It Says in The Bridge
The current issue of The Bridge has a seasonal picture by Pat Foley of Gareth and Jim Corrigan tending new born lambs at Old Kilcullen during the recent snow. The other main items are both sporting in nature, the fact that the FBD Rás 2009 will start in Kilcullen in May, and a picture of GAA legend Mick O'Dwyer with some of the local club's U16 team who won the County B Championships. Both preview fuller coverage inside the magazine.
The Editorial this month is related to the 'R' word, Recession. But in a positive way, or as much positiveness as can be summoned up at the moment. The writer (the Editorial is by policy anonymous) suggests that innovation and inspiration always flourish in recessionary times and we'll do best to take the 'Big R' by the horns and deal with it. In the meantime, it might also be a good opportunity to get back to doing all those simple and mainly cost-free things we used to do, but didn't have time in the flurry of the recent Celtic Tiger years. So, writing letters, anyone? Or fly a kite in the park? Or drop into a neighbour for a chat?
Lots of possibilities, really. Meantime through the Bridge there's lots of good news too, such as the report on the success of Tom & Phena Bermingham's 'Miscellany on Sunday 2008' for the homeless, which raised over €4,000 for the cause. And the welcome for new Brannockstown Baptist pastor Mark Hamblen and his wife. And the congrats due to Andrew O'Neill of Avondale Drive, who recently graduated as a qualified Air Mechanic in the Irish Air Corps; and Ger Markey, who got a surprise 50th birthday party, which the Diary somehow missed.
The Kilcullen Community Games gets a double spread of smiles from the Talent Competition, the first time the town has entered this part of the competition. And Cormac & Anto's Soccer Page has good news from the First Team topping the League and becoming part of history when Rathangan, Liffey Celtic and Town House United decided to get the same number of points, necessitating a four-way play off.
In Environment News there's a feature on recycling practice, a warning about 'bogus' charity clothing collections, and a Business Bridge report on local man Barry Goulding setting up in business as a Building Energy Rating Assessor.
The detail story on the Rás has a picture of the current cycling enthusiasts in Kilcullen along with one from 1962. The garb is quite different, and it seemed that few of the contenders back in those early days wore helmets ...
There's an interesting report about the use of the Canoe Club facility and the Liffey by a company training Kildare's firefighters how to deal with situations in water. The ELMS Montessori school has moved to a new purpose built premises, and there's a piece about their ethos and practice. And local FG election candidate Martin Heydon's concerns about the recent axing of capital sports funding is the stuff another news piece.
The usual suspects provide feature material. Billy Redmond's Off the Cuff works on the abilities and payments of RTE presenters, with one Pat Kenny getting the brunt of Billy's musings. Because he hasn't yet gone back to Taiwan, Sean Landers is even more prolific than usual, with his 'Letter from Taiwan' set in Kilcullen, his two-page profile of Tom McCarton an interesting exercise in living local history, and another 'What it Said in the Papers' collection of old news items about Kilcullen.
Bernard Berney gives some further consideration to Life, God, and the Catholic Church, in what he terms himself a 'confusing and often incomprehensible' manner ... but that is merely his own opinion.
An enlightening follow up to last month's piece about writer Maeve Brennan's experiences in Cross & Passion before WW2 comes from Colette O'Neill, who recalls in much more detail and of local interest her own days there in or around the same time. Another case of living history that is very important to have on the record.
A non-Kilcullen feature marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of evolutionary Charles Darwin, celebrated on February 12. For those who may only know of the man through the recent writings of Pope Benedict that the scientist's Theory of Evolution 'cannot be finally proven', it is a worthwhile read of the life on a man whose ideas have played a significant part in how we think today about life on this little planet.
Finally, in an issue when Pat Foley was also very busy on the recent Confirmations by Bishop Eamon Walsh at Gormanstown and Kilcullen, a quote from one of the young reporters at Halverstown NS is apt.
"Once you have made your Confirmation, you can become a Godparent," she notes.
Unlike Bernard's view above of his own thoughts on matters of religion, here is an absolute clarity of understanding ...
Brian Byrne.
