Listowel's gaelic name Lios Tuathail means the earthen fort. Situated about
ten miles from Ballybunion, this busy little market town overlooking the River
Feale has a degree of literary distinction. Listowel can be proud of the impressive
number of writers who have hailed from the area. Possibly the most famous of these
is John B. Keane. He was made internationally famous when his work 'The Field'
was translated to the silver screen in 1990. Dr. Bryan McMahon is also a renowned
literary son of the town, known best for his short stories and also his book 'The
Master' published in 1992.
For such a small town, Listowel has a lot to offer and is probably best known
for its two festivals, "Writers Week" and "The Listowel Races". Both events are
held annually. Writers Week is held in May and attracts writers from all over
the world while the Listowel Races held in the third week of September is a horse-racing
festival popular with racing enthusiasts and holidaymakers alike. Traditionally,
it is also a chance for farmers to relax after the harvest season.
There are a number of places of interest to visit both in Listowel and the
surrounding area. The Garden of Europe situated in the centre of the town was
set up in 1995. Containing 2500 trees and shrubs, it holds the only public monument
to the millions who died in the Holocaust. St John's Gothic Style church, built
in 1810, is also a major tourist attraction as it is now the Arts and Heritage
Centre of the town. The church which was recently renovated is very much associated
with the main Anglo-Irish Families of the district including the Sands, Hewsons
and the Raymonds.
In the Listowel area, the Carraigafoyle Castle and Listaughton Friary can be
found. Both the castle and the friary were built in the 15th century by the O’Connor
family who were the rulers of Northern Kerry at the time. You can climb a 29m
staircase to the top of the castle to view the surrounding scenery.
As with most Irish towns, there is a number of lively pubs to be found here.
One of the most famous pubs is probably that which belongs to the author John
B.Keane. The pub is simply known as 'The John B Keane Pub' .
