Vintage Fair in Moyvane, Market St. in the 1940s and it's panto time in Listowel again

T. J. MacSweeney

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Moyvane Village Festival

In late October I visited Moyvane Festival and they had some great vintage stuff on display.

When stuff you remember using turns up at a vintage fair, then you feel old.

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Old postcard of Market Street

I spotted this recently on the internet.

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When are you too old for the Playground?

My twin grandsons enjoying the free fun in Listowel Town Park during their Halloween Break in October 2015

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A lot more than Hair and Beauty going on at Changes these days

This was the scene in Changes on Friday.  Danny was supervising operations as Mary and Yvanna stitched away at panto costumes.

Tickets go on sale Dec1st. I'll let you now more shortly about how to get your hands on a ticket. It promises to be huge!!!!

Christmas Knitting, Hurleys of Convent St. and Briquettes for Aras an Uachtaráin

Storm Barney deposited some sand

This photo from Ballybunion Tidy Towns shows sand washed up on the beach by the recent stormy weather.

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Christmas Knitting in Craftshop na Méar

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Hurleys of Convent Street

This picture of Convent Street was shared by Patrick J. OShea of Cork. It shows the house where his grandmother lived in Convent Street, Listowel. The Hurley family later moved to O'Connell's Avenue.

Below is a photo of Patrick's mother and her two sisters;

Angela, Phil and Nuala Hurley

Patrick, on the far right, posted this photo on Facebook when he was in Ballybunion to do a gig last summer.

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Winter Fuel in 1973

This photo from Bord na Mona Heartland  was taken at Aras an Uachtaráin in November 1973. It shows Bord na Mona lorries delivering briquettes to the Aras. The president at the time was Erskine Childers.

Mary Kennedy in Listowel, A Christmas Window, A Photo of some of the old stock and War Dogs

Up Close and Personal

T.J. Mac Sweeney


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 Mary Kennedy in Listowel

When Mary Kennedy of RTE was in Listowel for the filming of the piece on the Military Weekend she popped into Easons to check on how her book was doing.

(Photo: Easons Listowel)

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A More Recent Photo from Paul Murphy's Album

Tommy Murphy, Frank Enright and John B. Keane

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Christmas at Listowel Florists

Betty McGrath is getting ready for the festive season

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Unusual Casualties of War

The above advertisement was reproduced in Woman's Weekly recently.
During WW2 some 3,000 household pets helped at the front, side by side with the British soldiers.

Here is how it came about.
Food was rationed and there was no ration allowed for pets. It was forbidden to give meat or biscuits to dogs and many owners found they couldn't keep their dog, particularly if it was a big breed. The war office set up a dog training school and urged people to give over their family pet to be trained for work  at the front. Dogs carried messages, patrolled and, most valuably, detected mines. Inevitably many lost their lives but they did, as well, save the lives of many.

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A Message of thanks from Jim Halpin

Jim Halpin works harder than anyone to make sure that the sacrifice of the North Kerry men who gave their lives in war will never be forgotten. He is passionate about commemorating them and ensuring that their names will live forever in these parts.

With the help of his colleagues in Listowel Military Tattoo he organized a touching commemorative ceremony on Sunday in St. John's. I was privileged to be there to witness it and I wrote about it here on Monday. Jim wrote to record his thanks to everyone who took part.

"Thank you, Mary, for your kind words and may I say a thank you also to the schools and their pupils,  their teachers and their parents to Rev. Joe Hardy and Fr. Hegarty, the Killorglin pipers and drummer, our bugler from Mallow and  Joe Murphy for pulling out all the stops to help us in St.Johns at very short notice, the veterans, the wreath layers, the committee and the public who made this a very memorable and solemn day in Listowel.  Jim Halpin"

You can listen to some of the music from the ceremony HERE

Facelift for Listowel racecourse, A Polish Soldier Bear and a great old memory shared

"Tis the last rose of summer….."

In the park beside the ball alley

Walking through the park is a joy in autumn.

I don't know why the bark has peeled from this tree in this strange pattern.

And still one more rose.

Bridge Road :November 2015

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A Listowel Memory 

Berkie Browne, father of Eric and grandfather of Berkie, pictured here with his 2 pals, died at a very young age.

Owen MacMahon remembers the night he died well for it was the very night that Listowel Players won The All Ireland Drama Festival with John B.'s Sive.

He died in Dublin and was brought by hearse back to Listowel for burial. The hearse stopped at St. Michael's and the coffin was shouldered from there down Church St. to the church. There was no one way system then.
Owen remembers it as the biggest funeral he ever saw in Listowel. He remembers Church Street black with people, thronging the streets and the road to pay their respects.

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A Soldier Bear

This picture was posted in Edinburg Spotlight online. 

"Saturday 8th November 2015 saw the official unveiling of the Wojtek Memorial in West Princes Street Gardens. Wojtek, the “Soldier Bear” – was adopted by Polish troops in 1943  and helped them carry ammunition at the Battle of Monte Cassino."

Wojciech survived the war and lived out his retirement in Edinburg Zoo where he died in 1963. The picture above shows the last surviving soldier to serve with Wojciech  who travelled from Poland for the unveiling.

Above is a picture of the wall that surrounds Alan Beattie-Herriott's stunning sculpture. If you are in Edinburg, you should make your way to West Princes' Street Gardens.

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Listowel racecourse is getting a refurbishment job done

All photos are by John Kelliher

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A Chance Meeting

I met Paud Pelican on Courthouse Road last week. A certain blog follower in exile will be glad to see him looking well.