An International Award for Listowel Documentary Maker. A Poem of a Still Born baby

St. John's Listowel, October 2018

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A Well Deserved win for a great documentary

A good story, no matter how old or how local can have universal appeal. This has been proven by the recent choice of Conor Keane's Shame, Love in Shame for an international award.

Here is what RTE says in its Facebook page;

We’re delighted to have just won 1st prize in the International Radio category (across all genres of radio) at the 65th Premios Ondas in Spain. Over 300 entries from across the globe competing in radio, Tv and music. Our winning documentary was entitled ‘In Shame, Love, In Shame’. Huge congratulations to Conor Keane (Narrator & Producer) and Liam O’Brien (Producer).
The awards ceremony takes place on the red carpet of Liceu Theatre in Barcelona in front of 2,500 guests on November 14th.
Listen back to our newest award winning doc!
https://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2018/0807/983666-shame-love-in-shame/

You may remember that St. John's presented the documentary to us on Culture Night and we got an opportunity to hear from the people behind the retelling of this tragic story.

Brina Keane and Eileen Roche in St. John's on Culture Night 2018. Both Brina and Eileen feature in the documentary.

On stage in St. John's, Dr. Mary MacAuliffe whose balanced  in depth knowledge of the times in which this sad story is set gave us the historical context for the tragedy, Eileen Roche, first cousin of Peggy McCarthy, one of the two tragic victims in this story, Conor Keane narrator and producer of the documentary and Tony Guerin who fictionalised the story in his drama, Solo Run.

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All Ireland Wren Boy Winners

Majella McGregor shared this lovely old photo on Facebook. It evoked many happy memories. Wouldn't it be great is someone could name them all.

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Is This The Saddest Poem Ever?

I didn't do a great job of photographing it from the newspaper

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The Charming old Building that houses Ballybunion Library

The Ballybunion Library building was once St. Augustine's (Church of Ireland), a single-storey Gothic Revival style church. The walls are of snecked limestone with Portland stone dressings. The entrance is through a projecting porch.

What's interesting is that St. Augustine's was originally built at Rattoo, near Ballyduff in 1879. However, after the Church of Ireland structure at Ballybunion was knocked down in the 1950s, it was decided to move St Augustine's to Ballybunion. It was actually dismantled stone by stone, transported and reconstructed on the current site in its exact original state.  

(Source; Ballybunion.ie)

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.........In with the New

At Listowel Writers' Week AGM in The Seanchaí on Tuesday, Oct 23 2018, Catherine Moylan (right) took over the chair from outgoing chairman, Elizabeth Dunn.

Catherine described herself as "a child of Writers' Week" Since childhood, Writers' Week has been the highlight of Catherine's year. She loves books.  She loves reading.  She loves Listowel. Above all, she loves the festival that is Writers' Week. She will be a great chairman.

Billy MacSweeney Remembers, Leahy's Corner, and a Listowel Connection to Ireland's Fittest Family

A nun and a church...images of Listowel Town Square

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Leahy's Corner

Before it was Leahy's it was O'Callaghan's and it was the first slated house in The Square, Vincent Carmody told me.

Now a trip down memory lane, memories evoked by photos of Leahy's Corner.

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Billy MacSweeney Remembers the Listowel of his Youth

"Ag dul siar ar m'aistear le solas mo chroí"

This corner of The Square is known locally as Leahy's Corner. Billy MacSweeney remembers it well as it was when he was a boy growing up in Listowel

When I was a boy it was normal for the children of the town to wander 
throughout not only the countryside but also the town. I was an 
inveterate wanderer. Listowel was a very safe place to grow up - safe 
that is from everything but climbing and falling out of trees, falling 
into the river Feale when fishing or being poisoned by the things we dug 
up or picked from the hedgerows to eat. We also had to beware of the 
bull in Foley's field along the banks of the river when heading for the 
'Diving Board', the 'Rocks' or the 'Falls' to enjoy the swimming. We 
accepted that if we did something wrong we were punished by a 'clip 
around the ear' from the nearest adult and this was accepted as right 
and proper by all other parents of the area. You learned never to 
complain at home because if you did another 'clip' was administered 
immediately by your parents. You thus learned right from wrong.   A real 
Huckleberry Finn existence!

We would 'attach' ourselves to adults when they were doing interesting 
things. In particular I remember Jack Leahy who lived at the corner of 
the 'Big Square'. Jack had a horse and cart that he used to collect 
gravel from the banks of the Feale for local builders. He had to ford 
the river with the horse and cart to access the bends in the river where 
the gravel collected. I used jump up next to Jack and go with him on 
these adventures and he always had a spare shovel on board so that I 
could give a hand. What fascinated me in the evenings is that he would 
unhitch the horse from the cart in front of his shop and lead the horse 
through the front door at the side of the shop, through the hallway, 
into the stable at the back. I remember Jack as a caring and gentle man. 
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam or ' Ar ḋeis Dé go raiḃ a anam,  as it was then.

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Cousins at a wedding

I met Junior Griffin at the hotel on the day after a family wedding. He was saying goodbye to his Sharry nephews, Michael and Paul.  Michael is based in Coventry and Paul is in Singapore. To my delight they revealed that they are fans of Listowel connection.

Griffins and Sharrys in Listowel Town Square on Sunday October15 2018

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Listowel's Fittest Family?

Roibeard Pierse and family are taking part in the TV Show Ireland's Fittest Family.
All of Listowel is behind this brave young crew.

Winter Chills, Lyreacrompane, Sr. Aidan Quinlan, Sive at the Everyman and afternoon tea in The Arms

Rough Seas in Ballybunion

The wind was skinning as well.

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Lyreacrompane Mass Walk

Photo: Joe Harrington


This was the scene at the recent official first walk on the refurbished mass path walk in Lyreacrompane.

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Sr. Aidan Quinlan, A Martyr with a Listowel Connection

The extraordinary story of this exceptional lady was told to me by Mrs. Ella Corridan, née Quinlan. Mrs Corridan was a first cousin of Sr. Aidan and she is justifiably proud of her cousin’s achievements.

Sr. Aidan was born Elsie Quinlan, in Cork. She studied at UCC and obtained a Science degree. She entered the Dominican convent and, after further study, qualified as a medical doctor. She served in the Dominican mission in South Africa until her death.

Mrs. Corridan will never forget hearing of the death of her cousin. She remembers her mother’s awful distress on reading the account in the paper. 
It was a death that shocked the world.

Sr. Aidan was 37 and had been in South Africa for 14 years. She loved the people and they loved her in return.  These were the days of the very repressive apartheid regime, when black people lived in horrendous conditions of poverty and disease and they had no rights. Sr. Aidan lived among them and ministered to them. There are lots of stories of her kindness and her medical interventions which saved many lives. On the day of her death, her car was filled with food and clothes that she was taking to the poor people of her mission.

On November 10 1952, a mob had gathered in Duncan Village , a township in South Africa, to protest against the repressive regime. The ANC was organizing a campaign of defiance and these riots were happening frequently all over South Africa. Sr. Aidan had no reason to fear for her safety because she was on the side of the rioters. But when her car drove into the view of the rioters they saw only a white woman and not their friend. They attacked her car with stones and, while she was still inside, clutching her rosary beads, they set her car on fire. Then came the worst part of her vicious death. They took knives and cannibalised her body. This act shocked South African people and they were thoroughly ashamed of it, apologizing for years afterwards to the family and community of Sr. Aidan.

The police killed many black people in that Duncan Village riot. The killers of Sr. Aidan were subsequently prosecuted, tried and executed. Luckily all of her fellow sisters escaped before the rioters attacked and burned the convent.

Sr. Aidan is not forgotten in South Africa. A community centre in her name has been set up in the township where she worked. She is also remembered by her Irish family and especially by her Listowel first cousin, in whose home a framed picture of this brave lady has pride of place.

Sr. Aidan Memorial Centre in Duncan Village, South Africa

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Sive at The Everyman

When I lived in Cork in the 1970's two of the greats of Cork drama, James N. Healy and Dan Donovan were treading the boards at The Everyman Theatre. I was lucky enough to see them in their prime.

Dan Donovan passed away earlier this year and a blog follower sent me these photos from his biography.

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Afternoon Tea in The Listowel Arms

On Saturday afternoon October 20 2018 I was at afternoon tea with some seriously stylish ladies. Here is how that lovely invitation came about.

There is a cohort of ladies in this country whose hobby is putting beautiful outfits together and wearing them to Ladies' Day events. It is cheaper than golf or skiing, it helps the fashion and retail industries and it adds colour and enjoyment to so many events.

These ladies come from all different parts of the country and from all different backgrounds and over the years of repeatedly meeting up at these events and sharing a common interest in lovely clothes, a friendship has formed.

Where do I fit in? you ask

These ladies come to Listowel Races for Ladies Day and one of them, Anne Leneghan is a lady I know since she was  a child growing up next door to me in Kanturk. I used to take her to school in my old Anglia when I was a teacher and she a pupil at Scoil Mhuire, Kanturk more years ago than either of care to remember. 

Maria Stack and Anne Leneghan at Listowel Arms on Ladies Day 2018 (Photo; Listowel Arms)

Through Anne and her friend, local fashionista and milliner, Maria Stack, I have also got to know another seriously stylish Dublin lady (with a few Kerry connections) Mary O'Halloran.

Mary O'Halloran at Listowel Ladies' day 2018

At the 2018 Listowel Harvest Festival of Racing, the Listowel Arms held a best hat competition on the evening of Ladies Day at the Races. 

Photo; Listowel Arms on Facebook

Mary O'Halloran won and her prize was afternoon tea for 12 in the hotel. 

Mary invited me to join her, when she cashed in her prize on Saturday last. We had a lovely afternoon. The food was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. 

Mary in the hotel with her daughter, Louise and friend, Caoimhe.

I had a lovely afternoon in lovely company.

October horsefair, Ballincollig Remembers the Army, and a photo of some Kerry legends

Chris Grayson in Killarney National; Park

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October Horsefair 2018

Some photos from the recent horsefair

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Remembering the Army in Ballincollig.

Many of my family live in Ballincollig so it is a town that is dear to my heart. By the way, Listowel beat Ballincollig by only one point in the 2018 Tidy Town competition. Ballincollig, like Listowel, won its category and got another gold medal.


Ballincollig was a kind of garrison town as it was home to the gunpowder mills and military barracks during the years before independence. The barracks was handed over to the Irish army and was eventually closed 20 years ago.

To mark the 20 year anniversary of the closing of the barracks the army held a remembrance ceremony and they brought a few big guns to remind Ballincollig of its military past.

This building occupies a central location on the main street in Ballincollig. It was once an army  gun store. Now it's a Starbucks café.

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Some Kerry Greats

Photo and caption from Des Cahill on Twitter

Proper #Kerry legends!! Taken by photographer, John Bambury, 28 years ago when the #FAI “International Club” honoured #Kerry. Jack O’Shea, Micheál O Muirceartaigh, Moss Keane, Mick O’Connell, Chief Justice Liam Hamilton (Inter. Club), J.B., Brendan Kennelly, John B.Keane