New York Kerry tean 1926, Covid 19, Writers Week 2019, Finuge and A Song

Statue of Schiller in Listowel's Garden of Europe in April 2020

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Football in New York in 1926

Tom Fitzgerald sent us this great photo of the New York Kerry football team in 1926. His uncle is third from the right in the second row. People may know some of the other players.

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Strange times indeed!

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If Only!

Mary Fagan holds the microphone for Clíona McKenna during the Saturday morning walk at Listowel Writers Week 2019. Just about now I should be contacting my able assistants and putting this year's Walk together.

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Sheahan's Cottage, Finuge

A Phoenix from the ashes, Sheehan's cottage was rebuilt following the devastating fire.

Photo; John Kelliher

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Hope in Troubled Times

Mattie Lennon with The Seanchaí, Eamon Kelly

There’s a Brightness

As a child I remember small farmers
Being depressed at some times of the year,
With climatic conditions uncertain
Turning hopes of their harvest to fear.
Whenever they cursed the bad weather
As the elements failed to rescind
My father, with wisdom, would tell them:
"There's a brightness at the butt of the wind".

When teenage ambitions got twisted:
My identity crisis would loom.
Rejection and fantasy   mingled,
Resulting in pictures of doom.
Then.........the Power of Good to the rescue
To counter each negative trend.
My thoughts would somehow be diverted
To that brightness at the butt of the wind.

           Chorus;
When the weather of life it looks hopeless;
And dark clouds with disaster seem twinned,
Remember that God will send sunshine.
There's a brightness at the butt of the wind.                 

When the storms of anguish are beating
And I'm lashed by the gales of defeat
When the forecast of life holds no promise
It's still not the time to retreat
A fresh glow appears in my vision
Like a night sky by bright stars sequined.
Then I know then I haven't forgotten
That brightness at the butt of the wind 

At last when I'll see the horizon
And that mist (self-deception) has cleared
I'll ponder the journey before me
And confront all the things that I've feared,
Expecting a turbulent crossing
As the Clergy point out that I've sinned
But knowing that Salvation is certain
By the brightness at the butt of the wind

                  Chorus.

(c) Mattie Lennon 2005

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Old Papers

Damien Stack found this from 1941 when the carnival was in town.

Sextons, A Minute of Your Time and a Writers' Week memory

Kerry County Library, Listowel Branch

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Changes at Sextons

This well known William Street facade is changing. The overhanging canopy is gone.

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More Photos from St. John's at the launch of A minute of Your Time

A lovely former pupil and now teacher herself, Julieaane Galvin.

Support from the North Cork contingent, Breeda, Margaret and Gael

Kay Landy

Keelin Kissane, former pupil and chair of the Dublin Kerry association

Anne Darby and her nephew, Killian Cogan

Lily Nolan

From Kanturk, a stalwart of Kanturk Arts Festival and friend, Lisa Egan

Lisa Whelan

Liz Dunne

Madeleine O'Sullivan

Máire Logue

Margaret O'Connell

From Galway, my old friend, Margaret O'Sullivan

From Kildare and Castlelyons,  a loyal friend, Margo Spillane

Doreen came from Ballyduff to buy a book for her sister in England

Marie Lucid

Mary Catherine Sheahan

Mary Dillon

Mary Fagan

Mary and Mairead meeting Cora

Another old friend and former colleague, Mary O'Connor

Clíona's Kildare family who now regard Listowel as their second home, Tony and Mary McKenna

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A Writers' Week Memory

I'm still welcoming memories or photos of Listowel Writers' Weeks past. Here his a lovely memory all the way from sunny South Carolina

I’m Robert Koch, the husband of Maeve Moloney of Skehenerin. We are retired and live in Columbia, South Carolina. I read your Listowel Connection regularly, as does Maeve, and she explains to me all the details about people and places in her beloved Listowel. 

I want to relate to you my fondest recollection of Writers Week. We attended Writers Week events in the 1970s and 1980s during our visits with our two sons to Maeve’s parents from our home in Washington D.C.  My fondest recollection relates to a conversation Maeve and I and the children had with the well-known, now deceased, Offaly-born, professor and literary critic, Vivian Mercier. 

During the 1960s in NewYork I had met and studied under Professor Mercier, but I had not seen him again until his appearance at Writers Week circa 1980. The moderator who introduced him mentioned that Dr. Mercier had retired from his professorial position with the University of California at Santa Barbara and that he and his wife, the well-known Irish novelist and author of children’s books, Eilis Dillon, were living in London and Dublin.

 At the conclusion of his presentation, I reintroduced myself to him and introduced him to Maeve and our sons.  Much to my surprise and pleasure, he actually remembered me! We talked for several minutes about our lives, and he was very much the friendly down-to-earth conversationalist with Maeve and the children. 

I then remarked how the climate in Santa Barbara was so lovely-warm and sunny- that I wondered how he could have possibly abandoned living there. At that point his demeanor changed. He became very professorial, pointing at me with his index finger, and he said what I have never forgotten and have been ever heedful of since: “Yes, but what about the intellectual climate.” “Enough said”, remarked Maeve, and we all smiled, talked for a few minutes more, and then parted.

Round the Square, Morning walk at Listowel Writers' Week 2019

I'm Back

And this is where I was. At least this is where I was on Saturday June 2 2019. Elizabeth Brosnan and Bridget O'Connor are our photographers. The man on the left is Sean Stack. He was in charge of the sound. The man on the right (seated) is a man who comes every year to Listowel Writers' Week . He is P.J Kennedy from Cavan.

Left to Right; Mike Moriarty who gave us a potted history of Listowel Castle and who sang for us. me, my daughter, Clíona McKenna who read, Mary Moylan whose beautiful voice enchanted everyone, Eamon OMurchú who read from Joseph O'Connor's Hostage to Fortune. Behind Eamon and Mary is John Keane, formerly of this parish and beside Eamon is John's brother-in-law, Simon O'Flynn

Our morning walk was curtailed this year owing to the sad and unexpected passing of Jimmy Moloney, brother of Kay Caball who was to have been one of the contributors to the walk.

So, turning a negative into a positive, we walked from the Tidy Town's seat to the Kerry Writers' Museum and there the audience sat on the amphitheatre and we presented our show to them there. I think it was a better idea really since the crowd was very large and the traffic heavy so it would have been hard to hear if you were at the end of a line of walkers.

This is David Browne, director of Listowel Writers Week and here is an "only in Listowel'" story. 

Paddy McElligott was to sing John B. Keane's Sive songs BUT....

Paddy, who swims in the sea every day had an unfortunate experience on Saturday morning. He accidentally trod on a weever fish. If you have never heard of a weever fish, look it up and prepare to be frightened. This agonising experience delayed him considerably and it is a tribute to the trooper that he is that he came at all. He, for one, was grateful that the walk was short.

Another great trooper, Mike Lynch agreed to sing the first song in Paddy's absence and he made a great job of it, revealing to his fellow committee members in Listowel Writers Week  a talent that he had kept hidden from them up to now.

Mike Lynch accompanied by Mary Moylan  (photo by Bridget O'Connor)

At The Seanchaí, Paddy, in the pandemonium in the wake of the weever fish accident,  realises that he has forgotten his bodhrán  and the words to the songs. He opens the nearest door to go in search of a bodhrán and who does he find but a man who, not only has a bodhrán but whose party piece is singing the Sive songs... ......    only in Listowel.

Dvid Browne was one of the surprise highlights of the "walk".

Mary Fagan and Dave O'Sullivan read a short extract from Sive. Local people will know Mary from her Horizons programme on Radio Kerry and Dave, who is a Kildare man, is just returned from the All Ireland Drama Festival in Athlone where his drama group, Prosperous Dramatic Society won the overall award for their production of An Enemy of the People.

Dave's name will be known to followers of this blog as a great researcher who contributes much of the newspaper archive research for us.

As well as his bit of acting as Thomasheen Seán Run he gave us a great insight into the history of the library in Listowel.

Mary Fagan gallantly held the microphone for experienced and reluctant-to-be amplified performers. Here she is with Eamon OMurchú, son of the late Luaí OMurchú who was the very first chairperson of Listowel Writers' Week.

Sr, Una Harman was pleased that we paid tribute to the Presentation sisters and their work for Listowel, particularly during the Famine.

Most of us on the steps of Listowel Castle

The shortest walk in the history of Writers' Week morning walks ended with Mike Moriarty leading us in a verse or two of Lovely Listowel.

I am delighted that so many of my family, friends, neighbours and fellow Listowel people joined the Writers' Week visitors for my little contribution to #Listowelww19

Lots more Writers' Week stuff in store over the next few days.