Showing posts with label Keelin Kissane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keelin Kissane. Show all posts

Thursday, 30 January 2020

Sextons, A Minute of Your Time and a Writers' Week memory


Kerry County Library, Listowel Branch


<<<<<<<<<

Changes at Sextons


This well known William Street facade is changing. The overhanging canopy is gone.

<<<<<<<<<

More Photos from St. John's at the launch of A minute of Your Time


A lovely former pupil and now teacher herself, Julieaane Galvin.


Support from the North Cork contingent, Breeda, Margaret and Gael


Kay Landy


Keelin Kissane, former pupil and chair of the Dublin Kerry association


Anne Darby and her nephew, Killian Cogan


Lily Nolan


From Kanturk, a stalwart of Kanturk Arts Festival and friend, Lisa Egan


Lisa Whelan


Liz Dunne


Madeleine O'Sullivan


Máire Logue


Margaret O'Connell


From Galway, my old friend, Margaret O'Sullivan


From Kildare and Castlelyons,  a loyal friend, Margo Spillane


Doreen came from Ballyduff to buy a book for her sister in England


Marie Lucid



Mary Catherine Sheahan


Mary Dillon


Mary Fagan


Mary and Mairead meeting Cora


Another old friend and former colleague, Mary O'Connor


Clíona's Kildare family who now regard Listowel as their second home, Tony and Mary McKenna

<<<<<<<

A Writers' Week Memory

I'm still welcoming memories or photos of Listowel Writers' Weeks past. Here his a lovely memory all the way from sunny South Carolina

I’m Robert Koch, the husband of Maeve Moloney of Skehenerin. We are retired and live in Columbia, South Carolina. I read your Listowel Connection regularly, as does Maeve, and she explains to me all the details about people and places in her beloved Listowel. 

I want to relate to you my fondest recollection of Writers Week. We attended Writers Week events in the 1970s and 1980s during our visits with our two sons to Maeve’s parents from our home in Washington D.C.  My fondest recollection relates to a conversation Maeve and I and the children had with the well-known, now deceased, Offaly-born, professor and literary critic, Vivian Mercier. 

During the 1960s in NewYork I had met and studied under Professor Mercier, but I had not seen him again until his appearance at Writers Week circa 1980. The moderator who introduced him mentioned that Dr. Mercier had retired from his professorial position with the University of California at Santa Barbara and that he and his wife, the well-known Irish novelist and author of children’s books, Eilis Dillon, were living in London and Dublin.

 At the conclusion of his presentation, I reintroduced myself to him and introduced him to Maeve and our sons.  Much to my surprise and pleasure, he actually remembered me! We talked for several minutes about our lives, and he was very much the friendly down-to-earth conversationalist with Maeve and the children. 

I then remarked how the climate in Santa Barbara was so lovely-warm and sunny- that I wondered how he could have possibly abandoned living there. At that point his demeanor changed. He became very professorial, pointing at me with his index finger, and he said what I have never forgotten and have been ever heedful of since: “Yes, but what about the intellectual climate.” “Enough said”, remarked Maeve, and we all smiled, talked for a few minutes more, and then parted.

Monday, 6 August 2018

More from The Green Guide., Living Literature, Dublin Kerry Association


<<<<<<<<<

More from the Little Green Guide of 1965




<<<<<<<<<<

Living Literature  at The Seanchaí


This is Angeline, the actress, with Jerry, the John B. Keane fan before the start of our Living Literature Tour on Saturday July 21 2018

We were in The Seanchaí for a tour of the rooms dedicated to North Kerry Writers. If you get a chance to take this guided tour, I'd highly recommend it. Angeline, our guide, was full of enthusiasm for the work of the featured writers. She sang, played, recited and acted to bring to life the work of the various writers. She was brilliant and we all greatly enjoyed the tour.






 In the room dedicated to Bryan MacMahon she told us the story, recounted in The Master, of Bryan getting a young mahout to bring a baby elephant to the school. This seems really extraordinary to today's young people but a photo in the John Hannon archive shows a parade of elephants through the town to advertise the arrival of a circus.

Elephants on Market Street photographed by Johnny Hannon.




Paddy stepped up to the plate to play Byrne to Angeline's Big Maggie in the excerpt from the John B. Keane Play.

<<<<<<<<

Dublin Kerry Association

I missed this one earlier in the summer when Fr. Anthony Gaughan was presented with an award and the Kerry gang in the capital came out in force




Fr. Gaughan with Miriam O'Callaghan and Keelin Kissane

<<<<<<

Seán Keane in Finuge

The highlight of the Seán Maccarthy Memorial Weekend was Seán Keane in concert Neil Brosnan was there and he met Brendan Kennelly with his sister and niece.


Photo; Neil Brosnan


 This photo and caption are also from Neil Brosnan on Facebook.

Sean McCarthy ballad competition sponsors, Mike and Sue Nilsson, with prizewinners: Joe Harrington, 1st, Caroline O'Callaghan, 2nd, and myself in 3rd place 

<<<<<<<<

Yesterday, August 5 2018 in Listowel







Monday, 22 January 2018

Convent Street, Pitch and Putt and Athea Mural blown down

From The Irish Farmers' Journal



<<<<<<<<

A Quiet Corner of Town undergoing renewal



This site has gone Sale Agreed so we await developments.



One is sold and the other is for sale


This is the area of Convent Street that is about to change.


These houses in Convent Street are boarded up too so it will be good to see life return to this corner of town.

And in another corner of town...

A little bird tells me that Iceland is coming to Listowel shortly.

<<<<<<<

Listowel Pitch and Putt Club

Dave O'Sulivan, a loyal follower and supporter of the work of your blogger replied to my appeal for history of the Pitch and Putt Club.





My photos taken at different times of the year show the variety and abundance of planting in the course over the years.

Here are the cuttings that Dave found for us;







<<<<<<<

Athea Revisited on January 19 2018



That was then



This is now

The high winds last week flattened the lovely mural with the whole history and mythology of the village on it. I have no doubt that the good people of Athea will see it restored to its former glory.

<<<<<<

And the Winner is

The Dublin Kerry Association have announced their Kerry Person of the year


There was a goodly attendance on the night.


Colm Cooper was revealed as this year's choice and he got a standing ovation as he entered.


Colm was a very popular choice.


Colm Cooper with  Keelin Kissane of  Listowel, chair of The Kerry Association in Dublin