Easter Rising Commemoration in Kerry, A Party in Áras Mhuire and more Photos from Kennelly at 80

Beautiful Ballybunion In April 2016 photographed by Jason O'Doherty

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Kerry and The Rising; State Commemoration

One of the saddest events of The Rising of 1916 happened in Kerry when the driver of the car bringing 3 volunteers mistook the pier at Ballykissane for a road. All three were drowned. This event was commemorated when President Higgins came to Kerry last week.

Photo: Aisling Griffin

Aisling Griffin shared this photo too of the L.E. Niamh in the waters off Banna during the  commemorative event on April 21 2016.

It was a reminder of the ill fated Aud which hovered in the bay, hoping in vain to be able to come ashore and land the guns to arm the Rising.

Photo: Aisling Griffin

The soldiers at Banna on April 21 were drilled to within an inch of their lives. Their formation was perfect, their uniforms pristine, the barked orders, as Gaeilge, loud and clear and everyone to a man and woman proud to be there.

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The World and His Wife Was in Banna

 Owen O'Shea was an excellent M.C.

 This actor, Declan McCarthy, made a convincing Casement as he delivered the rousing speech from the dock.

 Our president , Michael D.Higgins gave a measured and crafted speech. I was so glad we elected a polished orator. He does this sort of occasion with great pride and dignity.

 Everyone I spoke to experienced the same catch in the throat and tear in the eye as the three planes flew overhead and out to sea as we sang the National Anthem.

 And the tricolor flew over it all.

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Party in Áras Mhuire

James Gould is 80 and his friends in Áras Mhuire threw him a party. They invited me.

 Danny Hannon came to wish him a happy birthday.

Noreen O'Donoghue joined in the celebrations.

 Stevie Donegan provided the music.

 This lovely lady, a visitor, sang a song or three.

Happy Birthday, James

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People in Ballylongford at the Kennelly at 80 Event

 Christy Kenneally and Rose Wall at the launch of the DVD, River of Words in The Seanchaí.

 Poet, Mary Lavery Carrig was among the attendees at Lislaughtin.

 Paddy McElligott in Kennelly's Bar. Paddy performed two of his acclaimed Moloney sketches

Paddy McElligott's Moloney Up and At It in Kennelly's Bar Ballylongford

Gabriel Fitzmaurice in Kennelly's, Ballylongford and below in Ballybunion.

Liz and Jim Dunn. Liz is organizing the bus and Jim took a few photos while waiting for the talk to begin.

Two well known Listowel ladies enjoying the day.

watching the action

Local faces at WiM 2016, Lectures and a Visit to Asdee and Finuge Freewheelers

Early morning in Ballybunion photographed by Mike Enright

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I met some local people at Women in Media

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Military Weekend Coming Up

There are some really interesting history lectures planned for this weekend :

Wednesday April 27 8.00p.m.

Ardfert Witnesses at the Trial of Roger Casement by Helen O'Carroll

Saturday April 30 at 7.30 

Irish Spitfire Legends by Paul Beaver

Sunday May 1st. at 7.00

The Architectural Design of the Early Spittfire by Diarmuid Walsh

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News from Downtown Asdee

With my friend, Helen Moylan I visited Fr. Pat last week. I found him in very good spirits and looking forward to witnessing the changing season in his beloved Asdee.

You can read his account of life in rural North Kerry among the bluebells and the wild garlic in his uplifting blog Between the Hills and the Sea

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Old Cork

Patrick J. O'Shea shared this old photograph of the No. 3 bus passing under Brian Boru Bridge in Cork

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Finuge Freewheelers had a fun run and John Kelliher took the photos

More photos HERE

Women in Media 2016, Lislaughtin and another 80th Birthday Party

Chris Grayson

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Women in Media in Ballybunion April 2016

There were some big names in attendance at the 2016 event.

 Joan O'Connor is the organizer of the whole event. She is the hardest working woman in Ballybunion on that weekend. Here she is consulting with Mary Dundon, Head of Journalism at UL.

 Hildegarde Naughton T.D. was there.

 Miriam O'Callaghan of RTE

 Joan Burton T.D.

 Aoibhinn Ní Shuilleabháin of RTE

These two ladies are not so well known because they are the big names behind the cameras; Catherine Magee, producer of Rebellion for RTE and Katie Holly, M.D. of Blinder Films.

I didn't attend every event. There were big names on Sunday as well but your blogger had moved on to the Brendan Kennelly at 80 event.

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Kennelly's Lislaughtin

 On Sunday April 17 2016 Listowel Writers' Week and The Seanchaí Writers Centre celebrated Brendan Kennelly's 80th birthday with a day of events dedicated to him. In the Seanchaí we watched the remastered DVD, River of Words. We saw a younger Kennelly read his work in Lislaughtin Abbey and in Ballybunion, places we were soon to visit on our bus tour. Then it was on the bus away we went to Ballylongford and Lislaughtin, where Padraig OConcubhair and Gabriel Fitzmaurice were waiting to entertain us with history and poetry.

 We stood among the monastic ruins and the graves and listened, enthralled to tales of friars, monks, piety and massacre, betrayal, looting and sacking.  We heard stories of very powerful O'Connors and the very powerful Cromwell whose marauding army sacked the Friary. The story told to us was that Cromwell, uncharacteristically decided to spare the monastery. But when the monks rang a bell to call everyone to pray in thanksgiving , Cromwell mistook this for triumphalism, returned and burned the place. All of the monks escaped except three old men and these he massacred on the steps of the altar.

The wealthy O'Connor clan commissioned a huge processional cross for the monastery. This was discovered one day years after the sacking of Lislaughtin by a farmer who was ploughing. I suppose a monk had rescued and  buried it during one of the raids on the monastery. The farmer, Jeffcott, was reluctant to part with his find and kept it for eighteen years, before a combination of the gentle persuasion of a local historian and the fact that he had fallen on hard times combined to persuade him to part with it. It is today on display in The National Museum.

As well as history we had poetry. The first of many renderings  of I See you Dancing, Father was given by Denis Hobson.

Before we left the churchyard I took a wander around and noted Ballylongford's strong republican leanings  with the presence of many tricolours adorning headstones.

This republicanism is alive today. When we returned to Bally a group of people had laid a wreath at the memorial to The O'Rahilly.

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A Hooley in Áras Mhuire

Two 80th birthdays in a row! I took a few photos at Áras Mhuire at James Gould's birthday party. I'll share them shortly.

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Giants of the Game

photo: John O'Shea

Mrs Spillane sees her three sons head out to a football game during the glory days of Kerry football.