Kenny Heights, Wolfgang Suschitzky, Brendan of Kerry and the Doc on One

Border at the Tim Kennelly Roundabout in August 2018

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An Old Sketch of Listowel Castle

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Another Beautiful Corner of Listowel

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Ducks on The Feale in August 2018

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Photo; The Guardian

The photographer who took the photos from the publication Brendan of Ireland was a world famous Austrian photographer, Wolfgang  Suschitzky.  He passed away in 2016 at the age of 104 leaving a huge body of very highly regarded work behind him

Obituary of Wolfgang  Suschitzky

The story is a simple one of a boy growing up in the west of Ireland. He is close to his grandparents who play a big part in his life. His grandfather tells Brendan the story of Niamh Chinn Óir, of Óisín and Tír na nÓg and Brendan sets out to find the sea and the land of eternal youth.

This is the opportunity to have Brendan encounter "tinkers' , a ploughman and fisherman on his way to the sea. He goes via Ballyduff and The Cashen.

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A Book to Treasure

I found this marvellous book recently in Listowel's St. Vincent de Paul shop. It is full of interesting little titbits and valuable information about the countryside.


I'll share nuggets from it with you here from time to time.

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Conor Keane's Doc on One

Conor writes;

IN 1946, in an act of defiance against the local clergy, a group of local men in Listowel, Co. Kerry force open the locked gates into the Parish Church.

This action by the townspeople of Listowel never makes it into the newspapers, nor is it recorded anywhere else at the time. In fact, the incident has mostly faded from the town’s memory yet has never been forgotten by some. What was it that drove a normally compliant congregation to challenge local Parish Priest, Canon Patrick Brennan's dominion?

Behind this act of defiance lies the story of a young woman named Peggy McCarthy, whose tragic death in childbirth resulted in the local clergy refusing to let her body lie in the church overnight before her burial. Subsequently, an alliance between Church and State has had a devastating impact on three generations of Peggy's family - including on the daughter she gave birth to, Breda - which persists right up to the present day.

Famed balladeer Séan McCarthy wrote a song, Shame, Love, In Shame, about the young woman at the centre of these events. Peggy was Séan's younger sister. Years later, Peggy's story also inspired local Listowel playwright Tony Guerin to write the play 'Solo Run'.

Documentary On One: In Shame, Love, In Shame looks at the events behind this story, of Peggy's life, of her daughter Breda's life, of how the people of Listowel rallied round and defended Peggy - and of what happened before and since those Church gates were rammed open in 1946.

Narrated by Conor Keane

Produced by Conor Keane and Liam O'Brien

First Broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, Saturday 18th August 2018 @1pm, Repeated Sunday 19th August  2018 @7pm