Thursday, October 16, 2025

Showcasing Maison d'Eileen on National Women's Enterprise Day


Kilcullen entrepreneur Eileen Tan's new perfume business is showcasing today at the Styled for Success event in Keadeen Hotel, writes Brian Byrne. County Kildare Chamber and the Network Ireland Kildare Branch organised the event to mark National Women's Enterprise Day.
Eileen's First Love portfolio comprises five fragrances under the banner of Maison d'Eileen, each handcrafted by her using the finest perfumery ingredients. The fragrances are available as small space diffusers and room fragrance mists, named Lemongrass Spa, Prosecco Sparkle, Lavender Calm, Bergamot Musk and Jasmine Breeze.
Eileen, a music lover and piano teacher, says creating perfumes is much like playing music. "Once you know the chords, you can weave in the melody," she says. "Each ingredient, like a note, adds depth and nuance, and as the layers unfold, they reveal themselves just as the dynamics of a musical piece do."
Her original interest in fragrances came through developing scented candles, which she has been selling for several years at markets and craft outlets. As part of bringing her Maisan d'Eileen project forward, she spent some time during the summer in the world perfume capital, Grasse, in the south of France, meeting farmers, perfumers, teachers,  visiting museums and talking to the locals.




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Kilcullen News Update

Drama Group AGM ... Hermitage Park traffic calming ... Dementia and autism experience bus to visit Kildare ... Pilot Oíche na hÓige (‘Youth Night’) 2025 ... €10,000 prize fund for Nature Hero Awards 2025/2026 ... 
Reporting since 2005 from a Village Grown Bigger. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.



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Cabinet reshuffle at well-attended drama AGM

Image: Kilcullen Drama Group.

Kilcullen Drama Group
held a very well-attended AGM last night in the Town Hall, with a busy agenda to get through and a cabinet reshuffle among the committee. 
Both Eilis Phillips and Joan Murphy stepped down from their respective positions on the committee as Chairperson and Secretary. Both were thanked for their significant contribution to Kilcullen Drama Group and their commitment to keeping the group afloat, particularly during the COVID pandemic. 
In her final Chairperson's address, Eilis spoke about the importance of keeping the group moving with new members alongside the established members of the group. Joan thanked all members, past and present, for their support and highlighted the importance of the social aspect of the Drama Group. 
In her Treasurer's Report, Sinead McKenna outlined that the group has a healthy bank balance. The Group raised a significant amount of money in fundraising in the past 12 months, including €3,500 for Naas Hospital Oncology ward from the proceeds of the Calendar Girls Calendars and also over €850 from Mische Fekete's "A Night for Mische", which will contribute to the refurbishment of the lighting system in the hall. 
In the election of new officers, Sinead McKenna was elected as Chairperson, Katie Daffy was elected Secretary, and Fergus Ryan was elected Treasurer. A committee meeting will be convened in the coming weeks to plan for the coming year. 
Our next production will be three one-act plays, which will be staged towards the end of November and will feature some new (and some not-so-new) faces. Details on this production will follow soon. 
If you're interested in joining Kilcullen Drama Group or finding out a bit more about what we do, please get in touch with us via our Social Media pages (Facebook and Instagram), email us at Kilcullendramaticgroup@gmail.com or message/Whatsapp/call us at 087 4707652.

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Bluebird Care autism and dementia bus in Kildare


A mobile presentation aimed at raising awareness and understanding of autism and dementia will be located at Kildare Village Centre on Thursday, 23 October, writes Brian Byrne
The Bluebird Care Immersive Experience Bus guides visitors through a fully immersive encounter using virtual reality, sound, and environmental simulation. The experience recreates individuals' sensory and cognitive challenges in everyday situations, including bright lights, noise sensitivity, disorientation, memory confusion, and emotional triggers.
The initiative aims to foster empathy, understanding, and improved communication among carers, healthcare professionals, families, and the wider public.
The bus has been travelling around Ireland over the past year, providing experiences that are described as “eye-opening,” “deeply moving,” and “transformative”.  

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Youth Night initiative


A pilot Oíche na hÓige (‘Youth Night’) 2025 will be held on Friday, 21 November, for communities nationwide to celebrate their local young people, youth clubs and services, and youth workers and volunteers.
Participants are encouraged to design a showcase event as a celebration and to let the wider community know what their club or service means to them, whether by inviting the public into their space or through other innovative means.
The initiative is being supported under Opportunities for Youth, the national strategy for youth work and related services, and is inspired by the success of events such as Culture Night and Open House, Dublin.
The Department of Education and Youth will make funding available through the Education and Training Boards to help clubs and projects run events on Oíche na hÓige. Grant funding is available to help participating clubs with costs, including food and drink, music and equipment hire, materials, displays, entertainment, and promotional costs, including media, video, photography and printing, including preparation of materials prepared ahead of Oíche na hÓige
More information for clubs and services will be available from their local ETB Youth Officer.

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Traffic calming call for Hermitage Park access road

Image: Google Maps.

A request that Kildare County Council assess the access road for Hermitage Park that passes through Moanbane Park for traffic calming measures has been accepted. 
At Wednesday's Kildare-Newbridge MD meeting, the district engineer agreed to Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer's call to add the item to 'the already extensive' list of requests for traffic calming.
The report to the motion also noted that no funding is available in the 2025 budget for the requested works.

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Happy Birthday, Margaret


Frances Brennan
was home on a quick trip from New York last weekend to help her Mam Margaret celebrate her 80th birthday. She asked the Diary to give her a shout-out too. So, a slightly late happy birthday, Margaret, pictured above with husband Denis, and many more of them.
"She'll kill me ... but she'll be all right," Frances told your editor. From the safe distance of her Big Apple home.

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Nature Hero Awards 2025/2026 open for application


A prize fund of €10,000 to help upgrade school gardens is available in the Nature Hero Awards 2025/2026, being promoted through the Biodiversity in Schools programme, writes Brian Byrne. The €10,000 will be shared between the winners in various categories, and home building company Glenveagh is the programme partner.
Applications are now open for the Awards, in which the Overall National Winner will receive €5,000. There are also prizes for Best Preschool (€1,000), Best Primary School (€1,000), Best Secondary School (€1,000) and eight Spot Prizes of €250.
Registration for the competition is available at this link
Pictured above at the official launch of the Awards with schoolchildren from Gaelscoil Dhroichead na Banndan, Co Cork are Annette McGarry, Head of Community Engagement, Glenveagh; Diarmuid Hayes, Operations Manager, Biodiversity in Schools; Mark Nolan, Founder and CEO, Biodiversity in Schools and (bottom centre), Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan.

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Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Historical fiction is the business for Calverstown author


“I was out somewhere with the kids and just happened to check, and there had been thousands of downloads. It really took off from there.” 
Calverstown-based author Peter Gibbons had long thought about writing, and was a journalling ideas scribbler, writes Brian Byrne. But with a busy family life and a job in the insurance industry to support them, he’d never found the time to write a story. Until Covid.
“All of a sudden, I was working from home, with no commute. There were no sports for the kids or evening activities. I had a chance to sit down and put a story together.” Which he did, in a complete book manuscript length, set against the conquest of Northumbria and East Anglia by the Viking Great Heathen Army in 856 AD. And soon realised, in his own words, that it was ‘rubbish’. “It was a long, sprawling kind of thing. I sent it to lots of agents, and only one bothered to reply, and it was kind of like, it's a little bit naive, and you need to look at x, y and z.”
Peter got the message. He started to learn about story structure and made improvements. Then he did something that was a game-changer: he invested in a professional editor’s structural assessment. "She read the book and came back with it broken down into what was good, what was bad. Lots of bad, not much good. Which is exactly what I needed; otherwise, my writing career would have died with that first novel that wasn't up to scratch. So I could then go off and learn all those things, learn the craft."
Traditional publishing depends on uncontrollable variables, such as an agent knowing an editor who might be looking for a book type that an author may have submitted. Peter decided to go the Amazon Kindle route, because it was ‘accessible’. “With Amazon, you put it all together — editing, cover, design, and put it out there. The readers decide.” He admits that once he had uploaded Viking Blood and Blade for public judgment, it was as much to ‘get rid of it’ as anything else. “I thought nobody would be interested, and that was it. The ambition is done, goodbye.” Until that time he checked the downloads.
Realising that he seemed to have something people wanted, he wrote sequels and continued on the self-publishing route. Soon, he had a series from his original Vikings-based story. “For some reason, they have all been particularly successful in America.”
Peter was still working full-time in insurance, but he put aside dedicated time for his writing. “I’d get up really early, set a word target and make sure I’d reach it, then head off to work.” Entering writers' competitions also helped. He won some, and the prize money paid for building a dedicated writing room in his garden. One competition win in 2022 moved his game further. “I entered King of War in the Kindle Storyteller Competition and won it. The prize-giving was in the Houses of Parliament in London, where I first met other writers.” Being there with his wife, Fiona, was key to the next step. “I got a traditional publishing contract from Boldwood Books while we were there, and we both realised that maybe I could go full-time.”
Peter’s income from writing had also reached the point where it was equivalent to that from his full-time job. But it was through conversations with other writers at the London event that Fiona also agreed he should move. “If she hadn’t been there with me, it might have been harder to convince her.” Today, Fiona is a key part of what has become the family business. She quit her HR job and now looks after a busy enterprise's accounts and marketing. 
Peter makes no bones that his writing is a business. “When you've worked in the business world, that’s what you do. I start work at nine and write until four. I do 4,000 words a day, no matter what.” If something like a school run or the interview for this piece cuts into his writing day, he’ll make up the hours later to meet his daily output. “That’s how the books are delivered, how I write so many books.”
Writing in a specific genre makes managing the digital publishing business efficient, especially in targeting digital ads on social media, which is how he developed the platform for his books. “You can get to people who read authors similar to yourself. You can target people who watch particular television shows or movies in the same genre.”
Peter has always been fascinated by history. Particularly, the Greek and Roman times. But choosing the Vikings era for his historical fiction comes from his upbringing in North West England — Warrington, between Liverpool and Manchester — and his 18 years in Ireland, brought here by his Irish wife. “There’s a big Viking history in England and in Ireland. It’s everywhere you go. What I always try to do in my stories is pick a big event; within that, you have a kind of a small story, a guy trying to achieve something else within that bigger story. It could be about family or vengeance or whatever you want, but it's set within that bigger structure. I get an idea. I research. I develop a plot. Then I’ll do a chapter plan. That will change as I go, of course.”
Since becoming a professional writer, Peter has made the time to talk to others aspiring to be the same. “I give them two big pieces of advice. Finish your first draft and don’t spend time tweaking it as you write, or you’ll never finish it. Then you have something like a piece of clay, which you can go back over and mould. So refine, refine, and refine.”
Peter Gibbons is very aware that many people dream of being full-time authors. They can do it the ‘arty’ way, taking a year or years to complete their magnum opus, and never turn it into a livelihood. Or they can recognise that, like any other endeavour, working it as a craft can be developed into a business that can succeed. As he has done.
In addition to the original Viking Blood and Blade saga series, Peter has a Saxon Warrior series published by Boldwood Books, as well as a brand new series set in the time of the legendary King Arthur, in the turbulent period of the late 5th Century AD, when Roman rule had ended and the Germanic tribes were invading. If you think he might be sitting on his laurels, he also has a couple of modern thrillers under his belt, published under the pseudonym Dan Stone.
(This article was originally published in the Kildare Nationalist.)

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Kilcullen News Update

Kilcullen Twinning meeting upcoming ... Information evening on Circular Economy ...  Kilcullen Community Quilt art project ... Punch Needle workshops for beginners ... Ballyshannon NS Split the Pot fundraiser ... Top Dog Quiz date change ... Parish Lotto numbers ...
Reporting since 2005 from a Village Grown Bigger. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

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Circular economy information evening


An evening of information on the circular economy and grants available for local initiatives will be held on Thursday, 30 October, at Solas Bhride Centre in Kildare Town, writes Brian Byrne.
The two-hour event delivered by the Rediscovery Centre, starting at 6.30pm, will feature local stories from community groups already making an impact with circular activities. 
Circular Communications Grants of up to €5,000 are available to groups via Circular.ie, a digital platform and resource hub funded by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment under the Circular Economy Fund. 
Tickets for the evening are free, available on Eventbrite

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Appleton Property - New Listing, 10 Oak Park, Narraghmore


A c. 330 sq m luxury extended family home on a c. 0.4-acre site. A truly fabulous property now available for viewing by appointment with Austin Egan of Appleton Property in Narraghmore. 
Featuring exquisite finishes, fixtures, and fittings throughout, this magnificent property comes to market with four reception rooms, two ensuite double bedrooms, two additional double bedrooms, and a home cinema in a versatile extension suitable for future conversion to ancillary family accommodation. 
Energy efficient with a B3 BER rating. A fully turnkey home ready for immediate occupation with no further work needed. Viewings are now available by appointment with Appleton Property on 045 482759, 087 1311133.
info@appleton.ie. Full details are available at ww1.daft.ie/16310044 and www.appleton.ie.
Thinking of selling? For best results, contact Austin Egan at Appleton Property, Kilcullen.

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Punch Needle workshops


Punch Needle workshops
for beginners will be held at Gather in Kildare Town on Thursday, 23 October, and Thursday, 20 November.
The two-hour events begin at 5.30pm and will be on the themes of Wall Hanging and Christmas Decorations, respectively. The cost is €65 for the first and €55 for the second.
The workshops will be conducted by Blaithín, and participants take home their completed work. Create @ Gather is an initiative led and supported by Kildare County Council.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Parish Lotto Draw results


The numbers drawn in the Kilcullen and Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw held on 14 October 2025 were 19, 20, 24 and 26. There was no Jackpot winner, and next week's main prize will again be €20,000. The value of the follow-up draw stands at €18,000.
The winners of the €50 Open Draws were Suibhan Tuite (Promotoer Siobhan Tuite), Francesca Broughall (Francesca Broughall) and Clare and Miriam (PJ Lydon).
The winners of the Promoters Draw were Berney's Chemist and Breda McCormack, and the winner of the Draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Miriam McDonnell.
The Parish thanks all who support the Lotto.

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Community Quilt art project for Kilcullen


A community quilt art project will begin this Thursday in Kilcullen Library and continue over six weekly workshops in the Library and in Kilcullen Heritage Centre, writes Kate Maher. Threads of Connection will be delivered by Dúlra Cill Dara and is funded by Kildare County Council Arts Service under the First Fortnight Award 2025.
Participants will each produce a quilt square using nature-based techniques that include natural dyeing and block printing to stitching, plant impressions, and fabric collage. No previous sewing experience is needed, and all materials will be provided, though participants are also welcome to bring their own fabrics, threads, or mementoes to personalise their work. Each workshop is standalone and free; people can attend just one or more.
Every quilt square will reflect the maker’s memories, inspirations, and connections with nature. Once completed, the squares will be sewn into a large community quilt that will go on public display during First Fortnight 2026 – Ireland’s annual arts and mental health festival. The festival aims to challenge mental health stigma and open conversations through creativity, bringing communities together through art, music, and shared experience.
At its heart, Threads of Connection is about inclusion and belonging. The workshops are designed to be accessible and welcoming to everyone – young people, older residents, families, and individuals from all backgrounds. Both venues are fully wheelchair accessible, and chaperones or support workers are warmly welcome. The project encourages intergenerational participation, recognising the vital role older people play in community life, and celebrating the sharing of stories, skills, and wisdom across generations.
The quilt will serve as an artwork and a living archive – a reflection of Kilcullen’s community spirit and creativity, stitched together through shared experience and care.

Workshop Dates:
Thu 16 Oct | 18:00 – 19:45 – Kilcullen Library
Fri 17 Oct | 10:00 – 11:45 – Kilcullen Town Hall & Heritage Centre
Fri 24 Oct | 10:00 – 11:45 – Kilcullen Town Hall & Heritage Centre
Sat 25 Oct | 10:15 – 12:00 – Kilcullen Library
Mon 27 Oct | 15:00 – 16:45 – Kilcullen Town Hall
Tue 28 Oct | 15:00 – 16:45 – Kilcullen Library
Booking is free but essential: www.dulracilldara.ie

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