Maidine moved into the new school.

Before the boys moved into their new school they used to go to the convent until communion year and then transfer to the boys school. Marie Gorman kept this lovely souvenir of her First Communion Day. The cohort of boys seems small by comparison with the girls.

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Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Listowel in 1972

Photo shared by Mike Hannon

Joan Kenny and a friend from Dublin, Eileen Kelly, enjoying a wafer ice cream at the fleadh.

Back in the day, you could buy this delicacy in a shop. The shop assistant took a block of ice cream from the fridge and with a big knife, usually kept close by in a jug of cold water, cut a slice of ice cream and put it between two wafers for the customer.

Joan and Eileen appear to have got a very generous slice.

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The Maid of Erin, Then and Now

Mike Hannon shared the old photos. I took the recent one last week, May 2022.

Potters
Galvins

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Official Opening and Blessing of The New Stand

Photos shared by Listowel Races on Facebook.

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Lovely Listowel Shopfront

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A Thought for U.S. Politicians

In the wake of the Uvalde Elementary School massacre, a rabbi posted this thought.

In Judaism there are many actions that are preceded by a prayer. If one says the prayer and then does not do the action, e.g. eat the bread that one has blessed, that is considered a sinful act.

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Pub Theatre returns to John B.’s

Pub theatre has made a welcome return just in time to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of the great dramatist. John B. Keane passed away 20 years ago today.

His spirit and memory is still very much alive, never more so than at this time of year, Listowel Writers’ Week.

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Some of the Old Stock

By

On May 10, 2022

In Listowel, Schools

Photo Credit; Una Murphy, Mallow Camera Club

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Some of Listowel’s Old Stock

This marvellous old snap is one of the great photos shared by Mike Hannon on Facebook.

In the centre of the photo is the late Ned O’Connor of Convent Street.

Ned was the first Listowel man I met on my first visit to town. The year was 1972 or 1973. I was a very young teacher and on my first big assignment. I was to examine the Leaving Cert. class in Presentation Secondary School in oral Irish.

I had never been to Listowel before.

I looked up the Bord Fáilte book for a suitable Bed and Breakfast for the week. (There was no internet in those days)

I think it was the Convent Street address that prompted me to choose Ned O’Connor’s premises. I figured it was surely within walking distance of the school. It was.

I arrived on the Sunday evening, to begin work on Monday. Ned welcomed me and showed me to a very comfortable room. He told me that the week before the “Padre Pio priest” had stayed in that very room.

The next morning after my breakfast, Ned gave me an orange to bring with me to school. He told me that he thought my voice would be sore from all the talking and oranges were great for relieving a sore throat. I had never stayed in a B and B before but I knew that this level of caring couldn’t be the norm.

As an ambassador for Listowel, Ned did an excellent job.

May he rest in peace.

By the way, the Leaving Cert girls did excellently well in their oral exam.

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It’s Done and It’s Lovely

And who are the two men enjoying a chat and admiring the newly unveiled area?

Billy Keane and Aidan ÓMurchú were relaxing in the sunshine in the new facility.

Necessary but a bit unsightly in our lovely new meeting, performing and eating space

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From 2002/03 Pres. Yearbook

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Dáithí Óg

Back in the day Dáithí ÓSé used to be a weatherman on TG4

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Mallow and More

By

On May 6, 2022

In Ballybunion, Listowel, Schools

At Scoil Realt na Maidine, April 2022

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In Mallow

Recently I made a brief pit stop in Mallow and I photographed a few landmarks there.

Mallow clock House
The Nation

Mallow is a strange mix of architectural styles.

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Big Changes in Town in 1920

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From the Pres. Yearbook 2002/03

School staff 2002/03

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Moya Festival 2022

Let’s go fly a kite

Up to the highest height.

This was the scene in Ballybunion on the Saturday of the May bank holiday weekend 2022. MOYA goes from strength to strength.

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Danny Hannon’s Shop

This was Hannon’s newsagent’s and book shop back in the day.

It’s now Gamourous.

I told you the other day that I bought my Frances Kennedy cd in that shop.

Mike Hannon is sharing marvellous old photos on Facebook. This is one of those, Eileen and Danny in the shop.

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The Creamery

By

On May 2, 2022

In Listowel

Bring flowers of the fairest,

Bring blossoms the rarest….

It’s May folks

Photo credit: Jim McSweeney

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Wouldn’t you miss Weeshie?

They’ve named a roundabout after him in Killarney.. The roundabout is near Fitzgerald’s Stadium where Weeshie spent happy days as a player and official and later as a broadcaster.

I think a roundabout is a fitting tribute to him too as he often shirked the modh díreach in his questioning as he wandered into other topics or memories. He interviewed me once and I found him to be a lovely, kindly man. He loved to discover a connection and he found one with me. Weeshie has relatives in Kanturk and he had happy memories of the town.

He was born to broadcast on local radio. He was one of a kind.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Weeshie’s family at the dedication of the roundabout on Thursday April 28 2022 Photo; Radio Kerry

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A Blast from the Past

Jim Halpin and a garda I can’t name at the door of Jim’s shop in Church Street in 2015.

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The Creamery

There is a Facebook page called The Vintage Lens and recently it posted this photograph. Only people of a certain age will know what this is.

It’s a seperator. The picture was taken at a creamery in the 1950s or 60s. Men, like these in the photo brought their milk to the local branch creamery. Ours was Banagh, a branch of North Cork CoOperative Creameries.

The milk was taken in by the man on the landing and tested for butterfat content. The price you got for your milk depended on this test. Then the milk was separated and the skim milk was sold back to the farmers. You delivered your milk at one side of the building, drove or led your horse around to the other side and filled your churn with skim milk. This was used to feed calves and pigs.

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On a Listowel street

Beautifully finished windows and doors are a feature of Listowel’s streetscape. These striking ones are on Upper William Street.

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Badminton from the 1983 Pres. yearbook

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Progress

The lights have gone up and the pavement is being restored. It looks lovely, very modern and as unobtrusive as it could be. I look forward to meetings, dining and performances here in the future.

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