NKM Strike, MS Coffee Morning and Denny Factory is No More and some early spring flowers in Lyreacrompasne

Abandoned House; Photo; Chris Grayson

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Employment Unrest in Listowel in 1922

NKM on the banks of The Feale was going along nicely until 1922 . A strike at the factory caused the owners to relocate their business to Dublin leaving many in Listowel disappointed. Dave O'Sullivan did the research.

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There it is....Gone

Photo: Seán Lyons


The old Denny factory in Tralee has been levelled and the site cleared.

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North Kerry MS Coffee Morning

On Saturday February  16 2019 the North Kerry branch of MS Ireland held a very popular coffee morning in Tomáisíns in Lisselton.

I was there enjoying the fare and taking a few photos.

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Road Signs

At the junction of Charles St. and Courthouse Road

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February 2019 in Lyreacrompane

The green fingers  and the photographs are those of Joe Harrington and Kay O'Leary. Doesn't warm the cockles of your heart to see such beauty and such promise of Spring?

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Looking for Love Second Time Around

Tune in to First Dates Ireland  on RTE 2 tonight, February 28 2019 at 9.30. Pamela Behan, formerly of Listowel, is one of the ladies looking to find love.

NKM Leaves Listowel, Account of an Old School in Derrindaffe and North Kerry MS Fundraiser

Photo: Chris Grayson

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Two Gentlemen

The late Jim Cogan and the late Dan Browne stop for a chat on a summer morning in 2004.
May the sod lie gently on both their souls.

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Maurice Mul in Ballybunion

Poster thanks; Liam OHainnín

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Listowel's First Strike

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An Old School 

(In the Dúchas Folklore collection )

Mrs Quill of Derridaff told this story to an unnamed schoolgirl. 

There was a school in Meenganare. It was a low thatched building with only one very small window.The floor was earth and in Winter, when the roof leaked, the children’s feet were mired in muck.  Seating for the pupils was a plank of wood resting on two blocks of wood.

It was a one teacher school. The teacher was a Mr. Purcell, a native of Cork. He taught there from 1844 to 1879. Mr. Purcell lived in lodgings near the school and he was paid every Friday.

Both pupils and teacher spoke only Irish. The only subjects that were taught were Irish and English. The teacher wrote on a large stone flag which rested against the wall and the children wrote on slates.

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M.S. North Kerry Fundraiser

On Saturday February16 2019, I spent a very pleasant morning in Tomáisín's in Lisselton. My old friends in the North Kerry branch of MS Ireland were holding their annual Valentine's coffee   morning.

The confectionery was mouthwatering, all made locally by volunteer bakers. The company was good and there were lovely raffle prizes. It was a very enjoyable event.

Here are some of my photos from the day.

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Mystery Solved

I asked someone who knew. It's a traffic counter according to Jimmy Moloney.

Listowel Cinema,, NKM in Dublin, Good News from Athea and The Little Lilac Studio is closing

 Photo: Chris Grayson

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Then and Now

Changes at the corner

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Seán MacCarthy Festival Still Going Strong

Sean McCarthy Festival 2019 is from Thursday 1st - Monday 5th August

I took this photo at the festival in 2004

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NKM Strike

NKM was Listowel's first manufacturing industry.

But by 1925, something had gone horribly wrong and the business was relocated to Dublin.

Dave O'Sullivan has discovered that the factory owners embarked on an extensive advertising campaign to re- establish the brand as a world leader in its field after the move to Dublin.

Meanwhile in Listowel

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Update from Athea Tidy Towns Committee

We are delighted to update everyone on the progress of the repair of our mural painted by Jim Dunne and local help a number of years ago. Unfortunately the mural was knocked by a storm in early 2018 resulting in severe damage. The timbers had also begun to decay as a result of weathering. It seemed an impossible task to save the mural but following a commitment from our resident volunteer artist James Dunn, it was decided to salvage what we could of the masterpiece. The repair project was spearheaded by John Scanlon who enlisted the help of Joe Lavin and Shane Scanlon. It was not an easy task as they worked together to cut away and replace parts of the timbers essentially creating a jigsaw puzzle. Many nights/ evenings have been spent repairing the mural and we are beyond grateful to these men for sharing their time and skills all for the benefit of our village. When complete, the mural will be placed on the newly built concrete wall complete with protective canopy next to Batts Bar. We have also been successful in receiving funding from Airtricity to erect lighting to illuminate the mural at night. Thanks also to Scanlon Construction for their assistance with this project. Looking forward to the day when this mural will return to his rightful home!

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What a Loss!

This lovely friendly workshop will be a huge loss to town.  Cathy was so welcoming and so helpful and I always loved taking my grandchildren here. It is a great pity that we are losing this unique visitor attraction. 
We all know that it is really hard to make a living out of this type of artistic endeavour. I think such enterprises should be subsidised and encouraged. They are so much part of Listowel's attractiveness to tourists and visitors

Last of the tennis shots, Super Valu/ Iceland, and NKM in Listowel

Photo: Chris Grayson

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Then and Now

 2019

2004

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Tennis 1987

Photos; Danny Gordon

As I post this on February 24 2019, Bobby Cogan is still playing tennis and is on the court as I write playing with his club Lakewood.

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Whatever Happened to The Sweet factory?

This letter from Mary Murphy in 1990 asked a question we have all been wondering about since the topic of the NKM factory came up here.

Dave O'Sullivan has done a bit of research for us and the bottom line seems to be that the sweet factory relocated to Dublin in 1925 following a strike at its Listowel plant.

First, let's go back to 1920 and '21 when the factory was in full flight and offering good employment to what seems to be a predominantly female workforce.

(More tomorrow)

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There it is ......Gone

The mystery deepens. The box which was attached to this sign is gone. Any idea what that was all about?