Shop windows, Flowers at the Courthouse, Christmas Customs and A Christmas Craft Fair

Listowel Castle December 2019

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Some Lovely Shopwindows

Listowel shopkeepers make a great effort with their window displays always.

Cheryl's lovely crochet crib figures are on the NCBI window.

NCBI

McKenna's Winter Wonderland

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Work at Listowel Courthouse courtyard

They look like flowerbeds in the making.

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Christmas Cleaning from the Dúchas collection

The first job always seemed to be the cleaning and painting.

Christmas Customs

It is an old custom to clean up the house the week before Christmas, to white wash it and paint all the furniture. All the old people like to go to Tralee for the Christmas.

On St. Stephen's day boys flock together and go around with the wren. They dress up in various kinds of clothes and get a dead wren and a bit of holly. They go from house to house and sing and play and dance. The people of the house give them some money and sometimes give them drink.

The old people put up holly around the windows and mantles for Christmas. On the Eve of each holiday candles are lighted through out the Christmas.

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Christmas is a merry time for young and old. Five days before Christmas the people go to a town or village for their Christmas supplies.

The first sign of Christmas is the houses are whitewashed and the places cleaned. On Christmas Eve the candles

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Mike's Murals

Mike O'Donnell's own photo of himself painting the old Kerryman masthead over the door of The Kerryman building

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Listowel Tree 2019

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Christmas Craft Fair

I never got round to posting these last week. This was the Christmas Craft Fair in Kerry Writers' Museum with some lovely things to buy.

The heavenly Elle Marie ODwyer is a new face at Listowel craft fairs. I love her new song, Christmas by the Lee. Have a listen.

Our local historian, Vincent Carmody was there with his chronicles of old Listowel and old Newcastlewest

Anne and Katie's snowmen and candy canes were very popular.

Frances O'Keeffe is the best knitter and knitting designer I know. Her cupcake dolls are a new addition to her range and they're gorgeous. I also love this Rhode Island Red hen tea cozy.

This lady had beautiful large or small Christmas arrangements.

Lovely Listowel people, Changing meanings, Public phones and Hair Oil

St. Patrick's hall, July 2019

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Chance Meetings

Nature lover, Carmel Gornall I met walking by the river on a sunny morning.

Frances and Edel were enjoying the sunshine and the music in the Square

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Post no Bills

This sign is on an arch in Ballincollig. I suspect today's young people have no idea that it has nothing to do with payment due.

I grew up in an age when this sign was a common sight in public areas. It means  Do not affix advertising posters to this wall.

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Public Phones

Working public telephone boxes are rare enough these days so when I see one I grab a snap. The above one is in Kildare town.

This one is in Kent train station in Cork. It takes credit cards as well as coins and you can make international calls.

The tariff is a bit steep at a minimum of €2 per call and calls to mobiles costing €1 a minute.

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Mattie Lennon Remembers

These were found during the dig at the site of the new bypass road at Curraghatoosane. I posted the photo last week, and Mattie Lennon has been in touch;

Hi Mary,

I remember when Brilliantine hair oil came in those phials. It cost a penny ha'penny.

( hair oil, for those not in the know, was for plastering men's hair down so that it stayed in place.)

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John Lynch Mass

Martina OGorman has emailed to tell us that the people of Ballylongford are putting on a memorial mass for the late John Lynch on Sunday next ,August 11 at 10.30.
You may remember that when John , who was originally from Ballylongford, passed away in London recently it was feared that he had no relatives or friends left to attend his funeral. The  London Kerry community were rallied by Martina and friends and he had a good Kerry send off. Now Martina is hoping that the Kerry people at home will turn up to this special mass for John.

Industrial Schools, Castle Hotel, Ballybunion, Abbeyfeale, a Craft Fair and a Sand Art Festival in Ballybunion

Chris Grayson's robin

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Numbers in Reformatory Schools 1939

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Old Ballybunion

The Castle Hotel;  a photo posted on Facebook by Ballybunion Prints

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Abbeyfeale

After my recent trip to Abbeyfeale I received this email from a loyal blog follower;

Welcome to Abbeyfeale, Mary!

This year marks the Golden Jubilee of the new Church in Abbeyfeale. Celebrations are planned and a commemorative magazine is in preparation.

The traditional Stations of the Cross are really eye-catching and artistic. No wonder, for they were donated to the Church in recent years when the Sisters of Mercy closed their Convent across the road form the Church.

Originally, the Stations of the Cross were a gift to the Convent in 1900 from a local man who made good in the USA.

The following report in the Freeman's Journal of 1 September 1900 gives the history of the generous gift:

"MUNIFICENT GIFT TO A CONVENT.

Mr. John M. Nolan, a wealthy citizen of Lowell, U.S.A., who emigrated from Abbeyfeale some years ago, has just presented the Sisters of the Mercy Convent, Abbeyfeale, with the Stations of the Cross for their chapel, the order being executed in Paris at an estimated cost of £250. 

The carving and tinting of the figures is most elaborately and artistically executed.

 Freeman's Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932)

·  ·  Sat 1 Sep 1900 

·  ·  Page 4 

·  ·  MUNIFICENT GIFT TO A CONVENT. "

I wonder what  the 1900 amount of  £250  would represent in today's money?

The Stations are priceless in many ways,  and the Sisters were most generous and far-sighted 

to ensure that such a treasure will always be  part of the heritage and the daily religious faith experience in Abbeyfeale Church.

They will also be a  beautiful and  commemorative tribute to the good work of the Sisters of Mercy in Abbeyfeale.

There are but two Sisters residing in Abbeyfeale now- once there was a host of them  in the thriving Convent Community.

The times and the changes! 

Regards,

Nicholas.

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I was at a craft Fair in The Seanchaí on the May weekend

Maria Leahy was minding her father's stall. He makes these hand made replica wagons at his home in Buttevant. Hours of patient hard work goes into every one. They are all made to a unique design.

Frances O'Keeffe is still making her gorgeous tea cozy creations.

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Friends Reunited

Childhood friends in Listowel, Jean, Hilary and Eileen met up for a chat and a catchup.

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Sand Art in Ballybunion on Saturday May 19 2018

This is a marvellous new festival. I wasn't there myself so the photos are from various Ballybunion photographers 

These are just some of the creations by sand artists from different parts of Ireland.