Adare, Ballybunion Street Names and a Look back at Writers Week 2018 and a few photos from the weekend

May 24 and 25 2019

This weekend I was at two Michael D. events, two book launches, MS busking and the Eucharistic procession. I took tons of photos. It will take a while to process them, to tell the story and to drip  feed some of the best of them into blog posts. This week I'm busy with Writers' Week so please be patient. There will be lean days yet and I'll post the pictures for you.

VIP visitors, Michael D. and Sabina Higgins with Listowel VIPs, Julie Gleeson and Mary Hanlon.

Hard working Listowel/North Kerry M.S. Society volunteers with Ballybunion musicians and singers at their annual busking day in Listowel on Friday May 24 2019.

Joe Hanlon can't wait to read his copy of Under the Bed.... Robert Pierse's autobiographical work launched on Friday May 24 2019.

John Devoy signs his book, Quondam  for Limerick visitors in Woulfe's bookshop on Saturday May 25 2019.

Annual Eucharistic procession at Convent Cross on Saturday May 25 2019

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Picturesque Adare, Co. Limerick

I stopped recently on my way home from Kildare. Adare is such a beautiful little town.

Adare Manor is a no-go area but otherwise the town is charming and welcoming.

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Ballybunion Street Names

Remember I told you all about the palaver Listowel had over street names?

Well we could take a leaf out of Ballybunion's book. They used a very simple method, e.g. if the road leads to a doon call it Doon Road. If it leads to a sandhill, call it sandhill Road

Here are just a few examples I snapped while I was in town last week

All self explanatory but wait........

A few roads are named after famous Ballybunion people but that's understandable.

and

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Two More Sleeps to Opening Night Writers Week 2019

A few more from last year.

Ballybunion, Listowel Writers week 2018 and shopfronts

Nuns' Beach, Ballybunion May 2019

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Friends of the Pollinators

In Ballybunion

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Listowel Writers' Week 2018

Opening Night 2019 is on Wednesday May 29 in The Listowel Arms. We had a great time last year. Here are a few photos to remind you.

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Moneycashen?

Can anyone tell me where this is and why is it called Moneycashen?

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Oh Dear!

Listowel shopfronts are some of the finest in the land. Country towns are losing out to plastic signs and chain store shop fronts. Listowel stood out with its beautiful Pat McAuliffe plasterwork, its stunning paintwork and beautiful woodwork and mosaic.... I greatly fear that we are losing this unique feature.

2018

2019

J.J. Galvin beautiful mosaic and woodwork shopfront.

The Taelane Store, understated elegance.

Opening Night Listowel Writers' Week 2018, a local poet, candle making long ago and pitch and putt today

In the Pink

Photo; Chris Grayson

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Folk on their way to Opening Night Listowel Writers' Week 2018


In glorious evening sunshine on May 30 2018 they trooped into the ballroom of The Listowel Arms. There were writers and prizewinners, invited guests and local people. I photographed only a few of them.

Writers' Week opening night is attended by loyal local people, writers, young competition winners and their proud parents, older competition winners and the great and the good in Ireland's literary firmament.

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Donal O'Connor, Tarbert

Photo by Graham Davies on Facebook

Donal is a poet farmer and a bit of a local legend. He is a brilliant raconteur with stories and poems readily to hand. He gained a whole new audience with his appearances on a TV series called Senior Moments.  If you encounter Donal in storytelling form, he is sure to brighten your day.

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When fat wasn't all bad

The school's folklore collection has all sorts of little interesting snippets of information. This extract is all about candles and candle making

Before candles were commercially made people used to make their own from “fat.” They used the fat of goats and other animals according to Mary Hickey of O’Connell’s Avenue who was 85 when she told her stories to B. Holyoake of Railway House. According to Mary, they got a mould, put a stick across the top. Attached to the stick were 6 or 7 “cotton threads”  These were obviously the wicks. Then they “rendered the fat”. 

(I rememeber well my mother rendering suet in the days before cooking oil.  There was always a bowl of fat or dripping at the ready for frying. This dripping is actually making a comeback recently and you can buy it again in artisan food shops.)

Back to 1937…the hot fat was poured into the mould and left to set overnight. In the morning they had 6 candles. Half penny candles were called “padogues”.

Another type of candle was a dip candle. These were so called because the wick was dipped into the tallow, brought out, allowed to cool and then dipped in again.

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Listowel Pitch and Putt Competition

I was out walking early on Sunday morning when I spotted a competition about to begin at the pitch and putt club so I grabbed a few photos.

I learned later from Facebook that it was the County Strokeplay competition and these were the winners.