Last of the photos from my Book Launch, The Square, Some Shops Closing and an Exhibition in St. John's

Lower Courthouse Road

The Square Listowel, January 2020

Two car charging locations in Listowel Town Square in January 2020

Both of these shops, the sweet shop and the wool shop are closing soon.

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The last of The Photos from the Book launch of A Minute of Your Time

Eamon Dillon

Eddie Moylan and Paddy McElligott

Eibhlín Pierse

Eileen Moylan

Eileen O'Sullivan

Eileen O'Sullivan

Eilish Wren

Elaine and John Kinsella

Proud Nana with all of my grandchildren

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Kerry Person of the Year 2020

Photo and text from Tralee Today

THE Kerry Association in Dublin’s Kerry Person of the Year has been announced as Dr Patricia Sheahan.

Listowel native Dr Sheahan, is Head of Palliative Care at University Hospital Kerry, has been central to the development of palliative care services in the county. She will receive her award in March.

The Laochra Chiarraí award has also been announced as Listowel Tidy Towns for their enormous success and community efforts over the past number of years. The announcements were made on Radio Kerry this morning.

The Kerry Person of the Year award, now in its 41st year, recognises an individual who has shown leadership, brought honour to the county, and performed services for the county to such an extent that could be described as being beyond the norm of everyday life.

The awards will be presented at the Association’s annual Oiche Chiarraí which will be held in the Red Cow Moran Hotel on Saturday, March 28.

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Exhibition Launch at St. John's

The setting was the charming St. John's Arts Centre Listowel.

The day was Feb 1 2020, the first day of Spring in the old Irish calendar.

The music was Woodbrook, played for us by the very talented Ellen Egan.

The artist was poet, Mary Lavery Carrig whose marvellous exhibition marries ancient Irish script with images of birds and trees.

Old Gaeilge was an oral language and people used visual images or prompts to remember the letters, so each letter corresponds to a bird or a tree.

In the old days Japanese poets and artists used minimal lines and sketches.

Mary Lavery Carrig has created a new art form in this tradition, combining her haiku poems with images of birds and foliage.

You'll have to go along to St. John's to see for yourself. All the pictures are framed for sale and are very reasonably priced.

If you want to learn more about this fascinating art form, visit Mary's website

Haiga.ie

Tralee, Coming Home from Oz. Race in the 1990's and old Killarney

Listowel Town Square before the reconfiguration

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Tralee, Co. Kerry

These Sculptures are in the Town Park Tralee.

This door in Day Place is on a house thought to have been lived in by Daniel O'Connell.

Ogham Stone at Rath Cemetery

 This is one of many old mills in Tralee. The metal structure at the top was a pulley which lowered the bags of milled flour on to the waiting carts.

This is a Tralee church, unfortunately closed on the day I visited but I am assured it's well worth a visit.

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Barman's Race

One day during the 1990's we had great fun in Listowel Town Square at a fundraiser for People in Need. These photos were taken by Tom Fitzgerald and they show some well know bar people taking part in the Barman's race.

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Coming "Home" for Good

Weather events in Australia have added to the factors that are constantly turning the thought of our emigrants in Australia towards home. Coming back is not always as easy as you might think.

The following article from Stephen Palmer's Irish Abroad site is well worth reading.

Irish Around Oz.

After 14 years in Oz and with dual citizenship, I decided to give living in Ireland a go in May 2016 and ended up staying.

I see so much misinformation on this page that I thought I would share some real experiences from my move; both positive and negative:

1. Decide what is important to you and what is not important to you. Having lived abroad, if you decide to stay there you will be giving up some things, if you decide to move home, you will always have to give up some things. What will you regret on your deathbed?
2. The weather is shit. It always was, and it always will be. Accept it and buy some decent rain gear.
3. There are some annoying things about living in Ireland, just like there are annoying things in every country. Likewise, when you move countries, there are things to sort out and paperwork to do. It doesn’t just magically get sorted because you are an Irish citizen returning.
4. Some things haven’t changed; there is still a certain amount of cronyism, and who you know, e.g. it is ridiculous how much power things like county councils have over planning permission. It can still be a case of who you know, not what you know.
5. There is serious under-regulation in certain things… e.g. there appears to be no regulation of real estate agents who act like total cowboys. It can be seriously frustrating. You WILL find yourself saying “did this country learn nothing from the recession?” many times.

6. Car Insurance is genuinely ridiculous, expensive and challenging for newcomers to the country and returning expats.

7. No, you are not being unfairly treated as a returning expat when it comes to buying a property. They are not “out to get you” or make it impossible to return. The rules are the same – usually 20% deposit, 3.5 times salary, you need to be 6 months in your role and made permanent after a probation period.
   This is the exact same for people who never left the country, so it is not just because you are a returning expat. I keep reading people on here talking about unfair it is, but those rules are the same for everyone, and the controls are there for a reason given how lax the banks were in the past.
   If buying is a priority, make sure you come back with the deposit saved. And expect that you will have to show bank statements etc. from abroad.
8. Salaries in Dublin are lower than in Sydney or London. Fact. And outside Dublin are much lower again. Of course you can’t get the same roles or career opportunities in the West of Ireland as you can in Sydney or New York, so be realistic.
   If you work in the corporate world, and your career is important to you, then chances are the opportunities are mostly in Dublin.
9. Rents are ridiculous in Dublin (especially relative to salaries), but still very low in other parts of the country.
10. Buying property is very affordable relative to other major cities, and relative to rent.
    But be realistic – the recession is over, and prices in Dublin are rising. I see so many people on here comparing the costs of buying in Dublin to small towns in Australia or the US. You are not comparing apples to apples.
    Personally, I could never afford to buy a house in Sydney even though my salary was twice what it is in Dublin.
    Here, I bought a 3-bed house in a lovely location for what I could have bought a 1-bed apartment in Sydney. Don’t compare the cost of a house in rural QLD with a house in Dublin.
11. If you want to pay similar prices to country towns in other countries, you can absolutely do the same here. There are some bargains to be found, but you won’t find the same career opportunities, or you may have to commute – that is not any different to other countries.
    Also, don’t look at a house for sale online an hour outside Dublin and expect it to take an hour during rush hour. Like buying property anywhere, you will have to figure out your priorities – size of house and garden, vs location and commute.
12. People here are lovely. Moving back from Sydney I found people so much nicer, more open and more welcoming here, and that has continued to be the case.
13. Dublin is a much more cosmopolitan and diverse city than it was when I lived here 15 years ago. Some things have changed, and some haven’t. Don’t expect it to be the same, but embrace all the wonderful changes if you decide to move back.

14. There is a much stronger sense of culture here than there was in Oz, and I love that.

15. You can also jump on a plane and be immersed in a completely different culture anywhere in Europe in a couple of hours. You can get cheap flights and accommodation and have an amazing long weekend for cheap as chips.
16. If you lived abroad for a number of years, you can’t just return and expect the same as people who never left and have paid tax the whole time. Yes, you will have to do some paperwork and may not be entitled to the dole. Yes, if you raised your children abroad, they may not be entitled to free 3rd level education. That is the price we all paid for leaving and seeking opportunities elsewhere, so accept it instead of feeling hard done by and entitled.
17. The major lesson for me, back to point number 1; I have no regrets about moving home. For me, family and a sense of belonging couldn’t be replaced in Sydney, and with my eye on those things, all the negatives outlined above were worth it.
18. You have the choice to focus on all the negatives or look for the positives.
19. Nothing is forever. Give yourself options and get your citizenship etc sorted in case you ever want to move back.

I am sure I have missed lots of things as this was just a brain dump. But hopefully, it paints an even picture of the real pro’s and con’s, based on real experience.

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Killarney Street

This is an old postcard picture of a Killarney street

Teampall Bán, Danny O'Mahony, UCC Artist in Residence and Hurling in Cork, Wexford and Kildare

 Ballybunion Castle Green with flags in July 2019

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Sean and Killian in the Square

On a break from Irish College on Sunday July 28 2019, Sean and Killian returned with me to the scene of so many happy summer photos from their childhood.

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Everyone Should Visit Teampall Bán

Lest we ever forget

This peaceful, prayerful spot should be a place of pilgrimage and reflection for everyone.

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Danny O'Mahony, UCC Artist in Residence

It has been announced that button accordionist Danny O’Mahony is the new Traditional Artist in Residence at University College Cork for 2019/20. The residency, which is supported by the Arts Council, begins this September, with O’Mahony delivering a series of concerts and workshops over twelve months. The School of Film, Music and Theatre at UCC will host O’Mahony for the duration of the residency. 

O’Mahony grew up in Ballyduff, County Kerry. In 2011, he released his debut album In Retrospect, followed by a duet record with concertina player Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh, As it Happened, in 2012. In 2009, O’Mahony reestablished The Shannon Vale Céilí Band, which has since won the All-Ireland Senior Céilí Band title at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. O’Mahony also presents a weekly traditional music show on Radio Kerry, called Trip to the Cottage.

Speaking about his new appointment, O’Mahony said:

It is a great privilege to be supported by the Arts Council and University College Cork in being appointed Traditional Artist in Residence for 2019/2020. To engage in this creative and integral position within the Music Department of UCC is an honour. My vision for this residency will be to stimulate new interest in the music and traditions of North Kerry. The creative space and energy within UCC will also provide the ideal platform for my own arts practice.

Source; The Journal of Music online

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Hurling 2019

My travels at the weekend took me to four hurling mad counties.

In Kent station in Cork they have these Irish Examiner ads up on the walls in the waiting area. They serve as a useful glossary of hurling commentary.

I took the  below photo in Bunclody, Co. Wexford on the day Paul Galvin was announced as Wexford's new football manager. Galvin, a skilled dual player might be a good fit for a county which seems to love its hurling a little more than its football at the moment.

My journey home took me through Thurles. The tidiest best kept train station I have had the pleasure of stopping a while in was flying Tipperary flags from every available point. Spot the hurler on the platform.  From the logo on his kit back it would appear that he is a Cork hurler.

Turf Cutting in the 1930s, The Square and other street names and The Acting Irish Festival 2019 in Listowel

In Listowel's Garden of Europe in April 2019

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Wing Sleán Turf cutting Competition

Information from Tony McKenna, Bord na Mona archivist.

The first All Ireland Turf Cutting Championship was held on 21st April 1934 at Allenwood, Co. Kildare. From the late 1600s to the end of the 19th century around 6 to 8,000,000 tons of turf were cut each year for home heating and sale. The industry in the 1800s mainly produced moss peat for animal litter and some briquettes. However by the early 1900s the amount of turf cut each year had fallen to around 3,000,000 tons. The turf cutting championships were organised as part of a campaign to increase the amount of turf cut and reduce the imports of coal. Eamon De Valera and other Ministers attended each year. The competitions ran from 1934 until 1939. When the war started everybody went back to the bog so the competitions were no longer needed. This photo shows the wing slean competition in 1934.

When Tony published this post on his Facebook page he received some interesting responses. Here are two;

On June 2nd in Ballyteague at the All Ireland turf footing championship we are commentating the 85th anniversary of this event all descendants of those who participated are invited we have done a huge amount of research and have a vast collecting of photos and memorabilia it promises to be a great day

Denis Linehan : I believe Christy Daly from Gneeveguilla Co. Kerry was the best turf cutter in Ireland. He came from a stone throw of Eamonn Kelly story teller.

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Parnell Square?

I took this photo on April 24 2019

In Irish and English it's just the plain old Square

I'm having a hard time convincing people that there is no Patrick Street in Listowel.

We have St. Patrick's Hall with its big statue of St. Patrick but, sorry folks, no Patrick Street. Despite the proper name of the street being William Street or Sráid an Phiarsaigh many residents of the street give their address as Patrick Street.

Mike the Pies, probably the best known business on the street, is at 28 Patrick Street  and Casa Mia, a few doors down on the same street is at 38 William Street. Across the road Listowel Chitropractic is at 49 William Street and Halo Health is at 7 Upper William Street.

The length of William Street was originally known as Pound Lane. There was an animal pound where The Mermaids is now. For those who never heard of a pound, it was a place where animals which were found straying or which were confiscated were kept until the owner was found and any fines owed were paid.
Lord Listowel is was who changed the name to William Street. His own name was William and it is alleged he called the street after himself.

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A Feast of Theatre

In the space of a few days last week you could have seen six excellent plays all performed by superb actors from the American continent. All of this was because 
Acting Irish International Theatre Festival 2019 was in town.

I saw three of the six productions including Long Day's Journey into Night which blew the adjudicator away. She gave it all the big prizes.

This play was great.

Here is the cast. The two oder players played the parts of the younger ones 35 years later.

My theatre companions posed with Jimmy Deenihan who was part of the local organising committee.

I also saw Spinning but I took no photos. The actor who played Conor in this production was my pick for best actor but what do I know?

I also saw Long Day's Journey. It was a tour de force of acting and I'm glad to have seen it but unlike several in the audience I wouldn't go to see it more than once. One man told me it was his fourth time seeing the play. 

The play is three and a half hours long. It's theme is beyond sad. It is three and a half hours of unrelenting misery, no uplift at all. However it is a classic and people who know so much more than me about these things think really highly of it.

If you want to see more about the festival, including more photos and an account of who won the prizes here is the link

Acting Irish International Theatre Festival 2019