BOBBY COMPLETES 160km RUN AT KILCULLEN GAA

Shortly after 10.30 this morning, Bobby Molloy completed his task of running 160km around the Kilcullen GAA community walkway in 24 hours, writes Brian Byrne. His total distance after 144 laps was 160.8km.

He was cheered in by a large crowd of Kilcullen GAA members as well as several hundred participants in the presentations on the final day of the Kilcullen GAA Junior Academy. Earlier, many Kilcullen members of all ages had run with him on his final laps.

Through the night, the coldest of the year so far with frost and fog to contend with, club members and friends had taken turns to keep him company in the lonely hours. "It was great to have them," he told the Diary. "I hadn't expected so many to come out."

Surprisingly fresh after completing almost four marathon distances in the 24 hours, Bobby had picked up a minor injury during the night. "I tried running in the opposite direction to see if that would help, but it didn't."

Yesterday, from his starting time at 11am, pupils from Scoil Bhride took turns to come and cheer him on, and to run a lap or two with him.

Sponsorship cards had been circulated to the school and to the children in the Junior Academy, but the club said they had deliberately kept sponsorship on a low key because there were so many other fundraising events happening around this time. The funds raised will go towards the running cost of lighting the community walkway.

It's understood that the event may become an annual one, on a larger scale in coming years.

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LOCAL HISTORY GROUPS FORUM IN KILCULLEN

The County Kildare Federation of Local History Groups annual forum will take place at Kilcullen Town Hall Theatre today, starting at 10am, writes Brian Byrne. 

The event will feature a presentation on the 1876 Catalpa rescue mission, where Fenian prisoners escaped from Western Australia on the American whaling ship Catalpa. The escape was orchestrated by Kildare native John Devoy. 

Kildare County Council Heritage Officer Dara Wyer will also introduce the council’s new Heritage Plan. The forum will conclude with local history groups sharing their activities and projects. 

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AFC SEEKS NEW YOUNG PLAYERS

Kilcullen AFC are recruiting new junior players for next season, with those born in 2016 encouraged to join. 

Training will continue through the winter to enhance skills, confidence, and teamwork. Open training sessions begin on November 2nd at the Astro in Kilcullen. 

Those interested can contact Marc at 087 416 0687.

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BOBBY IS ON HIS 160km RUN FOR KILCULLEN GAA

With the equivalent of nearly four marathon distances to complete over 24 hours, Brannockstown resident Bobby Molloy set off from the Kilcullen GAA Clubhouse on the dot of 11 this morning, writes Brian Byrne. A short while afterwards he was joined by children from Scoil Bhride 1st and 2nd classes, the first of relays of school pupils to give him support today on his endeavour.

The event will conclude tomorrow morning when members of the Kilcullen GAA Junior Academy, on their own final day, will join Bobby on the community walkway for his final laps. Two of his children play with the club, and when he finishes tomorrow he will have completed 160km, helping to raise funds to keep the lights on around the walkway.

"The event is under what's called Backyard Challenge rules," Bobby told the Diary this morning while warming up before his start. "The plan is to complete around 6.7km in 50 minutes, then take a 10-minute break for some food and drink, and go back out again. I do that consistently for 24 hours, hopefully."

Keeping his time over the 24 hours is his friend Chris Phelan. Both are coaches with Ryston Sports & Social Club in Newbridge, and last year they ran the Galway Marathon together to raise money for a charity. "We trained together to do a 100 miles also last year, but I had an injury and Chris had to do it himself."

If you're taking your own exercise around the walkway today, give him a cheer. And if you want to help with the fundraising, buy a coffee at the club's Raggy's Coffee Shop, which is donating a euro for every coffee or smoothie purchased.

Kilcullen GAA's Jay Lambert-Mills and Trevor Schwer with Bobby before the start.

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ANNA'S ARCTIC TREK FOR MS IRELAND

Kilcullen woman Anna McLeod, who lives with multiple sclerosis, will be among a group of adventurous women who will do an eight-day Arctic tundra expedition 350km north of the Arctic Circle in January, writes Brian Byrne. There are 14 participants in the fundraiser for MS Ireland, which will take place between 24 and 31 January 2027. 

Two-thirds of people diagnosed with MS are women, and the Arctic Trek fundraiser has a target total of €67,500, of which more than a third has already been raised.

Anna, who was diagnosed with MS 12 years ago, is one of almost 11,000 people in Ireland who are living with MS and is an ambassador for MS Ireland. Earlier this year she took part in the May 50K fundraiser and awareness event in Ireland. https://kilcullenbridge.blogspot.com/2026/05/anna-is-taking-part-in-may-ms-fundraiser.html

You can support Anna's fundraising at this link.

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RUNNING WITH RAGGY TO KEEP WALKWAY LIGHTS ON

A reminder that Kilcullen GAA’s own Bobby Molloy will run 160km over 24 hours, STARTING TODAY AT 11am around the community walkway to raise money for Kilcullen GAA, writes the club's Mark Phelan. The run will have kids from Scoil Bhride running alongside in relays. 

Bobby will run through the night and the mammoth effort will end tomorrow, Saturday 17th with, kids from our juvenile academy running with Bobby for the last hours as we round out our academy year.

This run is only for children and sponsorship cards are being distributed via Scoil Bhride. We ask anyone who uses the walkway or any of our facilities to consider sponsoring a child.

As costs soar, so does the need to keep fundraising to Keep The Lights On. Let's get the kids Running With Raggy and Bobby — all your support is greatly appreciated. 

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VENDORS INVITED FOR HALVERSTOWN CHRISTMAS FAIR

Vendor bookings are now open for St Joseph’s NS Halverstown Annual Christmas Fair, taking place on Sunday, 6 December, from 11am to 4pm at the school. 

The fair will be held indoors and will feature a range of stalls. For stall enquiries and bookings, contact Susan at halverstownpa@gmail.com.

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FIRST RESPONDERS TABLE QUIZ

A reminder that Kilcullen Community First Responders are hosting a table quiz on Thursday 29 October at 7.30pm at The Hideout, Kilcullen, to kick off the Bank holiday weekend. 

The event features a raffle with prizes from the National Ambulance Service, Fallons Pub, Eye Candy, Nolans Butchers, Kalbarri Cookery School, and many more. All funds raised will support new AEDs for new responders, an AED for Kilcullen, and new AED storage boxes. 

Tables of four can be booked for €40. Further prize donations are welcome; contact kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com for arrangements.

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LGFA RED TAPE MEANS GAA U16 GIRLS UNABLE TO PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

An exciting opportunity for Kilcullen GAA U16 Girls to play in the A Championship final has been dashed by the refusal of the LGFA County Board to change the date of the match. The team had beaten Celbridge to qualify for the final against Clane, next Saturday, 17 October.

But because ten of the players have a pre-commitment with Kilcullen AFC for a soccer weekend in Cambrils in Spain, for which they fundraised for months, Kilcullen GAA can't field a team for the final.

Despite Kilcullen’s efforts to negotiate, including reaching out to Clane, who agreed to a flexible date, the LGFA insisted on the original October date, citing ratified fixtures, and Kilcullen say they'll have to forfeit the final. 

Kilcullen LGFA chairperson Martin Murphy expressed frustration, highlighting the players’ prior commitments and a previous website misunderstanding about the final’s date. "Clane have been great – they said no problem, they understand, they’ve had similar problems in different grades and they're willing to play whenever suits," he told the Kildare Nationalist this week. "We're missing ten players, nine of those ten played in the Celbridge match last weekend, and two of the ten are goalkeepers. So, we've no goalkeeper and we don’t have the players to fill the fixture because we don't have a second team. It's not as if we can call on another U16 group, we don't have them, so we’d have to resort to going U14s, who are too young to be playing two years up."

The decision threatens to undermine the final’s integrity and overlooks Kilcullen’s significant contributions to ladies’ football over the last decade, including earning a place in this year’s senior final for the first time ever, which attracted a massive crowd of supporters to the game. 

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DRAMA PRODUCTION EXPLORES MOTHER AND BABY HOMES

Once Off Productions and NB Theatre, in association with Riverbank Arts Centre, present In Plain Sight by Noelle Brown, directed by Veronica Coburn, featuring Camille O’Sullivan and Noelle Brown. This off-site theatre performance, in Newbridge Town Hall on Wednesday 4 November, examines the church-run Mother and Baby homes at Roscrea, Castlepollard, and Bessborough.

The presentation premiered in 2025 at the former Sacred Heart of Mary Convent Roscrea, and explores the history of religious-led incarceration and the healing power of storytelling, incorporating reflections on architecture, government policy, and archival correspondence. 

The show includes original songs by Camille O’Sullivan and re-enactments of Noelle Brown’s justice campaign. Supported by several arts organisations and funded by The Arts Council, the presentation is a blend of town hall talks and documentary theatre, questioning accountability and honouring victims. 

In Plain Sight is currently on a nationwide tour.

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POPUP SHOP AND AUTUMN FAIR FOR KWWSPCA

The Kildare and West Wicklow Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (KWWSPCA) is hosting a Pop Up Shop and Autumn Fair at Newbridge Town Hall on Saturday, 24 October, and Sunday, 25 October, from 11am to 4pm. 

The shop will feature a variety of items including clothes, books, bric-a-brac, pet products, accessories, jewellery, china, glassware, and ornaments. 

The event is sponsored by Life Credit Union.

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DRAMA GROUP BEGINS 'LUGHNASA' REHEARSALS

Image: Kilcullen Drama.

Kilcullen Drama Group has begun rehearsals for their next production, Dancing at Lughnasa, due for presentation in February. The play, written by Brian Friel, is set in Donegal in the summer of 1936 and is loosely based on the lives of Friel's mother and aunts who lived in Glenties.

Written in 1990, the play has a string of awards to its credit, including the 1991 Olivier Award for Best Play of the Year and the 1992 Tony Award for Best Play.

It was last performed by the Kilcullen group in 2011. 

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