Ag. Show June 29 1953, Bríd Nolan R.I.P.

That Photo again

June 29 1953, North Kerry Agricultural Show in the sports field

Vincent Carmody and Margaret Ward have worked hard on getting the names for our 1953 photograph. Some of the people came from the country and were not known to my two townies. Some others were too difficult to decipher but following is a fairly complete list.

 Included, sitting or standing in front of railing, 

Right to left,

Paddy Moloney(Charles St.), Jim O'Sullivan, Mary T.O'Sullivan, (Charles St.)  Pat and Johnny O'Flaherty, Church St., Eileen O Flaherty is seated in front of  Noreen and Eileen Scanlon,Greenville , Martin? Holly (St Brendan's Tce.), Gene Moriarty ( Charles St.) Nuala Buckley ,seated (Patrick St.), Nora Flaherty, ( O'Connell's Ave), Fealey Brothers, Seamus and Sean ( O'Connell's Ave), Mr Morgan, (Colbert St.), Brendan Behan (Colbert St.) pronounced Behane.

Included behind the railing,

Right to left,

Mrs Jim O'Sullivan (Charles St.), Mrs Enright ( Charles Street), Theresa O” Carroll (Red Cottages), Mrs Howard and daughter Ella ( Greenville) Mrs. Nellie O'Flaherty, (Greenville) …..,….Mrs. Thomas Mulvihill, (Lower William St.), (at back) ? Sweeney, ( Church St.)  Mona Cantillon ( Patrick St.) Jackie and Sheila Buckley, ( Patrick St.) Babe O'Sullivan, (St. Brendan's Tce), Lizzy Griffin (O'Connell's Ave), Mary Whelan,( Market St.), Marie Neligan, (Clieveragh and Colbert St.), Lizzy (Fitzgerald) Sayers, (Colbert St.) 

Michael O'Sullivan, (Patrick Street).  at end leaning on fence

Sitting on wooden stand, 

Included right to Left,

John Keane ( O'Connell's Ave)with white shirt, Toddy Griffin ( O'Connell's Ave), Michael Downey with black jacket( O'Connell's Ave), Michael Barrett (Ballybunion Road), John Murphy (Gurtcreen), Maurice Cahill (Main Street), (Junior Griffin (Bridge Road), Paddy McGuiness (Upper Church St), Edward Mahoney (Charles Street), Ned Boursin (Church Street). ? O'Carroll (Red Cottages), Maurice Kennelly (Patrick St.)

At back,
Miss O Sullivan (Charles St.), Peggy Walsh (Market St.), Martin Sheehy 2^nd boy(Main St.), Joe Guerin (Convent St.) Eileen Harmon (Patrick St.) Miss Kennelly (Patrick St), Mrs Clem Crowley (Church St.) Kathleen Medill (Patrick St.), Noreen O Hanlon (Patrick St.) Margaret Dillon (Colbert Street),

at backR to L  Tommy Dalton, Junior Griffin, Kathleen O’Sullivan  (Dowd’s Road), Sean O Brien and John O Brien (Convent St.)

The photograph appeared in the Thursday July 31th 1952 edition of the Evening Echo and it was captioned, "Watching the jumping competitions at the North Kerry Show, held at Listowel yesterday"  

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The late Bríd Nolan

The teacher is Speech and Drama teacher, Bríd Nolan R.I.P. These are her prizewinning pupils at Pres. Listowel from the early eighties. I recognize Pio Stack, Lucinda Lyons,  Celine Kennelly and Catherine? Pierse.  Maybe someone else will fill us in on the other names and tell us where they are now.

Bríd was the epitome of grace and eloquence. Until late in her life, she travelled from her home in West Limerick in hail rain and snow to her job in Listowel. She loved her girls and she took immense pride in seeing them succeed. She was dearly loved by staff and students alike as they vied with each other to see who would "carry Mrs. Nolan's bag." Carrying her bag to the next class was a task always undertaken with pride. Bríd was a very devout Christian and I'm sure she would appreciate a prayer from those of you who remember her today.

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House for sale

This charming house in Clieveragh has the original thatch under the tin roof. It would be lovely to see someone buy it and restore it as a typical Irish thatched cottage.

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Bye, bye Sun

(photo:Ballybunion Prints)

These balmy days in early April 2015 are set to leave us for a while. It was great while it lasted.

UCC Social Science class, Scully's Corner, some happy boys and a festival of everything seaweed related

This group of local social scientists is pictured at their conferring ceremony in UCC.  My collaborator did not give me a year.

Front row. Cork UCC staff. Far right Paddy Drummond, -----? Fr Michael Galvin.

Middle Row L-R; Garda ?, Robert and Olive Pierse, Eileen Larkin, Mrs Sheahan, Mrs Walsh, Mrs Culhane, Mr and Mrs John Pierse, Pat Kennelly. 

Back Row, l-r; Garda ? , Bill Walsh, Michael Dillane, Pat Rochford, John and Jer Kennelly and Dan Keane.

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Big Changes at Scully's Corner

Broderick's  is also now being renovated.

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Ellis Island

Little known fact:

Ellis Island is named after a farmer, Thos. Ellis who owned it and used it for grazing animals. But when millions of people were arriving into NY and creating all sorts of chaos, not only carrying diseases, the NY authorities purchased the Island as an Immigration Station where people could be "processed" before being allowed into the US. Prior to that the people went to Castlegarden, in NY. Ellis Island opened in 1892 and it is said that in 50 years 12 million passed through. There is a lovely Irish Balled called "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears" which tells the story of Annie Moore, a 15 year old Irish girl who was the first to be processed on the Island.

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World's Smallest Public Library?

My daughter snapped this in Bonn recently

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Noreen O'Connell is a very proud Nana. She sent me these photos of her grandsons taken on St. Patrick's Day 2015

8 year old Chris O’ Connell was busking in Castlebar on St. Patrick's Day 2015 and 21 month Darren O Connor enjoyed a cone while watching the Listowel parade.

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Seaweed Festival

Ballybunion has come up with a great idea for a festival; the Wild Atlantic Seaweed Festival. This is what the organizers say,

"Ballybunion will be celebrating everything good about seaweed...from seaweed in cookery, in healthy living, in beauty products to soaking in the age-old tradition of our famous seaweed baths at the Wild Atlantic Seaweed Weekend on the 5th, 6th & 7th of June, 2015. Our weekend will also celebrate other bounty from the sea like our local Shannon Dolphin, periwinkles, mussels, oyster, fish and sea salt."

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….days like this

Looks like the whole town decamped to the sports field on June 29 1953.
 In response to John Murphy, Margaret Ward identified a few more people.

"In reply to John Murphy(who I think is one of the Murphys of the Railway Gates), yes next to him is a Cahill but it is Maurice RIP. Next to Maurice is Paddy Mc Guinness, then an O'Mahoney from Charles St. (I'm not good on first names), next is Ned Boursin, an O' Carroll from the Red Cottages, again no first name, then a Kennelly(Cloth Hall) who married one of the Harmon girls, who is also in that photo."

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Are you researching your Kerry Ancestors?

Here is a link to a great blogpost by Kay Caball outlining what resources and records are available to you:

Researching your Kerry Ancestors