Molly, The Pantomime in the seventies, St. Michael's Ball in 1999 and a Barn Dance in 2019

Doggy in the Window

If Molly had a big red button, she'd put it here.

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When the pantomime was the talk of the town

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Year 1987; Photographer Danny Gordon

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St. Michael's Black Tie Ball

They're planning a black tie ball in St. Michael's. It will be held on March 15th 2019 and tickets are available at the school.

The last time they held such an event was in  December 1999  when the college was celebrating 120 years of education for boys in Listowel.  Here is the souvenir booklet.

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Barn Dance

I found this photo on Facebook of two happy barn dancers, Patsy Kennedy and Kay Lane at William Street on Friday 8 2019 for Listowel's barn dance in aid of Listowel Tidy Town's proposed purchase of a van.

Elizabelle, Jazzy Halloween in Cork, Table to Tidy Towns and The North Pole express 2018

St. John's from the grounds of The Seanchaí

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Stylish Shop at Halloween

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Thought for the Emigrants

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Christmas Comes Early to Cork

Brown Thomas on Patrick Street, Cork, skipped right over Halloween and went straight to Christmas. I took this photo on October 26th 2018. 

Meanwhile on the street the Jazz Festival Halloween Parade was getting started.

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Sowing the seeds of Tidy Town Success.

Before there was a Listowel Tidy Towns Committee there was TABLE.

This picture from 1994 shows Ned O'Sullivan, chairman of TABLE planting a tree in Feale Drive. He is watched by JoanMcCarthy, John O'Keeffe, Bill Walsh, Michael O'Connor, Krystal and Jackie Stack, Ann Sloan, Christy Hartnett and Eileen Worts.
TABLE was established in 1992. It was the Listowel Tidy Town Committee in all but name. It's first work was flower baskets and tree planting and the encouragement of everyone to get behind the movement to promote  Listowel and to do well in the then Bord Fáilte Tidy Town competition.
The officers of TABLE in 1994 were Ned O'Sullivan, Cathal Fitzgerald, Mary Hanlon, Anne Hartnett, Sr. Kathleen and Louis O'Connell.
( Information and photo from Kerryman Christmas supplement December 1994.The photograph was taken by Brendan Landy)

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Planning Ahead?

You will need to book if you plan on taking the páistí to this.

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Moyvane in Mourning

DEATH took place of David Stack, Keylod, Moyvane, on 27th October 2018 peacefully at the University Hospital, Kerry. Beloved brother of the late Tommy. Deeply regretted by his loving parents Michael & Mary, brother Daniel, grandparents, uncles, aunts, relatives, neighbours and friends. Reposing Tuesday October 30th from 5pm to 7pm at his home. Requiem Mass for David was celebrated by Fr. Kevin, assisted by Fr. Brendan on Wednesday in the Church of the Assumption, Moyvane. In the choir were Mary and Selena Mulvihill and Laura Stack.

A Glimpse of Heritage Day in Cork and a few other odds and ends

Christopher Grayson on Carrantuathail

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A Shady seat in Childers' Park, Listowel in August 2018

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St. Patrick

On a pillar in St. Mary's Listowel

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Heritage Day, August 18th 2018

In my youth the Echo boy was a strong symbol of Cork. Everyone bought the two local papers, The Cork Examiner and The Evening Echo. I can hear the distinctive cry of the paper sellers in my head as I remember them. 'Twas far from Tommy Hilfiger gear the Echo boy was reared.


Cork puts on a great programme for Heritage Day and I was lucky enough to enjoy lots of it this year.

One of the happenings was a talk at the Carpenter's Hall.

This was a kind of olde worlde guild hall but nowadays it's home to other trades was well.

The trade manuals look well used.

This is an example of a dry stone wall, built without cement or mortar.

This man was the main attraction. He is an expert on stoves and he frightened the bejesus out of half those present. He told us that he takes out more stoves nowadays than he puts in.


He explained the plumbers and other stove fitters are not lining the chimneys properly. They put the flue liner directly into the outlet of the stove. There should be a length of pipe between the outlet and the liner and this pipe should have a cooling section in it. Smoke going into a flue liner should be cold he told us.


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A St. Michael's Old Boys reunion

Below is the email I received from Ned O'Sullivan.

Hi Mary

The Class of ‘68 Re-union is all set for the weekend 7th to 9th September. We have a nice mix of events for participants with a banquet on Sat 8th in Listowel Arms Hotel. 

We are still trying to contact a few elusive colleagues who may not be aware of it. 

We’d be grateful if you would include it in listowelconnection blog which is a must read for exiles all over the world. 

Many thanks Mary,

Ned O Sullivan - on behalf of organizing committee. 

Organizing Committee. 

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Boxing for Pope Francis

Saol Ó Dheas on Twitter shared this great picture of two of the Beglley family getting ready to play for Pope Francis on Saturday August 25 2018

Update from town

This is the colorful Mc Auliffe's Gift Shop and Little Secret Ladies clothes shop on Church St.

A few doors down Listowel Printing Works, soon to be Easons, is nearing completion. I peeped in. It looks huge.

 

A little further down the street is Ladbrokes. This is the building that was ACC Bank, then Bruce Betting and now Ladbrokes. In a previous existence it was a school and before that a hatchery. What tales these old walls could tell!

Only a few days left!

Update on my update; I just received the following clarification from Vincent. I bow to his superior knowledge of Listowel. But I do know a bit more about Fitzpatricks than he does.  Fitzpatricks hail from Kanturk, which is my home town. In fact I worked for a summer in Fitzpatrick's Hatchery in Percival Street in Kanturk and have very happy memories of my time there.

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It does not give me any great joy, however I must correct you, what is now Ladrokes was not a hatchery, the house above it, now a closed clothes shop, belonging to the Scully family, a business  was ran here for years by the Fitzpatricks of I think Kantoher (right or wrong spelling), County Cork. This place operated as a fowl and egg store, not a hatchery.Prior to this they also had a store above in the backway at the back of my place. Among those who worked at Fitzpatricks were Johnny Riordan, Kevin Sheehy, father of the present Kevin (the eggman) and most famous of all, during his early fowl buying days, our own, the late and great John B.

Now Mary I hope you don't have egg on your face.

The Man's Shop

Above are  ads from this week's Advertiser.

After 150 years of dressing the men of North Kerry and West Limerick The Man's Shop is closing its doors at the end of next month.

Ned, who is the fourth generation of his family to trade in Listowel is retiring.  His four sons  have taken different career paths. The tradition of the next generation taking over the family business  is being broken in this as in many other businesses in town.

The O'Sullivan's began business in Listowel in Upper William Street in the 1860s. Ned's great-grandfather, Michael O'Sullivan from Ardoughter in Ballyduff began a tailoring business in Pound Lane, now Upper William St.  Ned's grandfather, also Ned, moved the business to Market St. to a new premises near where  Tarrant's Garage is today. The business was thriving. Eight full time tailors were employed there at one time. Ned's father, Seán, took over the business in the 1960s and he made the move away from tailoring and into off -the- peg and general menswear. The Man's Shop moved into its present location in 1962. Ned left teaching in 1989 and went into the family business. In recent years, as his political commitments became more onerous, the shop has been run by Mark Loughnane.

Mark takes a delivery from postman, Pat Hickey, at the door of The Man's Shop

How will this street scape look in a few year's time?


On a completely different note, 2 stories from the weekend's papers.

Two Listowel men caused a bit of an upset at a rugby match in England. According to The Kerryman, David Fitzmaurice and his friend and fellow Munster supporter, Mike Brosnan, lost their way on the way back to their seats at the Munster v. Northhampton match. They found themselves in the Northhampton booth, where they were less than welcome. The Northhampton coach, Jim Mallinder, cleared the boys back to the Munster section. The incident was caught on Sky sports.

Sunday's Independent had an account of a tribute concert to the legendary Pecker Dunne. Pecker Dunne, it is said, played at more Munster finals than Cork. He is now in poor health and his friend, Mannix Flynn was organizing Sunday night's event to help him out.
There are lots of enjoyable video clips of Pecker on youtube.