Woodford Pottery, Listowel Races 2019, Progress on The Greenway and North Kerry success at The Ploughing

Hands of a Master Craftsman

 Pat Murphy throwing a pot at his Woodford Pottery Studio in Sept 2019

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Saturday at The Races

Saturday September 14th 2019 was a gloriously sunny day on the island. The big screens were in place to show the All Ireland Football replay between Kerry and Dublin and the Tidy Towns inspired fashion event was taking place.

 The judges were out and about mingling with the racegoers in vintage gear. In my photo the judge is in white and the lady on the far left was chosen as the winner. The rules said that your outfit had to be genuinely vintage and to have been upcycled by you. You had to wear a headpiece. This elegant lady fulfilled all these requirements.

The lovely ladies from Oonagh Hartnett's were offering us sweets, some timely advice on sun protection, a squirt of perfume and entry into a raffle.

Another judge checking out the vintage of this lady's garments.

 My lovely former neighbour, Anne Leneghan, came second in this smashing suit which someone else had worn to a son's wedding. Anne had up-styled it with pearls from a broken pearl necklace and she had pinned down the lapels with a pair of pearl earrings. She was wearing her 90 year old mother's going away hat and her lace gloves.

The always stylish Betty Stack with her daughter Maria and their friend, Anne Leneghan.

 Noelle and her friends were studying form when I interrupted them.

Gemma and Mairead Regan gave me a tip they got "from some fellow on the way in". It won.

 Rose Wall was accompanied by her handsome son.

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Good News on the Greenway

This is the report from the council meeting:

A dedicated team in Kerry County Council is to be appointed to progress two greenway projects to completion.

The status of the North Kerry Greenway was discussed at the monthly meeting of the Listowel Municipal District.

Councillor Mike Kennelly called for all resources to be put in place to get the multi-million-euro greenway from Listowel to the Limerick border over the line.

The Fine Gael councillor pointed to bureaucracy with Government departments with such projects.

Listowel MD Manager, Joan McCarthy told Cllr Kennelly that nobody is dragging their heels on the project adding that it is protection of public funds and not bureaucracy.

Kerry County Council says a senior engineer has been appointed to oversee both the North Kerry Greenway and the Tralee to Fenit Greenway; a team will be appointed shortly to progress both projects.

Work on the north Kerry project is expected to begin later this year and will take 18 months to complete.

Regards,

Michael Guerin, Listowel

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Upcoming Events

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The Ploughing

Photo: Radio Kerry

Daniel Burke from Causeway and Derek O'Driscoll from Ballyheigue, who both claimed an All-Ireland title at this year's Ploughing Championships

I've never been to "The Ploughing" but I'm told it's possible to spend days there without seeing a plough or a ploughman. It's a place for shopping, socialising, entertainment and education. I was delighted to see that these young men have got back to what it's all about, celebrating the skill and art of ploughing.

Listowel Tidy Towns' Vintage Day at Listowel Races 2016

Where  Things old are valued

Vintage Day at Listowel Races is my favourite of all the side shows that take place during race week. It is the brainchild of Listowel Tidy Towns and every year it  goes from strength to strength.

The marquee was packed on Saturday Sept 16 2016. There was none of this pink wristband palaver. We were all welcomed in . The interviews, sympathetically conducted by Orlagh Winters, were entertaining and enjoyable. None of this "I bought this here and that there," of Friday’s fashion fest. This was trips down memory lane, charity shop finds and a few obvious lies…all part of the fun.

First up were the men and Joe Broderick stole the show. He spun more yarns than a silkworm but he is such a lovable rogue that we all played along. He flirted with Orlagh, flattered and amused the audience and best of all he looked a million dollars. He was a hard act to follow but the stag on the inflatable horse came close. He had come from London with 14 friends and they were having a great time at The Races. Stag parties at The Races is a growing trend in recent years. There was also a hen party but they were from closer to home, from Limerick.

In this competition, the story of the outfit is part of the fun. 

Anne Leneghan of Kanturk and Bishopstown was sponsored by the Kanturk St. Vincent de Paul shop. She asked them to be on the lookout for anything vintage for her to wear and they found just the ticket....a 1970s bottle green crimpelene suit and they also sourced the alligator bag, with the claws on show, for her. 

I recorded part of Anne's interview with Orlagh.

Anne Leneghan Interview

Anne's friend, Listowel girl, Maria Stack had a great story to tell about her accessories. Maria bought her bag for €4 in The Killarney St. Vincent de Paul shop. When she got it home, she examined it more closely and this is what she discovered.

Maria's charity shop find was a Beverley bag. When she Googled Beverley bags she found out that the wife of Ireland's first Uachtarán, Seán T. OCeallaigh carried a Beverley bag on her arm on their first state visit to the U.S. for St. Patrick's Day. That bag is now in the National Museum of Ireland.

Inside Maria's bag was the original tag.  Maria's bag  cost £5. 15s first day.

In the bag Maria also found a ticket for the viewing gallery at The Empire State Building. So Maria's bag had a trip stateside too.

Above is a photograph of the christening dress Maria's mother, the very talented Betty Stack, made for her children. She permitted Maria to use it to make her hat for Vintage Day. Maria knew that the treasured christening robe was a family heirloom. She used all her millinery skills to create the chapeau without ever taking a scissors to her mother's creation.

That's Betty on the right of her great friend, Nora Sheahan.


Norella Moriarty was in her going away outfit, set off by her great grandmother’s silver brooch. Her uncle posted it to her in an envelope to wear at her wedding in America.

Helen Carmody wore her wedding suit. She looked stunning.

 Other outfits were sourced from vintage shops and relative's wardrobes.

Many of the contestants were attired in such timeless style that they could have entered the best dressed lady competition of the day before and outshone many of the very expensive ensembles on parade.
Deirdre O'Sullivan's orange and black outfit was a typical classic.

Stylish Eilish described her fetching ensemble as last minute dot com. Her first choice failed to work out, so she begged, borrowed but didn't steal to put this yellow and black stunner together.

Miriam O'Connor dyed her hair a vintage shade of grey to set off her eye catching style.

Niamh Kenny was resplendent in a timelessly elegant outfit  Her coat she picked up in a shop in Cork and her gorgeous shoes and bag were once worn by her mother.

Imelda Murphy was beautifully turned out. She couldn't enter the competition as she was involved in organising it.

The entrants on stage.

Tomorrow I will tell you about the winner and the runner up.

Ladies Day 2016 and Junior Griffin at 80

A Thing of beauty is a joy forever

Ladies Day at Listowel Races 2016 was the biggest day in terms of numbers of the Listowel meeting.

There were prizes for the best dressed lady, the best dressed young racer and the best dressed couple. There was plenty for the judges to choose from.

Maria Stack's handbag was made especially for her using her own photos of her syndicate's horse.

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John (Junior Griffin) at 80

Junior would pass for a man 30 years younger. He is fit and healthy and still contributing as a volunteer to his town and his county. If you meet him on the street be sure to congratulate him on the big birthday. He tells me that his old boss, Jack McKenna, has a birthday this week as well. He will be 98.
Junior always has a story to tell. He is one of Listowel's best company to be in. He told me that he and the late Justin Stack were born in Miss Chapman's lying in hospital in Church St. They were born within an hour  of one another but because it was either side of midnight Junior's birthday is on the 17th and Justin's was on the 16th. Justine used to refer to Junior as "young Griffin" and Junior called Justin "old Stack".
Junior's nieces and nephews came from near and far, from Belgium and England to celebrate with him in The Listowel Arms on Sunday. His niece, Imelda, sent me this photo of them all with their beloved uncle.

I took a few photos of Junior after morning mass on Monday Sept 19 2016 when he was 80 years and one day. With him in my photo are his friend and old work colleague, John Brosnan and P.J. and Joan Kenny.

Old friends, Sr. Áine Ashe and Junior