St. Patrick's Day 2014, St. Patrick's Toledo and Sr. Brendan O'Connell

Billy Keane and Mayor of Listowel, Jimmy Moloney at the official start of the 2014 Listowel St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Liam Brennan as St. Patrick

Seán Moriarty was a marshall and Noel Kennelly attended the parade with his family.


One of the treats for us who watched the parade in the Square was Jimmy Hickey's dancing display;
http://youtu.be/7nQJnsw-LDk

(more photos tomorrow)

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It never ceases to amaze me how the ripples from some little story I post resonate around the world and evoke a response in people far away from Listowel who still harbour an affection for our little town.

Two such responses came to me by email this week:

"Good morning Mary.  Wising you a happy St. Patrick's.

Your photos of the tiles at St. Mary's brought to mind our Historic Church of St. Patrick here at Toledo.  Here are photos of the tiles.  I am sure the Irish in Toledo made many sacrifices to have this church built.  There is a complete history in Toledosattic.org.  The Church is well loved."

This came all the way from Toledo, Ohio from Kathy Taylor and this is the St. Patrick's church she refers to;

Kathy took the following photos of some of the tiles in the church featuring shamrocks, a testament to the Irish in the congregation who contributed to the rebuilding of the church.

 Would you believe that St. Patrick's in Toledo was officially dedicated in 1901 by Archbishop Ireland?  I kid you not.

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The second email came in response to this photo of Storm Darwin damage in St. Michael's graveyard, Listowel.

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Hi from NZ,

Your recent blog post shows a picture of storm damage done to the burial plot of the Presentation Sister's grave. The fifth name on the marker, the one with the crack right through it, Sister Brendan O'Connell belongs to my great great grandfather's younger sister Anna O'Connell who died 4 November, 1904.

Taken from Kerry Sentinel Nov. 12th 1904.

Sr. Mary Brendan O’Connell a native of Ballybunion died at the Presentation Convent Listowel. Her brother Capt. Chevalier Michael O’Connell had command position in the Papal Army and her other brother Fr. James Hennessy O’Connell a priest in the Melbourne Diocese. Cousins in Ireland:

•Mr T Kissane, Lacca.

•M Byrnes, Inch.

•Mr and Mrs Maurice Keane, Main Street, Listowel.

•J. O’Connor, Coolkeragh.

•Mr and Mrs W. Keane, Ballygrennan.

•Mrs O’Connor, Lisselton.

•Miss Keane, Lisselton.

•Maria Kissane, Lacca.

•Mrs O’Shea, Tullamore.

•P. Grady, Glouria, Lisselton.

•Mrs Murphy, Cool, Ballylongford.

•Miss Fitzgerald, Greenville, Listowel.

•Mrs Cremins nee Hennessy, Glin.

•Mr E. Hennessy, Lahard.

It would be nice to know that it will be fully restored and who will have to foot the bill as I would like to make a small contribution if possible.

Sister Brendan's family is the subject of the Kiwi O'Connell website at oconnellfamily.co.nz

Sean O'Connell

Christchurch

New Zealand

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St. Patrick's Day 2013 and 2012

To set the scene for today, St. Patrick's Day 2014 I am uploading a few photos from previous parades. Look out for this year's one in the coming days.

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A St. Patrick's Day message via email from the U.S.

We are the sons and daughters of Hibernia, proud heirs of an ancient legacy.

We've settled every corner of the globe, driven from our homeland by famine and oppression,

or simply by the restless spirit that's our birthright.

Wherever we go, we bring with us a love of freedom, a melancholy humor, a biting wit, and a golden tongue.

But regardless of where destiny may take us, we're linked to the land of our ancestors by an ethereal thread

that binds the hearts and reminds us always that we are a unique people.

We are the Irish.

Have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Jim Horgan CSW FWS

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I have no date for this one but the occasion is the presentation of an An Post prize to Zara MacAuliffe.

Left to Right; Ray MacAulliffe, Str. Consolata, An Post man, Zara MacAuliffe, Thelma macAulliffe and Eileesh Holly.

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An image of war for you to ponder

Another parade;another time; Canada 1940:  Wait for me Daddy.

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The weekend's iconic image from Six Nations Rugby

Gordon D'Arcy shaved off that awful beard in celebration. (photo; The Examiner)

St Patrick's Day parade;the old days, the pope and Listowel Firemen 1963

It's time to celebrate Irishness

Stylish idea for our national holiday from The Irish Cultural Centre, London

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Lovely celtic design artwork from San Diego

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This was Listowel on St. Patrick's day sometime in the nineties. The years have seen many changes, not least a one way traffic system.  I hope to bring you some news of this year's parade next week.

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Lest we ever forget

This powerful reminder of the horrors of war comes from inside a gas chamber at Auchwitz

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The pope in the Phoenix Park in 1979 from photos of Old Dublin

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Fireman's Dance 1963-64.

 Back L-R: Buddy Dalton, Tommy Dalton, Benny O'Connell, Bunny Dalton, Jim Doyle, Michael Brennan, John Mahony and Joe Keogh. 

Front L-R: Pat Dowling, Roly Godfrey, Patsy Leahy, Ned Broderick, Tommy Lyons and Sean Curtin. 

Music on the night was by the late Bunny Dalton Showband, Listowel. 

Photo compliments of Violet Dalton Puttock

Violet Puttock sent this photo to The Advertiser some time ago . I thought some people might have missed it or might like to see it again.

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Enjoy the St. Patrick's weekend. See you next week

Listowel girls, Australia, Craftshop na Méar and Evelyn O'Rourke: surviver

Brenda Donovan,  Mary,Quill,  Noreen Kelliher, Marie Sullivan,  Mary Kenelly  and Patricia Tatten 

Patricia Tatten sent me this lovely photo of a group of Listowel girls, all of whom did their Leaving Cert. in Pres. in 1971. This photo was taken a few years earlier.

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A long way from Lovely Listowel!

My friend, Mary Sobieralski is back from a trip to Australia with her son, Mark. Here are a few photos she took on her travels of a very different lifestyle to ours here.

They saw all the sights and even got up close and personal with a joey.

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This is a photograph from the internet of the new Kansas City Library.  Cool or what?

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This photo from the RTE archives was taken in Limerick in 1968

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News from Craftshop na Méar

This lovely lady is Eibhlín Ní Ghliosáin of Tigh Polly Couture Dolls' Clothes

On Saturday last she gave us a demonstration on how to make and envelope bag.

Some of the attentive class

choosing a button

putting finishing touches

Eibhlín top sewing

the bag

The lovely Sharyn draws the winning ticket

Yipee, I won……Happy Days!

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The lady on the far right in the below photo is Evelyn O'Rourke of RTE. She is pictured with myself and Kay Caball in The Seanchaí during recording of the Tar Abhaile programme we made  for TG4.
Why is Evelyn in the news?
You might have seen her on The Late Late Show promoting her recent autobiographical book, Dear Ross, where she recounts her extraordinary tale of finding herself pregnant while still on maternity leave and then discovering that she has breast cancer while still in the first trimester of her pregnancy and with a 6 month old baby at home.
When we met the lovely cheerful ever smiling Evelyn, we had no idea that she had behind her a tale of pain and suffering as traumatic as any we were about to tell her.

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Dates for the diary…….promising to be a great weekend.

Pres girls in the 1950s, St. Mary's and the Kennedys

These two oldies are again from Bernie Carmody. She is the girl on the far right in the first photo. The nun in the first one is dear departed Sr. de Pazzi. The photo was taken on these girls last day in school. This must be stirring a few memories for some ladies!

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Look who I met in the craftshop last week. None other than the star of our TG4 Tar Abhaile programme, Angie Mihalicz back for another visit to her homeland.

With Angie in the photo are her husband, Bernie Carmody, Maria Leahy and Patsy O'Connell.

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St. Mary's is set to undergo some refurbishment soon. The roof is being repaired at present and the floor is soon to be redone. Changes over the years have led to wear and tear and some damage to the original tile work.

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This lovely scale model of a horse drawn barrel top caravan is on display at Craftshop na Méar. Hours of painstaking workmanship have gone into. Even if you can't afford to buy it, it is worth dropping in just to see the craftsmanship and attention to detail involved.

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Senator and Mrs. Kennedy in a Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade

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The late Tom Coffey, Playwright and teacher: the Listowel connection

Tom, pictured at the back right between Mick Relihan and Pat Mc Elligott is remembered. I asked Marie Shaw if she remembered him and this is what she wrote:

"I can't claim to know him personally Mary, I didn't even remember his first name until you mentioned it, but I did take a commercial course with him at the Tech. What I remember vividly is his "Movie Star" good looks. There wasn't a teenager in the town of Listowel at the time who wasn't madly in love with him. Makes me smile just thinking of him. He was probably teaching at the Tech for two years. I left Ireland in 1958 and I would guess that he was in Listowel in 1956 and 1957."

(I hope his family Google him and find out his forgotten corner of Tom's life)

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Jer. Kennelly came across this really interesting letter. It paints a very different picture to the ones we are used to from those bad days.

Tablet Page 5, 25th August 1849

A MODEL LANDLORD AND AGENT.—To the Editor of the Cork Examiner.—

 My dear Sir—The blight has made its appearance in some fields in this locality; but if it does not come on us heavier we will have (thanks to God) a more abundant crop than we had for the last twenty years.

 In connection with this subject, I wish to state one or two facts. Sir John Walsh, an English baronet, owns a very large property in this part of Kerry, and his mode of acting is this:—A tenant getting possession of land is not demanded for rent for a year and a half, that is, until the third gale becomes due, then he is called on and every shilling that he laid out in improving the land, building a commodious and comfortable dwelling-house, and offices, &c., &c., is allowed him; and to such an extent has this encouragement induced the tenant to lay out that to my own knowledge in several instances, when the gale day came, the tenant had not only nothing to pay, but Sir John was his debtor.

 In the general crash of the farmer class of this country, during the last four dreary years, of course some of Sir John's tenantry felt the pressure, and looking upon this country as a doomed land, they made up their minds for America. What did Sir John do, he sent down his kind and considerate agent, Mr. Gabbett, of Dublin, to make his inquiries and the result is, that any man wishing to go is sent out, an outfit procured for him, his passage paid, and all at the sole expense of Sir John. Even this last spring he has sent out sixty adults at an expense of over 400/. One of these poor emigrants, David Dillane, on his departure, took leave of some relatives, whom he did not wish to leave behind him in this miserable land, but had not the means of carrying him out. This poor man turned to the agent and said lend me 51., and if I succeed in America, I will send it to you. He got it, and as soon as the poor fellow had money saved he sent it to Mr. Gabbett. 

Mr. G. was in this country a few months since. He took up all the receipts the tenantry had for poor rates, county cess, &c., and allowed all in the rents. 

I have not the honour of knowing Sir John Walsh or his agent; but these facts have come within my knowledge, and I thought it my duty to state them, as a bright exception to the general rapacity of landlords and the alleged dishonesty of tenants. I understand Sir John is about to visit this country in a few days, and never did monarch receive from subjects a more warm reception than this good man will receive from a grateful—contented, because a comfortable peasantry.—Your obedient servant, DAN. HUOLAHAN, R.C.C.—Listowel, August 14, 1849.

THE HARVEST PROSFECTS .—The Cork Examiner of Monday thus reports of that extensive county :—"Notwithstanding the prevalence of very unpropitious weather for the past week, we are still enabled to announce the general prosperity of the coming harvest.