Listowel Celtic, The Case of the Black Pudding and will the next US ambassador be a Corkman?

Photo: Donal Murphy, Mallow Camera Club

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Reliving a memory with Listowel Celtic

These photos from Listowel Celtic's Facebook page are from the official opening of the soccer playing field at Tannavalla. May all of those who were part of the occasion and are gone from us rest in peace.

The late Jack Carmody (The Sherriff) with his family.

John Delaney with club chair, Aiden OConnor and Beatrice and Jack Carmody

Some great club stalwarts.

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The Council of Dirha by John B. Keane continued from yesterday

.........However, this is another matter. It is with the pre Pope Paul period of fast and abstinence that I propose to deal now. Before I do, let me say that fireside theology was reduced to a very fine art in those days. There was no opposition from television and the country was far from motorized. Consequently there was genuine profundity in most fireside exchanges. The subtler arts of sarcasm, irony and cynicism all flourished and were brought to such a degree of excellence by common country folk that ordinary comment was almost totally outlawed.

The first serious council held by hobside theologians to which I was a witness was held in Dirha Bog circa 1935. So great was the fear of excommunication in those distant days that even today I am not at liberty to mention the name of the house owner. The council was well attended and present at the time were such venerable sages as the late Sonny Canavan and Jack Duggan. The main spokesman was a spailpín by the name of Billy Drury, brother of the poet, Paddy. The main item on the agenda on that memorable occasion was whether the consumption of black puddings on a Friday constituted a breach of the laws of fast and abstinence. Pork steak and puddings were a common enough diet at the time. Every countryman kept his own pig and when the creature was fat enough to be butchered substantial quantities of pork steak and home filled black puddings were distributed among the neighbours.

It was universally accepted even amongst the most extreme heretics and schismatics that under no cicumstances was the eating of pork steak to be countenanced on a Friday or any other days of fast and abstinence. Puddings, however were a different kettle of fish altogether. If I might be permitted to the use of a widely used saying at the time, “there were puddings and puddings.”  It was with this aspect of the matter that the Dirha theologians concerned themselves. When is a black pudding not a black pudding or, to put it another way, what are the chief characteristics of a sinful pudding?

more tomorrow 

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The Next U.S. Ambassador to Ireland ?

Ohio businessman Ed Crawford has emerged as the front-runner to become the next US ambassador to Ireland. 

A long-time Republican party donor, Mr Crawford is the chairman of Park-Ohio Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed manufacturing and supply-chain company which has operations across the world, including in Cork. 

He was the finance chairman for the Republican National Committee’s Ohio campaign during last year’s presidential race, and was an early supporter of Donald Trump. 

Mr Crawford, whose grandparents came from Co Cork, has also been centrally involved in the Irish community in Cleveland, hosting the then taoiseach Enda Kenny at an event to mark the rededication of the Irish Cultural Garden in the city in 2012. 

His emergence as the top candidate to become the next US ambassador comes after Brian Burns, a Florida businessman and friend of Mr Trump, withdrew from consideration for the post.

I read the above in The Irish Times and I decided that the next time I passed through Newmarket, I'd stop for a look around and see how this man's ancestral place was doing now.

Newmarket is a neighbouring town to my own Kanturk and , apart from the old tribal rivalries of the G.A.A. Newmarket people were friends.

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Listowel Boy Scouts and Leaders

Photo from Mike Hannon from the John Hannon archive.
This looks like a St. Patrick's Day parade passing through Main Street. I'm guessing the 1970s because the Spinning Wheel is where Footprints is now. I could hazard a guess at some of these men and ladies  but, for fear of mistakes, I'll let it up to you. Tell me if you recognise yourself.

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Sam In O'Connell's Avenue

The man on the far left is Tom Sweeney, a man whose family is steeped in football. The others are Tom Lyons, Mick Carey and Gigs Nolan R.I.P.

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One for the diary

On Sunday next, April 22 2018 Kay Moloney, formerly of Gurtinard House, Listowel will give a talk in The Seanchaí at 7.00p.m.

The subject of her talk will be an incident that was very significant in the history of Listowel.

One hundred years ago a group of local men ploughed up Lord Listowel's lawn.

Who were these men?

Why did they convert Lord Listowel's lawn into a tillage feld?

What were the consequences? 

These questions will be answered by Kay on Sunday evening and the answers might surprise you.

You won't want to miss this one.