New York Kerry tean 1926, Covid 19, Writers Week 2019, Finuge and A Song

Statue of Schiller in Listowel's Garden of Europe in April 2020

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Football in New York in 1926

Tom Fitzgerald sent us this great photo of the New York Kerry football team in 1926. His uncle is third from the right in the second row. People may know some of the other players.

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Strange times indeed!

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If Only!

Mary Fagan holds the microphone for Clíona McKenna during the Saturday morning walk at Listowel Writers Week 2019. Just about now I should be contacting my able assistants and putting this year's Walk together.

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Sheahan's Cottage, Finuge

A Phoenix from the ashes, Sheehan's cottage was rebuilt following the devastating fire.

Photo; John Kelliher

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Hope in Troubled Times

Mattie Lennon with The Seanchaí, Eamon Kelly

There’s a Brightness

As a child I remember small farmers
Being depressed at some times of the year,
With climatic conditions uncertain
Turning hopes of their harvest to fear.
Whenever they cursed the bad weather
As the elements failed to rescind
My father, with wisdom, would tell them:
"There's a brightness at the butt of the wind".

When teenage ambitions got twisted:
My identity crisis would loom.
Rejection and fantasy   mingled,
Resulting in pictures of doom.
Then.........the Power of Good to the rescue
To counter each negative trend.
My thoughts would somehow be diverted
To that brightness at the butt of the wind.

           Chorus;
When the weather of life it looks hopeless;
And dark clouds with disaster seem twinned,
Remember that God will send sunshine.
There's a brightness at the butt of the wind.                 

When the storms of anguish are beating
And I'm lashed by the gales of defeat
When the forecast of life holds no promise
It's still not the time to retreat
A fresh glow appears in my vision
Like a night sky by bright stars sequined.
Then I know then I haven't forgotten
That brightness at the butt of the wind 

At last when I'll see the horizon
And that mist (self-deception) has cleared
I'll ponder the journey before me
And confront all the things that I've feared,
Expecting a turbulent crossing
As the Clergy point out that I've sinned
But knowing that Salvation is certain
By the brightness at the butt of the wind

                  Chorus.

(c) Mattie Lennon 2005

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Old Papers

Damien Stack found this from 1941 when the carnival was in town.

Lartigue Theatre, Jim Dunn's Mural in The Square and an old play

Listowel Town Square, June 21 2018

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Many Hands Make Light Work

Jim and Liz Dunn work well as a team. But I don't think Liz would really claim to be an artist. To illustrate that this was a project in which anyone can have a go Liz took up a brush and coloured in a bit.

From the wife of an artist to the mother of an artist, Helen Moylan chanced her arm at painting in a section. She did a good job too.

In between interruptions/assistance, Jim took the opportunity to advance his project a bit.

 Next up was Seán Comerford. Seán displayed an amazing (to me anyone) aptitude for this kind of thing. He is actually a quite good artist.

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Listowel's Millennium Arch in 2018

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Friends' Meeting

Summer in Kerry is a great time for meeting up with old friends

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From the John Hannon Archive

The late Eleanor Moore and Mark Walsh

Seán Moriarty

The play was in The Lartigue. Seán told me that he remembers a matinee dress rehearsal for children to iron out any glitches in the production. At one stage Seán's character tells Getta Grogan's character that he would like a brandy. As she is pouring the drink, he overhears one child saying to another, "She is giving him whiskey and he asked for brandy."

Seán also remembers Mark Walsh's character is shot. In rehearsal they just made a gunshot noise but in this final dress rehearsal, they had a genuine sound effect and Sean says he saw the fear in Mark's eyes as he feared that the very real looking gun was an actual loaded firearm.

Happy days in the old Lartigue.

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Opening Soon

At 53 Church Street

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His Dream Job for a Genial Listowel Young Man

Story and picture from Mark Boylan of Racing Post

A familiar voice will greet racegoers in the post-Dessie Scahill commentary era with Jerry Hannon set to become Ireland’s primary racecourse commentator.

Scahill will depart from the commentary box on July 26 following an end to his contract with the Association of Irish Racecourses (Air).

Hannon said: “My dream has become a reality. I’m very grateful to the association for recognising the hard yards and sacrifices made over an 18-year period to get to this point.

“It’s on days like these that my late dad and the late Liam Healy are very much in my thoughts.”

The 37-year-old, who began his commentary career in pony racing in 1999, said of Scahill’s influence: “He’s been an inspiration of mine and I wish him all the best for his retirement.”

Paddy Walsh, chief executive of Air, said of the decision: “The model we have operated off in the past has been with one full-time worker for the association who looks after most of the commentaries and that has historically been Dessie. Jerry has been absorbing that role over the past number of years and he will now take over that function.”

Scahill’s retirement and Hannon’s increased role will lead to opportunities for new faces to join the commentary roster, according to Walsh, with Gary O’Brien expected to feature on the schedule, although plans have yet to be finalised.

Walsh added: “We have a panel of commentators to choose from when we have double meetings, holidays and other events. Peter O’Hehir and Richard Pugh have been members of the panel for a long number of years and they will continue to fulfil roles with us. We hope to be adding another couple of names to that group.

Saturday will mark Scahill’s final commentary of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby and the 69-year-old said that although he felt he could have continued on a reduced schedule he had no complaints about the decision.

Walsh said: “I can’t get into the details of arrangements we have with Dessie or any of our other employees but all I can tell you is that arrangements for Dessie’s retirement were all done in full consultation – and agreement – with himself.

“I’d like to wish him all the best on his future as he’s been a great contributor to us for a long time, giving us great service.”

Family Wedding in Listowel

Cliona Cogan on the balcony of  the bridal suite of The Listowel Arms Hotel on her wedding day, May 20 2017. In the background is The River Feale and Listowel Racecourse.

Saturday May 20 2017 was a popular day for weddings. In the U.K. Pippa Middleton, sister of the Duchess of Cambridge married her fiancé, James Matthews,  in Kenmare Alannah McGurk, daughter of Miriam O’Callaghan and her ex-husband  Tom McGurk married former Galway footballer Fiachra Breathnach and in Italy Lottie Ryan, daughter of the late Gerry, married her husband Fabio Aprile for a second time (the first time was a low key civil affair which the couple did in secret). The wedding of the day with a Listowel connection was the McKenna Cogan wedding in St. Mary’s , Listowel.

Let me tell you without fear of contradiction that Listowel is the best place in the world to organize and hold a wedding. St. Mary’s is a beautiful church which can be downsized to accommodate a small ceremony as well as being the ideal venue for a huge wedding. The hotel and all the local wedding suppliers are the cream of the crop.

My Kanturk family posing outside the church for the "real" photographer.

I’ll tell you a bit about the wedding day suppliers we dealt with.

The Listowel Arms Hotel were a delight to deal with from day one. Patrice, Asyia and all the staff were super efficient and obliging . The hotel itself is charming, warm and welcoming.  Asyia took lots of lovely photos which reached us long before the official  ones.  Her photos at the hotel entrance show how intimate, local and compact the place is for a wedding.

The dining room was stunning. The backdrop of the racecourse and river Feale lent an exotic air to the snaps of the top table.

 The food was delicious, the service excellent, the speeches were short and entertaining, the favours of Lily O’Brien chocolates (from Newbridge) and my book (from Listowel) were appreciated by the guests.

Dancing to Kildare band Transmitter went on until the wee hours and, in a lovely local touch, Damien from Jumbos made a late night delivery of some local delicacies beloved of the bride and her friends and mentioned in the groom’s speech.

Weddings nowadays are two day affairs. We all decamped to the Cliff House in Ballybunion for our day 2 and there we had a night of chat, finger food, some music and a few drinks. The happy couple headed for  a London minimoon on Tuesday. Highlights of this included 2 afternoon teas which were gifted to them by wedding guests. Andrea and Alexandra treated them to tea in The Shard. This is “the height of fine dining”. The restaurant where they ate is on the 32 nd floor and the food is as spectacular as the views.  Alex and Andrea are Erasmus friends of Clíona’s and their friendship has stood the test of time and distance.

Many years later here they are in St. Mary's Listowel with Alex's daughter Aoife .

The second teatime experience was  in Harrods. They even got a complimentary chocolate cake for dessert in view of the fact that they were on honeymoon.

A far cry from Jumbo's Listowel!

Darkness into light 2017 in Listowel

We Walked the Walk

“Smile though your heart is aching

Smile even though it’s breaking….”

Maud Fitzmaurice, Cliona Cogan, Billy Keane and Eleanor Ryan

Jim and Liz Dunn with Máire Logue

All around me on Saturday morning May 6^th 2017 at 4.00 a.m. on Listowel racecourse were smiling faces.  Listowel has always lent great support to Pieta House and to any agency that helps people who have suffered because of self-harm. Many of the early risers on the Island were thinking back to that awful moment engrained forever in their memories ; the moment when they heard the unbelievable news that someone they loved had died by suicide.

A Tarbert choir was on hand to raise our spirits;

Cora O'Brien, director of Pieta House, Tralee, sings along with the choir

“Lean on me when you’re not strong,

I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on”  we sang as we tried to convey hope to the sad and lonely souls who sometimes feel very alone.

Tom McElligott

People brought their dogs and their children. “We are there for you “ was the message. You are never alone. It’s okay to say you are not okay.

“Hope for the sunshine tomorrow after the darkness is gone.”

Hundreds of us set off to the strains of Walking on Sunshine.

We made our way along by the racecourse to the candlelit bridge and there in the water was the stark word, Hope, reflected in the waters of the Feale.  Some stopped to take photos, some caught their breath as they remembered other waters in another places.

We walked on along the well-stewarded route through the Square and down Bridge Rd. to the Arch and into the Silent Mile. An eerie silence fell on the previously chattering hoard. The only sound was the birdsong as we walked the road beside the Garden of Europe, a path the organisers had lit with candles and decorated with wind chimes.

We turned the bend for home at Cahirdown and we walked the eerily deserted streets of our fair town. Many windows were decorated in support. Candles flickered and everwhere posters and T-shirts whispered the message of hope, You are not alone.

Up William Street we went, some tiring a little, others getting their second wind. We rounded the roundabout at the John B. Keane Rd. and we were in the home straight. There was one more jolt in store though. Along the railings at the back of the preschool were several banners with the names of people who should be here with us. This is what it’s all about. We are all walking and praying that no one who is here today with us will be named on that banner next year. This was a stark reminder that we were not on a merry morning jaunt. We were here on a deadly serious mission to try to stem the tide of suicide.

“Whispering hope, oh how welcome thy voice

Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.”

We ended our walk back at base, at Listowel Racecourse where so many of us had so many happy September days. As we returned home we hoped for the sunshine tomorrow. 

We had done our small bit to help Pieta House deliver its twin aims of  Hope and Consolation.