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.

Flowers in Listowel, a Trip to Teampall Bán, Radio Kerry's Opening Day and John Lynch's Funeral

Listowel Parish Presbytery, July 2019

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More from A Book of Ignorance

My book (above) is English but this following applies equally to Ireland.

People asked to name three species of mouse will probably get House Mouse, Harvest Mouse, Field Mouse and maybe Wood Mouse. No marks for Dormouse though. The dormouse is more a squirrel than a mouse.
The dormouse is much furrier than a mouse. This is because it hibernates, the only British rodent that does. The "dorm' part of its name refers to this. The dormouse has been known to sleep for seven months of the year.

You'll thank me if it ever comes up in a quiz.

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Halo Health

Elaine Dee Worth's great health food shop and café in Upper William Street.

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Listowel Awash with Flowers in July 2019

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Teampall Bán

I took my visitors to Teampall Bán. They were moved and impressed. This is one of Listowel's treasures. Everyone should visit and pray.

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Radio Kerry Opening

Photo and text from MacMonagle Photography on Facebook

Happy 29th birthday 📷🎼🍾🎂to Radio Kerry on Sunday. Our historic photograph looks back to the opening day on July 14th 1990 when Dan Collins was presenting the programme with Liam Higgins on sport, dj Paul Sheahan and the one and only Sean Hurley from Killarney, who still presents his ever popular programme on the station. How many original staff are still with the station?
Photo: Don MacMonagle 

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Don't Forget!

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Good News from Talkabout on Radio Kerry

Yesterday's Story

Today's Story
"On today's show, we hear how the Kerry community in London turned out in force yesterday, for the funeral of John Lynch, originally from Ballylongford, who died with no living relatives. Pictured: left to right: Tommy Flaherty, Martina O'Gorman, Gary Noone, Amy Canavan, Trish Madden, Noreen Buckley, Dermot O'Grady, Vince Harty and Gerry Rochford." Deirdre Walshe on Talkabout

Update

Since I posted this I have had an email from Martina OGorman which I am posting below. The North Kerry contingent did themselves us all proud.

Morning

I notice that you posted the death notice for John Lynch.

We attended the funeral yesterday and it was a great turnout.   Attached is the photo I sent to Radio Kerry, which they published.  Names as follows :

Left to right

• Tommy Flaherty – Listowel
• Martina O Gorman – Listowel
• Gary Noone – Ballycastle, Mayo
• Amy Canavan – Listowel
• Trish Madden – Ballydonoghue/Ballylongford
• Noreen Buckley – Keel, Castlemaine
• Dermot O Grady – Tralee/Ballybunion
• Vince Harty – Ballinskelligs
• Gerry Rochford – Ballyduff

I was made aware of the call out by Radio Kerry at lunchtime Tuesday and by the power of facebook and emails I was able to get the message out to a lot of local Kerry people to see if they could attend the funeral.    It was magnificent because almost 100 people turned up and gave John a great send off.   I took a spare Kerry Flag that I had and draped it over his coffin as he was an avid Kerry supporter.   Also a few of us wore our Kerry Jerseys as a mark of respect for John.

Unfortunately a lot of the younger kerry people here in london could not attend due to work commitments.

Thought I would share this with you as you have a lot of followers all over the world.

All the best for now

Listowel Pitch and Putt Course, Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill and Rewilding

St. Mary's, Listowel in July 2019

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Listowel Pitch and Putt Course in Summer 2019

The course is in tip top condition and a credit to all the people who look after it.

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Book of Ignorance

Another pearl of wisdom for you....

Over a fifteen year period an ecologist called Jennifer Owen discovered 422 species of plant and 1,757 species of animal including 533 species never before recorded in Britain and four were completely new to science. All this in her suburban garden in Humberscome. So if you have enough time, patience and, of course, expertise, it is quite possible to discover a new species without ever leaving home. AND if you get to discover a new species, you get to name it.

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'Sé mo Laoch......

Text and photo is a Facebook post from Raymond O'Sullivan.

While waiting and praying(?) that my old car would pass the NCT test in Charleville this morning, I jumped the wall into the adjacent Holy Cross cemetery to pay my respects to the 18th century Gaelic poet, Seán "Clárach" Mac Domhnaill. He was born in Churchtown in 1691 but lived most of his life in Charleville, and is buried there in the ruins of the mediaeval church in the centre of the graveyard. Although a labourer by trade he was regarded by his peers as Príomh-Éigeas na Mumhan or Chief Poet of Munster. He is best remembered for Mo Ghile Mear, a Jacobite ballad composed after the defeat and exile of Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden in 1746. One of our most popular Gaelic songs, it has become the ‘anthem’ of our southern neighbours in Cúil Aodha i nGaeltacht Mhúscraí.
BTW, she passed the test. Never underestimate an old man with an old Nissan Micra.

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Rewilding

That's the new name for it. So if your lawn is going to seed and your garden looks a bit neglected, you can say you are "rewilding". It's the latest trend in gardening.

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So Sad

This story was all over main stream and social media yesterday so I'm sure by now people will have made out who John was. I hope he had a good turn out at his funeral.

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Good News from Ballybunion

Beach Wheelchairs
Kerry County Council have announced that there will be a beach wheelchair available on the ladies beach for the summer. The wheelchairs will be available for booking until 15th of September.
This service is free but the wheelchairs must be booked in advance and are available for up to 3-hour slots. They are available at Collin’s Seaweed bath’s phone 068-27469, Times available during weekdays are 12pm to 5.30pm and at the weekends 11am to 6pm. For further information phone 066-7162000 or email: environ@kerrycoco.ie

All Night Dance Poster, Pat MacAuliffe, John Lynch and Kathy Greaney

Turf on Stack's Mountain

Photo: Máire Logue

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An Old Poster

Violet Dalton posted this poster for an "All Night Dance" on Facebook

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Pat MacAulliffe's shop fronts

During Writers' Week and again during Visual Arts Week our attention was drawn to the unique and eccentric legacy of street art that is left behind by our very own Banksy, Pat McAuliffe.

Pat Mac Auliffe was a man with a wide range of knowledge, a smattering of several languages and a bravery  and flamboyance that is unmatched anywhere in Ireland's streets.

Apparently a condition of employing him was that you gave him free rein and you accepted whatever he came up with. This appealed to his mischievous nature and he was not above the odd joke at his employer's expense.

Seán Lynch is an artist whose work is influenced by the shopfronts of Listowel. He led our walking tour on the Friday of Listowel Writers' Week 2018. He has made a detailed study of the work of Pat McAuliffe and he is knowledgeable and entertaining in his account of the streetscapes of our native town.

This detail over a door in The Square is modelled on worm casts.

 McAuliffe sisters learning more about their famous relative.

Listowel Travel is a good example of his craftwork, beautifully painted by the Chutes who are, in my opinion, the very best interpreters of his work.

Marvellous detail, beautifully painted at Listowel Travel.

 Lion's were frequently depicted. This black animal might be a dog.

McAuliffe was wonderfully inventive. The nails in this horseshoe are actually bicycle tail lights. This detail is at Behan's The Horseshoe.

Notice how the cctv camera is cleverly incorporated into the shopfront without taking from the artwork. This is a great example of how the work this local artist is respected and integrated.

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A Listowel Film maker and family

I met the Lynch family out and about during Writers' Week. John is a man who has covered years and years of historic events in Listowel. He is a great social historian and his films will be valued and treasured for generations.

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From the John Hannon Archive

Kathy Greaney in Main Street, Listowel

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Another  Evening, Another Sunset, Another Photographer

June 23 2018, Nuns' Beach, Ballybunion, Bridget O'Connor