The recent celebration of
Ballyshannon National School's 125th anniversary is the front-page lead on this month's issue,
writes Brian Byrne, marked by a picture of a piper leading Bishop Denis Nulty and Fr Barry Larkin to celebrate an outdoor mass on the school's playing field. With a full report inside, the joyful occasion is recorded for future generations, who can also, at some point, open a time capsule made for the day.
The other story in pictures on the page is in itself a time capsule of Kilcullen, showing three of more than 20 sketches made of the Kilcullen streetscape in 2026 by regular Bridge contributor Daithí de Róiste. The same kind of thing can be done with photographs, but somehow there's a different impact when an artist views a place.
The impact of 30 years of Transition Year at CPC is the stuff of the main centre spread story this month, described by the college's principal Joe Leonard as having become "one of the most important and valuable parts of the student journey". There are comments from various people, both staff and students, who have been part of the CPC journey in "educating the whole person".
There's colour too in a duo of Bit of Business pieces, on Grá Health Physiotherapy and MC Beauty House, new enterprises that show Kilcullen to be both an attractive place to live and to set up in business. We wish both well.
News items include the awarding of the latest Jeremy Burke Music Bursary, the election of Kilcullen-born scientist Prof Tess Lambe to the Royal Irish Academy, and lots of KCA goings-on, among them the acquisition of funding to enhance telling the story of Dun Áilinne. There's a profile of Maurice O'Mahony's career as an acting stalwart of Kilcullen Drama Group as he marks 50 years of amateur drama involvement in many character guises. The May 50K undertaken by Anna McLeod to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis is also featured.
From regular contributors, Mary Orford muses on the meaning and origins of many phrases used in everyday conversation, some of which might surprise those who use them. Julie Felsbergs reports from a holiday of people-watching that caused her to think about the "big, messy, chaotic, wonderful family of God". Billy Redmond ponders the evolution of communications since his start as a radio operator in the Defence Forces, and Eugene Brennan writes about the demise of the BBC World Service on Long Wave, also referencing a Kilcullen man, Al Ryan, and the BBC Shipping Forecast, which celebrated its centenary last year.
In his inimitable style, John Duffey records the importance to the local community of a small road near his home, Muldowney's Lane, for among other things, being the road through which turf was carried from the local bog. Depleted, the bog later became a Coillte planting where the Ballitore Game Club had clay pigeon shoots. Sean Landers provides the background and the text of a poem written to celebrate the "famous harper of Kilcullenbridge, John Murtagh", who died in 1745. No, we never heard of him, either, but he was apparently a musician of some substance in his time. For this month's Out and Away, Noel Clare went some distance to the Ardmore Cliff Walk in Co Waterford. A place worth taking time out for, he says.
New contributors to The Bridge have been a feature of the last few years, and this month, it's Jim Kavanagh's entrance, writing about Orby, the first Irish horse to win the Epsom Derby. Even for people uninterested in racing, the article is a thoroughly engaging read about the characters and events around the horse.
As always, lots more in Kilcullen's own community magazine, still going strong in its 56th year. Unusual outlets from this morning.
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