A little chilly this morning but it's largely dry with good sunny spells developing. Some cloud will drift over later turning the sun a little hazy. Staying dry though with highest temperatures of 12 to 14 degrees in light winds.
EVENTS COVER
For privacy of those attending, the Diary requires to be invited by the organisers to cover events in a private, commercial or club location. This does not apply to public meetings, or events in public spaces.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are an estimated 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, of which more than 2,500 are categorised as endangered.
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WHAT'S ON AROUND
Here is a link to a Calendar of upcoming events in Kilcullen. If you have an event you want listed, email the Diary.
The Kilcullen & Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw is held at 8pm each Tuesday in the Parish Centre. This is a public event to which all are welcome. There's a prize draw each night for those attending. Details of previous Draws are here.
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TEXT ALERT
Forms for joining the Kilcullen Garda District Text Alert scheme are available from The Grocery in Calverstown, Kilcullen Garda Station, Kilcullen Credit Union, and scheme committee members. Please encourage neighbours and friends to join.
A reminder that Kilcullen Lions Club is organising a scrap metal collection on Saturday 29 March at Kilcullen Community Centre. At Spring Cleaning time, this is a great chance to clear out that shed or garage.
The purpose of the Scrap Metal Collection is two-fold, being a recycling initiative and also a means of raising funds for local charities. All types of domestic scrap metal will be welcome such as old tools, radiators, pots, pans, golf clubs etc.
The Scrap Metal Collection will be open from 10am to 1 pm.
Community Centre and (inset) Enda O'Neill and Daragh Fitzgerald.
A new roof and new exterior cladding on the Community Centre are aspirations for the next three years, writes Brian Byrne. Better insulation of the building and upgrades to toilets and changing rooms are also on the 'to do' list.
At the AGM of the centre's management board, manager Enda O'Neill also confirmed the plans to use a recently acquired €66,000 grant to put a new floor in the sports hall and upgrade the heating there. Noting some of the works carried out in 2024, the manager highlighted replacement of the fire doors in the main hall, and installation of an anti-slip surface at the front entrance.
He told the meeting that from October last to March of this year, the sports hall and all-weather pitch bookings have been 100pc of capacity Monday to Saturday. The all-weather pitch has recently received its certification through to 2028. "Summer Camp bookings for this year continue the same as last year," he added, "so between June and August we have nine camps, which is good."
On community immersion, the centre continues to work with partners KCA, CPC, Scoil Bhride, and Kildare County Council, the manager added. He welcomed new members to the Board Colleen Devine, Orla Crehan and Jennifer Monaghan, and thanked the outgoing chair Cathy Phelan for her support and the many years of service she had given to the centre.
In the election of Board and officers, Cathy Phelan stepped down and Orla Crehan was elected as the new chair. Secretary Ann Sheridan also stepped down with Colleen Devine elected to the role. Daragh Fitzgerald was re-elected as treasurer.
A reminder that the penultimate gig in the Songwriters in the Round tour are next up at the Red Hot Music Club on THIS THURSDAY, 27 March, in Fallons.
Megan O'Neill, Emma Langford, and Grainne Hunt will be three fantastic singers in one room taking turns singing their own original material and sharing the stories behind their songs.
Megan O’Neill is currently working on a new collection of songs set for release this year, Gráinne Hunt enchants audiences with her heart-melting vocals and emotional songs, and Emma Langford creates work that playfully blends folk, traditional and contemporary sounds and styles.
Kildare County Council is to replace missing road signage in Kilcullen, writes Brian Byrne. The matter was discussed on a motion by Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer at the recent meeting of the Kildare-Newbridge MD. The councillor was also told that requested additional signage, if found to be required, will be provided subject to budget.
The motion asking for the signage specified a Naas right and Carlow left Regional direction sign on the R448 at the Logstown Junction as well as a direction sign on the R448 as you approach the Logstown Junction from Naas to indicate the left turn goes to Ballymore/Dunlavin.
The councillor has also requested an advance direction sign on the R448 Naas approach road into Kilcullen, similar to those currently in place at at the Cattle Mart, Church Car Park and Conroy Park.
At the same meeting, Cllr O'Dwyer was told that a popular swimming location at Carnalway is not suitable as a Designated Bathing Area as it is not located on public lands. The answer to her question also noted that the council do not have a budget to cover the necessary water quality assessments and health and safety requirements to put a DBA in place.
Since 2008, a water quality regulation requires local authorities to identify such locations and monitor and manage water quality at them. There are as yet no DBAs identified in Kildare.
Last summer KCC sought public assistance in identifying such locations so a profile of each could be developed, including an assessment of the risk of pollution and what action would be taken if pollution occurs.
A Parish day pilgrimage to Knock will be held on Friday 6 June 2025 and bookings can be made through the Parish Office. Cost of the trip is €60 per person.
A bus will be leaving Kilcullen Church at 8 am, with a stop off at Hannon’s Hotel Roscommon at 10am for tea/coffee and scones. The expectation is to arrive at knock for 11.45am and a Parish Mass will be celebrated by Fr Gary in the apparition church at 12.30pm.
There will be Public Devotions at 2pm with Stations of the Cross and Rosary and parishioners will leave Knock at 4pm to arrive in Hannon’s Hotel Roscommon at 5pm for an evening meal comprising main course, dessert and tea/coffee.
Arriving back in Kilcullen Church for approximately 8.30pm.
The Diary has learned of the death of Patrick (Patsy) Lee, Avondale Drive, Kilcullen and formerly of Kennycourt, on 22 March 2025 at Naas General Hospital.
Beloved husband of the late Margaret, Patsy's passing is deeply regretted by his loving daughters Brigid and Mary, son James, sons-in-law Arthur and Tommy, daughter-in-law Anne, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, relatives, neighbours and friends.
He will be reposing at his son James's residence in Kennycourt (Eircode W91 ND7W) on Monday 24 March from 3pm until 8pm with prayers at 7.30pm. Removal from there will be on Tuesday 25th to the Church of the Sacred Heart and St Brigid Kilcullen, via Avondale Drive and arriving for 11am requiem mass which may be viewed on this link. The mass will be followed by funeral to St Brigid's Cemetery Kilcullen.
Enda O'Neill, Daragh Fitzgerald, Cathy Phelan and Ann Sheridan.
All involved with Kilcullen Community Centre were thanked at the centre's recent AGM for making 2024 another very successful year for the facility, writes Brian Byrne. Outgoing chair Cathy Phelan particularly mentioned the centre's staff and the warm welcome they gave to people and groups who use the facility.
She paid tribute to Kilcullen Community Action for their work in enhancing the grounds of the campus and the Pinkeen Stream access road. "The Centre just looks amazing when people are driving in," she said. She also welcomed new members Orla Crehan and Colleen Devine to the Board, saying their experience and knowledge will be a great asset.
Noting that the centre is dependent on grants for any work that needs to be done, she referenced the successful completion of updating the lease on the property, which will now allow access to larger grants previously unavailable. In relation to increasing income, she said that use of the various areas has been at almost maximum capacity over the past year. "We still have a couple of spaces in the centre which we are striving to get open, which will increase the capacity and bring in more people and more money. A sub-committee is working on these and we hope to get that in place this year."
Treasurer Daragh Fitzgerald said the 2023 accounts showed a 27pc increase on turnover from the previous year when the operation was just coming out of Covid. Excluding depreciation, this represented a positive figure of €24,000 compared to €11,000 in 2022 and he also reported a reduction in operating costs to 78pc of turnover, from 89pc. Commenting on provisional management figures for 2024, he said a further 15pc in turnover represented a 'great performance'. He singled out the contribution of the Coffee Hatch, up by 22pc as 'a great success'. "The Coffee Hatch has been a great idea. A lot of new businesses don't perform for a few years but that has performed from the start."
The treasurer said the centre's operating profit for 2024 should be similar to the previous year, but while the operation is maximising resources and cash flows, it is difficult to build an investment fund. He noted that in running costs, 'wages is the big one'. "We don't have Community Employment Scheme support because it's impossible to get people onto the scheme. We're constantly looking for someone but they're just not there."
Cathy Phelan said everything is being done in the centre to bring in more money than needed for running costs. "It's very hard to get ahead when you're trying to pay wages, electricity, insurance and everything like that." She noted that five years ago there was just one paid employee, now there are four, three of them on 20-hour weeks. "We want people to come and have a good experience. We want the centre to be clean, to be warm, and you can't do that on a shoestring, even though we are doing that at the minute."
On a suggestion from the floor that extra costs should be reflected in the pricing to users, manager Enda O'Neill said the officers had looked at other similar facilities and Kilcullen had to be competitive with them. "We're one of the few community centres in the country that is self-funded," he said. "A problem I have is that the general population out there think we are funded from somewhere else, but our funding is from the community. If we have to change a light bulb, I have to make sure that the money is there for that light bulb."
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