Bee Facts, Dioscesan appointments and an Owen Reunion in Finuge

Kerry Robins in Summer

Photo: Chris Grayson

<<<<<<<<<<

Bee Facts from the internet

<<<<<<<<<<

Dioscesan Changes July 2019

Bishop Ray Browne wishes to announce the following changes to the appointments of clergy in the Diocese of Kerry:

Msgr. Dan O’Riordan P.P. Castleisland retiring

Very Rev. Luke Roche PP Castlemaine retiring

Very Rev. Tadhg Ó Dochartaigh P.P. Firies retiring

Appointments:

Fr. Maurice Brick PP Lixnaw to be PP Castleisland

Fr. Anthony O’Sullivan Rathmore (pro tem) to be PP Lixnaw

Fr. Michael Hussey PP Castlegregory to be PP Ballylongford

Fr. Eamon Mulvihill PP Kilcummin to be PP Castlegregory

Fr. Joe Begley PP Dingle to be PP Glengarriff/Bonane

Fr. Michael Moynihan PP Glengarriff/Bonane to be PP Dingle

Fr. Padraig Kennelly PP Ballylongford to be PP Firies

Two more parishes without a Resident Priest:

The parish of Castlemaine will be served by the priests of the Killorglin Pastoral Area with Fr. Kevin Sullivan to be Moderator

The parish of Kilcummin will be served by the priests of the Killarney Pastoral Area with Fr. Kieran O’Brien to be Moderator

Fr. Denis O’Mahony PP Abbeydorney to be VF of the Naomh Bhréanainn Pastoral Area

Fr. Brendan Walsh PP Causeway to be Moderator of Ballyheigue

Priests of all Pastoral Areas of the Diocese take up different responsibilities outside their own parishes and within the Pastoral Area. This will be decided and communicated locally.

These changes will become effective on Wednesday, July 17th 2019

<<<<<<

Owen Family return to their Roots

Harriet and her brother John Owen grew up in Leinster, far from the birthplace of their parents in Ballyhorgan. But when they returned to Finuge to celebrate mass and chat with their family and new found North Kerry friends, they felt that they had come home.

I count myself lucky to be counted among those North Kerry friends who have enjoyed watching this reconnection.

The thatched house was the venue for the mass which was celebrated by Fr John Owen, a Divine Word missionary who has spend many years in Argentina and is now ministering in Blanchardstown, Dublin.

Fr. John with Tom Fitzgerald, one of the local historians who was able to give the Owens first hand history of their home place. There is a still a field in Ballyhorgan called "Owenses' Field".

Owen family came from the U.K. and Ireland.

Paul Kennelly remembers Harriet's parents who sadly passed away when Harriet was quite young.

Paul also met up with his old friend, Jim Sheahan.

Some local ladies joined the family for the mass.

The Sweeney family were the choir.

Group photo at Finuge Cross

Harriet and John brought a family musician to help out with the entertainment in McCarthy's of Finuge.

Jim Sheahan sang us The Homes of Donegal. He has lost none of his musicianship since his show band days.

Nollaig McCarthy and Nora Sheahan

<<<<<<<<

Listowel Folk Group Summer Barbecue

I'm assured that the good folk of Listowel Folk Group had a great night with lots of good food, good music and lots of singing in McCarthy's Bar in Finuge.

Liam Healy , Knocknagoshel and some local people I met

Another great Fungi and friend photo from Fungie Forever

<<<<<<<

Healyracing's Father Figure

I took these photos of Liam Healy on Listowel Racecourse, a place where he is truly at home. For years I watched from my perch beside Jim on the wheelchair stand as Liam went about his work. Liam always had a kind word and a bit of banter.  He never had a tip though!

I took this photo of a chance meeting on the street in October 2009. Jim loved to run into Liam when we were out and about. He was always good for a chat.

Now back to my story of Liam's early life and his awakening interest in photographing horses and horse racing.

Liam is a self confessed hoarder. As a young boy, as well as the photos he got from the newspapers Roddy O'Sullivan in Moriarty's Betting Shop gave him, he used to go to the “quarry hole” in search of old papers so as to cut horse pictures from them. The quarry hole was the local name for the town dump, now The Garden of Europe. Paddy Kennelly, Paul Kennelly and Paddy Hartnett were the men on the dump horse and cart in those days. When they saw him rummaging around in the refuse, they volunteered to keep him any newspapers they came across.

Cutting out photos of horses, sorting them and keeping them became Liam’s hobby. All very innocent but we must remember that Liam lived in a 2 bedroomed house with no spare storage for his hoard of papers.  Again his Convent Street neighbours came to the rescue. Bridge Joy, a neighbour and a widow gave Liam the use of her shed to store his stash. He was now spending precious hours in there cutting and sorting his pictures. His father became concerned that he was doing this when he should be studying. Liam had loads of ability for schoolwork but he loved the horse pictures more than lessons.

His father took the drastic step of confiscating and burning all of Liam’s treasured cuttings. Such is the mature Liam’s generosity of spirit, that he holds no grudge against his father for this act . His father was trying to rear his family as best he could in difficult circumstances. He believed, as many parents do, that education holds the key to unlock a better life for his children and he did what parents did in those days. He got rid of the distraction. Liam understands fully.

Liam has happy memories of school. His favourite teacher was Frank Sheehy who he can quote and mimic with the accuracy of a sharp memory.  Mr. Sheehy’s nickname was The Bulldog. He remembers “Tháinig long ó Valparaiso….” The first poem he learned in Frank Sheehy’s class. He remembers the ash plant which was used more as a threat than a punishment. Bryan MacMahon, who Liam describes as “a great encourager” also taught Liam and he remembers marveling at the mathematical abilities of one of his classmates, Patsy Browne who still lives in Ballygologue Park.

Liam’s father, Paddy Healy worked for Kantoher/Castlemahon Creameries. He went around the country buying eggs for them. After that he had his own business selling goods. Paddy was a good father and he tried to instill good manners and a good attitude to work in all his children. Liam remembers that he always put his left shoe on first. When Liam asked why he replied that life is a dance and a man always leads with his left foot.

Paddy remarried, Babe Lynch from Cnoc an Óir. They had  3 daughters, Geraldine, Elizabeth and Catherine and they became one happy family. His father bought Number 9 and extended their house. Babe’s sisters because aunties to the Healy children and the two families blended happily.

As his family were growing up and could help with the business, Paddy took on an agency for newspapers. Liam remembers going to the station to meet the 6 o’clock train. Then he ran down William Street and all through the town to the Bridge Road delivering the papers as he went. The newspaper then cost one anda half or two pence. People in town usually ran up a tab and paid at the end of the week. When he had delivered to the Bridge Road, Liam came back and collected another bundle and sold these door to door in O’Connell’s Avenue.

Liam liked this run better because the people paid for the paper as they got it and so they came out to chat.  ( Even back then Liam loved to chat).

His father had another string to his enterprise bow.  He bought fish from Finbar MacAulliffe and sold them on Thursdays and Fridays. Before Vatican 2 changed the rule that forbad the eating of meat on Fridays, everyone ate fish so there was an opening for someone to bring fish to the outlying areas. People did not come to town everyday but they did come to the creamery. So, on Thursdays and Fridays Liam used to stand at Lisselton creamery and sell fish to the farmers. He also sold fish in Ballylongford and on fair days in Athea. All of this enterprise meant that Liam was frequently absent from school. Despite this, Bryan MacMahon felt that he was good enough for St. Michael’s and encouraged his dad to send him there. Liam’s brother Pat was already in secondary school. There was a fee of £12 per annum in those days plus books and other school related expenses. Liam says that his dad just couldn’t afford it. Liam stayed on in national school as one of the last 2 boys in 7^th class in the old boys national school. 7^th class was for those who were not going on to secondary school but were too young to leave school altogether.

(continued tomorrow)

>>>>>>>>

Arise Knocknsgoshel

Recently I had occasion to visit the picturesque North Kerry village of Knocknagoshel.

Main St.

Knocknagoshel post office

the parish pump

an older parish pump

old milk churns

the school



<<<<<<

Duagh Sports Centre

very impressive

<<<<<

Hardy Fundraisers

Anna and Cáit braved the elements to collect for The Irish Heart Foundation. Liz Dunne stopped to buy a badge.

<<<<<<<

Snapped in Bank of Ireland

Joe Murphy was doing his banking as I was hanging out with my camera.

<<<<<<<<

Are you a cyclist who loves a card game?

If you answered yes to the above question here is Saturday next, May 23 2015 sorted for you.

"A great fun event - cycling 65KM purely at leisure through the rolling North Kerry countryside - collecting playing cards from 5 locations - returning to McCarthys Bar in Finuge for BBQ, refreshments and good banter and more importantly handing in those cards - the one with the best poker hand wins. A day of fun to raise money for MS Ireland and great preparation for the Ring of Kerry, The RoNK (Ring of North Kerry) - perfect for beginners/ leisure cyclists."

Make your way to McCarthy's Bar, Finuge at 3.00p.m. and away you go.

McCarthy's Bar and Horan's cat

This McCarthy's Bar in Finuge and below is the great write up it got during the summer.

McCarthy’s Finuge Sunday World July 27 2013

ALL of the troops simply love their annual trip to the Kingdom of Kerry, but the Young Commando was full of complaints this time around as he wondered why we chose the hottest day of the year to embark on a three-hour journey down south.

“Because there’s nowhere better in the world than Kerry in the summer sunshine,” the Old Commando told him. After almost a 300km journey from HQ, we arrived in Listowel, but the old boy wasn’t content to stop (despite the unbearable heat) and informed our designated driver to keep going along the N69.

What he had failed to inform the rest of us was he had just spotted a signpost for the tiny village of Finuge, just 5km south of Listowel, and was eager to check it out. We all knew why. Football. What else?

Finuge is the home of the great Kerry workhorse and fashion guru, Paul Galvin. The Old Commando has long been an admirer of the feisty half-forward and as he said himself:

“It’s always nice to visit new places.”

This was indeed a first for the troops and we soon arrived in the remote village of Finuge in north County Kerry. There wasn’t much to see, with the exception of the crossroads and the football pitch, but all we wanted was a pub. 

McCarthy’s bar was the destination for our first pit-stop and we were immediately impressed by the bright, blue-and-red exterior. It was in fantastic condition and the flowers and hanging baskets add that little bit extra. 

A friendly middle-aged barmaid served us without delay, but she didn’t speak with a Kerry brogue. We didn’t like to ask, but we think she may have been English. 

Either way, she was very polite and engaged the troops in plenty of banter.

The pints of plain at €4 were reasonably priced and quite tasty, while the Young Commando opted for mid-strength Guinness, but we figure that was just to save 20c.

There are two TVs, a dartboard, a jukebox, a gaming machine and a pool table laid on for the punters, but none were in use during our stay as the all-male clientele were analysing the Kingdom’s latest Munster triumph over fierce rivals Cork.

The red brick and stone fireplace, complete with a solid-fuel stove, was very attractive, but thankfully there was no need for it to be lit on this occasion. 

As in every Kerry pub, there are a vast amount of photographs paying homage to the many great Kerry teams and, God knows, they’ve had enough of them.

The Old Commando riled some locals when he told them their ageing side won’t live with Jim Gavin’s young guns!

Only time will tell, but everyone knows you write Kerry off at your peril. 

One photo that really stands out is of local hero Paul Galvin receiving the 1,000th All Star award in 2004.

Pub Spy took it upon himself to inspect the loos and they were spotless. There is one cubicle, a stainless steel urinal, a soap dispenser and hot water provided. 

It’s amazing how few pubs provide hot water for customers when it seems like such a basic requirement. McCarthy’s bar is a brilliant pub and we were tempted to stay all day and night. 

After having such a great time we felt bad leaving, but we will certainly make it our business to return someday. 

The Old Commando said we’ll bring Sam along for the trip!

McCarthy’s bar, Finuge, Co. Kerry

4/5 STARS

<<<<<<<<

A pint of plain is yer only man! 

<<<<<<<<<

This self catering accommodation in Church St. is in the house that was once the home of Bryan MacMahon. Hence the new name MacMahon House.

<<<<<<<<

 In Print has closed its doors and relocated the business to Listowel Printing Works.

<<<<<<<

Tomorrow night Friday September 13  in The Listowel Arms, Billy Keane will launch his long awaited second novel. Be there or miss out on a great night.

<<<<<<<

This weekend, the Horgan Clan are gathered in Lisselton and the Quilters are in Lixnaw.

<<<<<<<<

This cute little fellow was enjoying life yesterday in the window of Tadhg Horan's Vetinerary Centre in The Square. His name is Tripod. He walks on three legs.