It Says in The Bridge: March 08
Very happy faces on the front of the Bridge this month, in two pictures. The top one is the crew and 'consultants' lined up after their successful raising of the new sculpture at Nicholastown, commemorating the Dun Ailline royal site; the other is Bridget Aspell and her family, celebrating her 98th birthday. Both pictures represent great congratulations to all involved.
With the Parish History exhibition due to begin this weekend, it is probably not coincidental that there seems to be a lot of looking back in this month's issue, which is also the first one of the Bridge's 38th year in production. That last is a matter for mention in the Editorial, as also is the local reaction to the 'tatty, gaudy, cheap, loud and garish' reflective additions to the bollards on the bridge throughout the town. Not for the first time, the lack of consultation with the local community on such matters is highlighted.
News items include details from the Scoil Bhride Day of Action on its efforts to gain a Green Flag. There's also notice from the Sacred Space project in CPC of a meeting to progress the idea, on 13 March at 8pm. And the Kilcullen Scouts both highlight the results of their Christmas time Coin Laying event and also make a plea for an old-fashioned cart to use in their upcoming Jamboree.
The Parish Page's main focus is on the history of St Joseph's Church in Gormanstown, one of the oldest in the parish. There's also a promo for a Vintage Rally planned on 16 March to raise funds for renovating the church.
There's strong photographic coverage of the Kilcullen Community Games winners in the Art and Draughts competitions, and also from the local GAA Club awards. From further back in time there's a picture submitted by Sean Landers, one of his brother Michael on stage in New York at the age of five and already with a singing career. The other is from Brannockstown Field Day in the 70s, taken by Noel Clare. There's also a picture of the 'Rags' Kildare Junior A Champions in the mid 50s, some of whom are still with us but many sadly gone.
Still on the looking back theme, Robert Dunlop recalls the life and times of the late Ben Atkinson, who died recently after having live to be over a hundred. Pastor Dunlop also looks back on his own life in an extended piece, well worth the read about a man who has been quietly one of the prime movers of the direction of his parish and adopted village of Brannockstown.
Sean Landers in his turn provides us with a portrait of Percy La Touche, a man who 'amused many ... but himself most of all'. Sean's letter from Taiwan about his own current life has him recalling the previous evening's outing in an American style sports bar to watch the Super Bowl. "It is wonderful to have some western food from time to time," he writes, "to remind yourself that there is more to life than fried rice and beef noodles."
Finally, Billy Redmond goes Off the Cuff on a number of things, including the new sculpture in Nicholastown which will be a wonderful point of reference when giving people directions to his house. He finishes by referring to the poem 'Mother Nature' written by Jerry Kelly more than 20 years ago, which is reprinted in this issue and is always worth a revisit.
Brian Byrne.
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