Blasket Donkeys and the Current State of Presentation Convent, Listowel and Kissane Clan Gathering

Gymnasts in The Square

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Athea Mural Update

Do you remember I told you that the figure that the artist, Jim Dunn had added to his mural was a well known local man. The stethoscope protruding from his pocket now gives the game away, it's Athea's very popular  G.P.

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Blasket Donkeys

Chris Grayson took these interesting photos of Blasket Island Donkeys.

The very hairy one looks like a different breed. Or is he just very old and no longer losing his winter coat?
I read somewhere that the island people used to only keep female donkeys. If they had both sexes the males would get frisky and might fall off the cliffs and into the sea so they had to bring the mares to the mainland for the mating pourposes.

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Snapped in Listowel

I ran into Tralee people, Seán Lyons and his lovely daughter. Maeve, recently.

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Update on the Convent

Whenever I'm in the vicinity, I take the opportunity to document the slow decline into ruin of Presentation Convent, Listowel.

I took these photos on August 1 2017. They speak for themselves.

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Kissane Clan Gathering

You've seen the photos, now help them celebrate family.

The planned gathering will open with a gala banquet on Friday evening August 18 2017.
Tickets (€50) are available at Listowel Arms Hotel reception. All Kissane of Kilcox descendants won't want to miss this one. Anyone with an interest in this family is welcome to the banquet.

On Saturday August 19th, proceedings move to The Thatch in Lisselton for the launch of "Descendants of John the Elder", a hard back book including over 90 photographs. This promises to be a great night of family history and reminiscence. The launch will be followed by a night of music and craic with family, friends and neighbours.

A highlight of the weekend will be the Walk and Talk with Eily Walsh. I'm reproducing here Eily's guidelines for those Kissanes planning to attend the walk. This is one for the descendants.

On Saturday Afternoon 19^th at 3.p.m. and, again on Sunday Morning 20^th August  at 12.30 p.m. The Thatch will also be the Gathering Point for the “Walk and Talk” to be held in Kilcox throughout the weekend. (Weather permitting) We expect tickets for these walks to sell very quickly. There are only 25 places MAX for each walk.  Your name will be held on a Booking list and your ticket may be collected at the Thatch Bar a half hour before the walk starts. The Thatch will be the Gathering Point for the Walk, and we will drive in convoy to the two adjoining Kilcox Farms (Scralom Entrance) where the “Walk and Talk” will start. There will be ample parking for up to 20 cars. Tickets are 10 euro each. The walk is very easy and will last approx. 75 minutes. Suitable footwear or flat shoes are advisable. Please bring a jacket as you will be on exposed ground  - whether the sun shines or not. The walk itself is flat and easy, and suitable for all ages with only a slight incline at the end. There are wonderful panoramic views so be sure and bring the camera! 

Sunday August 20th will see the gathered Kissane clan in Coolahan's of Tarbert at 2.30p.m. for an afternoon of music and "sheer joy".

Family gathered for the gathering weekend will be anxious to visit the Kissane tombs in Killeheny. The two tombs will be marked with an identifying marker for the weekend. Ballybunion church will also be open to visitors.

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We are Family

The Kissane family of Kilcox in North Kerry has spread far and wide. There are branches of the family in the U.S. and Australia and representatives of all of this scattered clan are coming home to Kerry this weekend for this great celebration of family.

I was privileged to be in St. John's on Saturday Aug 11 2017 as the exhibition of family photographs to accompany the Kissane Gathering was launched by Eamon OMurchú. Eamon is justly proud of his Kissane ancestors. As a photographer, he knows the importance of family photographs and their role in family history. If you are in Listowel, call in to St. John's to see this important collection of Kissane family history and memorabilia.

The collection was curated by Eily Walsh (here on left of Eamon ÓMurchú). Eily has invested hours and hours of time and effort into collecting the photographs and researching the family history. This weekend gathering and book are all due to her tireless work.

Keelin Kissane of Kerry and Dublin with Barbara Kissane of New York. The ladies are standing in front of a photograph of Barbara's parents on their wedding day.
Barbara's dad, Pats Kissane, was the first president of the New York Kerryman's Association. Keelin is the current chairperson of the Dublin Kerryman's Association.

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Our Very Own Disney Princess

I met this lovely Rose in The Kingdom Greyhound Stadium last night. She is Elizabeth Marine, the Florida Rose.

She is mighty proud of her Listowel connection. She feels that her presence here is in honour of her grandfather, Tom O'Donoghue of Tannavalla who left Listowel for Pittsburg with a heart full of hope and a head full of dreams. He made a success of his life in the land of the brave and the home of the free. He never forgot his Kerry roots and he steeped his family in Irish traditions and Irish culture. He loved Irish music, song and dance and above all he was passionate about Gaelic football. He, himself was a handy footballer with the Six Crosses team.

Elizabeth, his granddaughter, is a singer and dancer. I don't know about the Gaelic football. Her cousins look after that tradition. She is in Tralee with her mother and her sister. Her dad had to stay behind in Florida to look after her severely disabled brother.
If you run into The Roses this week, be sure to single out the Florida Rose. Tell her you are from Listowel and she will be delighted to meet you.

The Famine in North Kerry: Writers' Week 2013

Listowel and The Famine

One of the marvellous aspects of Writers' Week is the variety of activities on offer. Friday May 31 2013 was our day for learning all about the Famine in Listowel. Below is a photo of some of the crowd gathered at the Listowel Arms to take part in a walk led by John Pierse, Michael Guerin and Kay Caball. This walk was to take us to places of interest connected with the Great Famine. We were lucky to be in the company of three "experts" in various aspects of Listowel in Famine times.

I'll share with you a few of the more shocking facts I learned.

• In the worst week of famine times, 66 people died in the workhouse in Listowel.  Many more died on the roadside, in their houses or in the fields.
• The workhouse was so overcrowded that every shed and outhouse was pressed into service as an auxiliary workhouse and many more of these auxiliary workhouses were set up in the locality.
• The people were starving, yet the river Feale was teeming with fish.
• 3,000 people are buried in Teampall Bán graveyard. We know the names of only 3.
• There is another Famine Graveyard at Gale.
• The 4 Presentation Sisters did extraordinary good work sheltering, feeding and clothing the starving. Their role is often ignored by historians.
• The present hospital chapel was part of the dining area of the workhouse.
• Prostitutes and their children were segregated from other women and children in the workhouse.
• The Famine lasted longer in North Kerry than it did elsewhere. It went on into 1850 and 1851.

Michael Guerin

walkers approaching the Presentation Convent

Kay Caball

in the grounds of the old workhouse

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Later on Friday May 31 2013 we continued with our Famine education with a seminar in The Plaza. If we had local experts in the morning, we now had local, national and international experts in an excellent forum, ably chaired by Mike Lynch.

Left to Right: Thomas Keneally, Kay Caball, William Smyth, Mike Murphy and Mike Lynch

The Moloney family out in force to hear one of their own do us all proud as she took her place among Famine scholars.


Between 1845 and 1852 over one million Irish people died. At least 250,000 fled the country. The authors of the Atlas of the Great Irish Famine have done us all a great service in making this truly awful episode in our history more real for us. Their maps have gone some way toward explaining why so many people died and toward explaining what determined if you would die, leave or survive.

We, the descendants of Famine survivors owe it to our brethren to remember them.

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Here are some of the people who slaved away behind the scenes at Writers' Week .

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This is Edmond Harty of Dairymaster. This weekend he is in Monte Carlo in contention with 49  others for the title International Entrepreneur of the Year.
Go néirí an t-adh leis.

Dates for the diary

Listowel is associated in the popular consciousness with horses and racing. It is not surprising, therefore that pubs and housing estates are given horsey titles.  Harness makers like the late Pat Finucane (picture from Vincent Carmody's North Kerry Camera) were constantly busy and there were blacksmiths on every corner. Maybe someone will one day write for us about all those old trades and the people who plied them locally.

That was then and this is now.  One of the few mentions of harness in town is in the title of this hostelry. And its to this pub that everyone is heading on Friday night next , October 14. North Kerry Reaching Out is holding its first Irish Culture Night. There will be a lively trad. session from 9.30. If you can sing or play an instrument, come prepared to join in. We will be holding a raffle with many prizes.  We are all hoping for a great night of music and craic.

Next date for the diary is actually the very next day. On Saturday morning next at 11.00a.m. the Marion Finucane Show on RTE Radio 1 is holding a review session on the books short listed for this year's Booker Prize. One of the participants in this event will be Sean Lyons, the new chairman of Listowel Writes Week. Tune in at 11.00 on Saturday to hear Sean and to learn about his taste in literature.

Third and final date for now: On October 18 North Kerry Reaching Out will hold an informal genealogy session in the beautiful Family Centre off the John B. Keane Road. We intend to help one another to look up online records and websites and to have a cup of tea and a chat. Since the centre has only 16 computers, we have to limit the numbers for this one. Email nkreachingout@gmail.com if you would like to join us.