Painting the Garda Station, More Covid Signs and Some Listowel People

On the River Brick

Photo; Bridget O'Connor

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A Bit of Dickying Up

Lovely paint job at Listowel Garda Station as it remembers that it's 100 years since its moment in history

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Social Distance Meet up in Erskine Childers' Park

Friends, Maureen Hartnett, Helen Moylan and Joan Kenny enjoy a coffee and a scone on Bank Holiday Monday June 1 2020

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Fond Memories of a Trip to Ireland

Mark Holan

With more than 11 million annual visitors kept home by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism Ireland has released a short video to remind prospective travelers they “can still dream of future holidays and adventures.” The campaign, titled “I will return: Fill your heart with Ireland,” arrives at the 20th anniversary of my first visit in May 2000.

And that recalls my dearest experience of Ireland.

At Dublin Airport, I handed my new Irish/E.U. passport to the customs agent, having obtained citizenship through foreign birth registration. He waved me into the country without question. Then, as I waited for my luggage, I thought I heard my name called on the public address system.

“That couldn’t be me,” I thought. “Nobody knows me here.”

I took a taxi to my bed and breakfast in Portmarnock. The room wasn’t ready, but the innkeeper secured my suitcase and I took a mid-morning walk on the nearby strand.

When I returned, my host answered a telephone call.

“Yes, he is here,” he said.

It was  for me.

The voice at the other end of the line–and it was still a line–belonged to a woman in her 60s, a retired school teacher, the unmarried daughter of a North Kerry man. His brother was my mother’s father, who emigrated shortly before the Easter Rising. 

My grandfather married a North Kerry women in Pittsburgh, where several of their siblings and other relations also lived. Because of these connections to Ireland, deepened by the citizenship through decent process, I shared my travel itinerary with my mother. She passed the details to her sister, who maintained regular contact with the woman on the phone, the one who had me paged at Dublin Airport. Her name was Eithne.

My plans to meet the Irish relations were unformed, something to be figured out during the trip, if any of them even cared to meet me. A holy trinity of Irish and Irish-American women assured those introductions. My plans changed within an hour of my arrival. Eithne insisted that I lodge with her.

The B&B host graciously released me from my booking. Eithne’s Jack Russell Terrier, named Beano, sniffed me suspiciously, but deigned that I enter the house on Griffith Avenue, Dublin, near Corpus Christi Catholic Church. I was very welcome in Ireland.

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Signs of the Times

Summer 2020 will be remembered for the many shop signs advising customers of new procedures in place during the pandemic of 2020.

Mr. Kebab

Mama Mia

Listowel Travel

Carrolls is open

Zingyzest is to open soon

O Sullivan Cycles

St. John's, sadly, is closed

Fitzpatrick's Taxi

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Canon Declan Working During the Crisis

I met Canon Declan O'Connor, another frontline hero  in The Square. He has been working throughout this period of restrictions and adapting to saying mass behind closed doors and conducting funerals to small groups of mourners.

Christmas Shop, More Photos from THE launch and Dublin Marathon 2019

Harvest Home

This lovely display is in Abbeyfeale church.

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Christmas is Coming

Displays in Listowel Garden Centre Christmas Shop

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Memories of the Launch of A Minute of Your Time

Mother and daughter Anne and Cora Darby on stage as Anne read a reflection which was prompted by an incident involving Cora.

My old friend, Assumpta O'Sullivan came from Dublin. She is originally from Killarney.

Barbara Walshe was there on the anniversary of her dear father's death. Many of the reflections in my book are about grief and remembrance.

Brenda Enright was there.

I have known Bridie O'Rourke almost since the first day I came to Listowel.

Canon Declan read me from the altar and reminded the congregation that I was launching my book across the road from the church straight after mass.

Helena Carmody was one of many of my friends from the Vincent de Paul shop who came to enjoy the night with me.

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Chris Grayson, Wild life Photographer and Runner

On the left is Chris Grayson whose  beautiful photographs I often feature on Listowel Connection. He and his friend, Fozzy Forrestal acted as pacers in yesterday's marathon.

St Patricks Day 2018, Listowel Folk on the way to mass

Out and About with my Camera

I love this photo that John Kelliher took of me on St. Patrick's Day 2018. There I am at the parade, preparing my blog post.

Before I went to the parade, I had the bright idea of going to the church to snap some photos of local people on their way to mass.

I didn't get everyone's photo. Here are just a few of the good folk of Listowel parish at 11.00 a.m. mass in St. Mary's on St. Patrick's Day 2018.

As I made my way through The Square, the viewing platform was being decorated and Donal O'Sullivan was putting the finishing touches to the sound system.

At St. Mary's ushers were beautifully turned and at the ready.

 Floor manager, Ronnie Patterson, and chief celebrant, Canon Declan O'Connor, were finalising plans.

 Jimmy Hannon was the first of the musicians to arrive. He had a story to tell.
It takes a musician to recognise a musician. Jimmy twigged that Ronnie Patterson the floor manager with Kairos who were filming the mass and making the programme for RTE, was, in fact, none other than the same Ronnie Patterson who played the double bass with the seventies group, The Pattersons. Jimmy put this knowledge to work and brought his double bass and guitar to the Listowel Arms and along with John Kinsella they had a great old session of seventies hits.

Everyone who had a part to play was dressed to impress.

These men were on a mission. The man second from left is a Stack and these are the Danish branch of the clan. They picked a bad day to research their roots as people were a bit preoccupied with other things. But if they would like to contact me again, I'll be happy to help. You see I was on a mission myself and I didn't have a card or a pen and paper handy so I have no contact details.

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Some Humans of Listowel, March 17 2018