Enhancement of recycle bins site

The recycle bins area in the Leinster Marts car park is getting a more useful plinth, and a backing fence, writes Brian Byrne.

The extra concrete area will make it easier to clear any debris and glass from in front of the bins, which are located there by Kildare County Council courtesy of the Mart.

It's hoped that the tidier look will encourage users to follow the rules and not leave boxes, etc on the site.

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Halloween Costume Competition in Calverstown

A Halloween Costume Competition will be held on Calverstown Village Green on Thursday 31 October, writes Brian Byrne.

Organised by the Calverstown Action Network, the event begins at 7pm.

There will be prizes for the best home-made Halloween costumes.

The organisers emphasise that competitors should be 'creative' and make their costumes with whatever materials they have to hand, 'instead of buying cheap, environmentally-unfriendly alternatives'.

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Council to discuss deer warning sign with Parks & Wildlife

Carnalway road at Dunstown. Pic courtesy Google.

Kildare County Council may have 'a discussion' with the National Parks and Wildlife Service on the possibility of erecting a deer warning sign on the Stephenstown to Carnalway Road, writes Brian Byrne.

This was a response to a motion by Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer that the Council investigate the need for such a sign, as there is a herd of wild deer in the area.

The initial report to yesterday's Kildare Newbridge MD meeting was that the Municipal Office had 'received no reports of incidents' on the road involving wild deer.

However, Cllr O'Dwyer told the meeting that notifications are not made to local authorities whenever such an incident occurs.

She said 'if we were to wait until there's an incident, it would be too late'. She noted that some 300 such incidents happen around the country in a year, and the impact of a vehicle travelling on an 80km/h road with a deer will have serious consequences.

She also told the meeting that the local wildlife warden had just that morning confirmed to her the presence of the wild deer herd in the area.

Officials then said that maybe they could have a discussion with the National Parks & Wildlife Service on the matter, 'as it is not the normal sign we can put up'.

Cllr O'Dwyer said it is disappointing that the matter can't be dealt with during the high-risk rutting season between October and December. "I don't want the Carnalway Road to become another statistic," she concluded.


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Council running Know Your Bin Day campaign

Kildare County Council has begun an awareness campaign on the possibility of householders and businesses being fined for putting their waste bins out for collection too early, or leaving them out too long.

Under the banner Know Your Bin Day, the Council notes that new Bye-Laws on Waste Management came into effect last March, and require that bins are not put out for collection earlier than 8pm on the day before designated collections.

The emptied bins must also be taken in by 8am on the day following waste collection.

A €75 fixed penalty fine may be imposed on those who leave their bins on the kerbside outside those hours.

The matter has generated a substantial conversation on the Council's Facebook page, with many comments critical of the time frame which doesn't seem to account for businesses that close some hours before 8pm, or the elderly for whom that may be too late.

In the commentary, householders from other parts of the country mention higher fines, such as €200 in Cork.

The relevant legislation in Kildare is Waste Management (Segregation, Storage and Presentation of Household and Commercial Waste) Bye-Laws 2018.

Public queries or complaints regarding any provisions contained within the bye-laws can be made to the Environment Department, Kildare County Council. Phone 045 980588 or email customerservice@kildarecoco.ie.

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Kilcullen meeting on Ballyshannon quarry plan

A public meeting to discuss the Kilsaran application for a sand and gravel extraction facility at Ballyshannon will be held in Kilcullen on Tuesday next, 22 October.

The venue is the Carter Room in Kilcullen Community Centre, starting at 8pm.

Members of the Ballyshannon Action Group will address the meeting. All welcome.

Local representatives and Kilsaran have been invited to attend.

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Brannockstown 'needs lower limits' before Review

Pic courtesy Google.

New bye-laws on speed limits throughout County Kildare are not likely to be in place until early 2021, writes Brian Byrne. But local councillor Tracey O'Dwyer has reiterated her request to have lower speed limits imposed in Brannockstown as soon as possible.

Cllr O'Dwyer told today's meeting of the Kildare Newbridge MD that it had been confirmed to her by An Garda that the Council has the powers to impose the lower limits without waiting for the review.

"Given the constant danger from speed in Brannockstown, we don't want to have a death before something is done," she said. "So I'm asking for the limit to be lowered there, in the interest of public safety."

The matter arose in response to a question from Cllr O'Dwyer about when a Speed Review for Two Mile House, Brannockstown, Kilcullen and surrounding hinterlands would be available for councillors to review.

The official answer provided a timeline for the Review, 'based on current technical resources' beginning with notice to and response from the Garda Commissioner in the first quarter of next year, and continuing with Public Consultation, seeking Transport Infrastructure Ireland approval, and then the adoption and implementation of the bye-laws by the Council, that last by Quarter 2 in 2021.


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Community First Responders information meeting

An Information Evening about forming a new Kilcullen First Responders group will be held on Thursday 24 October.

The event will be in the Town Hall, starting at 7.30pm.

Everybody interested in being involved in any way is welcome to come along.

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Hope for new signs by year's end

One of the old entryway signs, on the Naas Road.

It is now hoped to have the new decorative signs marking the entryways to Kilcullen in place before the end of the year, writes Brian Byrne.

At today's meeting of the Kildare Newbridge MD, councillors were told that the signs would be provided by Kilcullen Community Action and installed by the Naas Municipal District engineering team.

Kilcullen has been a part of the Kildare Newbridge MD since the local elections in May, but responsibility for engineering works remains with the Naas MD until the end of December.

The signs will be erected at the entrances to Kilcullen at the Naas, Athy, Newbridge, Logstown and New Abbey roads.

Kilcullen Community Action is making an application to the Kildare Leader Partnership to fund the signage.

Moving on the stalled process was facilitated recently by Cllr Fiona McLoughlin Healy. She said today that it is now hoped to get to work 'quite quickly' on the street signage element of the plans.


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Parish Lotto Draw results

The numbers drawn in the Kilcullen & Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw held on Tuesday 15th October 2019 were 22, 24, 27 and 28.

There was no Jackpot winner and next week’s main prize will again be €18,000.

The winners of the €50 Open Draws were Paddy Coleman (Promoter Adrienne Byrne), Jane-Anne McGettigan (Adrienne Byrne) and Angela Hillis (Bernadette Hillis).

The winners of the Promoters Draw were PJ Lydon and the Wednesday Bridge Club, and the winner of the Draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Stephen Clifford.

The Parish thanks all who support the Lotto.

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Brannockstown Tidy Town awards on Saturday

Brannockstown Community Group and Tidy Towns are hosting an awards event at Brannoxtown Community National School this Saturday 19 October at 4pm.

Kilcullen Gospel Choir will perform and there will be refreshments served.

All welcome.

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Fireworks warning

Fingers at risk here ... or worse.

The Kildare Garda Division has issued a warning about fireworks in the run up to Halloween, highlighting the dangers of injury or worse, and the penalties for the possession of 'high hazard' pyrotechnic items.

These latter include bangers, rockets, roman candles, cake batteries or shells.

In just one example of injuries, two teenagers in north Dublin had to be hospitalised with 'serious' eye and arm injuries respectively a few weeks ago. Last October, a girl was hospitalised with serious hand injuries in Cork, and lost several fingers.

In addition to injury risks, fireworks can cause fires on property where they land.

The sound of fireworks is also very distressing to animals, especially dogs.

It is an offence to possess unlicensed fireworks other than low hazard fireworks such as party poppers and sparklers, with intent to sell or supply and a fine of up to €10,000 can apply.

It is an offence to throw or direct any ignited firework at a person or property and a fine of up to €10,000 can apply.



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