Ballybunion, Listowel Train Station, Damien Dempsey and a William St. emigrant.

Jason at Ballybunion Prints is a brilliant photographer. Every day, often several times a day, he shares splendid shots of  Ballybunion with us all. I think the unusual angle from which he took this one might have something to do with his other job as a chimney cleaner.

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Listowel Train Station 1969

Thank you, Patrick J. O'Shea, for the photo

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Mike the Pies

Aiden O'Connor with Damien Dempsey behind the bar in Mike the Pies   (photo; Denis Carroll)

This venue is now the best spot in North Kerry to catch a live gig. Last week they has another huge name on stage, Damien Dempsey.


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Bernard O'Connell opens the family album

This is Bernard's paternal grandfather's brother, Edmund who grew up at 31 Upper William St. Listowel in the same house where Bernard, himself was reared. Edmund moved to the USA in the early 20th Century. He lived in Chicago, married a girl from Roscommon and had two girls. He was a Professor at Loyola University. He died tragically in an automobile accident in 1926. 

This photo was taken in the mid 1920's. 
When Bernard was in Chicago last year he went to visit his grave. 

One of Edmund's daughters married a Mr. Carp from Cleveland and he received a Bronze star for his heroic deeds of bravery in the D-Day Landings in Normandy. Bernard met the man over 10 years ago before he passed and found him to be an amazing man, very humble and did not mention a lot about the war.

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Athea

Elizabeth Brosnan took her camera to Athea Horse Fair recently

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A Callout from Junior to Former Badminton Club Members

The Listowel Badminton Club wish to advise you all that they will be holding their Christmas night out at John B.Keane's on Friday night December 11th.

This will again be in the shape of the Table Quiz which has been most enjoyable for the past number of years.

As a member of the Club last season, or possibly in former seasons, we take this opportunity to invite you to attend. We would really love if you would take time to join us .

We will again hold our Kris Kringle this year, again bring something not more than €5 value, some thing seasonable or something comical, the choice is yours.

If you do bring something for the Kris Kringle do check it into me and make sure that it is numbered, don't just lay it with the others and say nothing.

Unfortunately, I have deleted many of my last seasons contacts so do pass the word around to anyone you feel that might be interested in attending. There will be the normal fixed charge of €3 for the night and as usual, finger food will be provided, so for number purposes do let me know by Tuesday if you will be attending plus any other person whom you may make contact with.

Do try and be present for 8.10 pm as the draw and tables for the quiz must be sorted out by our quiz master Mark Loughnane and that takes time and is no easy job so your co-operation would be much appreciated.

Hope to see you all present on that Friday night, but why not join us also on Thursday night, Dec. 3rd for our Christmas Badminton competition, again let me know by Tuesday December 1st if you wish to take part in this Christmas fun tournament.

Junior

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New Website

St. Mary's Listowel has a great new parish website HERE

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.

Our Fire Fighters, Listowel Courthouse, Mike the Pies and a thought for the day

A Far Cry from the Smart phone

(photo; Irish Abroad)

Ah, those were the days!  Everyone carried one of these for emergencies in the 1980s. There were pay phones, in every town and even in some places where there was never a town. In the bad old days of the 60s and seventies you had to have a bucket load of change at the ready to use a pay phone. Coins were bigger and heavier in those days.

Cometh the hour, cometh the call card.

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Make a Wish type Gesture by Listowel Firemen

John Kelliher took this photo of Killian Browne with Listowel firemen recently. Killian has been very ill and, as a special treat, he got to dress like a fireman and see what happens in a fire station.

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Time Travel Kerry

This is a great website that puts the old and new from  around Kerry side by side. I took both the photos and the text from Time Travel Kerry;

"Listowel Courthouse-

Two views of the courthouse building firstly in the late 1960s and again in September 2015. There has been a lot of changes in the years between the two photos but the building itself hasn't changed much. 
(Original photographer unknown)"

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Christmas Lunch at The Seanchaí

If you are planning a festive lunch for your staff or for a group of friends, consider The Seanchaí

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From John Kelliher and Mike the Pies

Legendary pool players Lofty Kelliher, Ned Broder, Jack Sweeney, Eddie Hartnett and Tom Lyons.  

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Thought for today

I have wept in the night

For the absence of sight

That made me to others' needs blind

But I never once yet

Felt a pang of regret

For being a little too kind.

Vick's Vaporub, Hunting in Ballylongford and a meeting with an Author

Lovely snap by T.J. MacSweeney

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A Panacea

The below ad. was found on the internet.
 Do you remember Vick's VapoRub?
Does anyone use the word embrocation any more?
Maybe my question is answered. My autocorrect just changed embrocation to imprecation!

Is there anything this miracle embrocation couldn't be claimed to cure?

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Ballylongford Sunday

Jason of Ballybunion Prints took this photo in Ballylongford a while back.

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The Listowel Arms Hotel, Munster's favourite wedding venue

Couples are coming from all over to The Listowel Arms to book their weddings.

There are all kinds of special touches and details that make this the stand out venue for your special day.

My boys tried out a fireside pose in case a groom had a turf or Bord na Mona connection.

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Morning with the author in Ballincollig Library

Kristin Gleeson has written a novel based loosely around the story of St. Gobnait of Ballyvourney. Kristin is third from right in the photo. I, along with a group of other book lovers, got to talk to her and ask her about the writing process in general and this book in particular, recently in Ballincollig Library.

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Listowel Fireman Photographed by John Kelliher a few years ago

L/R Jimmy Sheehan, Pat O Carroll, John Curtin, Liam Enright, Diarmuid Walsh, Driving Dave Mary Caplice, Passenger Jerry Mullins.

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Look who I Met on Church St.?

On Monday morning Conor and Seán Moriarty and their men were making an early start on the Christmas lights. 
A more sure sign than the Christmas ads that Santa is on his way to Listowel.

Moyvane, Tapioca, Michael Murpurgo in Cork and The Avenue

Ballybunion Sunday November 22 2015

Photo; Ballybunion Prints


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The sanctuary, St. Mary's Listowel….peace, perfect peace.

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More From Moyvane Vintage Fair, October 2015

Indoors there was a craft fair

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A Taste of Yesterday Today

Do you remember I wrote about milk puddings a while back? I said they were a thing of the past.
I was wrong. Many people told me that they still eat them today. When I went to the supermarket there before me were all the ingredients but I didn't succumb.

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Michael Murpurgo at Cork City Hall

Michael Murpuro has to be one of the most popular living authors. He has written hundreds of books that are enjoyed by readers from 8 to 100. I was lucky to get to see him in Cork City Hall recently as a representative of The National Childrens' Literary Festival at Listowel Writers Week.

Many of his books are in the genre of historical fiction. One that he talked to us about was Listen to The Moon, a story inspired by a coin his wife found in a drawer when she was ill in bed with chicken Pox at age 7. The coin was a commemorative propaganda medal struck in the wake of the tragic sinking of the passenger ship, The Lusitania, many of whose victims washed up on the Kerry coastline.

The coin which prompted the story was struck in Germany to stem the tide of outrage that was  swelling against it for torpedoing a passenger ship. Jim Halpin has one of these coins in his War Museum on Church Street. On one side there is an image of a sinking liner, The Lusitania and on the other side is an image of a line of potential passengers buying tickets from a skeleton; Death.
People had been warned not to travel on the Lusitania as it would be traveling through a war zone and it had munitions on board.

Murpurgo talked about some of his other books as well. He loves to write about dogs and children and he is fascinated by stories of war.

Above is Michael Murpurgo on stage at Cork City Hall. The hall was packed to capacity and he was alone on the stage. Such is his magic as a story teller that we were spell bound by him for over an hour. At the end of his show, Murpurgo sang for us a song from the stage version of his most famous work, Warhorse. I recorded it for you ;   The Year Turns Round again

Notice that he is wearing his trademark red and white poppies to remember the war dead but also to celebrate peace.

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O'Connell's Avenue, Listowel 2015