Dun Ailinne, where next?

The success of the recent dedication weekend for the Dun Ailinne Interpretive Park has left a question about where the project should go from here?

Kilcullen Community Action chairman Kieran Forde outlined a couple of possibilities at the organisation's recent meeting. KCA and Kilcullen Heritage Group were the joint organisers of the very successful July event.

He said that Des Travers of the Heritage Group was investigating the possibility of putting together a school educational package that would include information on the ancient royal site along with replicas of artefacts found during excavations of the site in the late 60s and early 70s.

It would be a 'hands-on' kind of package, which could be lent on rotation to schools around County Kildare.

"The idea is to provide more than just a book of information, with elements such as flint axe heads and other items that could be passed around among the students. Somthing physical, that they would remember more."

He said that another possibility would be to have another weekend next year, which could combine a 'fun' element with a more serious archaeological part where academics in the field could discuss aspects of the period represented by Dun Ailinne.

J J Warren said that there were 'a couple of dozen' people in Kilcullen interested in taking part in a festival based around a Dun Ailinne event, although he doubted that there wasn't 'one in 20' in Kilcullen who know anything about the site.

But there was a strong disagreement with his suggestion that the interest in Dun Ailinne had so far been from an elite class. Kieran Forde pointed out that a key part of the event had been the fact that the theatre was filled without the benefit of any ticket sales. "It certainly wasn't elitist," he said.

Esther Kiely mentioned that the Kilcullen Lions Club was considering changing the date of its very successful annual Duck Race and Community Day to later in the summer, and she wondered if maybe the two groups might combine.

Ray Kelly said that whatever format was chosen, it would be important to keep the academic side to the fore.

Brian Byrne.