Listowel (Irish: Lios Tuathail, meaning "Tuathal's ringfort") is a market town in County Kerry, Ireland, and is situated on the River Feale, 28 km (17 mi) from the county town, Tralee. The combined population of Listowel Urban and Rural Districts is 22,668; the town itself has a population of 4,338 (CSO census 2006).
The town is sometimes described as the "Literary Capital of Ireland", and a number of internationally known playwrights and authors have lived there, including Bryan MacMahon and John B. Keane. Of Listowel, the latter wrote:
- "Beautiful Listowel, serenaded night and day by the gentle waters of the River Feale.
- Listowel where it is easier to write than not to write,
- Where first love never dies, and the tall streets hide the loveliness,
- The heartbreak and the moods, great and small,
- Of all the gentle souls of a great and good community.
- Sweet, incomparable hometown that shaped and made me."
Read more about Listowel: Location, History, Education, Listowel Races, Listowel Writers' Week, Architecture, Published Writers With Listowel Connection, Other Notable People From Listowel, Common Surnames of Listowel, Related Communities