Miss Ryan, Daniel O'Connell in Abbeyfeale and More from Listowel Races 2018

It's Official. Listowel is Ireland's Best Town 2018

It's been a massive community effort led by a brilliant Tidy Town Committee.
I have rarely seen people so proud of their town as Listowel people are.
Listowel is a beautiful town to call your native place and it's a beautiful town to blow in to.
We are so blessed!

Here are a few photos to celebrate our big win in the Super Valu Tidy Towns Competition 2018

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Do You Remember Miss Ryan?

One of my roving reporters ran into this lady on a trip to Galway. This is what he says about  her.

Miss Ryan of Waterford taught art in Listowel. Remembers well Mr Drummond, Mr Fitzgerald, Mary B's Hotel. Miss Moloney, Matt Mooney. She had also copper work, very much like Tony O'Callaghan's work, but had no name for its maker.

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 From Echoes of Abbeyfeale

A letter written by Daniel O’Connell in January 1836 to Mr. Leahy, The Square, Abbeyfeale reads as follows: 

Sir,
I will be at your house about two o’clock on Sunday – have four horses ready for me by two o’clock – take care that the drivers have mass. I will not arrive until after last mass and will not allow any man to drive me who miss mass. 

Truly Yours
Daniel O’Connell 

On November 4^th1 836, Daniel O’Connell had the services of a driver and four horses from Abbeyfeale to Newcastle. The four horses were Jack and Major, Nancy and Grey. O’Connell paid one pound and eight shillings for this service. His driver was paid seven shillings. We
are indebted to the owner of Leahy’s Inn for meticulous book-keeping. He was Mr. David D. Leahy, son to Daniel Leahy. In 1832, at Leahy’s Inn a gentleman got dinner for one shilling; lodging for one shilling; breakfast for one shilling and two pence; livery for two shillings and sixpence; oats and feed for horse eight pence; for the weary traveller a glass of punch cost two shillings.

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Friday Sept 14 2018

 Style and more from The Island

This is the colourful scene outside the Budweiser tent as the beautiful ladies wait for the tap on the shoulder to say you are in the top 10.

Fashion is a top to toe thing.

These three beautiful girls could have bagged the three young racers prizes but the lady in the middle had no hat and that's a requirement. As it was, her two friends caught the judges eye and were rewarded.

Some local men were a day late for the best dressed man competition but they posed with some local beauties anyway.

Those pheasant feathers are surely the work of our best known local milliner.

Good friends, Máire and Keelin were catching up and having a look at the fashion at the same time.

Oh, the stress!

Maud and Eleanor, like myself, chose a ringside seat.

Cliona caught up with her former teacher.

The O'Halloran family were enjoying a return to one of the haunts of their youth. Marie, on the far right, told me that she enjoys Listowel Connection in Sydney.

I was delighted to photograph these, my local friends. 

Bridget came from County Limerick for the day.

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Vincent Carmody Sheds Some Light on another photo

I don't think the photo was taken outside Buckley's ( It was known as Nora Lynch's). Sheamus Buckley would have been the photographer.The window is not right for Buckleys, they had a sectioned window, similar to what is there today, with a bar across the front for protection. It may have been Mary Ann Relihans' or else a bar downtown.

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This witty letter writer to The Irish Times seems to have got it right 

St. Michael's Graveyard, Listowel and photos from Listowel Races Ladies' Day 2018

Ballybunion by Deirdre Lyons

Deirdre Lyons of Abbeyfeale is a super photographer. This photo has been chosen as on of the top 20 finalists in the FBD Insurance calendar competition.

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Celtic Crosses in St. Michael's Graveyard, Listowel

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Old tombs and graves in Listowel

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Listowel Races, Ladies Day 2018

This year the arrangements for the tagging and the judging were different. The judges mingled among ladies milling around the old haunt near the parade ring and then they went to this bar and gazebo. If you got the coveted pink wristband you were in the running and you could enter the Holy of Holies, a.k.a the Budweiser bar tent. There, you awaited the tap on the shoulder to tell you you had made the top 10. For most that tap never came but they proudly wore their pink wristbands, marking them as people the judges thought stylish.

My  gorgeous Writers' Week friends, Madeleine and Eilish, chose monochrome.

 This lady won the prize for the most iconic outfit. I think that means timelessly stylish.
She certainly met that criteria. She made her own hat.

 Paul and John were enjoying it all.

Mary O'Halloran is always beautiful. She loves the races and she loves dressing up for Ladies' Day.

These three know a thing or two about fashion.

The judges had a hard job. The place was so full of stylish outfits that you could miss one right under your nose.

Niamh Kenny gets her pink wristband from Aoibhin Garrihy. I think the chat was as much about motherhood as about style.

Anne Leneghan and Maria Stack love this day and they both looked beautiful.

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To Vincent Carmody the Final Word on the Doodle Photo

 Margaret Dillon, who has a great memory for faces and names, wrote the following;

Hi Mary,

I'm going to take a stab at the Doodle party names.

"2nd from left standing Peter Moloney , Charles st., Sean Grogan,my sister Sheila thinks the next person with his hand to his tie is our uncle Jackie Sharry, he was certainly involved in the caper , Curley Keane- Stack, O'Neill??from Ballygologue?, Tommy Murphy William St, Matt Kennelly, Chuck Roche, Bottom right Dan Lou Sweeney, Up Church st., Middle front Finbarr Mc Auliffe?? Church St.

Vincent Carmody writes:

It was taken in a back room at the rere of William Keane-Stacks chemist shop. The occasion was a Doodle Frolic, one of the early get togethers of the Doodle Executive.

In front are, Derry Tatten, Finbar McAuliffe and Dan Lou Sweeney.

Standing, John Joe Daly, Plunket Moloney, Sean Grogan, Dinny Carroll, Curly Stack, Michael (Gulliver) Stack, Michael Carey, Tom O'Connell and Timmy Shanahan.

Back, ? Guerin, John B Keane, Tommy Murphy, Danny Kelliher, John Kennelly and John (Chuck) Roche. 

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D Day for our great Tidy Towners

The very best of luck to the Julie, Mary and all the Tidy Town workers. Whatever the outcome in The Helix, Listowel is a credit to you. Everyone who visits praises your work. We are so lucky to have such dedicated people making sure our lovely town always looks its best
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What's in store

Between the Races, Culture Night, an important book launch and my trip to Cork I have lots and lots of photos to share with you over the next while. Jimmy Hickey and Mike Moriarty also sent me some great photos of interesting events in their lives.  So if I have taken your photo and there is no sign of it here, please be patient. It might take a while.