Christmas in Kerry, Hospice Tree and Muddy Paws relocated

St. John's Listowel on Dec 1 2019

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Christmas Customs

From The Dúchas Schools collection

Christmas Night
In the district the preparation for Christmas began with cleaning and decoration of the house. Sprays of holly, ivy, and mistletoe are used for decorating the walls and windows. Christmas is usually a busy time for the shopkeepers for every housekeeper goes to the nearest town for a supply of provisions and dainties and Christmas candles.

Christmas Eve, one or perhaps two large candles are placed on each window. At nightfall the candles are lighted and the supper is prepared. The table is laid with all sorts of cakes and jams and fruits. Then a big fire is made and a log of bog deal placed in the centre of it – (yule-log). Then all sit down to a delicious meal.

When it is all over and everything in order each person is treated to whatever they wish, whiskey, wine or porter while the children have their own refreshment – lemonade, lemon-soda etc. Then where there are musical instruments in the house a few hours of enjoyment follow.
About ten o’clock the rosary is said and all are in bed for midnight.

Collector Nora M. Stack- Address, Lahardane, Co. Kerry

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Muddy Paws has Moved

Muddy Paws Dog Grooming is now across the road beside Betty McGrath's.

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Blessing Ceremony at the Remembrance Tree

Keeping the flame, we gathered outside St. John's on Sunday December 1 2019 to remember those we had lost to cancer. 

People braved the cold to gather in The Square.

People bought commemorative yellow ribbons and attached them to the tree.

Stalwarts of Listowel Hospice committee, Jenny Tarrant and John Croghan were there early.

 Local people who came out to remember

Helen Moylan ties on her ribbon

Elaine Lyons, one of the chief organisers of the project attaching a ribbon

Lovely to see children there too.

Máire Logue was offering tea and a biscuit.

Members of the local Hospice Committee in St. John's Listowel on Dec 1 2019

Marie and Judith were remembering too.

Sr. Margaret and Canon Declan O'Connor, both of whom have lost family members in 2019.

Batt O'Keeffe explained what the tree was about and spoke a bit about the hospice.

Canon Declan blessed the tree.

We all looked skywards, remembering.

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Teachers

I printed the below list of rules last week and it reminded Nicholas of a fictional scene in a Bryan MacMahon play.

Mary, very interesting list of contract conditions and rules for U.S. female teachers in 1923. 

The 'at least two petticoat' rule reminded me of Listowel's Bryan McMahon's  quote in, I think, his book, The Honey Spike: 'Two legs in the one stocking!' The so-and-sos are coming.' This chastity warning was said to have  been called out by Travellers to their  women when a Traveller from a certain Kerry family approached them. 

St. Luke's Day, St. Mary's Stained glass, Piseoga and A Minute of Your Time

St. Luke's Day

Window in Taur Church

Saint Luke the Evangelist, whose feast day occurs today, has many strings to his bow. He is the patron saint of artists, physicians, bachelors, surgeons, students and butchers. In common with some of his fellow saints he is also mentioned in weather lore - 

St. Luke’s Little Summer, summerlike days around 18th October.

St. Luke's Day did not receive as much attention as St. John's Day (June 24) and Michaelmas (September 29) and others, so, to keep from being forgotten, St. Luke used his influence to give us some golden days to cherish before the coming of winter, or so the story goes. Sadly, he tried in vain. His feast day is forgotten by all except those on the loony fringe of folklore. Forecast for the weekend isn’t great - heavy rain, hail, thunder and the first widespread frost. Maybe he will prove them all wrong, or maybe he has just given up trying?  

Photo and text: Raymond O'Sullivan

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Statue of Bryan MacMahon at The Kerry Writers' Museum

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Stain Glass Windows in St. Mary's, Listowel

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Folklore in the Dúchas Collection

Piseoga gathered by Lyreacrompane schoolchildren from older people in 1936.

51. If the right side of your nose is itchy it is said that someone is talking good of you.

52. If the left side of your nose is itchy it is said that someone is talking bad of you.

53. If you right eye is itchy, it is said that you will be crying.

54. If your left eye is itchy it is said that you will be laughing.

55. If you marry on a Wednesday you will never have a day's luck.

56. You should never carry a coal of fire out of a sick house.

57. You should never give away money on a Monday because you would be spending money for the rest of the week.

58. Thirteen is an unlucky number because at the Last Supper Our Lord and His twelve apostles were present and one of the twelve apostles betrayed Our Lord.

59. If you were playing cards and to have a dormouse in your pocket you are sure to win.

60. If you put the frame of a dead woman's hand under a tub of cream it is said that there will be no butter taken.

61. You should never carry a coal out of a house on May Eve
62. If you throw an old shoe after a couple who are getting married it is said that they will be lucky.

63. If you wash your hands in the dew early on May morning it is said that you will be ripping knots for the rest of the year.

64. If you hear an ass braying it is the sign of a person dead. - You should never interfere with a fort. (No 24) (One day a man was crossing a fort and he saw a nice blackthorn stick growing inside in it. He went in & began to pull it. It was a beautiful summer's day. As he stooped down a shower fell on him. He looked up and saw the sun shining. He stooped again and another shower fell. He looked up again and saw the sun. He stooped again and a shower of blood fell on his clothes so he went away without the stick).

65. If you spill salt it is the sign of bad luck because Judas, before he betrayed Our Lord, when reaching over, spilled the salt.

66. You should never strike a cow with a white-thorn because it is said that the Cross of Calvary was made of white-thorn.

67. If you hear a cock crowing it is the sign of bad luck, because when the cock crew St Peter denied Our Lord.

68. You should never hit anyone with a brush.

69. You should never catch a tongs in your hand unless you want it.

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A  Minute of Your Time

Here I am finalising arrangements with Elaine Kinsella of Radio Kerry for Saturday evening's launch.

Dont forget...7.30 in St. John's

Vintage Day at Listowel Races 2019, Killarney Jostle Stones and Culture Night 2019

All over for another year

My lovely boys gone back home after a few days in Kerry.

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Vintage Recycle Upcycle Day at Listowel Races 2019

The tent was full. There were some lovely outfits on show. The mens' competition seems to have attracted many more entries this year.

The organising committee on behalf od Listowel Tidy Towns were busy interviewing the entrants and hearing their stories.

The winner (on right )and first runner up

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Enjoying the Races and the Sunshine

Agnes and Jimmy were enjoying the Saturday race meeting.

An unusual and tragic event at the races. This is so sad for the owners and all associated with this poor horse.

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Jostle Stones Again

They have them in Killarney too. I'm getting a great thrill out of my blog followers spotting these for us around the country.

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Church Street Girls in 1958

Miriam Kiely has been in touch with the last name.

Eileen Sheridan sent us this photo and she had all the names except one. Here is the caption as Eileen had it;

It is summer 1958 and these are the girls

Front row Ann Gleeson
Mary Keane,  Noreen Scanlon, Noreen McSweeney, Geraldine Flaherty
Angela Breen, Eileen Guerin, ? ,Kathleen Kenny
Maisie McSweeney, Eileen Scanlon

Miriam thinks that the girl between Eileen and Kathleen is Bride Given, who lived with her family in the Garda Station.

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Culture Night 2019

Listowel had lots of music and singing on Friday September 20th. Ard Churam choir and the local Comhaltas musicians were all playing their part.

I was in the Small Square giving out free poems on behalf of Writers' Week. 

It's a sign of the times that  some people couldn't believe they were free and were reluctant to take them at first.

Then there was the other little issue of being mistaken for a Jehovah's Witness.

Two scenarios I had nor envisaged when I volunteered for the job.

Marie, Catherine  and Éilish were my fellow poetry distributors

One of the poems which was chosen by Writers' Week literary adviser and poet, John McAulliffe was called Corner Boys. This time it was not John B. Keane writing about this urban phenomenon but Bryan MacMahon.
MacMahon's Corner Boys were ex soldiers mostly. They had seen awful things and glorious things
..."the sun behind a minaret....`

I sympathised with them as I too stood stood on Main Street.

"Here the lonesome Kerry winds
Shriek up along draughty streets,
And how around the corner 
Where the corner boys are growing grey
Dreaming of sunny skies.

Harp and Lion in Sept 2019, Raceweek Memories nd First Storytelling Festival

Harp and Lion, Listowel's Most Beautiful Shopfront

The next stage in the transformation is the sign painting. Martin Chute, Mr. Signs, is doing a magnificent job.

I took this photo on Sept 5 2019 when there was still some work to be done.

While I was photographing Martin, Liz MacAuliffe came by and stopped to admire the work.

I think both their ancestors would be happy with how it looks today.

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Raceweek Memories

by Vincent Carmody

Apart from the fine fresh air and friendship that you will have in abundance at the races, the only other thing free for the week is the free draw each day, entry forms to be found on the day’s race card.

Race card kiosks are located in several areas of the enclosure.

In my previous lookback, I mentioned Paul Kennelly of Woodford.  He used to be assisted in putting up the decorations by several of his sons. One by one over time, they emigrated to seek their fortunes in England. Like many before them, they worked hard and prospered. Murt, having done well, decided to become a racehorse owner. Among the horses that he owned was Bregawn. In 1983 Murt achieved what most owners and trainers would only dream of, by winning the Gold Cup in Cheltenham. It could not happen to a nicer man and family.

The weekend prior to the races would see an influx of returning emigrants arriving at the Railway Station. The Races was the one time of the year where anyone away would make an big effort to return back to town and meet up with old friends. 

  

Tuesday used be the first day of the three day meeting. Many lads, like myself, would be down early outside the Race Company Office in the Square; our mission, to collect race cards for the day. This was another money making project for us young fellows. Each card would be sold for one old shilling and we would take three old pence for each one sold. On getting the cards, a bee line would then be made to the Railway Station, where each race day morning at least four packed “specials” would arrive.  It used be like London's Euston station. We used work in teams of three, with one always ready to cycle down to the Square to get fresh supplies. 

Here we were also introduced for the first time to the Dublin fruit and sweet sellers. We used to call them the Molly Malones. Afterwards we got used to their cry, “apples, pears and ripe bananas!”. 

Any cards we had left after the railway station would be sold around the streets. 

One year I decided to go into business on my own, running a bicycle park. A bike would have been the most common form of transport for a lot of country men in the mid 1950s. Each day of the races from mid-morning droves of country men from the northern end of the county would come down the Ballylongford Road to the town. By taking up a position on top of the bridge I could easily canvas likely contenders who would have dismounted and walked up the far side and who wanted their bike parked safely for the day. Having secured a customer, I would take him down to our yard, give him a ticket, get paid and then rush back up to the bridge again. By early afternoon customers would have dried up so it was then off over to The Island. 

Our racedays were spent like most others out in the field opposite the stand. Not like today, where the field is used as a carpark, it was in those days similar to the opposite enclosure, albeit without a stand.  It had  bookies, bars, Tote and every other facility, even including swinging boats. Evening time offered the magic of the market, and for the week the cinemas would run a second film showing. 

Back to the bicycle park. The less said about the bicycle park the better. Having got my sister to help out in the early part of the evening, I then had to take up duty. On that particular night it was after five in the morning before the last bike was claimed. My mother and father said they had no sleep with all the comings and goings, so that finished that idea.

A friend, Dr. Philip O Carroll, now domiciled in Newport Beach in California, reminded me of Bryan McMahon's classic Listowel ballad, 'Lovely Listowel' first printed by Bob Cuthbertson and sold on an original penny ballad sheet. I have a copy and I would like to share it with all of those Listowel people around the world who could not join us this year.

Oh, Puck may be famous and Galway be grand,

And the praise of Tramore echo down through the land,

But I'll sing you a ballad and beauty extol,

As I found it long ' go in the Town of Listowel.

I've been to Bundoran, I've rambled to Bray,

I've footed to Bantry with it's beautiful bay,

But I'd barter their charms, I would, pon my soul,

For the week of the Races in Lovely Listowel.

There were Bookies and Bagmen and Bankers and all,

Biddy Mulligan was there with a green-coloured shawl,

And a cute little boy pitching pence in a bowl,

Took me down for a crown in the Town of Listowel.

The Hawkers were kissing and bleeding as well,

We had Hoop-La and Loop-La and the 'oul Bagatelle,

And silver-tongued gents sure I'd bet they'd cajole,

A pound from a miser in the Town of Listowel.

Beyond on the course there was silk flashing past, 

The unfortunate nag that I backed he was last,

When he ran the wrong way sure I lost my control,

And I prayed for the trainer and Lovely Listowel.

Oh night time, how are you-the night sure 'twas day,

And the stars in the sky sure they looked down in dismay,

And they sez to the moon then in accents so droll,

'You're done, for the sun shines to-night in Listowel'

And you'd travel the land to see maidens so rare,

With buckles and pearls and grace I declare,

In my troubles and toils there is one can console,

she's a wife, be me life, from the Town of Listowel.

My rhyming is over, God bless those who heard,

For I'll take to the roads and go off like a bird,

And before I depart well you all must pay toll,

So three cheers for the Races and Lovely Listowel.

   

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Inaurgural International Storytelling Festival

This is some of the line up of storytellers for a marathon storytelling session in Kerry Writers' Centre on Sept 7 2019. Missing from the picture are local storyteller Bryan Murphy and balladeer, Mickey McConnell.