Eucharistic Congress, Bona fide travelers and nuns

Jer Kennelly went to the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.
Here he is with Dana.

Jer also found this video of the 1932 congress

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKR7olqpL80&feature=colike

(8.30 a.m. I have to make a big appeal to my email followers here. I made a big booboo with this post. Instead of putting in the link to Jer.'s youtube video and pictures of the congress, I mistakenly put in a link to Jer's email telling me about the photos etc. I will have to investigate if this opened my listowelconnection account to everyone. If so, I will have to delete that account and start again. While I am sorting it, I will have to appeal to you all to delete the mail with this link. M.C.)


(9.30 a.m.  Looks like all is well T.G. Normal service is now resumed.)

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Remember our Gleasures of The Square?

George features in this story from 1901 as recounted by the County Archivist, Michael Lynch, on the Footprints section of Kerry Today on  Radio Kerry, December 2011.

... On the same day, (Dec. 2 1901)  at Listowel Petty Sessions, George Gleasure, publican, The Square, was charged with a breach of the Licensing Act on 1 November 1901, in that he allowed a man named Lyons to drink on his premises after hours.  Two other men present on the premises were deemed to be bona fide travellers and were not summoned.  The case was eventually heard on 23 December – it was adjourned from the earlier date due to the fact that evidence of Mrs Lyons and the 2 relevant police constables was in direct conflict, necessitating a call forward of the 2 travelling customers for their evidence to be heard – Magistrate Mr Gaussen explained the rules with regard to bona fide travellers, and their entitlement to be served drink after hours. 

He said that it was wrong for publicans to assume that so long as a man lived 3 miles from where he was caught that he was entitled to a late drink.  This was only one of the essentials of a bona fide traveller.  Such a person had to prove that he wanted the drink to travel (perhaps the origin of “one for the road”?).  A publican should ask where the person had slept the night before, and what brought him to his place (i.e. to establish bona fides).  Failure to do so could result in a summons.

In relation to the Lyons case, Mrs Lyons testified that she had asked Gleasure to allow her husband to stay on the premises until his agitated state had passed.  This state was the result of his earlier having had his cattle legally seized from him.  She also stated that she had not seen him since about 6.00pm that evening prior to arriving at Gleasure’s.  This was directly refuted by evidence given by Mr Matthew Behan, public house & hotel proprietor, who stated that the Lyons’ had been on his premises from 8.00 to 10.00.

Constables Nolan and Aylward stated that when they entered Gleasure’s, they found a tray with 3 glasses on it, indicating that al 3 present had been drinking.

With the various conflicting and contradictory evidence, the majority of the magistrates hearing the case voted to dismiss.

Since this case had taken up (not to say wasted) a great deal of legal time, the next person up was always likely to suffer!  This was 12 year old Michael Broder, charged with procuring money by false pretences – 3s. each from Mrs Elizabeth Loughnane (publican & shopkeeper, Church Street) and Mrs Margaret Thornton (a farmer’s wife, Curraghtoosane).  On 11 December, Broder had represented to both ladies that Miss Potter (Church Street shopkeeper) had sent him to collect the money.  Mrs Thornton had asked for a written request from Miss Potter, which Broder brought to her (forged) on a return visit.

He pleaded guilty, and his father (Edward Broder) undertook to repay the money.  Magistrate Gaussen, no doubt frustrated by the previous case, ordered that young Broder be given 12 strokes of a birch rod, and cautioned him to be more careful in the future.


Different times, indeed!

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Ah, that takes me back to the glory days of Irish soccer and to the innocent times of call boxes when we had to make an effort to make a telephone call.

Today's youngsters can't imagine a time when you could walk around free, with no one having any idea where you were unless you happened on a call box and you had change or a call card and you chose to ring them and tell them. 

Happy days!

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Nunday in Listowel, June 30th 2012

Let me remind you again of the fundraiser for Pieta House. It is promising to be a landmark day in town. Don't miss your chance to be part of it. It was never so easy to take the veil. Anyone, male or female over 10 years of age can participate.

Call in to Finesse, John B. Keane's, Easons or Christy's, pay over your €20 and register. You will get your nun's habit and your registration receipt. You can also register online  and collect your outfit on the day. Then come along to the sports field, Frank Sheehy park, home of Listowel Emmets on Saturday June 30th at 5.30 p.m..in your habit and veil and wearing sensible black "nunny" shoes and join in the fun. Don't forget to bring your receipt. They will need those to be verified in order  to break the record for the most people dressed as nuns in the same place at the same time. 10 minutes apparently counts as "in the same place at the same time" for Guinness Book of Records purposes.

I'll be there with family and friends in tow. See you there!

These are the kind of nuns you will see on June 30th.

You won't see these kind of nuns. This is a picture of Benedictine nuns working on a bog in Mayo in the 1920s

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Games and Bloomsday

It has been a sad week in Listowel. The town came to a halt on Wednesday as a riderless horse clip clopped its way to the cemetery. The whole town turned out to mourn the tragic loss of John Lynch. Listowel people observed the old tradition of shops and businesses closing their doors while the cortege passed. The massive turnout for the wake and funeral reflected the esteem in which the Lynch family is held in Listowel.

+May he rest in peace+

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Now to the sports page

We may have lost the match but we won the singing. Our Euros 2012 jaunt is over, but we leave Gdansk with heads held high. Who knows what might happen against Italy?
 Incidentally, Gdansk, formerly Danzig, is a city with an Irish connection. Read about Seán Lester here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seán_Lester

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Take a look at these 50 greatest moments in Olympic history.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/50-days-to-go-to-london-2012-866271

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Not exactly the Olympics but close by Irish standards.

Tailtean Games, Croke Park 1924

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Ed. O'Connor, prompted by my amazing basketball fact of the other day, sends us this little titbit about the game.

 The game was invented by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts only about 8 miles or so from my hometown of Holyoke, MA....some may know and others may wish to know that Holyoke is the birthplace of Volleyball( inventor William D. Morgan, 1895) and also home to one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the US, especially when you consider its population relative to the other major cities which have parades .

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Ad. from Limerick 1960

Tweeted by Limerick1912; " Halpin's Tea was founded in 1886, but closed down in February 1984 due to "the continued effects of the recession & increased competition"."

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Tomorrow is Bloomsday

BLOOMSDAY 2012

The History & Tradition of Bloomsday

Bloomsday celebrates the day on which the action of James Joyce’s novel Ulysses takes place, 16th June 1904, the day on which we believe Joyce first went out with his future wife Nora Barnacie. The day is named after Leopaold Bloom, the central character in Ulysses.

One of the earliest Bloomsday celebrations was a Ulysses lunch, organised by Sylvia Beach, the publisher of Ulysses and her partner Adrienne Monnier in France in June 1929. The first Bloomsday celebrated in Ireland was in 1954.

Today Bloomsday is celebrated by Joyceans across the globe with readings, performances, re-enactments and a host of other events. In Dublin, enthusiasts dress in Edwardian costume and gather during the day at many of the location where episodes of Ulysses took place (Martello Tower at Sandycove, Davy Byrne’s pub and 7 Eccles Street).

The James Joyce centre hosts Bloomsday breakfasts and other events in the run up to June 16th as well as on the day.

Bloomsday 2012

The copyright for Joyce’s work expired at the end of 2011 so the celebration of Bloomsday 2012 will be very special indeed. Tight control of Ulysses has been kept during the copyright period so fans are determined to celebrate this freedom with special public performances. To date the only place where public readings of Ulysses were allowed was on Bloomsday in the James Joyce Centre in North Great George’s Street,

Plans are already in place for Bloomsday 2012 to re-enact parts of Bloom’s journey with spontaneous performances of his work across the city. These Bloomsday 2012 performances will feature on Twitter and Facebook encouraging the public to join in to make Bloomsday 2012 one of the best ever.

Gleasures of Listowel and Massachusetts

This premises, The Americano Pub in The Square was once owned by a Gleasure family.

A few days ago I got an email from a descendant of this family. This is what Ben Naylor says:

I am from Washington, DC but have Listowel roots.  My great-great grandfather (George Gleasure) came over to Canada from Ireland in the late 1800's, crossed the border into the US and resided in Natick, Massachusetts for a decade before returning with his children to Ireland, making residence in Listowel from about 1898-1923 (his death).  The Gleasures ran a liquor store/pub in The Square.  My great-grandfather, his son (Frank Gleasure) wanted to come back to America and left the family in 1901 to come back to Massachusetts. 

Ben has inherited hundreds of letters sent from the Gleasures in Listowel to Frank.  Ben is putting them all online here

http://gleasureharberletters.blogspot.ie/

The letters are not great works of literature but are of enormous value historically, as his relatives at home tell Frank all the little newses of the town. Frank was very generous to his family, regularly sending newspapers, postcards, photographs and presents and their gratitude is a salient feature running through all the correspondence.

One of the family was a keen photographer and Ben has inherited the photographs as well. He promises to send us some old pictures of The Square and the family pub when he gets back to New York next week.

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This is Listowel Convent Primary School as it used to look. School photos were often taken in front of "the statue'.

Here is one such photo. I have no idea of a date or a name.

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Listowel Town development plan to 2015 is available here:

http://www.listowel.ie/Volume%201.pdf

Obituary etc.

So sad! The very hard working John Lynch, who died tragically last weekend, will be laid to rest today. The sympathy and support of the town is with his bereft family who must pick up the pieces and face a future without him. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

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This is Stirling McLeod and family from Canada. Jer. Kennelly photographed them in Listowel on the day of Listowel Community College's fundraising.

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A group of Listowel boy scouts on one of their many adventures.

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Two posters

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Ever "The Yank"& Church St.

I took the following from the Irish Central website. It is written by a man called Brendan Charles. While his roots are not in Kerry, his words will find a resonance with many of my readers.

"Woodlawn Heights, located approximately 10 miles from New York City, serves as the perfect locale. It caters to two distinct groups: Bronx residents and Irish immigrants. After my parents emigrated from Ireland, they raised four children in the area, which afforded me an opportunity to study both cultures.

Now, as a young man, I often contemplate my identity.

New York is my home. I find solace in its distinctive surroundings - the towering skyscrapers, the congested streets, and the collective cacophony of brakes, horns, and sirens. I attended high school on the Upper East Side. I worked for two summers at Sutton Place. I indulge in freshly-baked bagels, dirty-water hot dogs, and late-night halal food. I walk fast, I speak Spanish, and I know the best pizza on First Avenue.

(Upon request, I can also deliver a much-ballyhooed account of the New York Yankees all-time greats: Berra, DiMaggio, Gehrig, Jeter, Mantle, Mattingly, and Ruth.)

My ancestry is distinctly Irish, however. My father and my mother emigrated from Counties Leitrim and Kilkenny. They arranged yearly visits to Ireland, in an effort to immerse their children in the culture. There, I lived alongside my extended family and experienced the country’s food, music, and sport.

I always remember the breakfast that awaited my arrival from Shannon Airport -- sausages, rashers, black pudding, white pudding, fried tomatoes and brown bread. My grandmother watched from across the table as I consumed each meal.

In the weeks to follow, my cousins and I played hurling in the pitch opposite my aunt's house. We trekked through fields and purchased sweets at the nearby shops. I learned how to milk a cow at my uncle’s farm, and the sudden numbness that arrives after touching nettle leaves.

In a different part of the country, my grandfather warbled jovial tunes while he sat in his armchair and watched the news. He held out his hand to catch mine, shaking it in rhythm. When my grandmother called us in for dinner, we walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. She had prepared several pans of boxty (a regional potato pancake).

As a young man, I currently know the names of all 32 counties, the four provinces, the trademark sound of Joe Dolan, the foremost events in Irish history, the quickest route from Galway to Dublin, the times to recite the Angelus prayer, the silence of the countryside, the liveliness of the cities, the complexities of a James Joyce novel, the differences between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, the rainy weather, the generosity of the Irish people, and the easiest way to spot an Irishman at the beach - tall socks, white shirt and loads of sunscreen.

Yet, despite my breadth of knowledge and experience, my extended family still refer to me as a “yank,” and perhaps deservedly so.

I am neither American nor Irish. And though I sustain a connection with each culture, I am – at any given moment – prone to experience sudden disconnects from both.

The identity of Woodlawn Heights suffers invariably from the very dichotomy that defines mine. As such, it serves as the perfect locale; especially for me, and at least for now.

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Church St. back in the days when traffic travelled two ways, goods were delivered by dray horses and there was only the odd car to be seen. The Square end of the street was known as Leahy's Corner.

This is that corner a few years ago.

And this is Leahy's corner today

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Only in Kerry! A tractor makes its way up William Street on a sunny afternoon in June 2012.

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This is a very thought provoking article from The Irish Times Generation Emigration section in Saturday's paper.

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/generationemigration/2012/06/09/what-lies-ahead-for-us-is-uncertain/

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Random Tuesday fact: It was a full 21 years after the game of basketball was invented before someone thought of cutting a hole in the bottom of the net. Up to then, someone had to climb up and poke the ball out after a score.

Corpus Christi and Euro 2012

Yesterday we had our Corpus Christi procession.

People made a huge effort and the town looked its best. Here are some of the window displays:

There was a big crowd processing.

Sr. Consolata played and the choir sang.

A very successful day. Well done all!

This is a very good video from Jer. Kennelly. He has half the town in it.

http://youtu.be/RSZbiky4_Qs

Here is my video of the final hymn:

http://youtu.be/SR7ntHh4gtA

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Commiserations lads!

The country is gone football crazy. Half the young folk have gone to Poland to swell the green army and the other half are blowing paddyzalas in pubs up and down the country. They have a big screen in The Square in Tralee and in Ballincollig they have this in Mary O's pub.

Meanwhile, Spain is getting away with a bailout with no strings attached. Why do I get the feeling Europe might be laughing at us?

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If you haven't yet seen the Thai children singing The Rocky Road to Poland, they are here,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwSL-IUym08&feature=youtu.be

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You gotta have a laugh. This from Broadsheet.ie will give a giggle to poor exhausted Leaving Cert. Maths students. 

Friday roundup

These are positively the last of my Writers Week shots. Next week I'll get back on my bike and see what else is happening in town. I'll root out a few more old photos as well for those of you who prefer the nostalgic stuff.

I was at Baby Boogie on Sunday with my grandchildren and I met a former pupil, Esther Groarke, now the mother of 3 lively boys but still as bubbly and friendly as ever. I love to meet past pupils. Meeting Esther brought back many happy memories. We did not mention the 'make over' she gave me for a school concert!

Pieces of artwork could be viewed at many locations in town.

Artists could be spotted as well. Here is Máire with Liam O'Neill. Liam is the artist!

As I was passing the desk with my camera I snapped this gang

Michael Lynch, Norma Foley, Lisa Dennehy, Joanna O'Flynn, Rose Wall, Christine Dywer Hickey, Máire Logue and Seán Lyons.

Norma was at Writers' Week with her class from Pres. Tralee who came to listen to Óisín McGann.

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Now to Saturday; I am a member of Listowel Library Book Club and the plan was to meet up with members of Killarney book club, go on the river bank walk, lunch together and then go on to Anne Enright's reading. We had all read The Forgotten Waltz.

The best laid plans of mice and men......

The weather put paid to thoughts of walking any distance so we decided instead to go to the lunchtime theatre and take a short walk around the town.

While we were deciding on our revised plan, Máire Logue offered to ask Anne Enright, who was breakfasting in the hotel, if she would meet us informally.

There I am sitting right next to Anne Enright, totally starstruck!

Anne was a very gracious, very ordinary, very down to earth lady. She chatted to us and even posed for a Listowel type photo on the hotel stairs.  Thank you, Máire. You made a day that was about to go pear shaped extra special.

We then went for a walkabout in Listowel and the Killarney ladies soaked in the cultural vibe.

Billy Keane charmed the Killarney ladies and introduced them to Julian Gough who was having a quiet pint in the bar.

We went to Ronan Wilmot in St. John's. Brilliant! We lunched in The Listowel Arms, attended Anne Enright's reading and had a great day out. 

I look forward to meeting my new found Killarney friends again next year.

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From Jer Kennelly comes this old photo of John B. with Tom Sullivan and Michael Kennelly.

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Finally

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM1JfE5l_Hs

Aisling O'Sullivan reads John B. Keane's Two Eyes to Mary Keane on The John Murray Show.