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: Ursula Stack

Listowel from John Kelliher’s Drone, A Poem from Noel Roche, 1992 panto in Pres. and Speed Cameras

Swans at Rattoo



Photo: Bridget O’Connor

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Listowel in Lockdown


Drone photos from John Kelliher




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HMS Pinafore 1992

Presentation Secondary School, Listowel operetta

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Another Poem from Noel Roche

This poem needs no words of introduction or explanation. Noel says it best in his own words. And remember he is 40 years sober this year.


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Bet You didn’t know this




The speed camera was invented to speed cars up not slow them down. A Dutch rally driver and engineer called Gatsonides wanted to take corners faster. His first device was 2 strips across the road. The first strip started a stop watch. The second stopped it. Then he thought of adding a camera so he not only had a record of the vehicle’s speed, he also had a picture of the car. He could see how much extra speed he could squeeze out of a corner by approaching it along a different line.

His invention was called the Gatsometer and speed cameras are often still referred to as Gatsos. He realised its application in the detection of speeding offences when he replaced the pressure sensitive strips with a radar beam.

Of course the Listowel connection is our own Irish GoSafe speed camera network has its headquarters in Listowel.

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“Oh, lest the world should task you to recite….”

Ursula Stack sent us this Covid fact.

Dame Judi Dench has tasked herself with learning all of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets during Covid 19 lockdown

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From Isolation -Inspiration

Thank you, Nan Bailey for the heads up on this marvellous resource.

This is an initiative of the Irish Embassy in London.

From Isolation – Inspiration involves a series of short videos posted on the Embassy social media channels which feature individual Irish artists currently in domestic isolation performing their art – a musician, singer, poet, novelist, actor etc. The videos are filmed by the artist in their home or garden and are designed to inspire and bring solace and cheer in these testing times.

Access the recordings    HERE

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A (very late) Message from Listowel Celtic PRO



Our own Barbara Mulvihill is nominated for the Best Actress Award in the Kevin Rowe Events Oskars.  She is raising money for St. James hospital.

If you want to vote for Barbara here is the link.

Best Actress at Kevin Rowe Events Oskars

Martin McCarthy is up for Best Actor. He is raising money for the Mercy Hospital Foundation.

A vote costs €1

NNB Voting closes this evening at 5.00

Lacken Post Box, Gleeson’s, and The Lartigue and volunteers

Knowing my fascination with post boxes Mattie Lennon sent us a photo of this one in Lacken.

Sometimes its nice to look back on the days when we were all the one and those times when a lick of green paint could make it all alright.

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Gleeson’s


Eileen Sheridan’s photo brought back many happy memories for blog fiollowers. 

Marie Nelligan Shaw wrote

Love, love, love the picture of Gleesons/Jumbos. Remember Ned Gleason, his son Eddie, his wife Annie? And Eddies wife Frances? who played the organ at St. Mary’s. Old Mrs. Gleason was blind and would trace my face with her hands to see if I looked like the Neligan’s or the Fitzgerald’s. There was also a lady who lived with them (believe her name was also Annie) who would walk Mrs. Gleason to mass at the convent chapel every morning. Great memories. Thanks Mary!

Philomena Moriarty Kuhn also had happy memories of the Gleeson family

I used to sing in the choir.  Mrs. Gleeson was our teacher. Lovely memories.

Imelda Murphy remembers too.

 I remember Gleeson’s pub lovely memories of my Grandfather Jackie Hartnett taking us in there for A bottle of lemonade

Vincent Carmody wrote this for us.

The Gleeson picture reminded me of the history of the house, I carried a mention in my 2012 book, pages 88 & 89 and more in the 2018 book, pages 66 & 67.

The house (Gleesons/Jumbos)  was actually built in the 1860’s by Daniel Broder for his daughter Johanna and her husband John Buckley. They had gone to America previously and John had died there. Johanna came home with her three children and operated the pub/grocery business, operating under the name, the Widow Buckley (page 89, 2012 book)  Her three Buckley children were, Lar, John and Daniel. 

Lar became a cooper, serving his time at Kirby’s in the Square, having completed his apprentice he married Ellen Kearney and set up a cooperage in Upper Church Street in a house which belonged to the Kearney family, Been of an entrepreneurial nature, Lar was aware of the ongoing development of Upper William Street and it’s potential with  its closeness to the Market and the Railway Station. he purchased a site from Lord Listowel on which he built two houses, now, No’s 24 and 26. He lived and worked in No. 26, the other he leased. It was in No 26 that he raised his family, his eldest Kathy, afterwards finding fame as chief cook in the White House. Laurence was an elected member of the Listowel U.D.C. in three  elections between 1905 and 1918. 

John Buckley, ( Lar’s brother) married a Matilda Walsh from Tarbert and then went to Melbourne. 

Daniel, the third of the Johanna’s children died as a young boy. 

In the 1870’s a rail connection was developed between Limerick and Tralee. Listowel then became an important terminus due to its large fairs and vibrant butter market. One of the railway personnel that found employment in Listowel was Tipperary man (I think he was from Upperchurch ?)  Timothy Gleeson. Over time he met with the Widow Buckley, first friendship, then romance and in December 1871 they married. They had five children, Edward, Julia, James, Mary and Daniel. Edward  (Ned) was the man the gave the address of welcome to Parnell. 

Johanna Buckley and Timothy Gleeson had a long life together, they both died within 4 days of each other, Timothy, on the 19th of December 1918, aged 76 and Johanna on the 22nd of  December, aged 98. 

My first cousin, Eileen (Buckley) McCaffrey, Johanna’s great granddaughter once told me the her family attributed Johanna’s longevity to her having a daily, morning full body dip. in a water filled large whiskey casket, which she kept for that purpose in a back shed.

In my book of 2018, page 45, I  presented a poster of the sale of a cottage in Courthouse Road, this was in 1903, the seller was Daniel Broderick (Broder), aged 82.. He was the man previously mentioned as having built the house for his daughter Johanna Buckley  In my comment about the poster I pointed out that Daniel Broderick, beside’s his daughter having a business in the town, he also had two sons, John, who owned a public house in the premises now housing the Credit Union (he was grandfather of Fr. Tony Gaughan) and Joseph, who was grandfather of Joe Broderick and great grandfather of Diarmuid, who runs Brodericks well known hostelry down in Tay-Lane.

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A Trip on the Lartigue


I brought some visitors to the Latrigue last week. As usual they really enjoyed the visit and they learned so much. They were delighted.

Bill and Tim were two of the volunteers on duty.

Michael Guerin was our driver and guide for the day.

As well as looking after the train and the museum, the volunteers also look after the flowers.

Pat was doing a bit of dead heading. The flowers are beautiful and a credit to all who care for them.

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Home from Spain

I met Ursula (Carmody)  Stack and her dad as they set out to do a spot of tidying up before The Races.

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