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: Vincent

Quiz answers

From Vincent

Answers to our quiz,

(1) What family occupied the Central Hotel before the Galvin’s?

(A) The Potter family, who the Galvins married into.

(2) Where could you see “a local Squire being entertained in Listowel ©1842 “?

(A) The original painting is on view at the Urban Council Office, or anyone with

      Listowel and its Vicinity, the colour plate is between pages, 256 and 257.

(3) There were two hotels in Listowel, known as Commercial, where were they?

      (not the Listowel Arms)

 (A) (1) in 1867, James Collopy had a Commercial Hotel in The Square, where

       Jimmy Deenihan has his office.

        (2) O’Connor’s Commercial Hotel was in Market Street, where Pierces had

        their veterinary practice.

(4) There was also a commercial club, where? Who was the secretary?

(A) Where ‘Footprints’ is now in Main Street, John Cahill was secretary.

(5) James Butler was a watch and clock repairer, where did he live?

(A) He lived and worked at 23 Upper William Street.

(6) Where did the Young Ireland Society have their meetings?

(A) At 63 Church Street, Tarrant’s or The Bon Ton (the name was painted on the

     plinth in the overhead wall)

(7) Where was Listowel’s last Private Hotel?

(A) Lawler’s, afterwards Ashes in Church Street.

(8) Two of Listowel Pharmacies and part of another one originally had something in

      common, nothing to do with dispensing medicine, what were they?

(A) 3 Public Houses. Wm. Keane Stack’s, (now Aidan O Connor’s) was a pub ran by

       Jeremiah Foley in 1911. Broderick’s Pharmacy was a pub ran by Edward Cain in

       1901. Thirdly, the William Street addition to McGuire’s Chemist shop (Justin

       Stack’s) was a pub ran by a William McCarthy.

    

 (9) Listowel residents, John McCrystall, George Rice and Gabriel Thorpe had           

      something in common, what?

(A) They were three Listowel physicians and surgeons in 1846.

(10)  Listowel’s Royal Hotel was owned by whom?

(A) Patrick J. Houlihan, 1880s

      Miss Hannah Roche, 1890s

(11) If I was to meet you for a drink in Listowel’s, Hotel Brendan, who’s home would

        we have been in?

(A) The home of Robert M Danaher, father of Tim Danaher (Gift of Ink). Afterwards

       John Joe Kenny’s and the Castle Bar.  

Thanks to all those who took the time to contribute, I got some very funny answers, nobody got them all right, even remotely near it!!, I suppose there will be some who will say,”I knew that” however having read the answers they would say that, would’nt they?

Here to the next one,

Vincent.

Correction kindly provided by Vincent Carmody

Vincent failed to upload this as a comment but he kindly emailed it to me for your delectation.

Listowel memories from Vincent Carmody,

While not wishing to do so, I must take issue with the blogger in the instance of her  recollection of the story of the Protestant business man.

As I recall, the incident which is referred to, concerned a Protestant family of shopkeepers named Elder who had a shop in the Square for nearly thirty years, and which was subsequently  bought by the Lynch family who had a shop and bakery on the premises until recently.

It seems that some of the Elders staff enlisted to serve in the Great War and as a result a poster was displayed on the shop window which read, ” REQUIRED WITHIN, TWO SHOP ASSISTANTS, NO CATHOLIC NEED APPLY” , this clearly infuriated the greater majority of townspeople and on one of the following days after the Elder family opened their shop they found a whitewashed slogan painted on their front wall, which read, ” NO CATHOLIC WILL APPLY”

Horans shop itself had many interesting occupants over its many years, one of whom was a gentleman named John Foley who ran a drapery business for some time. Foley was a noted athlete and was Irish Shot Putt champion in his early years. Indeed a son of his called Jerry returned back to Listowel some years ago in retirement after a lifetime of seventy years in America.

During the War of Independence his shop was where JK Sports (Aidan O Connor) trades. Further up William Street there was a hardware shop owned by John Faley, Faley a staunch republican had over those years working in his employ many of the young men fighting for the cause, indeed one of these was Paddy Dalton, murdered at Gortaglanna. The Black and Tans were aware of where Faleys sympathies lay and they decided to make an example of him by torching the shop, after this order was given, the party to carry out the business left the Barracks, came down Church Street and up William Street, however they mistook the name John Foley for John Faley and preceded to set the house on fire. Such was the outcry after this event, Faleys escaped.

Other occupants of where Horans are now were, William Woods, shoeshop. Tom Walsh, drapery, he afterwards moved across the road to the corner house which is now part of McKennas,  McCarthy, drapery. Paul Shanahan, shoeshop.

One can see a photograph of John J.Foley, athlete, in the company of Ned( the hooker) Walsh and Morgan Sheehy taken (C) 1900 in “Listowel and the GAA”  page 22. While a photograph of the burning of Foleys house is to be found in Carmodys “North Kerry Camera” page 96.

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