Covid 19 in Listowel Co. Kerry and a look back to 2016 Ard Churam Opening

A Curlew photographed by Ita Hannon

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A Quiet Sunday Morning in Lockdown Listowel,  May 31 2020

An almost empty Lidl carpark

John B. Keane Road

Listowel fire station

Upper William Street

St. Patrick's Hall

Carmody's Corner, junction of Charles Street and William Street

William Street

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Here a sign, there a sign, everywhere a Covid sign

Main Street

One of our links with the outside world, the humble post box

Just a few cars in The Square

Entrance to Erskine Childers' Park

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Photos I took at the Official Opening of Ard Churam in 2016

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Made in Stag Cutlery, Listowel

Vincent Doyle found this old one among his souvenirs

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A Word of Caution in Rhyme

An easing of covid restrictions,
Has some people having conniptions,
They fear a new wave,
From being too brave,
Let’s hope that’s just wrongful predictions. 

Our poet, Róisín Meaney, has just published her 17th novel, The Restaurant. If you have enjoyed her little rhymes, you may enjoy her book. She deserves our support in thanks for keeping our spirits up in lockdown.

Street Names. Tae Lane, Women in Media and Construction at Greenville

Lidl on the John B. Keane Road, Listowel

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When is Main Street not a street?

Answer; When it's Listowel's Main Street. Main Street is in fact a square. Listowel people recognise this and they call this part of town The Small Square.

Unlike other Listowel streets, Main Street is translated accurately into Irish as Príomh Sráid. But that is not how some of the businesses translate it.

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The Tidy Town adjudicator loved this street name. Local people call it Tay Lane. No one says tea as in the beverage. The boutique goes for a combination of the Irish and English. It's Taelane

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Women in Media 2019

Will you look at me in exalted company, seated between two of the top women in Irish media, all three of us with a Kerry connection. Not really my new best friends but I was honoured to rub shoulders with them.

This years Women in Media conference had the usual line up of big names and in a trend I have noticed in recent years the events that draw the crowds are the political discussions featuring over- the -hill politicians.

Because it was such a huge weekend in this corner of the world I would have had to have bilocation or even triplication to attend all the events I wanted to see. I didn't get to attend as much of this festival as I would have liked.

Storm Hannah put paid to Friday night's opening event for me.  I would have loved to have heard Claudia Carroll, Sinead Moriarty and Felicity Hayes McCoy.

I made Saturday morning's panel discussion ably chaired by Katie Hannon. The topic was the future of journalism and the panel had some really influential journalists, some young and some more experienced ladies. If you haven't heard of Kinzen, look it up because it sounds like the future of journalism to me, quality trusted content tailored to you. You'll have to pay for it but if you paid for print newspapers, then you will be surely willing to pay for news from a trusted source.

Newspapers as we know them are on the way out. Journalists are finding themselves behind a desk, downgraded to content providers. All of the panel were agreed that as long as there are stories to tell, there will be a need for people to tell them. The question is not will journalism survive but in what form.

Four of the top journalists on the panel. Dearbhail MacDonald, Lise Hand, Ellen Coyne and Aine Kerr.

The other panellist was Susan Mitchell, Deputy Editor, Sunday Business Post.

Katie Hannon facilitated the discussion. No better lady for the job.

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Work Continues in Greenville

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Good News 

A rapid response vehicle, dedicated to medical emergencies in North Kerry and West Limerick, has been launched this morning.

It is being coordinated by Irish Community Rapid Response to help save lives in rural communities.

The rapid response vehicle involves volunteer doctors working alongside frontline HSE emergency services to respond to life-threatening emergencies.

Source: Radio Kerry

Blennerville, Jumbo's Listowel and some folklore

Pimp my Windmill

(photos :Kiteman)

Blennerville Windmill is undergoing an overhaul and facelift.

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Folklore

Mrs Quill of Derridaff told this story to an unnamed schoolgirl in 1937.

There was a school in Meenganare. It was a low thatched building with only one very small window.The floor was earth and in Winter, when the roof leaked, the children’s feet were mired in muck.  Seating for the pupils was a plank of wood resting on two blocks of wood.

It was a one teacher school. The teacher was a Mr. Purcell, a native of Cork. He taught there from 1844 to 1879. Mr. Purcell lived in lodgings near the school and he was paid every Friday.

Both pupils and teacher spoke only Irish. The only subjects that were taught in the school were Irish and English. The teacher wrote on a large stone flag which rested against the wall and the children wrote on slates.

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Jumbo's Memories, then and now

(photos; Jumbo's)

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Progress at Lidl

Roof done now. Work will move indoors next week necessitating the closure of the store.

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Tidy Towns

Still cleaning Up!!! Well done all!

Christmas at the front in WW1, An Gleann and some Christmas windows

Jim Halpin, curator of a great collection of war and other military memorabilia at his museum in Church St. invited me to photograph his Princess Mary tin and he told two very interesting stories apropos the tin.
The idea of sending a tin to the soldiers was not an original one. Princess Mary's aunt, Queen Victoria had sent such a present to soldiers during the Boer War. Jim has one of these in his collection and it contains the original straw packaging used to protect the enclosed gifts.

The Princess Mary story is fascinating. Apparently, the young princess went to the warehouse where these tins were being packed and she brought a hand written note to enclose in one tin. The note asked the finder to contact her. The story goes that the note was found by a Munster Fusilier from Limerick.

This old photo of 4th battalion of The Munsters comes from Historical Tralee

The tin is inscribed Christmas 1914. It has a cameo of Princess Mary surrounded by a laurel wreath. In the corners are the names of Britain's allies in the Great War. Other symbols of the British Empire at war adorn the box as well.

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Last Rites 1915

Chaplain to the Munsters was a Fr. F. Gleeson from Tipperary. In this famous painting he is depicted giving last absolution to the troops as they paused on their way to the front.

Whilst moving forwards to the trenches on 8 May 1915, in preparation for the Battle of Aubers Ridge, Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Rickard ordered the battalion to halt at a roadside shrine in Rue du Bois, near Fleurbaix.  Gleeson, who had ridden at the front of the column, addressed the assembled 800 men and gave them the general absolution whilst still mounted on his horse. The men then sang the hymns Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Te Deum and Hail Glorious Saint Patrick before Gleeson moved along the ranks bidding farewell to the officers and encouraging the men to maintain the honour of the regiment.The battalion then moved off to the trenches from which they launched their attack at 5.30 the next morning. The Munsters were largely cut down by machine gun fire before they had advanced more than a few yards although enough men survived to capture the German trenches, the only unit to do so that day, before being forced to withdraw. (Wikipaedia)




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Football

Denis Carroll posted this old one on Facebook. The Mart Field is now Feale Drive.

Back row L-R: Gigs Nolan,?, Pa Kennedy, Miley Fitz, Jerry Kelliher, Bob O Brien, Buster Lynch, PJ Kelliher, Jimmy Griffin, Manager Roche.

Front L-R, Denny Carroll, Peter Sugrue, Kempes Kelliher, Kevin Sheehy, Liam Kelliher & Noel Roche

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The Kerry Football team is one of Six Nominees for Rte Sport Team of the Year 2014

(photo; The Sunday Game )


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This cool vehicles was spotted in Limerick this week

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Christmas 2014 Scenes from Listowel