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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30km/h speed limits proposed by Council

Image: KCC.

All Kilcullen housing estates that are taken in charge by KCC, and the main street from Conroy Park to the Market Square entrance north of the bridge, will be subject to a 30km/h speed limit under proposals being considered by Kildare County Council, writes Brian Byrne. The limit would also apply on the R413 west as far as Castlemartin gates and east as far as the top entrance of the Valley Park.

The Supplementary Special Speed Limit Byelaws for Built-Up and Urban areas 2026, as proposed, are now open to public view until 28 August, as part of a consultation process. They can be accessed online or at the Council’s offices in Naas. 

After public consultation, the Elected Members will consider adopting the byelaws, possibly with amendments, and they will take effect upon adoption. 

The byelaws are detailed in five volumes of maps, each covering a different Municipal District. Submissions can be made online in accordance with the Department of Transportation Guidelines 2025.

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KCC launches Biodiversity Action Plan

Cathaoirleach of Kildare CC, Cllr Tim Durkan, with Dr Méabh Boylan, KCC Biodiversity Officer, and Catherine Casey, Head of Climate Change, The Heritage Council.

Kildare County Council has launched its Biodiversity Action Plan 2026–2031, setting out a five-year framework to protect habitats, restore ecosystems and support nature recovery across the county.

The plan follows wide consultation with council staff, community groups, farmers, landowners, environmental organisations, state agencies, schools and the public. Its priorities include protecting biodiversity-rich habitats, restoring wetlands, peatlands, grasslands and river corridors, supporting threatened native species, improving ecological networks and strengthening biodiversity monitoring.

The Council says the plan reflects the urgency of biodiversity loss and aims to embed nature protection into everyday policy and land management. 

The full plan is now available on the KCC website.

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Parish Lotto Draw results

The numbers drawn in the Kilcullen & Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw held on 28th July 2026 were 12, 17, 19 and 27. 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 €8,000.

The winners of the €50 Open Draws are Debbie Clifford (Promoter Vivienne Clifford), John O’Connor (Wednesday Bridge Club) and Eugene Hall (Miriam McDonnell).

The winners of the Promoters Draw were Vivienne Clifford and Louise Gallagher, and the winner of the draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Bernie Kirby.

The Parish thanks all who support the Lotto.

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Swimming project is 'long-term'

Swimming in the Liffey and (inset) Tony Gahan.

The project to provide a dedicated swimming area for Kilcullen will be long-term before it comes to fruition, the July meeting of KCA heard, writes Brian Byrne. "We're at the bottom rung of the ladder and can only keep climbing," project leader Tony Gahan said.

He noted that, following representations from Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer, Kildare County Council had already appointed an assessor to report on the Liffey areas where such an area might be located. He said the consultant had been in touch with him, but he expressed concern at the meeting that the survey was being carried out just upstream of the bridge. 

Near the bridge is 'too shallow'.

"That's too shallow for swimming," he pointed out. He added that there were lots of steps and 'hoops to go through' in progressing the project, even though traditional swimming places at what's now the Riverside estate and New Abbey across from there had been used for eighty-plus years.

"We're just going to have to soldier on, and it's my intention to keep at it.”

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