Edel and Jim got married

Edel Mackey and Jim 'Jimmer' Kelly got married today in a really nice ceremony at Kilcullen Heritage Centre. 

As would be expected, some very nice singing at the event, and it really showed the place to be a lovely location. 

At Edel's request, the Diary took a few photos. Congratulations to both. 

We reckon there may be a few songs and guitar playing through the rest of the day.

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It Says in The Bridge: April 2026

If you see a drone hovering over Kilcullen's streetscape in the coming months, it's not sinister, writes Brian Byrne. It will just be another KCA project getting underway, to survey the heritage area of Upper Main Street. The survey is the lead story on this month's issue, and the images with it are an interesting comparison of what the street is like today compared to 126 years ago.

The centre spread story is of the 'grand' celebration of two creative people who left significant legacies in Kilcullen before they passed away — sculptor Noel Scullion and musician Liam O'Flynn. Ray Kelly's account is of the evening devoted to their linkage through the heritage of Dun Ailinne, which simply had to be recognised. Even if you are a newcomer to Kilcullen, the two people concerned were part of what you will be — our local heritage is the foundation of all the futures of those who live here.

Then there are the people who simply passed through, but left a mark that might not be noticed, yet will always be there as long as someone has written down the memory. That's the 'Passing Strangers' basis of Mary Orford's contribution this month, recalling such fleeting visitors as William Makepeace Thackeray, Daniel O'Connell, the writer Maeve Brennan, who spent time in the Cross and Passion before becoming famous, actress Rita Hayworth, Henry Kissinger and Jackie Onassis. As she writes, there were many others, no doubt, who, to one degree or another, got the taste of a Kilcullen welcome.

One of those was the late Ronnie Delaney, and there's a reflection in this issue on his inspiring life, from Henry Murphy, one of the members of the Creative Writers group. The Olympic hero was in Kilcullen in 2019, and there are local memories of him spending time in The Spout with some of our own Olympians, heroes in their own right for simply taking part.

In other features, Jim Kelly continues his recollections of a lifetime managing Castlemartin for the late Tony O'Reilly. A career that involved resurrecting a Kilcullen heritage, maintaining and enhancing it, and we feel very fortunate to have such a record in The Bridge. There's also the regular contribution from the Kilcullen Photography Club, whose pictures are another way of capturing and preserving today's town for future perusal.

From our regulars, Julie Dunlop Felsbergs ponders on a period of not being able to drive due to recovery from a medical procedure and how she eventually accepted that as a signal that she should slow down for a time from a hectic modern life. Noel Clare goes Out and Away to Curracloe and Wexford, finding the former a true haven for an extraordinary range of wildlife. Eugene Brennan explains the importance of counterbalances in keeping things where they should be, and Billy Redmond muses on the differences between American football and our own Gaelic kind. With the Festival almost upon us, the Places Around Us contribution from Daithí de Róiste about Punchestown's history is timely.

With all the usual, and the usual much more, the April Bridge is now on sale in the usual outlets. With much about Kilcullen's heritage, and of itself a part of it.

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Kilcullen issues raised by councillor for next meeting

Bishop Rogan Park: request for pull-in bays.

Councillor Tracey O’Dwyer has submitted motions and inquiries aimed at enhancing infrastructure and safety in Kilcullen and Two Mile House ahead of the upcoming Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District meeting, writes Brian Byrne. The meeting is scheduled to take place on 15 April at Áras Chill Dara.

The councillor requests the council to investigate the feasibility of installing pull-in bays within Bishop Rogan Park, Nicholastown, and Cnoc na Greine estates to prevent service vehicles from obstructing footpaths and green spaces.

Cllr O’Dwyer has also tabled a motion requesting the results of a traffic survey conducted in Kilcullen in May 2025. This survey gathered data pertaining to traffic volume, flow, parking turnover, and pedestrian activity.

A request for a detailed update on the scope and commencement date of works at Thompson’s Cross is the subject of a question from the councillor. She also wants the council to confirm plans to upgrade the pelican crossing at Two Mile House Primary School, noting that cars are currently failing to yield to children crossing the road.

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Business promotion opportunity at Community Centre

Local businesses have a prime opportunity to promote their services at the busy and prominent venue of Kilcullen Community Centre. 

If you're aiming to reach a broad audience and increase your visibility, consider joining other local enterprises like Premier Catering and Kings and Queen of Castles in showcasing your business on the centre campus. 

For more information, contact Enda at the Community Centre on 087 9681040 or at enda@kilcullencommunitycentre.com.

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Andrea celebrates her birthday

Andrea Condron recently celebrated her 40th birthday with a gathering of family and friends at The Spout. 

Pictured are Clare Kelly, Sarah Kelly, Leah Aitkem, Anne Brennan, Breda Condron, Andrea Condron, Shannon Aitkem and Roisin Kelly.

Photo by PJ Lydon.

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Details found in dumped material

An examination of the illegal rubbish dumped at St Brigid's Cemetery in recent days has elicited details which may lead to the discovery of the perpetrator.

The Diary understands that these details have been passed on to the Gardai. 

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An Unmissable Performance in Kilcullen

It’s rare that an amateur drama group brings a production to the stage that requires four actors to play a combined total of 12 characters, that requires role changing and rapid costume swapping onstage, and that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. It’s rare that an amateur group brings a production to the stage that has not often been attempted outside of the professional circuit because of the complexity of the content and performance. But that’s exactly what Kilcullen Drama Group is doing this month with The Walworth Farce, which runs from 15th to 18th April in Kilcullen Town Hall. 

“It may be our most challenging play yet,” says director Eilis Phillips, who was the brainchild of bringing Enda Walsh’s production to the stage in Kilcullen. Walsh wrote The Walworth Farce in 2006, and it was first performed by Druid Theatre Company. It won awards at the Edinburgh Fringe, which helped launch it onto international stages, where its dark humour and inventive theatrical style earned widespread acclaim.

The play is a play-within-a-play style of performance which revolves around three men and how they act out a distorted version of their past on a constant loop, until one day a stranger unexpectedly enters their flat and breaks the routine and their illusion of reality. In the play, we meet Dinny, played by Maurice O’Mahony, the tyrannical father who created the daily routine of the Farce. Dinny forces his two sons to re-enact how they left Ireland many years ago, in a bid to keep his family safe from the horrors of the outside world. Blake, the older of Dinny’s two sons, is played by Allan Clarke. Blake, trapped in his father’s story, plays the most roles within the play, including all the female parts. Sean, the younger son, is played by Adam Treacy and is the only member of the family who can leave their flat every morning to buy the same groceries required for their play. And finally, Hayley, played by Sinead McKenna, is the naïve Tesco cashier who thinks she’s doing a good deed by returning Sean’s shopping bag, but soon finds herself trapped in this nightmare scenario. 

The stakes are high in this play, both for the characters and for the four actors with such a high-energy, physical performance. The inclusion of the word “Farce” in the title suggests slapstick comedy, and while there is an element of that style, there are far more layers to this play, with the psychological tension being ramped up from the beginning and an ending that will leave the audience thinking about it for days afterwards. 

The Walworth Farce runs in Kilcullen Town Hall from 15th to 18th April and is a production not to be missed. Tickets are on sale now from Woodbine Books and Eventbrite. 

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Busy Camphill Coffee Morning

There was a very supportive turnout this morning at Camphill The Bridge for their Easter Coffee Morning, writes Brian Byrne. 

Families and children also came out for the event, which included an Easter Egg Hunt around the nature trail.

Pictured are Lucy Coade, Roisin O'Dea, Jane Bonnar, and Audrey Leavy, who kept everyone full of baked treats and tea.

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