A Visit to the Lartigue Experience, Volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul shop and Caddying in Ballybunion

My grandsons posed for me on the comfortable Tidy Town seat in Listowel Town Square
on July 17 2017

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Showband Stars Named

Yesterday I posted Joe Harringtons photo of some of the greats of the show band era. I posted Joe's caption as he had it on Facebook.

Joe Dolan, Dickie Rock, Brendan Boyer, Derek Dean, Brendan O’ Brien(Dixies), Butch Moore,  Tom Dunphy, Larry Cunningham. Can't place the other 3. 

Then Tommy O'Flahety came to the rescue. He wrote the following

Hi Mary. Great stuff on your page. The three missing names on the Showband picture are Art Supple of the Victors, next to Joe Dolan, and Declan Ryan of The Arrivals in front of Butch Moore and Tony Keeling of The Graduates to his left.

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Deserted Kerry homestead

Chris Grayson is fascinated by old deserted houses. He took these photos somewhere in Kerry. They evoke another era when the house was cosy and warm.

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A Visit to the Lartigue Monorail Museum

My grandsons were with me on their Kerry holiday as I visited this superb Listowel visitor attraction. If you have visitors, old or young, to entertain, be sure to fit in a trip here. It is excellent, a piece of history and a unique experience to be enjoyed by everyone.

We visited on a Tuesday and that is my friend, Junior Griffin's day for volunteering. He had read my blog in the morning and it had brought back memories of Cleeves toffees and the good old days of his childhood when handball, the sweet shop and the pictures were the centre of his world. I recorded a snippet of his tale.

Junior Griffin at The Lartigue

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The name Lartigue is not that rare in the Bordeaux region of France. There is even a Chateau. The late Bert Griffin brought back two bottle of this vintage and donated them to the museum.

It's not just tourists who take a trip. I met a past pupil of mine with her lovely young family at the door.

This family were not local. Junior is the kind of unofficial photographer.

The whole affair s very leisurely for us the visitors. It looked like hard work for the volunteers, especially John McAulliffe who was  turning the train on the turntable.

Junior took our photo. Killian hooted the horn.

Killian is on the bridge where one crosses to the other side of the train.

This is us with the locomotive in the background

These are all our travelling companions on July 18 2017

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St. Vincent de Paul Volunteers

On our way home down William Street we met my good friends who volunteer in the Second Time Around shop preparing for their summer sale.

The ladies in pink are Kay Landy, Hannah Mulvihill, Eileen O'Sullivan and Catherine O'Driscoll


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The Barefoot Caddy

Forget The Barefoot Contessa. Once upon a time Ballybunion had its own barefoot caddy.
Photo shared on Twitter by Ballybunion Golf Club.

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Oliver Plunkett, Killarney, a great escape and a few St. Vincent de Paul Volunteers

Festive bike outside Eleanor's Flowers in Tralee

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Blessed (now Saint) Oliver Plunkett

I came across this recently. It's a relic of a relic; "a piece of linen that touched a relic..."

This prayer for his canonisation worked.

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Killarney, Christmas 2016

Killarney looks very Christmassy this year.

This is a brilliant idea. They have used the old phone kiosks to house defibrillators.

The key to access the life saving device is housed in a little box with  glass door.

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Smart Boys

26 May 1877 Freeman’s Journal

CLEVER ESCAPE FROM A BRIDEWELL. An incident of a novel nature occurred
at  Listowel on Monday, in connection with the cleverly planned
escape from the bridewell. A lad named Mulvihill, aged 13 year, had
been convicted about five months ago at Tarbert Petty Sessions, of
stealing a dog, and sentenced to five years in the Upton Reformatory.
On his removal, after leaving Tralee gaol, he succeeded in giving the
gaol officer the slip, and managed to elude the police until last
Saturday, when he was apprehended at Ballylongford, and lodged in
Listowel bridewell preparatory to being sent back to the reformatory.
His younger brother, aged about 11 years, visited him on Monday, and
while in the cell with him the prisoner exchanged clothes with him ;
and thus disguised, he was allowed to pass out by the official, who
naturally believed he was the brother who had passed in some minutes
before. The mistake was of course soon discovered.  but the escaped
culprit had a good start, and has not been recaptured. The brother is
kept in custody, having been remanded to next petty sessions.

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Listowel Humans

Christmas is a busy time of year for these ladies, Kay, Nancy, Hannah and Eileen. I met them at the BOI Enterprise town expo but they are usually to be found with their fellow volunteers in the Second Time Around shop in William Street or at bingo or Meals on Wheels at The Plaza or out visiting and quietly helping the less well off at Christmas time and throughout the year. 
They are the salt of the earth.

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Seán McCarthy's Christmas

Christmas is often a lonely time for someone who has lost a life's partner. Seán McCarthy puts it sadly and poignantly in this old song which I photographed from an old book among Junior Griffin's treasures.

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Thomas F. O'Sullivan Update

Mark Holan contacted me to alert me that he has recently updated his blogpost about T.F. O'Sullivan of Listowel.

UPDATE:

I heard from Vincent Carmody of Listowel, a local historian and author. He writes that Thomas F. O’Sullivan and his book are not forgotten. Story of the GAA received at least five mentions in The G.A.A., A People’s History, a 2009 book by Mike Cronin, Mark Duncan and Paul Rouse.

Carmody continued:

When in Listowel, [O’Sullivan] was the driving force, both as a player and administrator of the local G.A.A. club. He later served as an administrator at both County and National level of the Association. He is credited with the proposal of Rule 27, of the G. A.A.s rule book. This came into force in 1902 and it read, ” any member of the association who plays in any way, rugby football, jockey or any imported game which is calculated or injurious affect our national pastimes, is suspended from the association” . This rule was commonly known as, The Ban. It was for a long time rigorously enforced, indeed in 1938, the then President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, was banned from the G.A.A. , for his attendance at an International Soccer match in Dublin. The rule was deleted in 1971.

Aertel, Listowel Fitness Studio,in the Vincent de Paul shop and William Street couple remembered.

Do You Remember Aertel?

(photo; Irish Abroad)

There was a time when Aertel was marvelous. That was a time before we all had a smart device where we can find out everything from where we are at this very moment. That was a time when a school had one computer and you needed to be a genius to use it.
 If you remember a time before Windows you are with me.

Aertel was TV Guide, newspaper, sports results etc etc all rolled into one and you accessed it on your telly. Happy days!

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Relocation

Old Location

New location behind St. Patrick's Hall in the premises that used to house Kerry Glass.

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Second Time Around is the St. Vincent de Paul shop in Upper William Street. It opens on Thursdays and Fridays. It is staffed by really friendly volunteers and its a great place for a bargain and a chat. Santa will be popping in there very soon to pick up a few toy bargains in their toy sale.

I was there on Friday last and I took this photo of the volunteers who were welcoming a visitor, Breda Landy who called in to say hello to her mom and friends.

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Do you Remember?

Noreen and Benny O'Connell of Upper William St.  R.I.P.

Writers' Week 2014 recalled , Listowel People I met and a Mathlete with a Listowel Connection

Only a Few Days to Go 

This was opening night in 2012. This year on May 27 2015 Anne Enright, multi award winning writer and first Laureate for Irish fiction will do the honours. Don't miss it!

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Rememeber Last Year?

These are some happy local people arriving for Opening Night 2014. Hope to see you all again on Weds 27th.  I'll be there with my camera.

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The festival will be opened by Anne Enright

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IFTA Winner Coming to Listowel for LWW

The great movie, Song of the Sea, won an IFTA Award for best film last night. The scriptwriter, Will Collins, is coming to Listowel on Thursday next, May 28th 2015 for Operation Education.


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Chance Meetings

 Three members of the Kelliher clan met up on William Street.

 The Canadian branch of the Stack Clan was researching their roots with Damien.

These three lovely ladies were helping out in the St. Vincent de Paul Second Time Around shop.

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Success for a little boy with a Listowel Connection

Richard Sheahan is the latest All-Ireland champion with a Listowel connection. Richard, is the the 10 year old grandson of Jim and Nora Sheahan from Greenville & he was recently crowned All-Ireland champion for 4th class in the school maths competition "Mathletes". Over 12600 children from schools all over the country competed in the competition; the initial part of the competition takes place online starting in January, and then the top students qualify for provincial finals, and then the All-Ireland final which was held in DCU on May 2nd. Richards parents Mike and Noelle think he inherited his maths ability from his grandparents, who have always both been very good with figures! Richard's success will feature on RTE's nationwide programme in the coming weeks.

In the photograph he is being presented with his trophy and an iPad mini by Sean O Sullivan (Dragons Den), Brian MacCraith (President DCU) and Ciaran Cannon TD.

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One of Our Own

John invites us all to Woulfe's Bookshop on Church St. on Saturday May 30th at 2.30 for the launch of his latest poetry collection.
I think I'll need the gift of bilocation for a few days.