An Post Rás

Colorful display at Lawlees Upper William Street.

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This is it, the final few photos of The Rás

 The schoolboys are lined up to watch An Rás leave town.

The peleton rides out of Listowel.

2 serving Gardaí chat to a retired colleague.

A few from Day 1

 Michael Salmon and Denis O'Mahoney

English visitors who love Listowel, Siobhán and Mark Hewitt

 Mary Hanlon and grandchildren

 Wheels pumped in readiness for the day ahead.

The team car is loaded up.

Tony and Denise came out for a look.

The Square is empty and the clean up begins.

The band on its way home.

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Horse chestnut tree in bloom by the entrance to the Gaelscoil.

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Arbour Hill 1924 Dev and Austim Stack

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Ger Greaney got this marvellous photo of the opening of Lyreacrompane church in 1956. Its so clear. People will definitely identify people. Are you in the picture?

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Jer shot this lovely video of Noel OGrady on Opening Night Writers' Week 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyy4PEfcumQ&feature=youtu.be

Summer? Brosnan clan and more people at The Rás start

Those were the days! Could we ever be in for a fine spell?

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Another clan Gathering

Peter Brosnan and sisters lacca East, Kilmorna circa 1988

The Brosnan Clan are planning their gathering to take place in Castleisland from July 25 to July 28. I might even be there myself since my mother came from the Cork branch of the clan. It is believed that all the Brosnans trace their ancestry back to Brosna in Co. Kerry.

Behold this for a lovely Brosnahan family from New Zealand

Hugh Brosnahan and family, Canterbury

If you are a Brosnan, read all about the Clan Gathering here ;

https://www.facebook.com/BrosnanClanGathering

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Back to An Rás Day 2

 This cyclist was having a massage before the off

 Local man Paul Henry has a strong cycling connection.

Peter O'Sullivan and Tony Flavin were out to see the excitement.

The man on the back is a photographer.

 Norella Moriarty with PJ and Joan Kenny

Rider, Sean Lacey has a Listowel connection.

Sean and Mary Comerford with Sean Galvin

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Dates for the diary

Tomorrow May 31 2013 there will be a mass for all exam students in  St. Mary's at 7.00 p.m.

Saturday June 1 2013 Sacred Heart Shape Note Singers will be singing in the church from 9.00 to 10.30 p.m. Admission free.

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I took lots of photos at the opening of Writers' Week. I'll post them next week. This week I am too busy enjoying the festival and the fine weather. Today its a walk around town with historian, Vincent Carmody and tomorrow is The Great Famine overload.

Opening Night of Writers' Week 2013, Ballybunion and An Post Ras 2013

John R.'s preparing for Writers' Week 2013

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What on earth is this? I hear you ask. It's an anointing set spotted by Jer at a recent auction. We may be in need of it to give us a second wind before the week is out.

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Day or night Ballybunion looks stunningly beautiful. RTE were in town to film the Rose of Tralee escorts being put through their paces to have them in top shape for the festival. They played tag rugby against the local girls, they did a bit of surfing and angling. They played a round of golf and topped it off on Saturday night with a campfire and a sing song on the beach.

All photographs are by https://www.facebook.com/ballybunionseaanglingclub.ballybunion

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More from Day two of An Post Rás 2013

Charles Nolan was filming it all.

Remember this shot of Corridans in the Square from last week? Same scene this week +bikes.

A Corridan Family

These boys were fuelling up for the long day ahead.

James Kenny and David Fitzmaurice

Tadhg Moriarty with Joan Mulvihill and Catherine Horgan

 John McCarthy took time out to pose with a young fan.

The Kerry Riders were photographed at the statue of John B. Keane

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Farmers protesting outside Dublin Castle yesterday. The EU ministers were meeting there to discuss CAP reform.

Jer shot a video at the protest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VjfaYSQWMs&feature=youtu.be

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Two Retirements

Photo taken in The Seanchaí, Listowel on May 27 2013. Volunteers and staff from the IWA shop in Listowel were having lunch together to mark Mai McCarthy's retirement.

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I took this photograph in The Oxfam shop in Tralee yesterday. This lovely lady is Kathleen Rogers, nee Finnerty of Banemore, Listowel and she is retiring on Friday after 22 years in Oxfam, Tralee.

Here is Kathleen with her friend who is also retiring on Friday. This lady has been with the shop since the day it opened in Tralee.

Writers Week, Scratch animation, An Post Rás and Rose Escorts in Ballybunion

D Day minus 1: Every Tom, Dick and Edward is packing his bags for the trek to Listowel for Writers' Week 2013. Tomorrow night John Bowman will perform the grand opening and then we are all in for an exhausting week of non stop events.

Read all about it at
 http://writersweek.ie

You are still not too late to book for some events.

And look at this lovely pop up shop from Original Kerry in Tae Lane for Writers' Week.

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Meghann Kissane and Chloe Daly from Presentation Secondary School, Listowel were finalists in the National Scratch Animation competition.

The girls travelled to Dublin on Saturday where they presented their projects to the judges in Tallaght I.T.

Both girls did really well with Meghann winning the senior section.

Well done to Meghann and Chloe and their teacher, Bridget O'Connor.

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According to Kerry Radio, Minister Jimmy Deenihan  participated in an unique fundraising event in aid of the Palliative Care Unit at Kerry General Hospital yesterday.
The Minister began his 1.2 mile run in the Cathedral Car Park, Killarney.
The charity run, called the Great Irish Marathon, involved 13 runners, running a mile in every county in Ireland.
It began on Saturday in Mitchelstown, Co Cork and finished in Killarney at 12 noon yesterday.

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Now to rewind back to last week's An Post Rás, I brought you lots of the photos I took at the finish, but we had a second day of festivities with the Race Start from the Square on Weds. May22. The sun shone again and there was great excitement in town.

Breakfast laid out

Bags packed

The band played on.

Christy laid on a free barbecue.

Bernie was looking after her pupils and Seán was stewarding.

Everywhere I looked there was a bike.

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Last weekend the escorts for the Roses of Tralee spent a happy 2 days at boot camp in Ballybunion.

Here they are on The Nuns' Beach.

abseiling

exploring caves

Kayaking

All photos from Ballybunion Sea Angling

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Jer Kennelly's video of Sunday's Eucharistic procession is here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSDK7XN_Lq4&feature=youtu.be

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As a result of putting the below piece from the Knockdown notes in listowelconnection, a lady has contacted me. Her mother trained in this college and she is anxious to make contact with anyone who can tell her more about Temple Hill Nursing College.

"My neighbour, Eileen O’Grady Kilmartin has retired after 44 years nursing in London. Eileen, after doing her Junior Cert in Dore’s School in Glin, started her career doing Nursery Nursing in Temple Hill, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. This was run by the Sisters of Charity"