More from The Green Guide., Living Literature, Dublin Kerry Association

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More from the Little Green Guide of 1965

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Living Literature  at The Seanchaí

This is Angeline, the actress, with Jerry, the John B. Keane fan before the start of our Living Literature Tour on Saturday July 21 2018

We were in The Seanchaí for a tour of the rooms dedicated to North Kerry Writers. If you get a chance to take this guided tour, I'd highly recommend it. Angeline, our guide, was full of enthusiasm for the work of the featured writers. She sang, played, recited and acted to bring to life the work of the various writers. She was brilliant and we all greatly enjoyed the tour.

 In the room dedicated to Bryan MacMahon she told us the story, recounted in The Master, of Bryan getting a young mahout to bring a baby elephant to the school. This seems really extraordinary to today's young people but a photo in the John Hannon archive shows a parade of elephants through the town to advertise the arrival of a circus.

Elephants on Market Street photographed by Johnny Hannon.

Paddy stepped up to the plate to play Byrne to Angeline's Big Maggie in the excerpt from the John B. Keane Play.

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Dublin Kerry Association

I missed this one earlier in the summer when Fr. Anthony Gaughan was presented with an award and the Kerry gang in the capital came out in force

Fr. Gaughan with Miriam O'Callaghan and Keelin Kissane

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Seán Keane in Finuge

The highlight of the Seán Maccarthy Memorial Weekend was Seán Keane in concert Neil Brosnan was there and he met Brendan Kennelly with his sister and niece.

Photo; Neil Brosnan

 This photo and caption are also from Neil Brosnan on Facebook.

Sean McCarthy ballad competition sponsors, Mike and Sue Nilsson, with prizewinners: Joe Harrington, 1st, Caroline O'Callaghan, 2nd, and myself in 3rd place 

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Yesterday, August 5 2018 in Listowel

1965 Green Guide, Pub Theatre at John B.'s, Sensory Sunday at the barber's

In Childers' Park, Listowel

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Listowel's 1965 Green Guide

Aileen Skimson in Canada kept this souvenir of her visit to Listowel, her father's birthplace, in 1965. Here are a few more photos and advertisements to bring back memories.

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Remembering John B. Keane at 90

The first event of the recent John B, Keane festival was pub theatre in John B. Keane's Bar.

I was there for a while and it was a great night.

 Some of the appreciative audience with Billy Keane.

Two of the performers were Cathy Healy and Gabriel Fitzmaurice.

 Mickey McConnell sang his tribute to Mary and John B.

Billy in character as the matchmaker.

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The Gentleman's Barber, William Street, Listowel

Sounds very inviting, doesn't it?

I know someone who brought a nervous little boy one Sunday. She was full of praise for the whole experience. Highly recommend it

Nature photos, BlazeAid, Big Maggie in 1969 and 2018 and Welcoming the rain in summer 2018

Nature Photography

Photo; Chris Grayson

Readers of this blog know that I love a good wildlife photograph and one of my favourite wildlife photographers is Chris Grayson. The above photo is one that he entered for an Irish Times biodiversity competition. He didn't win but when you look at the others he was up against, you'll agree that it was a huge achievement to be shortlisted.

Here is the link;  11the Annual Biodiversity Photographer of the Year Competition 2018

and here is what Chris said about his image;

Blue Tit by Chris Grayson: "I took this pic in my Garden in Glenbeigh, Co Kerry. This beautiful Blue Tit and partner are happily nesting in a tiny gap in the stonework of my house. I caught this shot as she/he headed very quickly into the nest. They've been a joy to watch daily collecting caterpillars to feed their nestlings. Beautiful to see every day."

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Bert Hickie and a Different kind of volunteering

Bert, who grew up in Duagh follows Listowel Connection from Melbourne

He wrote:

Hi Mary,

  I love your blog & your entry about Molly made me LOL as I used to breed Cocker Spaniels when I lived in Duagh as a gorsoon to make pocket money which was spent quickly & foolishly, in hindsight. 

I have lived in Melbourne Australia since 1971 but I’m still considered Irish because I never lost the “accent” so they tell me . I retired in 2014 & started travelling around Oz in a campervan, & I’m on my second trip to Western Australia at present , but I also volunteer with BlazeAid, an organisation that helps people affected by fire, cyclones, floods, & droughts. 

BlazeAid.com

 I’m currently at a blazeaid camp in Cobden SW Victori,  replacing fences destroyed in “the St Patrickis Day bushfires” .  Its the middle of Winter here & its very similar weather that we used to get in late Nov in Irl. Cold,wet mud everywhere, thunderstorms, hail & sleet & sometimes frost in the mornings, but its all in a good cause & we get well looked after.

Your blogs keeps me in touch with all the local happenings in Listowel & the surrounding districts & sometimes little snippets of information that take me back to my days at St Michaels when I shared the same class as Batt Hannon, Seamus Brown, Michael O Keeffe Jim Keane, Maurice McMahon ,”Martin Sheehy & David Shaughnessy & Teddy Halpin,”all three  of whom I believe are deceased, also in that class was Thomas O Connor, Eugene Doyle ,John Moran, but my memory fails me on the other names.

Unfortunately, I cant say my days at St Michaels were happy ones.

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John B. Keane's Big Maggie

Big Maggie was first seen in a professional production in The Olympia in 1969. In the audience was a Kildare impresario, Paddy Melia. He couldn't wait to produce it with his amateur actors, The Kilcullen Players. An approach was made to John B. and, lo and behold, The Kicullen Players in Kildare produced the first amateur Big Maggie. They took it around to several drama festivals to much critical acclaim.

Dave O'Sullivan found the newspaper accounts for us.

My connection with the Kilcullen Players is to Johnny O'Neill who played Byrne. My daughter is married to his grandson.

Johnny's daughter, Mary was only 10 when her dad played the part and she wasn't allowed to see it.  So when the Corofin Dramatic Society  performed it In St. John's, Listowel as part of of the Remembering John B. festival, Mary was delighted to finally get an opportunity to see the great play. Let's say she understood why her parents deemed it unsuitable.

Mary (O'Neill) Mc Kenna and her husband Tony met Conor and Joanna at the festival.

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Welcome rain

After weeks of drought It's great to welcome a drop of rain.

Sign at Millenium Arch, MBC, Community Orchard and Tom Doodle men named

A lovely spot in Listowel Town Square

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Promoting their Business

As I was photographing the Tidy Towns seat, I spotted my friends, Briain and Deirdre and staff of MBC taking their own photograph outside their town centre premises.

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Newly repainted sign

The sign at the Millenium Arch now looks all spruced up.

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Community Fruit and Herb Garden

Our trees have beautiful apples ripening.

These are the herbs and wildflowers for humans and insects.

Herbs for all

They are not ripe yet but these apples look good enough to eat.

I think these might be the nut trees.

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The 1965 Guide to Listowel

Aileen Skimson sent us this guide. Here are a few more extracts

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Names from John Keane

L to R: Derry Tatten, Joe Walsh, an other, one of the Healys from Greenville, Gulliver Stack, Jimmy Moore, Tommy Murphy, Willie O'Connor and John B. Keane