1975 Cinderella, Spectators at the tennis and Listowel Writers Week Literary Evenings.

Robin in The National Park photographed by Chris Grayson

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Listowel Tennis in the 1980s

Watching a tennis game are Denis O'Rourke (standing) and the late Paudie Finnegan (seated).

Miriam Croghan and Jacintha Egan

Photos; Danny Gordon


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1975 Panto

This old newspaper clip of some of the cast of Cinderella in 1975 brought back many many happy memories.
One sad fact I was reminded of is that Mary Dooley who played Cinderella was tragically killed in a Road Traffic Accident a few years after this happy time leaving behind a young husband and family.
At the other end of the scale another blog follower told me that there is a video of this panto somewhere and the drag show at the intermission is hilarious.
If you have real photos or would like to pen a few memories, there is an audience out there hungry to relive those happy busy winter days in 1970s  Listowel.

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Listowel Writers' Week Literary Evenings

You are still in time to catch the last of these tonight. This partnership between Writers' Week and The Rose Hotel Tralee has added a whole new dimension to the festival and brought in a whole new local audience.
Because these soirees were free it was an ideal opportunity to sample a literary event and maybe find that it wasn't quite so literary after all but warm, welcoming and accessible. The interviewers and guests have all done an excellent job, the venue is intimate and elegant and all in all this is a super venture and must be repeated.

On Weds January 23rd I went to hear Deirdre Walsh interview Carmel Harrington and came away eager to read the book. It was a lovely evening.

Mark, on behalf of The Rose Hotel, did the welcoming.

The inimitable Seán Lyons, on behalf of Writers' Week, did the introducing.

Deirdre Walsh did the interviewing.

Here is the best selling author of seven novels with some of her Kerry friends, Mark Sullivan, Máire Logue, Liz and Jin Dunn and Deirdre Walsh (seated)

Posing with our books are Seán Lyons, Mary Cogan, Joan O'Regan and Mairead Costelloe.

Just like at Writers' Week people queued to have books signed.

Just for a night, Liz forgot about Marie Kondo and the pleasures of decluttering. Anyway, this one sparked joy.

I missed the next one which was the very popular Tomi Riechenthal.

Tonight it's the last in the series, the spoken word poet, Stephen James Smith. Should be a good one.

This series has been a resounding success. Thanks are due to Seán Lyons and Mark Sullivan for dreaming it up and to Listowel Writers' Week  for organising another great project.  I think I can safely predict that this venture will be repeated.

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Big Night in Store for The Dublin Kerry Crowd

Everyone is welcome

Rose of Tralee, Lisselton Cross, The Changing Face of Listowel and Glin Castle

Rattoo at Night

Photo: Bridget O'Connor

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Rose of Tralee 2016...a Listowel Connection

The place to be is Tralee this week.

My Aisling and Róisín posed outside the beautifully refurbished Rose Hotel on a recent visit to Tralee. This will be the centre of much of the action this week.

Strolling through the beautiful town park and speculating what it would be like to be a Rose. For the time being, the playground is more in their line

This is the the statue of William Mulchinock, who wrote the song, and his beloved, Mary O'Connor, the Rose who inspired the competition.

Now for the Listowel connection. The New York Rose is a Stack. Kristin Stack called to see Damien last week to establish her Stack credentials.

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Memories of Lisselton

The hard workers on the Ballydonoghue parish magazine committee posted this picture on Facebook in the hope that it would stir fond memories of Lisselton Cross long ago. One man remembered going to the cross to make a phone call . Do you remember when you had to some armed with an ass load of change and then hope that the recipient of your call was in? If not you could press button B to get your money back.  Happy days!

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Then and Now

Lower Church Street

Market Street

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Glin Castle

Photos; Forur Genealogy


The fate of Glin Castle has been the subject of a bit of speculation recently with reports that the new generation of Fitzgeralds were to take over and run the Castle as a boutique hotel.
Not to be, apparently, so the castle will be sold.

Ger Greaney of Forur Genealogy attended the recent open day at the castle and he posted these photos on Facebook.

AND

The same Ger. who took the above photos has just been named Person of the Month in the Limerick Leader. Earlier this year Ger. organised a 1916 commemorative event which involved a reenactment of a march to Glenquin Castle. It was a great success. Well done, Ger.

The Rose Hotel, Tralee, Writers Week Children's Festival and Casement commemorated.

Sunset in Ballybunion May 14 2016

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The Rose Hotel, Fels Point

I was dying to see how this hotel looked after its recent refurbishment. It is the new home of The Rose of Tralee Festival. It lived up to the hype. It is sumptuously furnished with lots of comfy couches and armchairs, the loos are the first thing in luxury and the food in the newly extended dining room and bar was excellent and very good value for money. The young staff were very friendly and helpful. Any of them could audition for the job of Rose escort and I'd give him the gig. Yes, on the  night I visited, they were all male.

 My friends, Mary Jo and Bridget, agreed to pose in the spacious bright foyer.

They made me pose beside the photograph of this year's Rose.

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Treat in store for the Children

The National Children's Literary Festival at Writers' Week have a super programme planned for the first days of June.

Listowel children can be among the first to meet PJ Lynch as he takes up his new role as Laureate na nÓg.

photo: CBI 

All the information and online booking is Here

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Ardfert remembers Casement

Ardfert school was represented at The Kingdom County Fair. They had on display a genuine gun recovered from the ill fated Aud. The pupils had designed a commemorative medal to celebrate the 1916 centenary.

They had a "Casement" in the dock  to promote their medals.

They brought along a mural which used to hang in a local pub.

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Gardaí at the Fair

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Extract from a Letter to the Editor 

Tralee Chronicle  Friday, 09 August, 1861

DEAR SIR,— Having seen in one of your late papers the preliminary

notice for sale  of the Duagh Estate, in this county, I send you a few
notes relative to the history of it, and or the family to which it
belongs, which may interest some of your readers.

This ancient estate was originally a portion of the lands granted by
M'Arthy, Prince of Desmond, to Raymond le Gros. I, shall not trace the
family of Raymond farther back than to say, that he was the son of
William Fitzgerald a Norman nobleman who lived in Wales, and whose
ancestors had come to England with William the Conqueror; under whom
they had acquired great military fame and large possessions. There is
a curious book in Trinity College, Dublin, Written by one Father O
Daly tracing this race back through the Dukes of Tuscany and all the
way to the Pius Eneas of Troy.— However, I shall be satisfied with a
more moderate pedigree and begin with the Invasion of Ireland.



Ireland was in an anomalous state at the time of this Invasion. While
it was the seat of much learning, and of the more refined arts. It was
also the haunt of savage customs, and revengeful habits. Like all
countries where feudal  customs prevailed, knowledge  belonged to the
few, great power to the chieftains; but the many were in. subjection
and ignorance. More widely beautiful than now, with Its waving
forests, wide-flowing rivers and spacious harbours, It was a bright
gem of the sea ; but torn up with domestic feuds and defective In its
political system, It was likely to become an easy prey to a powerful
Invader, well skilled in the military arts. Divided amongst a number
of petty chieftains, frequently at variance with each other, their
very animosity constituted a great part of the strength of the foe.

On Ireland in this state, Henry the Second, then Monarch of England,
cast his wily and ambitious eye, and soon found the pioneers of his
conquest in Norman adventurers, who were glad to get the opportunity
of relieving their broken fortunes or obtaining military glory and
large possessions by the Invasion of so fair a region.

At the head of these was Earl Pembroke, well known by the name of
Strongbow, and his General in Chief  was Raymond, surnamed Ramond le
Gros, either from his corpulence, or, more probably from his massive
frame and strength- Le Gros in the Norman, answering to ?  more in
Irish and big in English

Whatever the derivation of this nickname may be, Raymond seems to
have been well suited to the position in which he was placed and to
have combined the qualities of a noble disposition with those which
constitute the characteristic of a great General; for not only was he
famous for his Intrepidity, but he also possessed those, feelings of
humanity which ever accompany true courage.

A remarkable Instance of this was exhibited  in the opposition given
by him to the cruel council of. Hervey M’ Maurice  in the treatment of
the prisoners taken in a battle with the Irish, near Waterford
Raymond having landed with the thirty Knights, and bring joined by
Hervey  M'Maurice with a small troop, they made up a hurried  camp for
their defence. The citizens of Waterford, being troubled at  their
contiguity to their city, attacked them with three thousand men,
headed some Irish Princes. The Normans made a sally[j1]  out of their
little fort against  their opponents, but, finding the multitude they
had to contend with, made a hasty retreat to their entrenchments.
Being too hotly, pressed by their pursuers, they turned on them, when
the powerful and daring Raymond thrust the first of his antagonists
through the body, and, shouting his war cry, made a furious onset
Inspired by the bravery of their leader, the little band fought with
such resolution that they put their enemies to flight, and, after
great carnage, took several of the chief citizens of Waterford
prisoners. A council of war being held on these, Raymond spoke in
their defence, and strongly recommended humane measures. They are not
to be looked on now," said he, " as foes, but as our fellow-men, but
as men who have been subdued, who have been vanquished, who have been
conquered. Their fate being adverse, In fighting for the defence Of
their country noble Indeed, was their occupation." In vain, however,
was his counsel. That of Hervey who at that time possessed much power
and Influence, prevailed and seventy of the noblest citizens of
Waterford having their limbs first broken, were hurled from the rocks
into the sea........

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A Blast from the Past