Kilcullen Lions Christmas Appeal

The Kilcullen Lions Club Christmas Appeal begins today and will run over three days — Friday 19th, Saturday 20th, and Wednesday the 24th. Collectors will be at the usual locations: Nolan’s, Eurospar and Centra.

The funds collected in the Christmas Appeal support the local Saint Vincent de Paul Society's work. 

Kilcullen Lions Club are grateful to the ongoing support and generosity of the local community. Last year's Appeal raised €5,000. 

Your local Lions Club addresses community needs in various ways. Assistance may involve providing manpower, professional expertise, direct financial aid or organising a targeted fundraising activity. All funds collected support charitable causes. No administration costs are taken. 

If you wish to make an online donation, you can do so at this link or using the QR code above. 

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Climate awareness and action course for seniors

A free climate course for beginners aged over 55 is being offered at Naas Library, starting at the end of February, writes Brian Byrne. It will be led by retired UN Diplomat Jacinta Barrins.

The course provides valuable insights into climate and its terminology. Participants will learn about barriers to behavioural change and how to measure their carbon footprint. They will also select an action to help the planet and implement it.

Throughout the course, progress will be shared and enjoyed over a cup of tea. Climate conversations will be held to promote discussion and understanding.

The course comprises six sessions scheduled on the following dates in 2026: 24th February, 3rd March, 10th March, 19th March, 24th March, and 5th April. Each session runs from 10:30am to 12:30pm at Naas Library. A bus stop is only a two-minute walk away.

To enrol, please call 045 980795 or email naaslib@kildarecoco.ie, or use the QR code in the header image.

Kildare County Council, the Kildare Climate Action Office, and Age Friendly Kildare support this course.

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Water safety classes for 2026

Water Safety Ireland Kildare is now taking 2026 bookings for junior and senior water safety and lifesaving classes in Naas.

The courses include lifeguard training and Nipper junior, youth, senior, and master lifesaving sport classes and training sessions. 

Participants will have the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make new ones while learning new skills and building new relationships. There are also opportunities for competition. 

Water Safety Ireland is committed to reducing drownings in Ireland and works with the public to achieve this goal.

Bookings via this link.  More information on water safety at watersafety.ie.

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Carols at St Paul's, Ballysax

A Christmas Carol Service will be held at St Paul's Church, Ballysax, on Sunday next, 21 December.

Organised by the Friends of St Paul's, the event begins at 2.30pm, and Aidan Feely will conduct the songs.

There will be a raffle and refreshments, and all are welcome.

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Results of Christmas Lions Whist

Lovely turnout for our special Christmas whist, writes Siobhan Tutty-Bardon of Kilcullen Lions.

Winners included C. Tutty, J. Fleming, K. Browne, C. Fagan, V. Byrne, and J. Creevy.

Many thanks for the support during the year. Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy, safe, and healthy New Year.

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New lifeboat campaign is successful

Fundraising at Naas Racecourse.

A campaign to raise funds for a new lifeboat, led by volunteers from North Kildare, has successfully reached its €117,000 target, thanks to the generosity of people across the entire county, writes Brian Byrne. The D-class inshore lifeboat will be named Cill Dara and stationed at the RNLI station in Wexford.

The North Kildare RNLI committee started the project to mark the bicentenary of the sea rescue organisation. Fundraising events included street collections, notably at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Wexford last summer, a cooking demonstration, an abseil challenge, and a concert by the Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir. 

Fundraising efforts also took place in Newbridge, Athy, and Monasterevin, with local businesses in Kilcullen also making donations. Kilcullen's Pat Stafford is a member of the fundraising group.

The branch was established over 50 years ago in Celbridge by Lady King-Harman, and it has a special connection with Wexford Lifeboat Station: a D-class lifeboat was donated in 2005 by the family of one of the branch’s fundraisers, who passed away suddenly.

The D-class is highly manoeuvrable and ideal for searches and rescues in surf, shallow waters, and confined areas, often around cliffs, rocks, and caves.

Brian Bradshaw, President of North Kildare RNLI, expressed his gratitude to everyone who supported the events and collections over the past year.

David Sherwood, Wexford RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, thanked all contributors for providing vital funds that will support the next chapter in lifesaving at Wexford RNLI.

The Wexford station was established in 2002. Its current lifeboat, Alfred William Newman, has been in service since 2015 and has been launched 142 times over the past decade, assisting 121 people and credited with saving four lives.

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Safety design for Thompson's Cross 'in development' - Council

A long-awaited design to improve road safety at Thompson's Cross will be finalised in the first quarter of 2026, according to Kildare County Council, writes Brian Byrne. The matter was raised again by way of a question from Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer at the recent meeting of the Kildare-Newbridge MD, to which officials replied that the design 'is being developed'.

Last December, the councillor was informed that six options had been identified to make the junction safer, but that there were 'no design resources' to progress any of them.

The junction has been dangerous for many years, since the realignment of local roads with the completion of the M9 in the Kilcullen area. Given the long history of crashes there, attempts to make the intersection safer have failed and are widely considered 'tinkering' with the problem. The last of these, carried out under the Low Cost Safety Improvement Scheme in 2016, included a controversial removal of a run-off lane on the turn towards Kilgowan. In October 2017, Council engineers told councillors that issues raised at works in 2016 had 'been resolved'. 

Cllr O'Dwyer has been working with the local Garda to ensure something substantial is done. In February of last year, Kildare County Council announced that a consultant would be appointed to investigate how best to address the dangerous nature of the junction ... along with nine others in the county.

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Santa Grotto and storytelling at An Tearmann

There will be a storytelling and music evening in An Tearmann tomorrow, Friday, with Sorcha from Candlelit Tales. 

The event starts at 5.30pm, and the stories from Ancient Ireland are suitable for people aged seven and up.

Payment is by donation, as you wish. Limited seating available.

Earlier, from 2pm to 5pm, there will be a Santa's Grotto photo booth in the cafe to capture family memories.

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Christmas Services 2025

Kilcullen Parish

Thursday 18th December - Carol Service 7.30pm

Monday 22nd December - Confessions 10am to 12pm

Season of Christmas

Gormanstown Church

Christmas Eve: 8pm Vigil Mass; Carol singing from 7.30pm

No Mass on Christmas Day

Kilcullen Church

Christmas Eve: 6pm Family Mass

Christmas Day: 10am and 11.30am Masses

St Stephen’s Day: Mass at 9.30am

Saturday 27th December: Mass at 10am; Vigil Mass (for Sunday) 6pm

Church of Ireland Services

Community Carol Services

Sunday 10th December: St John’s Church Kilcullen, Yellowbog, 10am

Sunday 10th December: St Brigid’s Cathedral Kildare, 3.30pm

Friday 15th December: St Patrick’s Church Carnalway, 7.30pm

Sunday 17th December: St Patrick’s Church Newbridge, 7.30pm

Christmas Eve

St Brigid’s Cathedral Kildare, Holy Communion 11pm

St Patricks Carnalway, Carols and Holy Communion, 10pm

Christmas Day

St Patrick’s Church Newbridge, Holy Communion 10am

St Brigid’s Cathedral Kildare, Holy Communion 11.30am with Bishop Pat Storey

Brannockstown 

Baptist Church

Friday 19th December: Carols by Candlelight, 7pm

Sunday 21st December: Christmas Family Service, 11am

Thursday 25th December: Christmas Day Service, 10am

Free refreshments at all activities. Eircode: W91 K004

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ECCE Places at Kidz Academy

A few places are now open for ECCE-eligible children from 9:30 to 12:30 at Kidz Akademy in Kilcullen. 

If interested, contact kidzakademycreche@gmail.com or call 045 484823. 

Limited places available.

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New Year Day Patrick Hyland concert

A reminder that a perfect way to start 2026 musically would be Patrick Hyland's New Year’s Day Gala Concert on 1 January 2026 at 2.30pm, at the Moat Theatre, Naas, writes Brian Byrne. A pair of tickets might also be a perfect Christmas gift for those in your life who love music.

Eadestown tenor Patrick is very familiar to Kilcullen people, having performed in Carols by Candlelight in 2023 and 2024.

His upcoming concert also features Emma Ní Bhriain (Mezzo Soprano), Rachel Du (Violin), and Máire Carroll (Piano). The programme will include opera classics, musical hits, favourite melodies, and much more. 

Tickets €33 plus €1.50 booking fee, available at moattheatre.com or by phoning the Box Office 045 883030.

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KCC to support national Toilet Access scheme

Councillor Patricia Logue of Derry & Strabane District Council, with the window sticker format used by participating businesses in the area.

Kildare County Council plans to support the development of a national 'No Wait' card scheme designed to help individuals with medical conditions that require urgent access to toilet facilities, writes Brian Byrne. The issue was raised at the recent full Council meeting by Cllrs Aoife Breslin, Mark Leigh, Rupert Heather, Angela Feeney, and Ann Breen.

The motion also proposed a voluntary 'Urgent Access' initiative in County Kildare, encouraging local businesses to participate by providing cardholders with urgent access to toilets. This scheme would include window stickers, promotion through local business networks, and collaboration with relevant health organisations and disability groups to raise awareness among residents and businesses.

Officials agreed that, through the Community Department, the Council would work with the Health Service Executive to develop its plans for this initiative and, subject to available resources, explore opportunities for the Council to support HSE-led activities in this area.

Similar schemes already operate in other areas: for example, in Derry and Strabane, the Community Toilet Scheme, managed by the Council in partnership with local businesses, allows members of the public to use the facilities free of charge during regular opening hours without making a purchase. Participating businesses receive an annual fee from the Council, based on the facilities they offer.

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Kildare Jazz Festival to return, expanded

The Kildare Jazz Festival will return for 2026, over a weekend beginning 27 March, writes Brian Byrne. The event will offer a diverse programme of jazz, workshops spanning visual art and dance, and more.

Performing at the Riverbank Arts Centre event will be Emerging Act, the Michael Buckley Quartet, Music Generation, and Origin Story. There will also be art and music workshops in Newbridge Town Hall.

It's the third year of the festival, and this year, the weekend before the Festival proper will feature a programme of free jazz events presented by Kildare Jazz Festival and hosted at Maynooth University, Straffan’s Barista Bike cafe, and across Newbridge. Acts will include Cormac O’Brien and Tom Halferty, Tenters Ensemble, Bobby Mc and Oninao.  

Tickets go on sale on Friday, 19 December and will be available from riverbank.ie.

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Recruitment scam warning

Warnings have been issued about a serious recruitment scam circulating in Ireland, targeting job seekers via WhatsApp and similar messaging apps, writes Brian Byrne. 

Individuals are contacted by someone claiming to represent a well-known recruitment agency. They are offered what seems to be easy, flexible work-from-home roles with daily pay rates typically between €170 and €250, along with “free training” and minimal entry requirements. The tasks are often described vaguely, such as product boosting, market research, or item reviews for well-known retailers. 

Victims are then directed to register on fake websites and complete simple initial tasks. Very quickly, they are asked to pay a small fee, supposedly to unlock higher-paying tasks, validate their account, or meet a minimum funding level. These demands often escalate into hundreds or even thousands of euros before the scammers cut contact and disappear with the funds. 

The Employment and Recruitment Federation (ERF) says that the use of real company names and logos makes this scam especially dangerous. Warning signs include unsolicited contact via messaging apps; promises of unusually high daily income for straightforward online tasks; being directed to unfamiliar websites to register, with pressure to act quickly or complete tasks immediately; and any payment request, regardless of size, to access work, training, account activation, or to 'unlock the next level of tasks'. 

Legitimate recruitment agencies in Ireland are paid by employers, not by candidates.

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Parish Carol Service

A reminder that four local singing groups will take part in the Kilcullen Parish Carol Service TOMORROW, Thursday, 18 December, in the parish church.

They are The Kilcullen Gospel Choir, the Kilcullen Family Folk Group, Kilcullen Parish Choir and the Gormanstown Parish Choir.

The event, A Night of Joy, an evening of prayer and song, starts at 7.30pm. Entry is free, and everybody is welcome.

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