Easter Garden at St. Mary's, Pillar Postboxes and a circus tent blows down in Listowel in 1862

(Photo; Chris Grayson )

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Easter Garden in St. Mary's Listowel

For the past few years Martha Woulfe has been creating a beautiful Easter garden in the sanctuary at St. Mary's. This year's, 2016, is her best yet.

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Postboxes revisited

Michael O'Sullivan wrote to me on the subject of the local postboxes. He reminded me that the one pictured below is over 100 years old because it is an Edward V11 and he died in 1910.  Michael writes "The last Victorian box I heard about was in Knockanure up to about ten years ago but is not there now."
( I wonder what happened to it.)

The above box is in Bray, Co. Wicklow. It is a Penfold design and there were only 150 of this design in Ireland

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A Circus Tent Blows down leading to a court case in 1862

 Monday, 01 December, 1862; (From the archives of The Irish Examiner)

CITY SESSIONS—THIS DAY.

John Davit v. Thomas Hogini. This was an action to recover £19 6s,
stated to be due to the plaintiff on a contract entered into with the
defendant. The plaintiff is a band master, and contracted to supply
the defendant who owns a circus  with a band of six performers and a
big drum—seven in all—for the sum of £9  13s. a-week. He now sued for
a fortnights salary.

The plaintiff, examined, stated that be had been some time with the
defendant and was paid his salary up to the 8th Nov. From the 8th to
24th however, he got nothing. He produced his letter of engagement
which was written by Mrs Hogini, the defendant's wife. He was still in the
defendant's employment, and had been paid regularly since the 21th Nov.

In reply to Mr. Blake, the witness stated that there were no
performances during the fortnight for which he was now suing. The
defendant's tent was blown down while they were performing in Listowel
and they did not perform again until the defendant opened a circus in
Cork. He did not, therefore, give the defendant a single " blast" for
the £19 6s. Mrs. Hogini had promised to pay him. 

He was not
disemployed for the fortnight, from the 8th to 24th, by Mr Hogini for
his engagement, was for the whole of the winter season. For the
defence, Mr. Blake examined Mr. Hogini, who deposed that all the
company were disemployed after the accident at Listowel, as they had
no place to perform in. When they were coming into Cork together he
recommended Davis to give concerts, and said that he would help him.
Davis did not come near him for a week, and he did not know what Davis
did during that time. His Worship asked who had to pay the bandsmen
during the fortnight they were idle. " Davis said that he had. His
Worship said he should give a decree for the amount claimed, payable
at the rate of £1 a week. Agent for plaintiff—Mr. M. J. Collins. For
defendant—Mr J C Blake.

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Lofty's

John Kelliher scanned this photograph from one of his old negatives.

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Annual Clean up Under Way

The photo below was taken at 8.00 a.m. on Saturday morning last as most of us were still in bed. It shows local volunteers heading out on the clean up. They collected 100 bags of litter from the approach roads to town.

Photo: Listowel Tidy Towns

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One Listowel man was out early on Saturday morning April 2 2016, doing his bit to keep Listowel tidy.

St. Patrick's Day, More Badminton and Daffodil Day

St. Patrick's Day

In 1940 Palm Sunday and St Patrick’s Day fell on the same day. Junior Griffin remembers wearing a shamrock and a piece of palm in his lapel. This phenomenon occurred in 1799 and won’t happen again until 2391, so Junior is a first person witness to a historic occurrence.  

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Ita Hannon found these great old postcards

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Badminton in the sixties and seventies

(The story of Listowel Badminton Club continued)

The Kerry Badminton Association was formed in Tralee on Nov.4^th 1936   In the recorded minutes Listowel apologised for their absence and stated they could not play league that season. 

The second season saw Listowel being the only outside club represented with six Tralee clubs and that A.G.M. held on November 19^th 1937 saw Listowel represented by M./s Stack and Stafford.

 Other Listowel names mentioned in the County minutes in the late forties and early fifties were J.O’Brien, M.Galvin and C.Andrews.

The next phase of Listowel Badminton seems to be the nucleus of the present club. The Boys’ National School built their new assembly hall, known as Halla Realta Na Maidne in 1961 and now Halla Briain Mhic Mhathúna, and the trio of Mary Keane, Jimmy Harris and Jim Coady got together and decided to re-form the Badminton Club. Early members were Rose Molyneaux, Toni Walsh, Fred Daly, Chris O’Brien and Mercedes Galvin.

It is worth recording that on the very first page of the earliest minute book to hand gives details of the Annual General Meeting of 1966. Some details as follows;

The Annual General Meeting of the Listowel Badminton Club was held at Halla Realta Na Maidne on Monday October 3^rd 1966.

The following members were present; Mrs. Hilda O’Donnell, the Misses N.O’Callaghan, M.Brennan, M.Malone, A.Scully, M.Harty, P.Ryan and M.Kennedy and Messer’s J. Carmody, J.Griffin, B.Quill, J. McGillicuddy, J.Keane, D. Gibbons, J. Guerin and the hon. sec. Ml. Hennigan.. In the absence of the chairman, Mr. J.Harris (who arrived later), Mr. Gibbons took the chair. The following officers’ and committee were elected for the coming year;  Chairman; Mr. John Keane; Vice-do; Mrs Hilda O’Donnell, Hon. Sec. Mr. Jnr. Griffin, Hon. Treasurer, Miss Pat Ryan.

Committee; Miss A. Scully, Miss N.O’Callaghan, Miss M. Harty, Mr. D.O’Sullivan, Mr. D. Gibbons, Mr. J. McGillicuddy. The outgoing Chairman, Mr. J.Harris and the outgoing Hon. Secretary, Mr. Ml. Hennigan did not seek re-election.

Those years of the sixties and the seventies saw the club go from strength to strength with solid workers like Hilda O’Donnell, who became vice-chairperson of the County Board, Sheila Hennigan, Mary Crowley, Thelma McAuliffe, Marjorie Morkan, Patricia Hickey, Jackie McGillicuddy, Ml. Hennigan, John Hanley, Roly Chute, John Kenny, John Keane and Junior Griffin to the fore.

After a few years in the school hall play transferred to the Plaza Cinema which became home to the club for many years and indeed some of the best days of club activities centred around that single court in the Plaza.

The mid sixties saw the club enter teams for the County Leagues and the members compete in the County Championships.

Listowel contested their first ever County League final on March 18^th 1967 when they took on Castleisland in the Minor League final. Despite a brave show, it was Castleisland who captured the spoils, winning by 5 games to 3.

The Listowel team on the night was; Ladies, Ann Hartnett, Bernie Costello, Carol Broderick, Maura Brennan; Men, John Keane, Junior Griffin, David Gibbons, Billy Galvin. 

 The first honours to come to the club did come later, in the month of April in 1967 with the winning of what was then called the minor mens double championship by the pairing of John Keane and Junior Griffin.

This pair won the junior mens double title two years later.  Indeed the former won the senior singles title in 1970 and the men's senior doubles title in 1973 with a Tralee partner.

(John Junior Griffin)

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Daffodil Day March 11 2016

Bishop Ray hit town on the same day, March 11 2016

I found this photo of the male confirmandi on the internet. I failed to find the girls.

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New Business on The Bridge Road