Tag: Woman’s Way

Photo: Christopher Bourke, Malow Camera Club

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Dioscesan News

Letter from Frances Rowland

While we will not be able to participate physically in Mass this weekend, we will be able to pray the Mass with the celebrations being held online. If you wish to look at the Mass being broadcast over the internet, here are some of the churches in the diocese where Mass is being broadcast.

http://www.stbrendansparishtralee.net/ Saturdays 6.30pm, Sundays 10 am, 11.15am, 12.30pm,

Weekdays 9.30 am

http://listowelparish.com/ Saturdays 6.15pm, Sundays 9am and 11.30am

Weekdays 10.30 am

http://www.killarneyparish.com/ Saturdays 6.15pm, Sundays 8am, 10.30am, 12 noon,

Weekdays 10.30 am and 6.15pm

https://naomhmuire.wordpress.com/ Saturdays 8pm, Sundays 11.30am

https://www.churchservices.tv/castleisland Saturdays 6.15pm, Sundays 11.30am, Weekdays 11am

It is only in the gravest circumstances that Masses are cancelled. Being unable to go to Mass this weekend will make us more conscious of the gift of being able to attend Mass usually and realise the importance of the Eucharist in our lives. We can revive the practice of Spiritual Communion as we unite ourselves, from our homes, with the sacrifice being offered. We can also be in spiritual communion with all those throughout the world who are not able to attend Mass for different reasons.

We unite as sisters and brothers of Jesus Christ, standing together in the hope he brings.

With kind regards,

Frances

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Moyvane Concert

Elizabeth Brosnan took some great photos at the recent concert featuring Liam O’Connor and family band, Brian Kennedy and local dancers which was held in Moyvane church to raise funds for the upkeep of the church.

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The Light of Other Days

Mattie Lennon sent us this screen grab of the cover of Woman’s Way from November 1969. The cover featured the Housewife of the Year and her family.

The winner of the Calor sponsored competition was Mrs. Ann McStay and she was the first Dublin winner of the title.

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The Diaspora

Around the world there are millions of people whose ancestors came from Ireland. Many of these people were raised on stories of life in Ireland in their forefathers time. They have grown up with a love and appreciation of our Irish songs and dances, our traditions and our gift for poetry,

One such person was the late Australian Bush poet, Martin O’Brien. His ancestors on both sides fled Ireland during the Great Hunger. He knew that his great grandmother on his father’s side was evicted with her 9 children. The mother died and how the children made their way to Australia is unclear.

In this poem Martin echoes the longing of many emigrants to seek out the place of birth of their Irish antecedents. Many long to walk in the footsteps of their forefathers, to reconnect with the land they were forced unwillingly to leave.

THEIR LAND

I hope one day I’ll leave this land

to go from whence they came,

and travel far across the sea

so there at last my eyes will see

the land from which they came.

I know I never will belong
to my ancestors’ land,
but still I’d like one time to see
(if God should grant that time to me),
the land that was their land.

I want to see the sights they saw
and hear the sounds they heard,
because that land still holds some claim –
more than just an Irish name –
some thing unsaid, yet heard.

I want to feel the living soil
they felt beneath their feet;
to watch the sun rise there, and set,
and go to places where they met,
and then to make complete …….

I want to walk some ancient track
where their young feet once lept,
to feel the pain as they had done
when their own exile had begun,
and weep where they once wept.

I know I never will belong
to my ancestors’ land,
but still I’d like some time to see
(if God should grant that time to me)
the land that was their land.

July, 1994.

I found this poem on a great website called Tinteán

About Martin O’Brien

Martin grew up on the O’Brien family dairy farm at Mount Burrell in the upper reaches of the Tweed River. After high school at St John’s College, Woodlawn, he spent many years as a seasonal worker – cutting cane and picking fruit – mainly on the Tweed, at Tully (Nth Qld) and in Mildura (Vic). In the off-seasons, he returned home to work on the farm. After the dairy crash in the mid-1960s, the family moved out off dairying into beef cattle production, building up (from their AIS milkers) one of the first herds of Charolais cattle on the Tweed. With increasingly lower beef prices towards the end of the 1970s, Martin was only able to work part-time on the farm, and obtained local off-farm work – mainly in sawmills. Tragically, on Christmas Eve 2013, Martin was killed in a tractor accident on the family farm.

He is a poet in the vernacular Bush Ballad tradition and was a finalist in the 1996 Poet Laureate Award at the Tamworth Music Festival.

Martin was deeply interested in his Irish heritage (on both his Mother’s and Father’s side of his family). These two poems are from Martin’s unpublished ‘Irish Collection

The Council of Dirha, an old photo and a new jumper

By Listowel Connection

On April 16, 2018

In Uncategorized

A camelia in The Garden of Europe

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A Photo from the Johnny Hannon Archive

Junior Griffin to whom I went to ask for help in identifying these people wrote;

The best known name here of course is Sam McGuire. Not sure of the man on the left but he may be Walsh from O’Connell’s Ave as the other3 are from that area of town., namely Tom Lyons, Mick Carey and “Gigs Nolan, who sadly died just a few months ago. Mick Carey was known as the doyen of the Gleann street league football and knew the game inside out.

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A John B. Keane Story (serialised )

Today I’m beginning another serialised essay of John B. Keane’s. He writes of a different era when Irish people were in the thrall of the church and fear of the wrath of God, as defined by the Catholic church, was ever-present.

The Council of Dirha by John B. Keane

Good luck and
success to the Council of Trent

What put fast upon
mate but not upon drink,

(Overheard at a
wake)

When the above
couplet was conceived there was fasting on Fridays. Nowadays, Lent apart, we
may eat meat with impunity throughout the entire year. The church was quite
clear in its strictures regarding the consumption of meat and meat products on
days of fast and abstinence. Then in 1966 Pope Paul promulgated new laws for
Roman Catholics. Fast days, which had included all the weekdays of Lent, the
vigils of Pentecost, The Immaculate Conception and Christmas and the Ember Days
were reduced to two, i.e. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In the same decree
Pope Paul reaffirmed the laws of abstinence from meat. However, he allowed
episcopal conferences to substitute for abstinence with other forms of penance
especially works of charity and exercises in piety.

Hobside
theologians of the time were known to smirk at the expression “works of
charity”. They deduced in their own indigenous fashion that to be charitable
one had to be rich. Since neither they themselves nor their associates were
remotely connected with wealth, they regarded themselves as being incapable of
charity. When it was explained to them that charity had other connotations such
as love of one’s fellow man they were quick to point out that because of their
innate worthlessness no one, save their own family, places any value on their
love.

(more tomorrow)

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Horan’s New Look

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My Latest Knit

The story of a jumper that turned into a saga.

Handknitted by moi
with a little help from Woman’s Way’s Louise Finn

It all began with
Woman’s Way, “Ireland’s best selling women’s magazine”.

I spotted a knitting pattern and I thought “This has my name on it.”
Simple pattern, easy peasy knitting and beautiful result down to the
beautiful colourful yarn. But…..

I went on line to
the two big online sellers of wool, Vibes and Scribes in Cork, my favourite bricks
and mortar craft shop but I knew they sold online as well, and Springwools in Dublin,
Ireland’s biggest online yarn retailer. Neither of them seemed to stock Tivoli
Colour Maze.

Feeling a bit
miffed I contacted Woman’s Way with my false assumption that they had published
an old pattern and the yarn was discontinued. Louise Finn, the lovely deputy
editor, who has become my new best friend in this venture, emailed back to say
that my assumption was wrong. It was a brand
new pattern and the wool came into the shops in September 2017. She gave me the
phone number of Tivoli, the Cork company who market the wool and Anne there
told me that they had thousands of yarns and not every shop takes every one.
She couldn’t sell it to me because they don’t sell directly to the public. When
she found out that I lived in Kerry, she found that the nearest retailer to me
with that wool in stock was in Kenmare. I gave her a quick Geography lesson.
Kenmare is 100kms from Listowel.

I reported back my
lack of success to Louise. Now Louise didn’t get to where she is today by
giving up. She did a bit of research and she found a lovely shop in Midleton,
Karen’s Krafts. Karen had the yarn in stock and she was willing to post. Now we
were sucking diesel or so I thought.

I contacted Karen.
There were 8 colourways available and she didn’t have them all but she was
expecting a delivery. So the final outcome of my chat with Karen was that she
would text me when the wool came in and I would take a trip to Midleton on my
next visit to my family in Cork.

Meanwhile my
daughter is going to Midleton with her work on Monday, February 26 2018.
Spottting an opportunity I ask her to call to Karen to suss out my wool. I ring
Karen and now she hasn’t got three balls in any colour. (The pattern requires
three) but the delivery from Tivoli hasn’t come yet.

Delivery comes and Karen texts me to tell me that the only 3 ball
stock that came in are grey or beige. Now remember I said that this is a very
basic jumper only made special by the colourful yarn. Let’s say grey and beige
don’t cut it with me in the ‘Colourful” stakes . So I decided to throw in the
towel.

Did I mention that
Louise did not get to where she is today…….?

When I told her
that I had accepted failure she was having none of it. She emailed back to say
that she had contacted a wool shop in Blanchardstown and they were willing to
order the wool and to post it to me.

And so they did.
The yarn arrived in Listowel and now all that was left for me to do was knit
the blessed thing. Then Louise emailed to say that she would like to see a
photo of the finished product for publication in the magazine. No pressure then.

So voilà, me in my
beautiful new jumper just in time for the next cold snap.

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Two Names

The two people on the left have been identified as Arthur Chute and Violet McCarthy. The search continues to identify the other three people.

North Kerry area Olympic story

By Listowel Connection

On August 1, 2012

In Uncategorized

Today is the first of August, Lunasa. It is also the first day of autumn

Lunasa gets its name from Lugh the Celtic god of the sun who married Danu the goddess of water.

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All of the following information and photographs were provided by Jer. Kennelly. Jer. is a diligent local historian, a local treasure and one of the most loyal and consistent contributors to this blog. Take a bow, Jer!

Edward Barrett of Rahela, Ballyduff:

Edward Barrett was born in Rahela, Ballyduff in 1882. father Thomas and mother Bridget Whelan. He joined the City of London Police. In 1901 he won an All Ireland Hurling medal as a member of the London Irish Hurling team that beat Cork in the All-ireland final. At the 1908 Olympic Games held in London he won an Olympic Gold medal as a member of the City of London Police Tug- of -War team, he also won an Olympic Bronze medal in the heavyweight freestyle wrestling. He married Julia McCarthy in 1910 in Middlesex. They are on the 1911 Census in High Holborn and I can trace them both in Electoral rolls until 1926 in St Pancras area – Chalk Farm, Regents Street and Kentish Town Road. He died c 1930s.

John James Barrett:

John James was born 1879, represented Britain at the 1908 Olympics and was a brother of Edward Barrett.

Tim Ahearne and his brother, Dan Ahearne from Dirreen, Athea.

They emigrated to the United States, Tim Ahearne had won the 1909 AAA long jump championship, in America Dan Ahearn set the first IAAF-recognized triple jump with 50-11 (15.52) in May 1911. He won the AAU triple jump in 1911 and 1913-1918, mostly defeating Tim, who was runner-up in 1911, 1913-14, and 1916. Tim Ahearne born August 18, 1885 died December 1968. Tim Ahearne won the gold medal in the triple jump at 1908 Olympics held in London. Dan came 6^th in the Olympics in 1920 triple jump, he was born in 1888 and died 1942.

LEAHY Family of Creggane

Seven brothers Leahy all atheletes. Pat and Con were the first brothers to win Olympic medals. First brothers to two Olympic medals each. The first family to win olympic medals in all three jumping events.

Martin Sheridan won a total of nine Olympic medals.

Michael Collins of Currans competed in the free style discus at the 1908 London Olympics games.

1900 High Jump Pat Leahy of Creggane won SILVER 1.78m

1900 Long Jump Pat Leahy BRONZE 6.95m

1900 Hammer John Flanagan GOLD 51.01m

1904 3,000m S/C John Daly SILVER 7.40.61

1904 Hammer John Flanagan GOLD 51.23m

1904 Decathlon Tom Kiely GOLD 6,036 pt

1908 High Jump Con Leahy of Creggane won SILVER 1.88m

1908 Triple Jump Tim Ahearne of Athea won GOLD 14.92m

1908 Shot Putt Denis Horgan SILVER 13.62m

1908 Hammer John Flanagan GOLD 51.92m

Jer. tells me that the Ahernes and the Leahys had cousins in Knockanure.

Con Leahy

Tim Aherne

Dan Ahearne picture July 4th 1909 at Celtic Park when he won World Champiomship in Hop Step and Jump.

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There is another unusual olympic story from Jer here:

https://listowelconnection.com/2012/07/the-pope-who-helped-save-olympics-st.html

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Doesn’t this take you back?

And he is still going strong.

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These pilgrims climbed The Reek in the 1950s. Numbers were down on Sunday last and fewer then ever climbed barefoot.

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In Finnegan’s in Dalkey yesterday, actor Eamonn Morrissey pays his repects. Finnegan’s is next to Maeve Binchy’s house

(photo by Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

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I looked everywhere and failed to find Maeve Binchy’s article about her first dance in Ballybunion. So instead I’ll pay my tribute to her with this article about the tribulations and compensations of being large.

Maeve wrote; “I am not a member of Fat Liberation, nor do I
think that obesity is healthy. But I do believe that in many ways my life has
been a more charmed and happy one because I was always large.

For one thing, my parents thought I was drop-dead
gorgeous. I grew up thinking it was wonderful to be big and strong and to be
able to knock down other children in the playground if I needed to. But I never
felt the need.

Then, in my teens, I discovered it was not all
right to be a big girl. At school, I was always the last to be picked for any
kind of sports team. Once, I unwisely asked a teacher what “jowls”
were. “Big chubby cheeks like what you have,” she said, not unkindly.
But the name stuck: For a whole year, I was called Jowls Binchy

At my first dance, nobody danced with me — nobody
at all. But I didn’t want to disappoint my parents, so I said it was a great
night. My mother knew. She said, “One day you’ll realize what’s important,
Maeve. It will be a wonderful day.” It was a while arriving, that day.

I would console myself with the view expressed by
one of the nuns who taught us. She said, “Whom the Lord loveth He also
persecuteth.” I decided the Lord must love me hugely.

Once I went to university, things started to
change. I discovered that men were just like everyone else, really. They liked
you if you were good-tempered and easy to talk to. And being a big girl meant
other females trusted you more, and confided in you. I realized that you didn’t
have to make self-deprecating remarks or turn yourself into the butt of some
unspoken joke. I also discovered that being big didn’t deter possible suitors.

When I was just over 30 and working as a
journalist, I met a man so good I feared there might be some Great Obstacle
somewhere, like he might already be married or have some awful problem that I
would only discover later. I hardly dared to hope we would see each other again
and was delighted when we became friends.

One day he invited me to go to lunch in France,
which was very romantic, and he told me that he thought I was the one for him.
I let my glass of wine fall on the floor, I was so shocked. My confidence left
me for a moment, and I regressed back to those tortured teenage years.

“But aren’t I a bit…well…a bit chubby to
be The One?” I asked.

He looked at me bewildered. And soon I became
bewildered myself. What had that got to do with anything when you loved
someone? I might never have had this great understanding, and 30 years of a
very happy marriage, had I been a petite little girl. I would have had
cheekbones, of course, which would have been nice, but I prefer the sense of
ease and comfort that has made a happy life happier still.”

Her entertaining and self revealing voice will be missed.

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From yesterday’s Irish Examiner

Call for return of historic church bell

By Donal Hickey

TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2012

Scrap dealers have been urged to look out for a rare and historic church bell, stolen in Co Kerry, being offered for sale.

The bronze bell, dating to the late 1700s, was taken from the Ivy Leaf Theatre in Castleisland last Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

The Ivy Leaf Theatre was formerly a Church of Ireland church. The ornate bell, which hung outside for generations, was taken down and kept indoors following a fire some years ago.

Weighing around 350lbs, it was on a 12ft shelf inside the building, located on a laneway just off the main street.

A spokesman for the theatre company believe a number of people would be needed to move the bell as well as a vehicle to transport it from the scene.

It is feared the bell may be among several metal items and monuments being targeted in recent years by thieves around the country.

The bell was made by the Rudhall family of Gloucester, England, in 1776 and only 18 such bells of its type exist in the world, according to Michael Burke of the Ivy Leaf Theatre.

He also said such bells are only in three other locations in Ireland — at St Anne’s Church, Shandon, Cork; St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, also Cork; and Trinity College, Dublin.

“This bell is so old and so rare that it would be impossible to put a value on it,” said Mr Burke.

“You’d know from just looking at it that this bell is quite unique. It’s a treasure as far we’re concerned and we want it back.

“We’re also asking scrap dealers and junkyard owners to be fully aware and to tell the gardaí if they are approached by people with the bell which is 26 inches in diameter and about two and a half feet high.”

Gardaí in Castleisland are investigating the theft and the scene has been forensically examined.

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: Woman’s Way

Moyvane Concert, Woman’s Way Cover 1969 and a Poem from Australia

I found this poem on a great website called Tinteán

About Martin O’Brien

The Council of Dirha, an old photo and a new jumper

North Kerry area Olympic story

Call for return of historic church bell