Knocknagoshel, Some Christmas Crafts and Second Class girls in 1950

Swan in Flight

Photo; Chris Grayson

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My Super Talented Friends

I belong to a knitting and crochet group. Some people in the group are brilliant, not only at knitting and crochet but at every kind of craft. Here are just two of the beautiful Christmas things they have made.

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Knocnagoshel's Bible Garden

If you are in Knocknagoshel take a walk round the back of the church and spend a few minutes in the beautiful Bible Garden. It's a hidden gem in North Kerry.

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Second Class 1950

Marie Moloney has put her great memory for names to work on her old class photo. Here is what she came up with. Maybe someone else can fill in the last few.

Front Row L to R.:  X?,  Kathleen Enright, Eileen Roche, Kathleen Corridan [R.I.P],  Christine Keane , X?, X?, Siobhan OBrien, Frankie Chute 

Second Row L to R:  X?,  X?, Rose Slemon , Nora Hanrahan,

Brenda Dillon, Margaret Dillon , Marie Moloney, Noreen O’Connor, Jeanie Hartnett (Sugrue)  

Third Row L to R: X?,  X?,  Sheila Murphy, Helen O’Quigley 

Noreen O’Hanlon [RIP], Joan Duggan , Mary Walsh ,

Eileen Barrett, Phil Horgan, Joanie Rowan, Eileen Donoghue

Back Row L to R: Eileen Galvin , ?O'Keeffe , Norah Barry 

X?, Terry Buckley [RIP], Eileen Brassil, Patsy Brown (Spring)

The Horseshoe, Launch of Emma Larkin's Book and Behan's The Horseshoe

A Robin  close up

Photo: Chris Grayson

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A Book Launch in Kerry Writers' Museum

This is me with the author, Emma Larkin. Her new book is really clever because her heroine can play in Cork, Kerry or Dublin colours depending on your little one's native county. I bought a Cork book.

Half of Finuge was there to support Emma who is from a family of Cork hurling royalty.
Kerry Sevens Rugby and football royalty were there. I snapped them chatting to Billy Keane, who, for once was not  the most famous person in the room.

I gave my former star pupil a quick peek at my book. She recognised her old dancing teacher on the back inside cover.

We were entertained by these lovely ladies as we queued to have our books signed.

Another of my star pupils was there too. Rhona Tarrant works in New York and she was on a flying visit home.

These local ladies play football with the local Mothers and Others team.

The hall was packed.

Kate O'Callaghan, chair of Finuge St. Senan's Ladies Football Club gave  a great opening speech encouraging all young girls to participate in sport. Participation in sport, particularly team sport was a theme throughout the evening.

Emma and her husband, Robbie watched attentively.

Billy Keane was the official 'launcher". He praised the young girls and all the volunteers and parents who give so much time to encourage young girls to play sport. He loved Emma's book and congratulated her on a job well done.

This is the illustrator, Paul Nugent whose work brought the story to life from Izzy's back garden to Croke Park.

This man, a neighbour of Emma's Cashman relatives and a trainer of Cork ladies football came from Cork to lend his support.

Louise Galvin is living a dream she didn't even dare to dream. For women, playing sport professionally, especially rugby or football was unheard of in Louise's youth. She is delighted now to be earning a living doing what she loves. She is an excellent ambassador for women in sport. She told us her idol is Katie Taylor.

This is the author of Izzy's Magical Football Adventure. Emma Larkin is also fulfilling a long held dream of becoming a writer.

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Looking around in Behan's Horseshoe Restaurant

I was in The Horseshoe recently and I took a few snaps of what was on the walls.

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+ R.I.P. Toddy Buckley +

I took this photo of Toddy and his beloved Noreen on St. Patrick's Day 2016. May he rest in peace.

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Racing Photographer making the news rather than reporting it

I'm glad to report that Pat Healy of Healyracing is making a good recovery after his accident in Navan yesterday. Pat is a man with a lifetime's experience of horses and particularly those most unpredictable of all horses, thoroughbred racehorses. He was standing working beside the finishing post yesterday when the second placed horse in the first race took a notion to break through the plastic railing, knocking Pat to the ground.
If you're going to be knocked over, a racecourse is probably the best place to be. Medical personnel attended to Pat at the scene and an ambulance was on hand to take him to hospital.
I wish him a speedy recovery and I'm looking forward to seeing his familiar figure back on track very soon.

Spirit of Christmas 2019, Remembering the Fallen, YABF2019 and an old class photo

Rose Wall of Listowel Business and Community Alliance addressing the huge crowd in the Square for the launch of The Spirit of Christmas 2019 last weekend.

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Remembering the Fallen

Blog followers greatly appreciated the tributes paid to the war dead of Listowel on Remembrance Sunday.

Here is an email that is representative of many:

Great to see local people commemorating local people who gave their lives for world safety. It was a futile war in which innumerable lives were gambled with and lost  by callous authorities, but all wars in all ages are based on the same, savage slaughter of those who have nothing to lose but their very lives. Ireland's Troubles are no different. The Generals, the armchair ones, or those official ones,  hiding at the rear of the front-line troops, and the political top-dogs, always survive and prosper on the blood of the private soldier. Even terrorist groups in our own recent episode of Troubles had a code that leaders of their 'enemy' forces were not targetted or slain! Which is why so many such leaders ended up safe and sound in well-paid governments, be it in the early 20s or in the 1990s.

All the common soldier has is the love and respect of his own kind. 

Listowel is to be highly commended for not abandoning the true heroes of war - those who gave all - even their life -  for no personal gain, but a grave.

Rudyard Kipling, for all his faults, got it right in his famous poem, 'Tommy'; a verse of which is as follows:

But it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Chuck him out, the brute!”
    But he's a “Hero of 'is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
    Well' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
    But' Tommy ain't no bleedin' fool—you bet that Tommy sees! 

Nicholas.

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Second Class Pupils in Listowel Convent Primary School

This old photograph was shared on Facebook. I don't have a year or names.

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Last few Photos from the Young Adult Bookfest 2019

Catherine, Madeleine and Bernard

Listowel Writers' Week volunteers, Elma, Joanna and Liz with one of the star turns, Bernard Casey

Declan Coyle of The Green Platform fame posed with The Base staff and Liz Dunn of Listowel Writers' Week

Selling Stephanie's merchandise were Sinéad and Maria of Listowel Writers' Week

Shane Casey of The Young Offenders with Seán Lyons of Listowel Writers' Week

Lunch break