Facts about Magnolia, Ballybunion Sand Art and a Concert planned for Moyvane Church

Kingfisher

Photo; Philip Blair for Irish Wildlife Trust Photography Competition

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Magnificent Magnolia

Raymond O'Sullivan lives in Newmarket, Co Cork. This is his picture and below is what he writes about it. Fascinating!

Bíonn blás ar an mbeagán’, an Irish seanfhocal which literally means little things are tasty. It might translate into English as ‘seldom seen, is much admired’. My magnolia bush hasn’t flowered for years, so I trimmed around it during the winter to give it more light, and look what happened. To say it is an ancient plant is a bit of an understatement, fossils of the flower date back 20 million years. So it predates bees and is pollinated by beetles.

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Sand Art Festival 2019

The annual Ballybunion Sand Art Festival runs until Wednesday, May 22 2019. I took the above photos on Friday May 17. The art installations are well worth a visit. We are so lucky to have such brilliant artists just a short trip away.

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Mary Sheehy and Friends

I ran into these lovely ladies in The Flying Saucer last week.
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Aonghus McAnally in Moyvane

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR AONGHUS & CO

This coming Tuesday evening our annual Church Concert will take place starting at 8pm May 21 2019 in Moyvane Church. Doors open at 7pm.  I call on the usual stewards and helpers to be there at 6.30pm to ensure that everything runs smoothly.  Please note tickets will be available at the door for those who haven’t had an opportunity to get tickets yet or who may at the last minute decide to join us. Tickets available after all Masses this weekend. 

From Moyvane Parish Newsletter

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Listowel Writers' Week 2019 is on the Doorstep

Just to get you in the mood here are a few memories from last year.

Local supporters on Opening Night 2018

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First Holy Communion Day 2019

Saturday May 18 2019 was First Holy Communion Day in town. Only when these age old traditions are eventually lost will we really appreciate how special these family occasions are.

Steve Kelly took the photos.

Opening Night Listowel Writers' week 2018, Elizabeth Stack's New Post and Emmetts Under 16s

Charming mosaic picture in the window of Olive Stack's Gallery

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Photos taken at Opening Night, Listowel Writers' Week 2018

Niall MacMonagle was here to work, but not tonight. Also working were Máire Logue, Maria McGrath, Maria Leahy, Noel Twomey and Louise Lyons.  Eddie Moylan came to support his daughter, Catherine who introduced proceedings on the night and Robert Pierce and the Walshes of Aspire Technology were there to present their prizes. The rest were heading to the Listowel Arms for a night out, one of the highlights of the Listowel season.

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Emmetts Abú

I spotted this story and photos on Listowel Emmetts' website

Emmets U16's choose the bog over the beach 😀

Fair play to our U16 team and mentors who spent this evening in the bog with Seamus Stack. It was all for a great cause too as the turf will be sold to raise much needed funds for The Nano Nagle School here in Listowel. 

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 Listowel Lady doing well

This is the account in this week's Kerryman of Elizabeth Stack of Listowel and her new job.

This is what it says in The Irish Echo;

The Irish American Heritage Museum has a new director.

Elizabeth Stack has taken the helm and has plans to extend the reach of the museum beyond its physical location in New York’s state capital, Albany.

“I have lots of plans for the museum and am excited to settle in to the capital region,” said Stack, who previously worked at the Institute of Irish Studies at Fordham University.

“I am looking forward to meeting the wider community,” said Stack who indicated her intent to extend the museum’s activities beyond its home city.

The museum describes its educational mission as “To preserve and tell the story of the contributions of the Irish people and their culture in America, inspiring individuals to examine the importance of their own heritage as part of the American cultural mosaic.”

The museum was first organized in 1986 by the New York State American-Irish Legislators Society and was initially financed by the State Natural Heritage Trust, the State Council on the Arts, and private donations.

Initially, and after it opened in June, 1990, the museum was located on the grounds of the Irish Culture and Sports Center in East Durham, in New York’s Catskills region.

In 1992, the museum was permanently chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The museum was relocated to downtown Albany in 2012. The 3,250 square foot space opened on January 17, 2012 and includes the Paul O’Dwyer Library and the Ancient Order of Hibernians’ archives.

Exhibits at the museum have included: “Irish in the Civil War,” which looked at Irish Americans in the American Civil War; “The Irish and the Erie Canal,” which highlighted the contributions of the Irish in all phases of the Erie Canal construction, and “Dublin: Then and Now,” which included photographs of the streets of Dublin in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

States the museum on its website: “Our museum….provides year-round access to our exhibits, our Paul O’Dwyer Library, lectures, presentations, film screenings, book signings and other special programs and events.

“The Museum was an integral force in providing instruction in New York State’s public schools about the Irish Famine of 1845-1853.  Further, we are the first Museum of its kind here in America to have exhibited at the National Library in Dublin.”

The museum is located at 370 Broadway in Albany.

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Remembered with Love

Sunday, June 10, would have been Fr. Pat Moore's birthday. In this age of social media, people find solace in posting messages on a dead loved ones' page. I visited Fr. Pat's page on his birthday and it was lovely to see the old pictures of his smiling brave presence among us.
Ní imithe uainn atá sé, ach imithe romhainn.

More from LWW 2018 Opening Night, Nourish by Nature and chess in The Square

A beautiful stylish shop in Church Street, Listowel; beautiful shop full of beautiful things.

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Some More People Arriving for Listowel Writers Week Opening Night 2018

 

There were old friends, Fr. Anthony Gaughan and Niall Stack reunited, the Dillon family of Chursh Street out in force to celebrate a win and there was dancing in the streets.

This upbeat couple had come all the way from the U.S. and they were happy to dance for the camera.

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Nourish by Nature

I left you yesterday after our starter course on our night out in Sid and Angela Sheehan's Nourish by Nature cookery school.

The evening of our dinner coincided with the start of our warm spell so it was part of the pleasure of the experience to go outdoors between courses and commune with the family's hens and goats.

Back indoors we enjoyed some absolutely delicious food, prepared and cooked while we watched.

Alice and Carmel enjoying the night.

One word....yum!

One for everyone in the audience.

Sid preparing our dessert selection.

Mouthwatering delicious dessert medley.

This is a super night out to celebrate a birthday or any special occasion. Or just do as we did and gather up a few friends and  give yourselves a treat.

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Chess Mates

These young men, who are students in the nearby Butler Centre were playing a game of chess in the sunshine in Listowel Town Square on Friday June 8 2018.