Kilcullen Library reopening next week, with limited service

Kilcullen Librarian Julie O'Donoghue talks about how Kilcullen Community Library will be reopening on a limited service from Tuesday next, under the Phase 2 of the easing of the Covid-19 restrictions. Produced by Brian Byrne.

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Shirley's Secret Kloset reopens on Monday

Shirley Kavanagh Hallion talks about the reopening of her Secret Kloset ladies boutique next Monday, and how she coped during the Covid-19 closure. Produced by Brian Byrne.

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Community Centre Covid update

Kilcullen Community Centre staff have been busy preparing for the re-opening of Kilcullen Community Centre and All Weather Pitch, writes Centre Manager Enda O'Neill. Mark, Adam and Fionn have spent the last few weeks painting and cleaning the inside and outside of the Centre.

Two new Hand Sanitising Units are being installed. One will be placed in the main reception area and one at our All Weather Pitch. The All Weather Pitch will be available to use from Monday 8 June to non-contact children's camps and for small groups who would like to partake in some non-contact training.

Unfortunately the All Weather Pitch is not yet available for team contact sports such as soccer or football, but hopefully we will be back in full swing for contact sport in the very near future.

A Kilcullen Community Centre road-map poster, has been placed in the main window at the Centre for people who would like to see how we plan to move forward with the re-opening of the country. Until then we need to stay the course and keep ourselves and members of our community safe.

Of course these phases are subject to change in line with Government guidelines. If there are any questions on our phased re-opening please feel free to contact me on 087 9681040.


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Council reminds of Re-Start Fund

With an accelerated Phase 2 reopening of businesses now possible from Monday, a reminder that Kildare County Council invites applications for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation’s Re-Start Fund – a fund to reconnect small and micro businesses with their employees and customers.

The grant is available to businesses with a turnover of less than €5m and employing 50 people or less, which have suffered a projected 25pc+ loss in revenue from 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2020.

The grant will be equivalent to the rates bill of the business in 2019, with a minimum payment of €2,000 and a maximum payment of €10,000. It is a contribution towards the cost of re-opening or keeping a business operational and re-connecting with employees and customers.

Eligible businesses who have stayed open throughout the crisis, as well as those who have reopened under Phase 1 (from 18 May) and are reopening in Phase 2 (8 June) of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, are encouraged to apply now for the Restart Grant

Please note a separate application will be required for each rated property on your rate account. Applications are being accepted on-line only, through the following https://consult.kildarecoco.ie

Most questions on the grant are answered here.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 31 August 2020.


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Kildare Bathroom Company is reopening Monday

Ger Dooley's Kildare Bathroom Company will be open for business from Monday, preferably by appointment for those wishing to view in the showroom.

All customers to the Link Business Park premises will be accommodated while complying with regulations on Covid 19.

Call 045 482940 for appointment.

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Weatherday: D-Day

Windy and mostly cloudy today. Rain forecast this morning and later this evening. Fresh to strong north-westerly winds will ease through the afternoon.

Highest expected temperatures 12deg.

On this day in 1944, Operation Overlord began the D-Day landings in Normandy, France. Almost a year later, Germany would surrender.

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Kilcullen local services during Covid-19

This is an ongoing listing of local matters and available services relating to the Covid-19 situation, updated by the Diary as information comes in, writes Brian Byrne. Anyone with an update can email kilcullendiary@gmail.com or text 086 8267104.

(NOTE on 26 MAY: This listing will no longer be updated on a daily basis, as most Covid-related news and services are now well known. The link to the page will remain on the Diary for anyone who wants to check lists or numbers. I hope it has been of help. )

6 JUNE

Shirley Kavanagh Hallion talks about the reopening of her Secret Kloset ladies boutique next Monday, and how she coped during the Covid-19 closure.

Kilcullen Community Centre staff have been busy preparing for the re-opening of Kilcullen Community Centre and All Weather Pitch.

Ger Dooley's Kildare Bathroom Company will be open for business from Monday, preferably by appointment for those wishing to view in the showroom.

KEY NUMBERS
Kilcullen Garda Station 045 481212, or 086 8582822 for help with food or medicine deliveries.
Kilcullen Family Practice 045 481818.
Kilcullen Medical Centre 045 481411.
Kilcullen Physiotherapy Clinic 086 3554767.
Berney's Chemists 045 481497 or 085 8140168 or berneyschemist@gmail.com.
Burke Pharmacy 045 897489; Fax 045 874435; Kilcullenpharmacy@burkespharmacy.ie.
Nichola Kennedy Optometrist is closed, but for emergency eye problems or an eyewear crisis phone 045 484643 and leave a message.

Kildare Covid-19 Community Response Forum 045 980202 (Only for vulnerable groups).

TAKEAWAY FOOD 
(variable days and times, phone for orders where applicable)
Bardons Thu/Fri ordering from 1pm-8pm 045 482286.
Kalbarri Cookery School Saturdays 087 2932501.
Brown Bear Restaurant Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun 045 883561.
Rea's Takeaway 045 480537.
Crean's Place Sat/Sun 087 1940078.
Armelle's Kitchen 045 480697.
River Cafe 10am-2pm.
Alkebabish Kilcullen, details here.

FOOD/BEVERAGE
Eurospar delivery for vulnerable Wed/Thu/Fri 087 4623539.
Nolans Butchers 8am-4pm.
Ger's Fruit & Veg 10am-4pm and delivery available 087 9028050.
Cross's Centra 045 484663.
Daybreak Kilcullen open every day.
CarryOut 10am-8pm.

OTHER SERVICES
Kildare Credit Union Kilcullen 9am-1pm Tue/Thu/Fri/Sat. 045 521928 9am-5pm.
Animals First Veterinary Hospital revised opening hours for emergency, urgent and potentially urgent cases, phone 045 480478.
Valu€Zone 10am-2pm, hand sanitiser and surgical masks in stock.
H and H Motors emergency for urgent repairs 087 2203510.
Dunlea's Garage open for repairs and fuel 045 481299.
Applegreen Service Station open for fuel and convenience items.

Read more »

The passing of John Houghton

The Diary has learned of the death of John Houghton of The Close, Liffey Hall, Newbridge, and late of Kilcullen and Scotland, on 5 June 2020.

A retired engineer, horse breeder and trainer, John passed away peacefully at his home with his loving family broken-hearted by his side. He is sadly missed by his loving wife Bridget, daughter Hazel, son Osbert, son-in-law Mal, daughter-in-law Sheila, grand children Sophie, Isabella, Isla, Margot, niece, extended family, relatives and friends.

A private funeral will take place due to government advice regarding public gatherings.

Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

At Rest.

Church webcam still down

The parish church webcam system is still out of action, writes Brian Byrne.

Though the parish was expecting that an upgrade by the provider to cope with increased demand could be completed in the middle of last week, it has been down now for ten days.

Fr Mackey says 'something went wrong' and seven of the nine church webcams in the system in County Kildare are currently out of service.

"We're hoping," he told the Diary this morning. "In the meantime, we broadcast on the radio system at FM 107 whenever there's mass."

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Weekend local food options

Bardons takeaway meals open all through the weekend, with mains including large portion of Wings, Bardon Style; Beef Stir Fry; Beef Burger and Fries; Scampi; Tagliatelle Chicken Carbonara; Bakes Sea Bass and more.

Order 087 6040564 1pm-8pm, Collection 4pm-8.30pm. Also pre-order for Sunday Roast Ham Dinner for 5/6, €70.

There are updates on the daily and weekend takeaway meals options from Fallons Gourmet Garage, Armelle's Kitchen, Kalbarri Cookery School, Bardons, Alkebabish, Crean's Place, and the Brown Bear. Also The River Cafe Kilcullen is again selling through the door this week 10am-2.30pm - coffees, fresh baking, breakfast baps, tray bakes. And Rea's Takeaway is open for collection and delivery 045 480537. Jane Russell's Handmade Sausages can be ordered online.

Any other food provider in the Kilcullen area can be on this list by emailing details to kilcullendiary@gmail.com.


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The passing of Carol Sully, (nee Broe)

The Diary has learned of the death of Carol Sully (nee Broe) Grangemore, Brannockstown, on 4 June 2020, peacefully, at her residence.

Carol's passing is deeply regretted by her loving husband Sean, daughters Rachel and Hazel, brother Donal, son-in-law PJ, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, granddaughter Mia, grandsons Brandon and Jake, nieces, nephews, neighbours, extended family, relatives and friends.

Her funeral Mass will be celebrated in The Church of the Sacred Heart & St Brigid, Kilcullen, on Saturday morning at 10am. Regrettably, in accordance with current guidelines regarding public restrictions, a private funeral will take place.

Carol's funeral Mass will be live streamed on the Kilcullen parish website www.mcnmedia.tv.

May she rest in peace.

Weatherday: "RFK is down!"

A cool and blustery day is forecast. Sunny spells and showers, some of the showers heavy.

Fresh northwesterly winds, and highest temperatures in the Kilcullen area likely to be no more than 12deg.

On this day in 1968, Robert F Kennedy was fatally shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

You can listen to my podcast about him here.



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A candle-lit Kilcullen bridge instead of Pieta Dawn Walk

A lighting up of the bridge in Kilcullen with candles is a replacement fundraising idea for the usual Dawn Walk in aid of Pieta House, writes Brian Byrne.

Candles are €5 each or other donation, and organisers Lorna Brophy and Richie Kelly will place them on the bridge on Saturday 4 July.

Sponsor cards are available for anyone who wants to help get donations, and they can also be used to get names of people who want their name on the candle.

If you want a card, or to help in any other way, message Lorna on her Facebook page.

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Council and Kildare Chamber set up local business e-commerce

Photo: Anthony Shkraba.

An opportunity for Kildare businesses to get on a free online e-commerce platform is being provided by Kildare County Council in association with the County Kildare Chamber, writes Brian Byrne.

Businesses based in the county who want to get on board can register before Friday 20 June to be there when the site goes live in July.

It's part of the Council's support for businesses to get back up and going in the post-Covid era. It can work equally well for those businesses who don't already have a website, or who do.

Each town or village in the county will have its local participating businesses listed, along with categorised products or services they offer.

The platform will be managed by Cova Technology for the Council, and the only charge will be a 5pc commission on sales to cover the cost of card payments and administration.

Registration is at shopcountykildare.ie and further information is available from info@shopcountykildare.ie.

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'Brannockstown At Home 2020' photobook is going ahead

More than 70 local households have signed up for the Brannockstown At Home 2020 photobook, being prepared to raise funds for Pieta House, writes Brian Byrne.

The project was mooted some weeks ago, the idea being to provide a photographic record of local people in their homes during the period of coronavirus restriction period.

The area featured is within a 5km radius of the village centre, and pictures will be taken by a local photographer in a relaxed manner at people's homes, in their garden, or wherever they wish in the area. There's also provision for people who don't want to be in a picture themselves but would like their homes or gardens to feature.

Those taking part will write a short note to appear beside their picture, and the book will be on sale as soon as it is completed.

"The door is open for anyone else who wants to join in," says organiser Agnes Keohane. "We will take photographs over the next few weeks — we’ll be in contact with participants soon to arrange an appointment."

Anyone else who wants to be involved can email brannockstown2020@gmail.com or phone Richie Kelly 087 2346428 or Agnes Keohane 087 8262239.

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Kilcullen residents in 'Roar for Ruairi' campaign

On 13-14 June, members of Naas Triathlon Club will attempt to cycle the equivalent distance to the coastline of Ireland while staying within the current government guidelines, writes the club's Donna Barry, covering over 3,000km in the process. A number of Kilcullen residents are members of the club.

This effort is to raise funds for the Roar for Ruairi campaign. Ruairi McDonald is a 6-year-old boy from Clane who has been diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease.

All proceeds will go directly to the McDonald family to make necessary renovations to their home and to help with home care costs for Ruairi.

To support this worthy cause please visit the campaign's GoFundMe page.

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New public defibrillator installed at Centra on Hillcrest

The first public-access defibrillator on the north end of Kilcullen has now been put in place at Cross's Centra store on Hillcrest, writes Brian Byrne.

The funds for the equipment were raised through donations and a public showing of the video of 'The Quare Land', the John McManus play presented by Kilcullen Drama Group in 2016.

The late Bernard Berney played one of the two roles in the play, alongside Vivian Clarke who raised the defibrillator funds with Ronan Murphy, Frank Mitchell, and Eilis Phillips. A total of €2,400 was raised.

The initiative followed the successful intervention with a defibrillator when Michael Lambe suffered a heart attack last year while watching a match at Kilcullen GAA's grounds. Vivian realised that while there were several of the machines available south of the bridge, there were none on the north side of the town.

The video of the play, made by Pat Foley, was screened last October with the blessing of the Berney family and the playwright.

Andrew Cross, owner of the Centra store, provided the location for the machine and arranged for its installation.

Yesterday, Vivian Clarke thanked Mary Berney and her family for their permission to use the video to raise the money. He also thanked Andrew Cross for his generosity in providing the location and covering the installation costs. He expressed his appreciation too for all the public support and donations which have made the facility possible.

A surplus of €400 was given from the fund in March towards the cost of providing an accessible toilet in the Kilcullen Community Centre.

Pictured with Mary Berney, her daughter Emma and grandchildren are Andrew Cross, Vivian Clarke, Frank Mitchell and Eilis Phillips.

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Second streamed gig next Monday from Roy Thompson

Photo: Kieran Behan.

Roy Thompson is planning a second Facebook live stream gig, for next Monday 8 June, writes Brian Byrne.

For this one, with nine songs on the list, he's mixing some originals, some covers, and some songs he has co-written with musician friends in the US and Ireland.

The event will start at 7.30pm, and this time Roy says it will go out on his public Roy Thompson Music page. The first one last Monday inadvertently only played on his personal page, so some potential listeners lost out.

All welcome.

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Food for the weekend

The Brown Bear Restaurant Takeaway Food menu from today to Sunday 7 June includes main courses of Chicken Satay, Jasmine Rice, Pickled Vegetables €14; Ginger and Chilli Stir Fry Beef and Noodles €15.50; Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Burger, Caesar Dressing, Bacon, Parmesan, Fries €13; Parmesan Crust Cod, Baby Potato, Chorizo, Sun-dried Tomatoes €15 and a Vegetarian Option of Vegetarian Stir Fry and Noodles.

Kalbarri Cookery's offering for next Saturday is a family meal for five comprising Lasagne, Coleslaw, and Cloud 9 Meringues with Pistachio Caramel. The cost is €70, and a two-person option is €40. To order, text Siobhan 087 2932501.

There are updates on the daily and weekend takeaway meals options from Fallons Gourmet Garage, Armelle's Kitchen, Kalbarri Cookery School, Bardons, Alkebabish, Crean's Place, and the Brown Bear. Also The River Cafe Kilcullen is again selling through the door this week 10am-2.30pm - coffees, fresh baking, breakfast baps, tray bakes. And Rea's Takeaway is open for collection and delivery 045 480537. Jane Russell's Handmade Sausages can be ordered online.

Any other food provider in the Kilcullen area can be on this list by emailing details to kilcullendiary@gmail.com.

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