Craftshop na Méar is closing, Maidhc Dainín again and aspects of Ballybunion

Magnificent Stag

Photo: Jim MacSweeney

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End of the Road for Craftshop na Méar

If you want to pick up your Michael Tea tea cosy or a beautiful Claddagh Design Listowel pendant, do drop in to Craftshop na Méar on Church St. before it closes its doors at Christmas 2017.

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Maidhc Dainín ÓSé;  Another Listowel Connection

Local writer and musician, Neil Brosnan sent me this photo. It was taken in Dingle in 2010 when Maidhc Dainín OSé launched Neil's first anthology, Fresh Water and Other Stories. Maidhc and Neil played many a tune together over the years.

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Ballybunion After the storms

Having been confined to the house during storms Ophelia and Brian, it was a great pleasure to go to Ballybunion and take the bracing cliff walk.

Those white specs and the smudge on my lens is foam churned up by the rough seas.

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Doon Sculpture

Images of Listowel and Maidhc Dainín ÓSé remembered

A Listowel Sign

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Brendan Kennelly's verse in Listowel Town Square

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Our Fish Shop

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Charles Street

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Maidhc Dainín ÓSé R.I.P.; the Listowel Connection

Maidhc Dainín ÓSé was the father of Daithí ÓSé. Ever before Daithí found fame, Maidhc Dainín was a well known author of several books in the Irish language. He was also an accomplished musician.

Maidhc's day job was as a lorry driver for Kerry Ingredients in Listowel.

Maidhc was tickled pink when his autobiography, A Thig ná Tit Orm (Oh house, don't fall on me) was chosen as a text for the Leaving Cert. Every year during a period in around the turn of the millennium Maidhc used to come to The Seanchaí during Seachtain na Gaeilge to read from his book and to play for the students.

I hope I have uploaded the little clip properly. Maidhc was describing the deal he made with the director of the Cúrsa Samhraidh. He would play for the small weekday ceilí in exchange for free admission to the Ceilí Mór. Money was scarce and the céilithe móra were where the girls were so he was anxious to try his luck there.

Maidhc was a breath of fresh air after Peig. He told his story with humour and much self deprecation. My pupils loved him.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.

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Micheál Flavin R.I.P.

(Photo shared by Noreen Keane Brennan on Facebook)

Micheál lived in Church Street, Listowel. He was Bryan MacMahon's friend and preferred bookseller. His shop is still in the Flavin family. Long may it continue to trade in his memory.

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Storm Damage in The National Park, Killarney

Kathleen Griffin braved it to work during Hurricane Ophelia. She took these photographs in Muckross on the day after, October 17 1017

September 1 2013

What is it about Dublin versus Kerry?

The answer is  here

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Seamus Heaney R.I.P.

Writers' Week shared this photo of Seamus Heaney on the occasion of his death on Friday August 30 2013. It shows the poet with Michael Lynch, Máire Logue, Eilís Wren and Joanne Keane-O'Flynn.

One of my favourite Heaney poems is Scaffolding. It is appropriate here for many reasons.

SCAFFOLDING

Masons, when they start upon a building,


Are careful to test out the scaffolding;

Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,


Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.

And yet all this comes down when the job’s done


Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.

So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be


Old bridges breaking between you and me

Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall


Confident that we have built our wall.

Seamus Heaney


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Maidhc Dainín ÓSé  R.I.P.

When I was a teacher of Gaeilge in Pres. Listowel a high point of the year was always our trip to The Seanchaí during Seachtain na Gaeilge to hear Maidhc Dainín read from his autobiography and to play a few tunes for us. Here is my photo from 2008 of the great man with Mary Moylan, Ciara Dineen, Aoife Kelliher, Angelina Cox, Catherine Lyons and Elaine O'Connell.

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Meanwhile down under....

This picture was sent to me by Julie Evans. Some of you will remember Julie, descendant of Famine orphan, Bridget Ryan. That is Julie on the right of Minister Deenihan and her cousin Barbara is second next to her. They were with other descendants in Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney for the Famine commemoration last month, August 2013. I'll be telling you lots more about Julie and the story of her ancestor and the other Famine girls anon. Meanwhile Kay Moloney has a very succinct account of the Sydney commemoration on her blog

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This is a new second hand shop on Church St.
There have been lots of comings and goings since I last posted here. I'll try to bring you news of some of them over the next few days and I'll fill you in on where I've been as well.