SPOUT DEBUT FOR CAITLIN

Local country singer Caitlin O’Sullivan will make her Kilcullen debut in The Spout tomorrow night, Friday, 2 October, in the first of a series of opportunities for upcoming musicians being organised by the pub, writes Brian Byrne. Caitlin, 20, is the daughter of Lisa Mitchell and granddaughter of Barney and Angela Hillis, and has recently completed a two-year course in Music Performance at the Carlow Institute of Further Education and Training.

Her original song, Too Young, received strong positive feedback when played recently on Emma O’Connor’s Irish Music Scene on KFM. The station's producer and presenter Liam Kett has asked her to have it professionally recorded for future plays.

Caitlin says she was interested in music since she was very young, as there was always music in her home. Her grandfather, Barney, was a particular influence because of his interest in country music. "I just grew up with my family all singing, and it made me want to do it," she told the Diary. She is a former student at CPC, where she sang in the school choir.

In addition to her own songwriting, Caitlin favours songs by Phoebe Bridges, Justin Bieber, and Benson Boone, and says she particularly likes Ella Langley. Her set-list also includes favourites from Elvis Presley, Abba, and Dolly Parton.

The course in Carlow included Music Industry Studies, Music Theory and Practice, Vocal Performance, Sound Engineering and Production, along with live performing at Visual in Carlow and local pubs. While the work included playing in bands with other course participants, Caitlin says she prefers performing solo because “I get to do the songs that I like most.”

The Spout is an established top Kilcullen venue for local and other bands on Saturdays and Sundays. Tommy Dignam says the Friday night initiative for new musicians will initially be two nights a month, kicking off at 9pm. Inseries, a 4-piece alternative rock band, will perform on Friday the 16th.

Caitlin is actively seeking opportunities to perform at gigs, weddings, and parties.

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

TEXACO SPORTS GRANTS OPEN FOR APPLICATION

Applications are now open for the sixth Texaco Support for Sport initiative, offering a €130,000 fund divided into €5,000 grants for successful applicants in each of Ireland’s twenty-six counties. Since its inception, over €600,000 has been awarded to more than 125 clubs, including five from Co Kildare. 

The initiative welcomes applications from all sports clubs, regardless of discipline or size, to support their community contributions. Clubs must register interest by 21 January 2027 on TexacoSupportforSport.com, and submit a detailed application, including their sporting activities and funding needs. A valid GS Exemption Number is required. 

Adjudication will be led by Donncha O’Callaghan, with results announced after the closing date.

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

KILDARE BUSINESS AWARDS DEADLINE

Tomorrow, Friday, 2 October, is the last day for applications to the Kildare Business Awards 2026, sponsored by Eirgrid. The awards, organised by County Kildare Chamber, celebrate businesses of all sizes in Kildare, from start-ups to large multinationals. 

Finalists and winners will be announced on 13 November at a gala event at The Killashee Hotel, Naas. 

Tickets for the event are available for purchase at this link. 

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

KWWSPCA CALENDAR LAUNCH DATE IN FALLONS

Fallons of Kilcullen is hosting the KWWSPCA Charity Calendar Launch & Quiz Night on Friday, 20 November, with doors opening at 6:45pm. The event will feature a quiz, prizes, a raffle, and more. 

The Calendar, featuring cats and dogs, has been produced in partnership with Kilcullen Photography Club. 

Tickets are €50 per table, accommodating up to five people, and available to those aged 18 and over. All proceeds will benefit the KWWSPCA.

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

KILDARE READERS FESTIVAL 2026 SCHEDULE

The Kildare Readers Festival 2026 includes a retrospective photographic exhibition by Ger Holland at the McKenna Gallery, running from Wednesday, 30 September to Saturday, 10 October 2026.

The main events schedule unfolds across Kildare venues as follows:

* Thursday, 01 October 2026: Writer John MacKenna discusses the life and 1798 rebellion memories of Quaker annalist Mary Leadbeater, portrayed by Mary Linehan, at Athy Library, commemorating the 200th anniversary of her death, at 7pm. The presentation is repeated on 3 October at 3:30pm at Naas Library & Cultural Centre, and Sunday, 4 October at 3pm at Ballitore Library.

* Friday, 02 October 2026: Riverbank Arts Centre hosts a screening and Q&A for A Quiet Love, the first feature documentary produced in Irish Sign Language, with producer Anne Heffernan.

* Saturday, 03 October 2026: Naas Library hosts youth workshops alongside jump jockey Barry Geraghty sharing insights into his racing career with Donn McClean.

* Sunday, 04 October 2026: Irish-language literary gathering An Tolg Liteartha convenes at The Silken Thomas in Kildare Town.

* Tuesday, 06 October 2026: Stephen Travers and Frank Shouldice discuss The Miami Showband Massacre: Memory, Truth and Legacy at Naas Library.

* Wednesday, 07 October 2026: Authors Dearbhla Mescal and Jan Brierton explore writing and resilience in The Poetry of Living.

* Friday, 09 October 2026: Riverbank Arts Centre officially opens the festival exhibition before hosting a panel on landscape, history, and personal identity with Lesley Bond and Miriam Mulcahy.

* Saturday, 10 October 2026: A full day of panels at Riverbank Arts Centre features Louise Nealon and Katriona O’Sullivan sharing key literary influences, a debut fiction showcase, heritage culinary talks, bestselling fiction writers, and a crime fiction event with John Banville, Patricia Gibney, and Edel Coffey.

* Sunday, 11 October 2026: The festival concludes with youth clay workshops, a screening of Puffin Rock and the New Friends, folklore storytelling, and comic book creation with Aoife Dooley.

* Other events include Creative Writing Workshops and Competitions, with the full schedule available here. 

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

LOOKING BACK: KILDARE'S FIRST REGISTERED CAR

An historic occasion caught by the cameras, in a clipping from the Leinster Leader dated 1 October 1983, courtesy of Joe Murray. The first car registered in Kildare, IO 1, pictured under the Rathangan Road bridge on the Naas Bypass with the owner, Denis Lucey, and Liam Kenny, local historian and then a member of Kildare Co Council staff.

The car is the Silver Stream, a handcrafted luxury touring car built in Carnalway near Kilcullen between 1906 and 1909 by railway engineer Philip Townsend Somerville-Large, and which was the centrepiece for many years of Denis Lucey's collection at the Museum of Irish Transport in Killarney. In April 2007, it was sold at a Bonhams auction in London for £130,000.

The photo was taken the week before the official opening of the M7 Naas Bypass on 4 October 1983, by then Tánaiste Dick Spring. It was the Irish Republic's first section of motorway.

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

HALVERSTOWN ANNUAL AWARDS DAY A HUGE SUCCESS

The attendance at the second annual Awards Night by Halverstown Cricket Club was such that extra seating had to be hastily procured by the committee. More than 100 people turned up to the event in Piper's Hill College, Naas.

It was a fitting end to the 141st season for the club, and its busiest one to date. Five youth teams, two league teams (which incorporate two T20 teams also), a social team (the Oaks) and, as of last month, a first-ever women’s team took to the field in the club’s colours. Summer camps were run, school coaching took place and the Halverstown Cup was held between 16 Primary schools in the county. 

Ava Canning, an Irish international cricketer with 70 caps already at the young age of 22, was there to help present the trophies. Des Drumm, Chairman, started with a brief summary of the season. For Halverstown 1 there was a second consecutive year of promotion following their runners-up position, though Halverstown 2 struggled following their promotion last season and finished 7th out of 8 teams. The U13 and U15 girls’ teams combined with North Kildare, which brought instant success with the U13s winning the Division B Leinster title. Anna Easdown, Stephanie Johnston, Lily Richardson and Maggie Lynch went on to representative honours with the province whilst Michaela Langford was in Leinster’s U15 Pathways programme. The Oaks did what they do best, providing friendly, enjoyable social cricket.

Award winners were: Under 13 Boys, Ansh Sarkar; Under 15 Boys, Owen Best; Under 13 Girls, Stephanie Johnston; Under 15 Girls, Maggie Lynch; Halverstown 1, Gaurav Kumar; Halverstown 2, Manish Muralidhar; Halverstown Oaks, Andy Barber.

Stuart Conroy, Honorary Secretary and driving force behind the youth and women’s cricket, thanked the parents who had helped during the year and who turned up in such numbers to support Awards Day. Des finished by paying tribute to the Beaumont family which had facilitated the club playing in the beautiful grounds of Harristown House in Brannockstown for a nominal rent for the last 30 years but noted that, with the lease expiring at the end of 2027, they were still working to find a new home for the more than 130 members to have somewhere to play from 2028 onwards. 

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

PARISH LOTTO DRAW RESULTS

The numbers drawn in the Kilcullen & Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw held on 29th September 2026 were 1, 6, 17 and 30. There was no Jackpot winner, and next week's main prize will again be €20,000. The value of the follow-up draws is €20,000 and €9,800.

The winners of the €50 Open Draws are Jim Keogh (Promoter Vanessa Clarke), Tony Talbot (Vivian Clarke) and Michael Dixon (Kay Dixon).

The winners of the Promoters Draw were Anne Brennan and Berney’s Chemist, and the winner of the draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Francesca Broughall.

The Parish thanks all who support the Lotto.

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

LEADBEATER CONVERSATION LAUNCH EVENT OF READERS FESTIVAL

The 2026 Kildare Readers Festival will kick off with the event The Annalist of Ballitore: Mary Leadbeater in Conversation, marking the 200th anniversary of her death. 

The presentation, in three locations during the festival, features Quaker annalist, poet, and humanitarian Mary Leadbeater, portrayed by Mary Linehan, discussing her life, writing, and memories of the 1798 rebellion with writer John MacKenna. 

The events will take place on Thursday, 1 October at 7pm at Athy Library, Saturday, 3 October at 3:30pm at Naas Library & Cultural Centre, and Sunday, 4 October at 3pm at Ballitore Library. 

Tickets can be booked online via the festival’s website. The festival is supported by Kildare County Council, RTE Arts, CKAN, Riverbank Arts Centre, and Ernie’s@Shackleton Experience.

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

NARRAGHMORE PINK RUN 2026

The Narraghmore Pink Run, supporting Breast Cancer Ireland, will take place on Sunday, 18 October, at 11am. Participants can choose between a 5km or 10km walk/run starting from The Old Hardware. 

Registration is available on the day, with a €5 donation for individuals and €20 for families. Funds raised will aid in breast cancer research.

For more information and to donate, visit this link. 

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy

2027 HERITAGE GRANT SCHEME NOW OPEN

The Heritage Council has opened the Expression of Interest stage for its 2027 Community Heritage Grant Scheme, encouraging community groups to apply for funding to protect and celebrate local heritage. The scheme supports projects on historic buildings, biodiversity, traditional skills, and more, with over €9 million awarded to 680 projects since 2022. 

New for 2027, the application process includes a two-stage approach, simplifying initial submissions and allowing for project testing before full applications. The Expression of Interest deadline is 16 October 2026, with funding decisions expected in Spring 2027. 

“People in County Kildare pass and engage with local heritage every day," says Kildare Heritage Officer, Dara Wyer, "whether that be a woodland, a townland name, a landmark building, a shoreline, a family tradition or a story shared by a neighbour. These are the connections that make heritage meaningful, and they are also the starting point for strong community projects."

Applications are invited under themes such as Heritage at Risk and Biodiversity Restoration. For more details, visit heritagecouncil.ie. 

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy