Vintage Day at Listowel Races 2019, Killarney Jostle Stones and Culture Night 2019

All over for another year

My lovely boys gone back home after a few days in Kerry.

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Vintage Recycle Upcycle Day at Listowel Races 2019

The tent was full. There were some lovely outfits on show. The mens' competition seems to have attracted many more entries this year.

The organising committee on behalf od Listowel Tidy Towns were busy interviewing the entrants and hearing their stories.

The winner (on right )and first runner up

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Enjoying the Races and the Sunshine

Agnes and Jimmy were enjoying the Saturday race meeting.

An unusual and tragic event at the races. This is so sad for the owners and all associated with this poor horse.

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Jostle Stones Again

They have them in Killarney too. I'm getting a great thrill out of my blog followers spotting these for us around the country.

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Church Street Girls in 1958

Miriam Kiely has been in touch with the last name.

Eileen Sheridan sent us this photo and she had all the names except one. Here is the caption as Eileen had it;

It is summer 1958 and these are the girls

Front row Ann Gleeson
Mary Keane,  Noreen Scanlon, Noreen McSweeney, Geraldine Flaherty
Angela Breen, Eileen Guerin, ? ,Kathleen Kenny
Maisie McSweeney, Eileen Scanlon

Miriam thinks that the girl between Eileen and Kathleen is Bride Given, who lived with her family in the Garda Station.

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Culture Night 2019

Listowel had lots of music and singing on Friday September 20th. Ard Churam choir and the local Comhaltas musicians were all playing their part.

I was in the Small Square giving out free poems on behalf of Writers' Week. 

It's a sign of the times that  some people couldn't believe they were free and were reluctant to take them at first.

Then there was the other little issue of being mistaken for a Jehovah's Witness.

Two scenarios I had nor envisaged when I volunteered for the job.

Marie, Catherine  and Éilish were my fellow poetry distributors

One of the poems which was chosen by Writers' Week literary adviser and poet, John McAulliffe was called Corner Boys. This time it was not John B. Keane writing about this urban phenomenon but Bryan MacMahon.
MacMahon's Corner Boys were ex soldiers mostly. They had seen awful things and glorious things
..."the sun behind a minaret....`

I sympathised with them as I too stood stood on Main Street.

"Here the lonesome Kerry winds
Shriek up along draughty streets,
And how around the corner 
Where the corner boys are growing grey
Dreaming of sunny skies.

Woodford Pottery, Listowel Races 2019, Progress on The Greenway and North Kerry success at The Ploughing

Hands of a Master Craftsman

 Pat Murphy throwing a pot at his Woodford Pottery Studio in Sept 2019

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Saturday at The Races

Saturday September 14th 2019 was a gloriously sunny day on the island. The big screens were in place to show the All Ireland Football replay between Kerry and Dublin and the Tidy Towns inspired fashion event was taking place.

 The judges were out and about mingling with the racegoers in vintage gear. In my photo the judge is in white and the lady on the far left was chosen as the winner. The rules said that your outfit had to be genuinely vintage and to have been upcycled by you. You had to wear a headpiece. This elegant lady fulfilled all these requirements.

The lovely ladies from Oonagh Hartnett's were offering us sweets, some timely advice on sun protection, a squirt of perfume and entry into a raffle.

Another judge checking out the vintage of this lady's garments.

 My lovely former neighbour, Anne Leneghan, came second in this smashing suit which someone else had worn to a son's wedding. Anne had up-styled it with pearls from a broken pearl necklace and she had pinned down the lapels with a pair of pearl earrings. She was wearing her 90 year old mother's going away hat and her lace gloves.

The always stylish Betty Stack with her daughter Maria and their friend, Anne Leneghan.

 Noelle and her friends were studying form when I interrupted them.

Gemma and Mairead Regan gave me a tip they got "from some fellow on the way in". It won.

 Rose Wall was accompanied by her handsome son.

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Good News on the Greenway

This is the report from the council meeting:

A dedicated team in Kerry County Council is to be appointed to progress two greenway projects to completion.

The status of the North Kerry Greenway was discussed at the monthly meeting of the Listowel Municipal District.

Councillor Mike Kennelly called for all resources to be put in place to get the multi-million-euro greenway from Listowel to the Limerick border over the line.

The Fine Gael councillor pointed to bureaucracy with Government departments with such projects.

Listowel MD Manager, Joan McCarthy told Cllr Kennelly that nobody is dragging their heels on the project adding that it is protection of public funds and not bureaucracy.

Kerry County Council says a senior engineer has been appointed to oversee both the North Kerry Greenway and the Tralee to Fenit Greenway; a team will be appointed shortly to progress both projects.

Work on the north Kerry project is expected to begin later this year and will take 18 months to complete.

Regards,

Michael Guerin, Listowel

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Upcoming Events

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The Ploughing

Photo: Radio Kerry

Daniel Burke from Causeway and Derek O'Driscoll from Ballyheigue, who both claimed an All-Ireland title at this year's Ploughing Championships

I've never been to "The Ploughing" but I'm told it's possible to spend days there without seeing a plough or a ploughman. It's a place for shopping, socialising, entertainment and education. I was delighted to see that these young men have got back to what it's all about, celebrating the skill and art of ploughing.

Ardagh Chalice, Presentation Convent Listowel and More from Races 2019

The Arcade looking good in the sunshine last week

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Mending Fences

From my vantage point at the rails I could see the damage a field of horses jumping over them can do to the hurdles.

Immediately the workforce are out with mallets repairing the fence.

Here it is, good as new and ready for the next onslaught.

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Presentation Convent, Listowel

As I was passing by on foot to the races I dropped in to my old workplace and I took a few photos of the dear old convent. 

The Parents' Committee has erected a plaque to the nuns and the great contribution they have made to education in North Kerry.

The secondary school grounds.

 Looking towards the convent chapel from the school grounds

 Presentation Convent Listowel in September 2019

The old convent chapel

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Building in Greenville

This building is going up next door to the convent chapel.

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Ardagh Chalice

The Sam Maguire Cup was based on the Ardagh Chalice 

The Ardagh Chalice is one of the greatest treasures of the early Irish Church. It is part of a hoard of objects found in the 19th century by a young man digging for potatoes near Ardagh, Co. Limerick. It was used for dispensing Eucharistic wine during the celebration of Mass. The form of the chalice recalls late Roman tableware, but the method of construction is Irish.

The Ardagh Chalice represents a high point in early medieval craftsmanship and can be compared in this regard to the Tara Brooch and the Derrynaflan Paten.

See it on display at the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology https://www.museum.ie/Archaeology

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A Minute of Your Time

If you'd like to pre-order a signed copy, just drop me a line at listowelconnection@gmail.com The book is with the printers but as soon as I have it I will be mailing copies.

For Listowel people, the launch is planned for St. John's Listowel on Saturday October 19 at 7.30

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Culture Night 2019

I ran into Aimee and Sinead from Writers' Week as they finalised their plans for Culture Night. I met them in Listowel Printing Works where they were meeting with Paul. He has a part in the Culture Night event too.

Church St. Girls in 1958, Races 2019, a Funny story about the Harp and Lion and Stack's Arcade is repainted

Well known Facade remodelled

Stacks Arcade was repainted recently. It looks absolutely smashing, modern and stylish.

Below is McKenna's big window during race week 2019.

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Anthem of the ICA

This song used to be sung at all ICA gatherings. I wonder if it still is.

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Snapping the Fashion at Races 2019

Lorraine and her mother model Lorraine's beautiful hats.

The lady on the far left, Mary Kelliher was the winner on Ladies Day.

I dont know all the names in these photos but I'm sure you'll recognise the local ladies

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Another gem from Eileen Sheridan

It is summer 1958 and these are the girls

Front row Ann Gleeson
Mary Keane,  Noreen Scanlon, Noreen McSweeney, Geraldine Flaherty
Angela Breen, Eileen Guerin, ? ,Kathleen Kenny
Maisie McSweeney, Eileen Scanlon

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Some Anecdotes from Vincent Carmody

Mary,   your nice study of the Harp and Lion and of Martin of the Chute family painters dynasty reminded me of a number of stories, the first, recalled to me by John B himself.

The feature has three phrases,

Latin: Spes Mea In Deo, My Hope is in God

French: Maison De Ville,   Town House

Erin Go Bragh:  Ireland Forever.

One time, when he was quite young, he said, a number of American tourists had walked up Church Street, they were admiring McAuliffes plaster work, this particular day they stood outside the Keane families front door, looking across the road at the Harp and Lion. As they tried to decipher the various languages on the plaster work, the young John B. came out his own front door, one of the Americans sensing that the young man would have the inside information as to the meaning of the phrases, said, hey son, can you explain the meaning of the language on that piece across the road. Of course, the young Keane, sensing that a dollar tip might be in the offering, stood out on the pavement in front of the visitors and with typical confidence, said,

The Latin translation is, I am a Lion,

The Franch means, I have eaten Rhubarb, 

And with a great flourish he said, Erin Go Bragh means, don't stand under me. 

John B. told me that the visitors gave him a standing ovation and not one but two dollars.

The Chute family have been Listowel painters and sign writers  since the 1800's,

Bryan McMahon once recalled, he was traveling in the west of Ireland one time, and stayed for a day in the town of Gort, as he went around the town he came across a painter on a trestle, painting a house front, Bryan stood, watching the tradesman, after a while the painter looked down, recognising the Listowel man, he shouted down, Master McMahon, am I as good as the Chutes of Listowel. 

Our Listowel master craftsmen, Pat McAuliffe, Paddy Whelan (The Cement God, Galvin's old home at the corner of The Square and Bridge Road is a great example of his work) and the Chutes are known nationally.