Thursday 31 August 2017

Adare and Tom O'Donoghue obituary


Photo: Ita Hannon

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Adare, a Lovely Village just down the Road

On the day I visited Adare the Friday market was in full swing





This man was making and selling his baskets.






There was a lovely mix of food, crafts, jewellery and garden produce for sale.


This lovely Buttevant man had a beautiful selection of competitively priced ceramics on offer.




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Brosna in 1877

(from The Freeman's Journal New South Wales, Australia)


Passing to the diocese of Kerry, I observe that at a mission by the Franciscans, in the parish of Brosna, 5,000 persons communicated, 2,000 were invested with the scapular of the Blessed Virgin, and 1,200 were enrolled in the Confraternity of the Holy Family. Moreover, six unfortunate persons who had become ‘Jumpers’ made, with their families, a solemn public recantation. I may mention that this place was once the centre of a Protestant proselytising traffic, I doubt if there is any single Protestant there now.
Has anyone any idea what Jumpers were?

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Tom O'Donoghue, grandfather of Florida Rose 2017

John Anthony Hegarty and Janet Fisher sent us this account of who exactly Tom O'Donoghue was





Wednesday 30 August 2017

Adare, London Irish and Dispute resolved in Emly in 1877 and Up the Kingdom lyrics

Photo:  Ita Hannon

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Adare, a Picturesque Village

Adare  is a beautiful village of thatched cottages, stylish shops and great restaurants.










These cottages are being rebuilt and will soon be returned to their former glory.


If this sign was in Kerry, people would be citing it as a Kerry joke.








Contrasting new and old thatched roofs.



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London Irish Centre 2017


Dermot O'leary is a big star on British TV. He has never forgotten his Irish roots and he visits the London Irish Centre often. He is its patron. They shared these pictures from a recent visit on their Facebook page.







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Freeman's Journal (Australia)  1877


Catholic Archbishop Leahy issued a pastoral denouncing the Three-year-old and the Four-year-old factions in the parish of Emly, County Limerick. Since then it appears there has been a mission of Redemptorist Fathers sent down to the district, followed by a visit from the Archbishop himself, who so worked upon the impressible population that the two factions met in chapel, took the sacrament together, and in a wild burst of enthusiasm clasped each other by the hand, renounced all their ancient feuds, and vowed they would never so much as pronounce the offensive words more. 

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The GAA Family

My grandchildren are members of Ballincollig GAA. I have a renewed respect for this organisation. Recently I attended an Under 8 camogie game and it was a lesson in sportsmanship, enjoyment and sheer hard work. I watched the coaches, referees and helpers give freely of their spare time to teach these little girls valuable lessons.

While these under eights have a concept of team, they have no concept of rivalry. My little full back chatted and played with her "marker" whenever the sliotar was at the other end.


No one keeps a score and every half attempt at striking the ball is praised to the heavens.

"Hurley down" was the constant exhortation since only ground hurling is allowed at this level. The coach cum referee, cum mentor cum Daddy was infinitely patient and encouraging.


Here he is giving the team pep talk.

At the end everyone troops by and shakes everyones hand. No one won or lost and they all had a great time in the open air among friends.


Well done the GAA.

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Up The Kingdom

In response to a request, here are the words of Up the Kingdom. I can confirm that it was written by Cormac O'Leary, a fact that seems to have been forgotten over time.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,
To every Kerry heart both young and old;
To the kingdom we'll be true
and to dear old Ireland, too,
Up the kingdom, may God bless
the Green and Gold.

Sons and daughters of the Gael,
come and listen to my tale,
Of a kingdom that is held in high renown;
It's the place that they call Kerry,
Where there's not a care nor worry,
From the highest hilltop to the smallest town.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,
To every Kerry heart both young and old;
To the kingdom we'll be true
and to dear old Ireland, too,
Up the kingdom, may God bless
the Green and Gold.

There's a rumour up in heaven,
said a scholar of religion,
That a Kerry man composed
the great Lord's Prayer;
For when he wrote, Thy kingdom come,
His will has well been done,
There's Kerry men and women everywhere.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,
To every Kerry heart both young and old;
To the kingdom we'll be true
and to dear old Ireland, too,
Up the kingdom, may God bless
the Green and Gold.

Oh, they say that Sam Maguire
he is getting very tired,
Of his yearly trip from Dublin to Listowel;
If you're after football honour,
Well, the ones you have to conquer,
Will be fifteen men dressed up in Green and Gold.

Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,
To every Kerry heart both young and old;
To the kingdom we'll be true
and to dear old Ireland, too,
Up the kingdom, may God bless
the Green and Gold.
Up the kingdom is the cry of every girl and boy,
To every Kerry heart both young and old;
To the kingdom we'll be true
and to dear old Ireland, too,
Up the kingdom, may God bless
the Green and Gold.
Up the kingdom, may God bless
the Green and Gold.


And if you want to hear it one more time, here are Sarah and Elizabeth Marince giving it welly.

Up the Kingdom

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We have a Winner

We may have lost the football but.....


Listowel native, Declan McCarron on the podium. This weekend he won the Dutch Open Pitch and Putt 2017 in Friesland, Holland.

Tuesday 29 August 2017

Adare, Ballybunion, a chance meeting on a Dublin bus and some people up for the match

Photo; Ita Hannon

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Upper Church Street in Summer 2017



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Adare

Recently, on my way home from Limerick I decided to stop to stretch my legs in the beautiful village of Adare, County Limerick. Adare is a martyr to traffic congestion. That is perfectly understandable as it is one of the prettiest villages in these parts. I met the two lovely ladies below in the local cafƩ. They are volunteer Adare ambassadors. They just chat to visitors and answer any questions you might have. They were very welcoming and friendly. Every town should have ambassadors like these.


I decided to take a stroll through the park which is in the heart of the village.







The site for the park was donated to the people by the Earl of Dunraven. Above, at the end of the path, you can see a gate into the Dunraven estate.










I'd highly advise a stop in Adare if you find yourself with a while to spare on the way to or from Limerick.


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Ballybunion Sculptures




This lovely floral boat adorns the Doon Road in Ballybunion. It is the work of the Ballybunion Tidy Town's Committee






Nearby this sculpture to past Doon families has been unveiled.

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Well, be the hokey!

When I went to Dublin for the Horse Show recently I travelled to and from the show by public transport. I took a No. 4 bus from O'Connell Street to Ballsbridge.


On my return journey I again boarded the No. 4. Just to  be sure to be sure I was on the correct bus, I asked the lady beside me if the bus I was on would return me to O'Connell St.

To cut a long story short, this lovely lady turned out to be none other than Betty Given, a lady with a very strong Listowel connection. Truth is often stranger than fiction.

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Up for the Match

John Kelliher was in Dublin for the match on Saturday August 26 2017. He wisely took his camera with him and here are a few of the great photos he shared on Facebook


Lovely day for the rematch



The hope before and the desolation afterwards well told in these two pictures.



Will you look who John caught on camera on their way to the match: None other than Jimmy Deenihan with Elizabeth, Sarah and Mary Kay Marince of Florida  AND could that be the Rose of Tralee escort still in attendance on the Rose?