The committee of the Michael O’Donohoe Memorial Heritage Project is pleased to inform its friends and supporters that his collection is entering the world wide web.
The collection, which has been described as one of Castleisland’s and Kerry’s historical treasures, is in the process of becoming available to all with an interest in the history of Castleisland and its hinterland. SELECTED MONUMENTS IN COUNTY KERRY
Great website to find the monuments in all the counties of Ireland not just in Kerry. Just click on the county that is of interest to you. Also check out the pre-famine sweat houses of Ireland and other great historical items and places of interest like Irish Ogam Stones and Portal Tombs Ireland & the Irish 1971:
The horses shown are "Dolly" and "Nellie" with Owen Casey and neighbour Jim McDonald. literary, poetic & musical heritage & culture of Sliabh Luachra,. 'Voices from a Hidden People " was a series of six programmes, transmitted in 1971, that examined the literary and poetic heritage of six areas of Ireland. The series was inspired by Daniel Corkery's 'Hidden Ireland' published in 1924. The series was scripted and presented by Diarmaid Ó Muirithe and produced by Gerry Murray..Click here if you want to view the other 6 series on YouTube. Irish Railways in Kerry
What was left of the old North Kerry railway and the Fenit branch back in August 1986. Shot on Super8. No Audio.
Joan O'Sullivan reports on the line from Farranfore to Valentia harbour in Co Kerry.
The railway to Valencia Harbour was opened in 1893. It was the most westerly point in Europe which could be reached by train. The branch (of almost 40 miles in length) left the Tralee-Mallow main line at Farranfore and headed west through some of Ireland's most spectacular scenery as it climbed through County Kerry's mountainous countryside, along Dingle Bay's southern shore. More information on the Limerick Railway line can be found here: More information on Sliabh Luachra can be found at the following websites:
Radharc
was first aired in January 1962 and over the next 34 years broadcast more than 400 programmes from Ireland and around the world. Radharc is the title of a series of documentaries broadcast by RTÉ between 1962 and 1996. The first programme was aired on January 12th 1962, just 12 days after the new Irish television service was launched. Over the following 34 years, more than 400 programmes were televised. We have made 12 Radharc programmes available to view in this exhibition from RTÉ Archives. Need help with your Computer Skills? Then visit: Kerryvolunteertutors for Computer Tutorials to access hundreds of free online resources on computer skills, typing, making folders etc.
Interesting PDF's to Read or Download
Will need a PDF reader to read these but most PCs or computer tablets will have this already installed. If you do not have a PDF Reader for your PC you can download one from one of these links below. Windows 7 PDF Reader. Windows 10 PDF Reader Works of Pat McAuliffe: Local plasterer and builder Pat McAuliffe (1846–1921) used stucco or external plaster to decorate the façades of townhouses and shops in the town and surrounding area. It is believed that McAuliffe was born in 1846 in Lixnaw. He died in 1921. There is a death certificate but no birth certificate, which was common at the time. He married Catherine Gleason and had 15 children, eight of whom were living when the 1901 census was taken. By 1911 Catherine had died and McAuliffe was living alone. It was around then that McAuliffe underwent a transformation. Since the 1870s he had developed an ambitious style of stuccowork but he now began adding sculptural elements and complex symbolic references to his facades. A native of Listowel, McAuliffe created a number of unique plasterwork works, including the noted "The Maid of Erin", which depicts a Romantic image of Mother Ireland surrounded by a harp, a wolfhound and other symbols of Ireland.
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The Ball Alley in Listowel
A poem by John Fitzgerald The Alley Standing on the dead line I face the pockmarked wall, it hides the bridge above me fond memories I recall, the side walls mark the theatre, the concrete floor the stage, four players take their places the finest of their age. The cocker’s hopped and hardened, Junior’s feet fix solidly he contemplates the angle of the first trajectory. His swinging arm begins the game the ball’s hit low and fast, a signal to John Joe and Tom this will be no soft match. Dermot standing by his side sees his neighbour win first toss, a simple game to twenty one no ace is easily lost. I watch them from the grassy mound behind the dead ball line hear the cries of older boys cheer each one at a time and in the space of half an hour the ball has weaved its way through every nook and cranny in this battlefield of play, the long ball to the back line the close one to the wall the deadly butted killer seemed to hit no wall at all and in end the four of them take leave just as they came and beckon us to take our place and learn more of their game, the game that gave such pleasure the game I got to know. when I was young and full of fun in the Alley years ago. (The cocker was the name they had for the ball) The History of Handball Alleys Handball is known to have been played in Ireland from at least the mid-1500s. Often against old religious ruins, vacant RIC barracks, walls of bridges and walls of hillside limekilns, until the early twentieth century. Purpose-built handball alleys first emerged in the late 1700s . Comprising two short side walls on either side of the playing wall, the early examples signaled the introduction of side-wall play into what was previously a one-wall game. Later versions culminating in the familiar three-wall alley: this form was to become the standard by the early twentieth century, in rural and urban settings alike, and was to endure for a further 50 years. Throughout its history handball was associated with large, often day-long, gatherings involving people waiting for a game, those watching, and those engaged in betting and match-making activities. In addition to its use for Sunday dances, card-playing and as a hiring place for casual and seasonal labour, the handball alley was often used as a meeting place during the 1798 Rebellion, the Black-and-Tan era and the Civil War... Attitudes towards handball alleys have changed in recent years, with the decline in the status of the sport as a focus of rural community life resulting, in many instances, in demolition: elsewhere, handball alleys have been adapted as garages, animal pens or dumping grounds. Recently, in some places it has been used as a film theatre... Nevertheless, the handball alley continues to be regarded as a vernacular building form unique to Ireland. Listowel Handball Alley by Junior Griffin from the Listowel Connections page By the 1970s a new generation of handball lovers had come on the scene. Some of these that Junior remembers are Denny O’Connor, Eddie and Mike Broderick, Charlie Nolan, Tony Stack, Jer Loughnane, Con Gorman, Tony O’Neill, Jimmy Canty. There were many more in this new cohort too. The building of the Community Centre in the mid 1980s drew away from the old alley and handball ceased to be played there. The new centre had an enclosed 40ft. by 20 ft. court. This was used by handballers but with no club structure it never really took off. Then the community centre courts became squash and racketball courts before they were eventually utilised for other purposes. By 2008 Junior Griffin was the only surviving trustee of the old handball club. No committee had been formed for years. Junior took advice from former members and from solicitors. He decided to sign over the alley ground, which was purchased by the handball committee in 1962 to the safe keeping of Listowel Town Council. One proviso in the deal was that if ever a handball club was formed in the future, the council would facilitate that club in building a new handball alley. Coiscéim project. Many handballers spoke to Caoimhe Coburn Gray for her Coiscéim project. If you are interested in handball at all, especially if, like Michael Enright, it was a big part of your life, you will love reading and hearing handball stories from around the country. https://coisceim.com/in-your-words/ Holy Wells and Modern Pilgrimages around Ireland and Pattern Days devotions that still take place.
Holy wells are places of popular religious devotion where people come to pray and leave simple offerings. Holy wells invariably tend to date from pre-Christian times, during which they served as a form of natural religion during pagan times in which the well was held to be sacred. In pagan Ireland, the wells were visited at special times of the year: Imbolc on February 1, Beltaine on May 1, Lughnasa on August1 and Samhain on November 1. These were all special turning-points of the Celtic year when the gates of the Otherworld were opened. This is especially true for Samhain, where the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest point, and often visions of the good people were seen in sacred places. Then in later years many Christian churches were constructed near pagan wells, and the early Celtic church used them for baptism until the Roman church replaced them with the font inside the building.
Famine Settlement
Famine Settlement at Knockfierna, the highest point in County Limerick at approximately 950 feet, was common land so anyone could live there. It was to this place that many of the dispossessed went to live during the Famine years . Some had been evicted because they could not pay their rent; most had no place else to go because there was no work. Bygone Days of Ireland Part 1 (Galway)
Can be viewed full screen size by clicking on the little square looking brackets on the bottom right once its clicked to play. To return to normal size use the Esc key on the keyboard.
Bygone Days of Ireland Part 2
Stone Wall Building, Wheel Making, Hurley-Ball Making, St. Brigid's cross making, Corn cutting with scythes, Threshing, The Travellers, Thatching, Rural Festivals |