by Peg Prendeville

A most pleasant night was held in Brown Joe’s last Wednesday June 6^th with Daisy Kearney our own seanchaí and Kate Danaher, another storyteller from Philadelphia. Kate’s father came from Athea and Kate was home to attend the Listowel Writer’s Week events where she accidentally met Daisy. Though the night in Brown Joe’s was planned at the last minute a large gathering attended and they made a very appreciative audience. There were songs, stories, music and recitations. Kate was delighted with Daisy Kearney’s rendition of Rita Danaher’s Jennet and she is now learning it herself. Some of the night was recorded for Limerick 95fm which was aired last Saturday morning about 9.15 am and some more will be broadcast next Saturday morning around the same time for anyone that wants to tune in. Kate, whom I met in Glin Library, during the week enjoyed the occasion immensely. Back in Philadelphia Kate is a storyteller, musician (fiddle) and singer and does a lot of work to keep the Irish traditions alive in that city. A talented, lovely friendly lady whom it was a pleasure to meet. She has her own web page www.katedanaher.com .

The opening ceremony for the 50^th Eucharistic Congress was televised last Sunday and seemed to be a very colourful affair. Luckily the weather was very suitable for the outdoor Mass. We wait and see what ripples the Congress will have throughout the country in these turbulent times. It is televised live each day on www.ewtn.com . What impresses me about all these festivals is the amount of people who travel from distant lands to attend while we, here at home, are lethargic about it. Like Kate who came from Philadelphia to Listowel some of us here can hardly spare an evening to run back the road to Listowel to attend the events. Faraway hills are green?

Congratulations to Kearney’s Home Baking, Tenekilla, Ballyhahill which celebrates 20 years of a successful business this week. To celebrate the occasion they are launching a new website. Maura and Siobhan were very young adults when they took on the daunting task of setting up their own business in 1992. We wish them the best of luck for many more years to come and now that they have their own growing children we wait to see what more entrepreneurial skills and ideas will emerge. Now that the summer holidays are upon us many students, who are looking for work, can look to the Kearney family to see how a “summer project” became a thriving business. It is when we come up against adversity that we are forced to think of creative ways to make a living. Some succeed, some do not, but try anyway!

Glin Library will be closed this Friday.