Enjoying the Taste of Kildare promotion at Fallons

There was a large turnout this evening in Fallon’s for the promotion of Taste of Kildare 2026, co-hosted by Into Kildare, the county tourism organisation, writes Brian Byrne. Brian Fallon is a director of the festival, which is being held at Naas Racecourse on 15/16 August.

The Kilcullen event was a barbecue in Fallon’s outside dining space, held to the background of a trio of traditional Irish musicians, Kilteel Ceoilte. Welcoming those present, Brian Fallon said the upcoming festival will be a fantastic event, and he thanked Chloe McGroarty of Into Kildare, who lives in Kilcullen, for putting the promotion together.

Tracey O’Dwyer, Leas-Cathaoirleach of Kildare County Council, said she was delighted that the promotion was happening in Kilcullen, which has one of the best food producers in Nolan’s Butchers and some of the county’s best restaurants, including Fallons. “Kilcullen is the place to come to for good produce, good food and good craic,” she said, admitting, to laughter, that she might be ‘a bit biased’. 

Full details of Taste of Kildare 2026 are available on the festival's website, with news and offers detailed on the event’s social media.

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Looking Back: First Communion 1958

Once again, thanks to our newspaper archives burrower correspondent, Joe Murray, here's a time machine flashback to June 1958. 

It shows Kilcullen children who made their First Communion, pictured with Parish Priest of the time, Fr Joseph Furlong. Were you there?  

The original photography was by H Donnelly Swift of Kildare town.

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Fallons BBQ tonight

A reminder that Fallons is hosting a BBQ in Kilcullen TONIGHT, Friday, 31 July 2026, as a preview of the restaurant's involvement in Taste of Kildare 2026.

Starting at 6pm at Main Street, Kilcullen, R56 W597, the event includes delicious local food, live music, and refreshing drinks in a lively atmosphere.

The Taste of Kildare festival this year is a weekend of food, music and family fun at Naas Racecourse on 15 and 16 August.

The Fallon family has been serving the people of Kildare with top-class catering since 1922. 

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Calverstown CFR Table Quiz

Calverstown Community First Responders are hosting a table quiz fundraiser on Friday, 14 August 2026, at Dowling’s in Ballyshannon. 

The event kicks off at 8pm, with tickets priced at €40 per table of four. 

All welcome for a fun night out. The group are still in training mode and not yet an active and responding CFR.

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Prizes presented for Scoil Bhride murder mystery stories

Competition winner Raven Evans, with her father Reuben, author Alison Weatherby, and Dawn Behan of Woodbine Books.

When the author of the Common Criminals Club series of books for children, Alison Weatherby, visits schools, the pupils get a real kick out of seeing her and hearing her tips on how to write a good murder mystery, writes Brian Byrne. But it's a two-way street, and Alison says she gets fabulous fun from it too.

When she did a workshop with the 5th and 6th classes in Scoil Bhride last month, arranged by the school's Mr Macken, a competition was organised in association with Woodbine Books for the pupils to write their own murder mysteries. Alison was in Woodbine this afternoon to present the winners with their prizes, and spoke highly about the creativity of the children. 

"They have so many great ideas, especially at that age. Their imaginations are all over the place, and it's so much fun to hear what kind of crazy ideas they have. The second place winner was talking about her mystery and how the guy in it had an allergic reaction to mustard, and I said, 'Just keep those crazy ideas in there'. They're so excited at that age too."

The winning story was Me and Miley Mystery by Raven Evans, with the runners-up SSK Agency by Méabh Behan and Murder at Dusk by Olivia Baryla. The full list of winners and highly commended stories can be found here. 

Some of the entries in the competition, from 5th and 6th class Scoil Bhride pupils.

Alison hails originally from Seattle and came to Ireland in 2017. She usually writes for young adults, but when she found that there was very little in the mystery genre for younger children and teens, she wrote Death Before Detention as the first in what is now the Common Criminals Club series. "It's set in the west of Ireland, about a bunch of Irish kids solving murders." The next book, School Trip Survival, will be out in February.

Living in Dun Laoghaire, with two daughters in second-level school, Alison says that listening to them and their friends talking gives her a sense of the word choices for the characters in her books, including the slang that they use today. “Obviously, I want the books to reflect their age group, so it's good for me. I love talking to the kids — it's handy to pick up the lingo from them."

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Friday craft mornings in Library

Image: Teona Swift via Pexels.

Kilcullen Library hosts a relaxed and friendly craft morning for adults every Friday at 11am. 

No prior experience is necessary, making it a perfect opportunity for everyone to get creative and meet new people.

All welcome.

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Innovation Day at MERITS

The MERITS Tech Cluster in Naas will host Idea Ignition on 24 September, a showcase of early-stage ideas, prototypes, and passion projects from the region’s leading tech minds. 

Scheduled from 6-8pm, with registration and networking starting at 5:30pm, this event will celebrate raw innovation, where startups, students, and solo creators reveal their projects, ranging from initial sketches to polished minimum viable products.

There will be demonstrations of emerging tech and tools, networking opportunities with founders, funders, and potential collaborators, as well as coffee, conversation, and creative exchanges. Participants are encouraged to bring a tablet or laptop to access their products, a pitch deck if available, and any promotional materials they have or are developing.

Idea Ignition offers a chance to receive technical, market, funding, and strategy advice from the entire MERITS community, while also providing an opportunity to share insights with fellow founders and creators. Whether you are a tech enthusiast, investor, mentor, or simply curious about the local innovation scene, this event provides a front-row seat to the future.

The event is free of charge for MERITS clients, with booking available at this link. 

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Orange forest fire risk warning

Kildare Fire Service has issued a Status Orange warning for high fire risk, effective from 4pm on 29 July 2026 until 12pm on 4 August 2026. The warning advises against lighting barbeques or outdoor fires in forests or recreational areas and urges landowners to adhere to land burning restrictions. 

Residents are reminded to park responsibly and report any fires or suspicious activities to An Garda Síochána. The burning of growing vegetation on uncultivated land is prohibited from 1st March to 31st August. 

Vigilance is crucial, especially in southern and eastern regions, where fire risks remain high due to dry conditions and potential wind speeds. Visitors to public areas should follow fire safety guidelines, and rural users should cooperate with fire safety requests. 

The public is urged to stay clear of active fires and keep access roads open for emergency vehicles.

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Teresa Lambe explains Ebola vaccine process

Image: University of Oxford/Matt Greetham.

In an interview with Nature magazine, Kilcullen-born scientist Professor Teresa Lambe talks about how the University of Oxford has developed and is testing a vaccine for the Ebola outbreak raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

The lead scientific investigator for the ChAdOx1 vaccine study and co-developer of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, she explains how the ChAdOx1 vaccine made it into clinical trials so quickly and what will come next.

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