Basketball Camp for young players

Triple Threat Academy is hosting its first Basketball Camp in Kilcullen from 17-19 August at the Kilcullen Community Centre. The camp will cater for boys and girls in two age groups, 8-10 and 11-13, and is being run by Larrie Birds Coach Ailbhe Vanhengel.

The younger age group session will run from 9 am to 12pm, and the older group from 12:30pm to 2:30pm. 

The fee is €60, and a sibling discount is available. Sign-ups can be made through a Google Form or by contacting Ailbhe at 089 2560822. 

The camp features a structured schedule with skills work, fun games, 3x3 and small-sided games, and a small tournament. Triple Threat Academy emphasises learning from mistakes, trying new things, and supporting each other to build self-confidence on and off the court. 

All levels and abilities are welcome.

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Help sought to find Michael Hogan grave

A visitor from Australia whose parents left Kilcullen in the 1940s is seeking help to find the grave of his great-uncle, Michael Hogan, a soldier killed in August 1923, writes Brian Byrne. The only pointer is a military record which states that following his death, ‘remains sent direct by rail to Kilcullen for interment’.

Sean Burton from Melbourne has physically searched New Abbey, Old Kilcullen and Gormonstown cemeteries, but understands that an inscription to confirm Michael's location may now be illegible. "So far I’ve received very kind and generous assistance from Kilcullen residents, but his final resting place remains elusive."

With the help of John and Jimmy Brady, Sean unexpectedly found the grave of Michael Hogan's parents, in New Abbey, but there's no sign of their son's last resting place.

Sean's mother, Bernadette Hogan, lived on Hillside before emigrating to England with her parents Peter and Teresa, brother Michael and sister Philomena in the late 1940s.

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Fundraiser for cancer charities remembers Kilcullen man

An upcoming fundraiser concert in memory of Paul Smith, a Kilcullen resident of 25 years who passed away from cancer last September, will help the Irish Cancer Society and St Brigid's Hospice on The Curragh.

A Night At The Theatre is being organised by his daughter, Katie, and will take place at the Moat Theatre in Naas, County Kildare, on Sunday, 20 September, starting at 7:30 pm. It will feature performances from popular musicals and songs cherished by Paul's family. 

Tickets are priced at €30, with a group rate of €100 for four. Proceeds will be equally divided between the ICS and the Hospice, both of which supported Paul's family during his illness.  

For more information, visit the GoFundMe page, ticket site,  or Instagram page dedicated to the fundraiser. 

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CPC gets green light to build

Cross and Passion College has been granted permission to commence construction on the school's extension and refurbishment project. The development will increase the school’s capacity to 1,000 students.

A key component of the project is the inclusion of six Special Educational Needs (SEN) classrooms, ensuring that the school can provide tailored support to students with diverse learning requirements. 

The expansion marks a key step in accommodating the increasing number of students in the Kilcullen area.

Deputy Sean Ó Fearghaill says the move is a very welcome development for students, staff and families.

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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 Eadestown Comhaltas. 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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