Church Doors, Food Fair Craft Fair and the last of my Young Adult Bookfest 2018 photos

Gurtinard Wood

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Listowel Church Doors and a Window

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Old Homestead

This is a photograph taken in Duagh. It is part of the Duchas collection and the photographer is Caoimhín ODanachair

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Listowel Food fair 2018

Some more photographs of crafters that I took at this year's craft fair on the Sunday of the Food Fair.

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Young Adult Bookfest 2018, November 15 2018

 In a packed programme full of inspirational speakers there was no one more inspirational then Joanne O'Riordan. Joanne was born with a condition called total amelia. She has no limbs.  She has just graduated from UCC with a degree in criminology. She is a sports fanatic and her ambition is to be a sport's journalist. She knows lots of sportspeople including Kieran Donaghy and they all have the greatest respect for her.

Joanne shared the stage with Pat Falvey, another man who does not let anything thwart him from a path he has chosen.

Helping out on the day were Seán McCarthy, David Browne and Tom Dillon

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Seeking Irish Relatives

My name is Ken Duckett and I’m tracking a legacy of my mum and 19 1^st cousins she received in the 1980’s/90’S from a Denis

Buckley, son of Edward Buckley and his wife Mary {Mai) Stack (married in New York). She was an aunt of my Mum’s (Kathleen Hanlon)

as Margaret (Madge Stack) was my grandmother and Patrick Hanlon my grandfather who farmed in Asdee.

So I’ve been trying to track down the families involved and one came up in your post in 2013. I’ve found by looking at Joseph Vincent 

Buckley 31^st January I’ve been able to track the line of the family of six so far with sons/daughters and grandsons/granddaughters.

The parents have been identified in some of these posts as Michael Buckley and Nora (Nellie) Shine, however I cannot find records

For them in the usual places. That’s why I’m asking if you have any further information from members near to Listowel?

One other favour can you put me in touch with a local contact who I can purchase a copy of Asdee in the 1940’s/50’s I believe by 

a  Costelloe?

I enjoy your posts it keeps me in touch of my roots,

Thanks,

Ken

(If you can help Ken I have his email address)

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Things you Hear at the Hairdressers'

The following have not been checked by Storyful so could contain an element of Fake News.

We are soon to have an Olde Worlde Sweet Shoppe on Church Street.

A popular local hairdressers' is soon to relocate to a gorgeous new premises.

Bailey and Co. is planning to extend its range to include "affordable fashion".

Two Listowel retail businesses are to close their doors in the new year.

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Look Who ran into our Lizzie of Lizzie's Little Kitchen?

Lizzie Lyons and Michael Parkinson were stars of Ireland am on Sunday No. 25 2018

North Kerry, Clounmacon boots, Eamon Kelly and Alison Spittle at the Young adult Bookfest 2018

St. John's, Bryan MacMahon statue and Seanchaí

Entrance to Kerry Writers'Museum

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Visiting North Kerry

Patty Faley took these photos on her recent holiday.

The visitors  were disappointed to find Carrigafoyle Castle closed.

Patty took this on the way to Lislaughtin.

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Clounmacon and Boot wearing

From the schools folklore collection in Dúchas

“Some of people used not wear boots until they were eighteen or nineteen years long ago.”

Some of people used not wear boots until they were eighteen or nineteen years long ago. They used to work in the fields and in the dikes and the frost cracking under their feet. Jack Mahoney used never wear boots and he could walk on any thing and he would not feel it. he used to walk on bushes and on briars and he would not feel it.

Most of the children go barefoot in the summer but they put them on in the winter. They throw the water they use for washing wash their feet if they did not throw out the water after washing their feet they should get up in the middle of the night and throw it out.

Some people used to wear clogs locally. They used to wear them in the winter but they are not worn now at all.

There was a tannery in Listowel about three miles form here. The National Bank is now built where it stood. About fifty or sixty years ago brogues used be worn. They were made of cheap leather and stitched. In Listowel up near the top of church Street lived a man named Johnny the Cottoners or Johnny O' Connor. He used make brogues and sell them at the big fair in Listowel and Abbeyfeale. In the same street lived two men named Mick 

the Nailer and Jacky the Nailer. They used make the heavy nails that were driven into the soles of the shoes.

Most shoemakers at that time used cut out the uppers themselves and sew them and the boots used hold a long time.

Collector- Martin Kennelly, Address  Dromin, Co. Kerry

Informant  John Shanahan- Age   69- Address,  Dromin, Co. Kerry

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More Local Doors

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A Seanchaí remembered at The Seanchaí

I took the two photos below at The Seanchí, Kerry Writers' Museum. I grew up listening to Eamon Kelly on the radio. I was a child in pre TV times when people sat down and paid attention to the radio. My mother loved a good story and Eamon Kelly was far and away her favourite storyteller.

BryanMacMahon, John B. Keane and Eamon Kelly

Passing on the stories.

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Young Adult Bookfest 2018

On November 15 2018 over 800 North Kerry and West Limerick second level students gathered  in Listowel Community Centre for a great day of entertainment and education, organised by Listowel Writers' Week.

Among the inspiring speakers was Edaein O'Connell.

Eilish and Máire met Alison Spittle at the centre.
Alison was a photographer's dream, willingly posing for all my snaps, with Kay Halpin, Catherine Moylan, Seán Lyons and Joanne O'Riordan.

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1938 Ireland

This story, which I found shared on Twitter, falls into the category of truth stranger than fiction.

BnaM Peat Machine, Listowel Food Fair 2018, Bromore, more from the Y A Bookfest 2018 and R.I.P. Weeshie

Wintry Tree by the Feale

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Bord na Mona Sod Turning Machine

As we approach the end of the fossil fuel era, people are looking back at our relationship with peat and particularly with sod turf. The above picture from Tony McKenna is a 1960s sod turf turner. This machine made light work of that backbreaking job of turning every individual sod in order to dry it all round. It is pictured at work on a Bord na Mona bog, probably in the midlands.

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Craft Fair at Listowel Food Fair 2018

The craft and food fair in The Listowel Arms on Sunday November 11 2018 was a great place to visit.

This family took shelter in their car while they enjoyed their crepes .

Margaret and Mary did a great morning's shopping at the fair.

Lovely Brona was offering us samples of the locally produced chocolate which bears her name.

After meeting these two bee keepers I'm beginning to think that beekeepers are among my favourite people. These two lovely men gave me a free sample of their organic honey and they gave me some seed bombs. These are "bombs' made up of wildflower seeds which I will scatter in the wild for the bees and other pollinators to feed on.  It's lovely to meet lovely people who are passionate about what they do.

Next door to my beekeepers was the lovely Orla with her mouthwatering cakes. The neighbours were getting on famously. They gave her honey and she gave them a Christmas pudding.
You meet such lovely people at craft fairs!

Maurice Hannon had enlisted the help of family to man his stall. He is your man for the gluten free Christmas baking. You will find Maurice at the Friday Market in The Square.

lisa and Rena were there promoting Lisa's book, The Local Food Project. This project came about when Lisa got a wake up call when she purchased a sandwich at a local convenience store and discovered, to her horror,  that it had 40 listed ingredients. These ingredients came from all over the world. Lisa resolved there and then to try to eat just local food. I'm in the process of reading the book and it sure is food for thought. I highly recommend it. You may not go the whole hog but I guarantee you'll look more closely at what you are eating.

If you are beginning to think that there was a lot of confectionery at the fair, you would be right.

As well as buns and cakes there was also natural gut friendly foods like Kefir.

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A Visitor's Photos

Patty and John Faley took these photos on their visit to Listowel and North Kerry.

Here the visitors to Bromore encounter, Bart, Mike Flahive's horse.

Patty Faley took these photos on her trip to Bromore Cliffs.

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Young Adult Bookfest 2018

Taking part in the panel discussion were Kieran Donaghy and Paddy Smyth.

Kieran discovered at 23 that he was dyslexic. This eventually explained to him why he struggled in school and found exams so difficult.

Journalist and Listowel native, Edaein O'Connell, also told us about her unusual career path to where she is today, in her dream job, writing for Image magazine.

Paddy Smyth has a huge online following. This is where he tells his story. You may also remember him from First Dates Ireland. He allowed himself to be persuaded that it would be good for his image. It certainly gained him a whole new audience.

 Then it was lunchtime and Super Valu, Lizzy'sand Cup and Kettle brought the mountain to Mohammed.

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The One and Only Weeshie

There is a saying that when an old man dies a library burns down.  Certainly Weeshie Fogarty's passing is like the loss of a library.  Weeshie was a repository of knowledge and lore and he was generous in sharing it. He walked with kings yet kept the common touch. I have enjoyed all the memories and stories that have poured into social, broadcast and print media since he died.

Weeshie interviewed me in his "In Conversation with...." slot on Radio Kerry. He was a gentleman and a consummate professional. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

On the subject of media, why not tune in to my Just a Thought slot on Radio Kerry at 7.30 ish and 12.00 noon  ish every weekday next week., starting November  26 2018