Butler Centre, Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, Cork Badminton and More St. Patrick's Day Photos

Roofing work in progress at The Butler Centre

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Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Listowel in the 70s

Photos Junior Griffin

The first time Listowel was proposed as a venue for  the fleadh local traders became a bit apprehensive. It was obviously going to bring huge crowds to town and lots of business, but people feared that the pubs (there were over 50) might not be able to cope. There might be drinking in the streets, drunkenness and antisocial behaviour of all sorts. Some people boarded up their  premises and took the precaution of employing security.

None of these measures were necessary. The fleadh crowd were really well behaved. The music, song and dancing in the competition venues and on the streets provided excellent entertainment for all and sundry. Business in pubs and shops brought in an early harvest for business people.

A rising tide lifts all boats. Everyone in town seemed to profit from the fleadh and Listowel was delighted to welcome the festival back again and again.

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They're Celebrating at Harnett's

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Cork Badminton with  Listowel Connection

Third from left is Caroline Kenny, formerly of Listowel, holding the cup she won with her Mallow team in the Cork County badminton championship.

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March 17th 2019

Some of my Cork based family came to The Kingdom for the Patron saint's weekend.

Molly came too. She is now a little older but only a tad wiser. She brought her own throne from which she liked to view the world.

 Kay's Children's Shop was just one of the many who decorated their windows as Gaeilge.

These vintage vehicles were also on parade.

Listowel Toilets, Halls in Knockanure, More St. Patrick's Day Photos and Daffodil Day 2019

Market Street, Listowel in March 2019

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More Photos fromThe Parade 2019

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Spending a Penny In Listowel

This public convenience is in Market Street, Listowel. It is costing us a fortune in maintenance and it is rarely used. We are all half afraid of it and it appears to me that visitors to town are the only patrons.

Michael Guerin posted an amusing video on Facebook detailing the locations of previous toilets.

Listowel Toilets

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Knockanure Dancehalls

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Now and Then

Same corner but without the public phone kiosks

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Daffodil Day 2019

I missed Daffodil Day in town this year but as you can see from these photos posted on Facebook, the hard working volunteers covered every corner of town and had another very successful fundraising day.

Listowel Square, Knitwits, Writers' Week in the 1970s, March 17 2019 and a Marconi Centenary

Trees in Listowel Town Square

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Knitwits

Knitwits, Listowel knitting group meet in Scribes in Church Street on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 11.00a.m.

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Listowel Writers' Week , The Early Days

John Pierse has this photograph of  a very early Writers' Week Committee. 

Recently Aidan OMurchú donated a copy of Reality magazine from 1975 to the present Writers' Week committee.

Aidan's dad, Luaí OMurchú was an early chair of the committee. Under his pen name, Redmond O"Hanlon, he wrote an article for Reality about the  early days.

He quotes Seamus Wilmot's definition of Writers' Week as "A showing of the man to the boy, the writer to the aspirant, an examination and an evaluation."

Bryan MacMahon saw it as "a bit of impertinence on our part."

Hugh Leonard proclaimed it "a Kerry Baccinalia".

"An orgy of sociability"  John Boland.

Listowel Writers Week is still all of these things and more. I popped into the office recently and I got a glimpse of the storyboard of this year's festival. It was filled with "big names". Everyone who is anyone in Irish writing today seems to be coming our way sometime between May 29 and June 3 2019.

I have just finished reading John Boyne's Ladder to the Sky. Brilliant! My book club has read Kit de Waal's The Trick to Time, a book that stayed with me long after I had put it down. I am reading a brilliant new Irish writer at the moment. Anne Griffin reminds me a lot of Donal Ryan. Her book is When all is Said and it is a great read. I can get to meet all of these writers in my own home town this summer. What's not to love about Listowel Writers' Week?

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Listowel St. Patrick's Day Parade 2019

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Centenary Commemoration of Marconi Station in Ballybunion

One hundred years ago this was the Marconi Radio Station in Ballybunion. Today it is Coláiste Bhréanainn. On Tuesday March 19 2019 Ballybunion looked back at the historic day when the first east to west voice message was broadcast across the Atlantic.

Above are some of the artefacts which were on display on the day. I took my photos in black and white as a medium befitting the occasion.

This man was teaching the children how to send a message in Morse Code. He favoured the mobile phone himself.

There is a great video of the unveiling of the commemorative plaque here

Marconi Centenary