Forms for joining the Kilcullen Garda District Text Alert scheme are available from The Grocery in Calverstown, Kilcullen Garda Station, Kilcullen Credit Union, and scheme committee members. Please encourage neighbours and friends to join.
Congratulations to Miah Phelan Sweeney, who has won the final of RTE TV's 'Star Search' on 'The Den'.
Miah has been singing since she was five, but set out on this particular star trail in the middle of last year. Throughout the various stages of the competition she has received fulsome praise from the judges.
Miah also recently played the lead female role in the Brian Brady Youth Theatre presentation of 'Oklahoma!' in the Town Hall Theatre.
Kildare man and Fine Gael candidate Martin Heydon has been voted the country's sexiest man running in the local elections according to an online survey carried out by Boylesports.
Respondents were asked to rate candidates' sex appeal from 1-10 with 22% of the voters giving Heydon 10 out of 10 for his good looks.
Labour's Cian O'Callaghan was voted the second sexiest with 31% of those surveyed rating him as a 7 or higher while 23% gave new kid on the block Ronan Callely a 6 or more.
Cork man Seamus McGrath was deemed the least sexy with almost half (45%) giving him 1 out of 10 for his sex appeal. Fianna Fáil had a bad run as he was followed closely by Galway West candidate Seamus Kyne and Mayo man Michael Smyth with 36% of respondents giving each the lowest score possible.
"The men don't seem to take as much pride in their election posters as the ladies do," commented Nicola McGeady, Entertainment Spokesperson for Boylesports. "Martin Heydon was the clear winner but after that the ladies really voted towards the other end of the scale."
A Summer School in dance, drama and singing will be held in Kilcullen Community Centre from 10-14 August. It is being organised by Maureen Ward of the Calverstown-based Talented Kids Performing Arts School.
Other subjects on the curriculum include musical theatre, make-up, audition techniques, mime and script-reading.
The school will run from 10.30am-3pm each of the five days, and costs €100. The workshops are best suited to boys and girls between the ages of 6-17.
Application forms are available on the school's website at talentedkidsireland.com, or by calling Maureen at 087 2480348 or 045 485464.
Kilcullen Lions Club is hosting a Health Fair on Saturday June 6.
The location is the former Nolan Auctioneers building on Main Street. The event will run from 10am-3pm.
More details next week.
This year at the Kildare County Show, the positive health message is going to be big. The ‘Your Health ’ marquee will be bursting at the seams as exhibitors set out a huge array of therapies and programmes and there will be a continuous programme of talks and demonstrations throughout the day.
“Most people are interested in building a healthy life-style but its not always easy to work out how to go about it,” Chairman Liam Dunne says. “Finding the feel good factor in the day-to-day or the zest in your step is often difficult. We hope the ‘Your Health’ marquee will help decide how to take that step and find a better quality of life.”
Breast Check will be there on the day as will Vista Primary Care, a diabetes testing unit, Fight for Sight, allergy testing will be available as will blood pressure monitoring and cholesterol testing.
Dieticians will be on hand to advise on how to make your food your medicine and there will be a demonstration on how to cook macrobiotic food. Fitness trainers will be at the Show to advise on how to choose a fitness programme that is right for you.
There will be a wealth of complementary practices to choose from, and some will offer treatments on the day. They include life coaching, acupuncture, homeopathy, physical therapy and osteopathy. Massage treatments cover a wide range from aromatherapy and reflexology to Indian head massage. Health promoting products will also be available on the day.
The Kildare County Show will take place in the Athy Showgrounds, Dublin Road, on 21 June 2009 from 10.00 – 18.00.
Brannockstown Baptist Church Sunday worship service will start at 11am beginning on 7 June. The move from the 11:30am start time is to accommodate a time of fellowship afterwards. All are very welcome to attend and stay for some tea.
During the week, on the first and third Thursday night of the month there Guided Prayer Meetings. Bible Study takes place on the second and fourth Thursday nights. Both sets of events start at 8pm and are held in the small building behind the church.
For more information, please visit www.BrannockstownBaptist.ie or ring 045 420811.
The Kildare Steiner School, located at Gormanstown, outside Kilcullen, is hosting two special Trad and Folk nights in the Moat Theatre, Naas, on May 26 and June 2.
Those performing include ‘Bunoscionn’, one of the new generation of ballad and folk groups who offer a fresh interpretation and energy to many of our best loved songs.
Balladeer and local man Ger Loughlin will be joining them on the night. Ger has performed in Ireland and internationally for the past seven years with folk group Dublin City Workingman’s Band.
Also taking part is ‘Arc’, a group of young musicians from the Hollywood and Ballymore Eustace area who have all in some way been associated over the last 10 years with the Laura Greaves Music School in Hollywood.
The Dara Quartet will be performing a set of Irish tunes and airs specially arranged for string quartet. They have been playing together for eight years and began when they were all still members of the Dunlavin Youth Orchestra.
Tickets are €12 and are available from the box office on 045 883030 or online at www.moattheatre.com
All proceeds from the two concerts will go to the Kildare Steiner School. The school has a Mother and Toddler Group, Kindergarten and Primary School on a 4-acre campus.
It took four years of asking, but in the end it was ‘pester power’ that went a long way to landing the prestigious start of the 2009 FBD Rás Cycle Race for Kilcullen.
“I had asked race organiser Dermot Dignam for a stage start or a stage finish for years,” Kilcullen Cycling Club Secretary Liam Walker says of the event which underpinned a day of festivities last Sunday week. “Finally, when I rang him last September, he apologised that all the stages were gone, that all he had left to allocate was the race start. So I said that’d do fine ...”
“Getting the Rás here took the same tactics as you use in racing, you have to be persistent,” confirmed the legendary Shay O’Hanlon, who won the overall Rás in 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967 and holds the record for the most wins. “If you get tossed, you just have to get up and go again.”
Kilcullen representation in the event itself included Kieran Kelly, Brian Geraghty, Ciaran Steed, David Peelo and Colm Bracken, racing as the County Kildare Murphy Surveys Team.
The Kilcullen club also featured in a 10-minute segment on RTE’s ‘Nationwide', on the theme of amateur teams competing against professionals from countries such as China, Australia, Austria, Germany and England.
Brian Byrne.
(An extended version of this piece was published on the Kilcullen Page of last week's Kildare Nationalist.)
The Senior Boys Gaelic Football Team from Cross and Passion College were praised at the College's annual Prize Presentations for providing ‘a glorious sporting year’ on the football field.
They clinched the Kildare, south Leinster and Leinster Colleges treble in quite stunning fashion, playing some breathtaking football along the way.
There were emphatic wins over close rivals St Joseph's Acadamy in the Kildare decider, as well as against Presentation Bray in the South Leinster decider.
However, the team had their finest hour in what turned out to be a battle royal in Navan in the Leinster decider when, with just over ten minutes remaining, they managed to turn an eight-point deficit into a two-point win.
"This was a match worthy of any stage and will live long in the hearts and minds of anyone lucky enough to witness it," coach and team manager Murt Dunne said at the prize-giving, where the trophies were presented by current County Senior player and past pupil Michael Conway.
"If ever there was an advert for what schools football is all about, then this was it. It truly was a game for the purists -- honest, hard hitting, open football, scores from everywhere, goals aplenty and skills to burn."
Murt said that most of all for himself, and probably for them too, this was the realisation amongst 20 young men from the neighbouring rural villages of Kilcullen, St Laurence's country and Suncroft, that they could unite themselves as a team in the primrose and blue of the Cross and Passion, and be victorious at the highest level.
“No matter where you go in the future, you can look back on those ten minutes and realise that you can actually do things that you think at the time are impossible,” he said. "For me, this was an utter privilege and one which I'll never forget. To the school, its staff and its students, and especially the boys who brought glory and village pride to the area, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for all their efforts in making this school and this team a success this year.
"To the supporters, parents and clubs of Kilcullen, St Laurence's and Suncroft, I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation for all the help given to us here at the school in terms of pitches, jerseys, support and sponsorship. Without your generous support this would all have not been possible, either."
Murt called on the GAA County Board to continue to develop and maintain a strong connection with schools football. "I believe that a thriving schools scene lays a solid foundation for future senior county successes," he said.
"It is of paramount importance that the long-term vision of Kildare GAA should centre on the injection and sustained input of GAA resources into second level schools in Kildare for the future betterment of our counties senior football team. From what I have witnessed this year already, the quality players are well and truly there."
The CPC Senior Boys panel were Franny Short, Daniel Fisher, Eoin Clifford, Shane O’Connor, Dwane O’Connor, Barry Comerford, Ronan Toft, David Hickey (Captain), John Browne, James Fahy, Paul Bell, Fionn Dowling, Shay Pembroke, Padraig Fogarty, Shane Molloy, Barry Jacob, Christy Walsh, Ronan Kiely, Sean Moore
Kelvin Kelly and Ross Clarke.
Murt Dunne is a teacher at CPC and a former County player. His club is Sarsfields.
(This piece was published on the Kilcullen Page of last week's Kildare Nationalist.)
The Diary records the death of Nancy Aspell (nee Keenan), a woman with many Kilcullen connections and well known in this community.
She will be deeply missed by her husband Paddy, daughters Marguerite and Bernice, her sons Patsy and Murty, her brothers Kevin, Tom and Jim, her sisters Patsy, Chris, Molly and Sheila, and all her extended family and family friends.
Nancy is reposing at her home in College Park, Newbridge, this (Saturday) evening until removal tomorrow afternoon to arrive at St Conleth's Church, Newbridge, at 5.30pm.
Her funeral mass will be celebrated at 11 o'clock on Monday morning, after which interment will take place in St Conleth's Cemetery, Newbridge.
May she rest in peace.
The Kilcullen/Gormanstown Parish Pilgrimmage to Knock will take place on Sunday 7 June.
The cost will be approximately €45, or less if there's a full bus, but those interested need to get in touch quickly.
For bookings and details, call the Parish Office at 480727 or Patty Bagnell at 045 481544.
The price covers transport, morening refreshments and evening meal.
One of the highlights of the Dunlavin Festival of the Arts will be a presentation of 'The Armed Man', a Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins.
The evening will include music by the Milltown Singers and guests, and the venue is St Nicholas of Myra Church, Dunlavin, at 7pm on Sunday June 21.
Admission is €15, and further enquiries from 087 9693960.
The recent special Tea Morning held at Kilcullen Parish Centre raised some €1,300 towards the national Alzheimers fundraiser.
“We were really pleased with the support,” says Olivia Keaveney, who organised the event with the help of Petra Conroy and Michael and Nancy Fitzpatrick.
Olivia runs a regular Thursday ‘getting together’ tea morning at the Centre, but for this special event really pushed out the boat with a mouth-watering selection of cakes, pavlovas, sandwiches, and, of course, copious refills of the brew itself.
Through popular demand, the newly-developed Pet Farm at Stonebrook Farm on the road to Ballymore will open on Bank Holidays.
The enterprise has been set up by Jackie Ronaldson, with the help of her husband Tim and friend Caroline Broadley.
The Pet Farm is for groups by appointment only, and is an ideal alternative for a child's birthday. The cost is €7 per child and the visit includes a guided tour, and opportunities to find eggs, feed lambs, and take rides on Elf the Shetland pony.
Further information from Jackie at 086 483620.
"We are about to leave behind the days when all our hopes were the brightest, our laughter the loudest, and our tears the sweetest."
That phrase read out during the Cross & Passion College Graduation 2009 mass echoed through the vaulted ceiling of the parish church last evening as the Class of 09 spent one of their last times together as a group.
It was bitter-sweet. Perhaps the first realisation that relationships built up over six years were about to leave the relatively safe harbour of their schooldays. To fend for themselves in the rougher, possibly more dangerous, definitely more uncertain seas of the rest of their lives.
For the Year Head, Mr Dennehy, it was his official parting from a group with whom he'd been closely associated since their Fourth Year. He clearly found it difficult. He spoke for longer than he had anything left to say, as if trying to push back the moment of disconnection.
"You have, hopefully, learned the skills needed to tackle the next phase of your young lives," was his core thought as, on behalf of all the teachers of the Class of 09, he wished them well in their future. An adult, he tried to pass on one thing which all adults learn, that humankind really doesn't do invincibility. And that trying to be so is not necessarily a good thing.
"Don't try to be too strong. As a human being you will feel very vulnerable and humble at times. That humility may be your real strength. Be assertive, not aggressive. Be flexible, accommodating and open to learning. Keep in touch with your spiritual side and keep God in your life."
It was a good message. Even if some of those there don't take it onboard immediately, or even for many years to come. Which, of course, is inevitable. But at some time in every one of his listeners' lives, when they really need the words, or the ideas behind them, they will be there, buried but accessible in the software of their memory.
The event itself, though, was as much a celebration of the past as it was a good wish for the future. In that celebration, the Class of 09 excelled. To mark their transition, they brought to the altar a number of symbols of their time at CPC.
Schoolbooks to illustrate all they have learned. A bowl of seeds representing their first years in the school and their hopes for the future. A plant reflecting the maturity and growth they have achieved. A sports jersey for the teamwork and recreation learned in sports and leisure. Candles for the light shown by the teachers and staff. And a class photograph, showing them as young adults, ready to meet ever-changing challenges.
In front of all these, a mat laid on the altar steps had the signed name of each member of the class. A foundation of collective comradeship for all their individual futures.
The mass was a long one, but it didn't feel so. Possibly because it was one where the celebrant only had a minor role in the whole scheme of things. And Fr Paddy Ryan, current chaplain to CPC, appeared to be really enjoying it that way.
The Ceremony of Light, where they shared between them the flame from the church's Paschal Candle, was an attempt to make eternal the warmth and light which the students have experienced from each other for the past six years. Moments of wistfulness were evident in faces lit by the flickering flames.
Naturally with young people, there was music. A lot of it. Mostly guitars, though piano and flute also figured, as did many individual and combined voices. Real talent flexing growing skills. Giving joy. As a mere observer, it was a privilege to be there.
At moments for reflection, the assembly was urged to follow their dreams. To work hard. To be kind. To learn that people are the real treasures in life. And it seemed that the message was as much for their parents as it was for the young people.
The time when the children presented flowers to their parents was sweet, but also marked a point of no return. There were hugs, probably swiftly-wiped tears. There was pride. There was surely, for some, intimation of a future moving away.
But even when they do, those of us who have gone through it know it doesn't end. Nor do we want it to. Fr Paddy asked the parents were they prepared to commit to ongoing support? Of course they were. And the young people for their part committed to accept the opportunities of life 'with joy and energy'. That is all that parents hope for.
There was more music. There were presentations to teachers, and to other staff of CPC. And then it was time to leave. To begin to put behind them the years when innocence was helped towards maturity by their parents, their teachers, and by their own developing friendships.
There were balloons to release, in the yellow and blue of their school, colours which will always bring special memories of a time that, as Mr Dennehy put it, 'you cannot forget'.
There were friends to hug, before they went home with their parents, to glam up in advance of going out to celebrate their new status in their own ways.
They'll have chances to hug again, during and at the end of their now-looming examinations. But as of Tuesday evening, an era has ended for them. And in the one which they have just now entered, there is no doubt the Class of 09 will make CPC, their local home towns, and their parents, proud.
Kilcullen GAA has sent out an appeal for families who are willing to host players and mentors for a visiting team for Feile 2009, which is being held in Kildare on July 3/4/5.
Kilcullen will host one boys team from among the more than 150 teams who will be participating.
If you can help, call Jennifer Shortt at 087 1242984 or Frank Kenny at 087 2215389.
The annual Flag Day to raise funds for Kilcullen Senior Citizens Association will take place on 3-4 July.
The Association is looking for volunteer collectors. Anybody willing to help should contact Dolores at 045 481108.
The annual Kilcullen Parish Feis organised by the Landers School of Dancing raised €4,470 this year.
The event was held in Kilcullen Community Centre in March, and as usual the attendance came from all over Ireland.
Local girl Emma Birchall won a perpetual trophy and Lisa Kennedy won the Paddy Aspell Cup.
Meanwhile, the Landers Dance Group travelled to take part in a Celtic Festival in Portcawl, Wales, in March. Upcoming trips include one to Morcenx in France, and to the Europeade International Festival in Lithuania, both in July.
The group is fundraising for the trips at the moment.
A fundraising Golf Classic is being held on May 22 in Kilkea Castle, organised by the Parents Association of Cross & Passion College.
The cost for a team of four is €200. Entry forms are available from the college website at cpckilcullen.com, or from any school student.
The Parents Association are currently raising funds to compensate for grants lost in the recent Budget. The recent Car Boot Sale was very well supported and will be repeated on the first Sunday of each month.
A Summer School in dance, drama and singing will be held in Kilcullen Community Centre from 10-14 August. It is being organised by Maureen Ward of the Calverstown-based Talented Kids Performing Arts School.
Other subjects on the curriculum include musical theatre, make-up, audition techniques, mime and script-reading.
The school will run from 10.30am-3pm each of the five days, and costs €100. The workshops are best suited to boys and girls between the ages of 6-17.
Application forms are available on the school's website at talentedkidsireland.com, or by calling Maureen at 087 2480348 or 045 485464.
Just as a by the way, the boulders in the river we highlighted a while back, and wondered about?
Well, it was the Canoe Club put them there, as part of a plan to set up some slalom capability in the area.
"They will also set up a couple of eddy pools, which will give the canoeists some different water experience," says Brendan O'Connell, longtime Canoe Club stalwart and Olympics paddler.
The boulders were put in with the blessing of the state Fisheries authorities, who have jurisdiction in the rivers.
"They like to have the kind of environment we're planning, as it offers pools where the fish aren't constantly battling against the river's flow."
So watch that (river) space ...
A Teen Sports Camp will be held in Kilcullen Community Centre from June 8-12, offering coaching in a variety of games.
The event is being run by Derek Phelan, who has been a coach and player in Kilcullen GAA and Newbridge Rugby Club (formerly Old Kilcullen RFC).
A qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer, Derek is currently studying at DCU to become a Physical Education and Biology teacher.
The Kilcullen TSC is one of a number he is holding around the county. Further information can be had by phoning 087 8094900, or email phelanderek@eircom.net
It might have been washed out, but it wasn't. Though there were heavy showers before, during and after the event, the start of the 2009 FBD Rás Cycle Race got going in good sunshine, helping to make it one of the more colourful events held in the town in a long time.
The Community Centre was the nerve centre of the pre-start process, with the teams from as far away as China and Australia preparing their bikes, signing in, and stoking up on tea and sandwiches. Among theme were the local riders making up the County Kildare Murphy Surveys team, Kieran Kelly, Brian Geraghty, Ciaran Steed, David Peelo and Colm Bracken. Among those to see them off was Kieran's proud dad Tom Kelly, who once ran a very successful bicycle shop in Kilcullen, in the process introducing all his children to the joys of cycling.
Then, with all roads through the town closed for the duration, the competitors gathered at Market Square before being paraded up to the start at Nolans, led by members of the Narraghmore-based Lord Edward's Own Pipe Band.
Before the off, local organisers Liam Walker and Peter Dunlea were publically thanked for getting the local show on the road and providing a crowd said to be much better than normal for a Rás start, 'because people much prefer a finish rather than seeing the riders leave town'. Then it was a gentle ride-through of Kilcullen before the racing got going in earnest a couple of kilometres down the route to Wexford.
The Rás people might have been gone, but there was still much to enjoy for the afternoon. The Lions had brought forward their annual fundraising Duck Race for the event, and entertainment was provided as usual by local bands, any one of whom might be the U2 of the future.
Somehow, the ducks escaped early in what the organisers called a 'false start' and had to be rounded up again for the race proper. Trojan work by the kayaking Reddy sisters, Sabina and Esther, succeeded in releasing those of the wayward yellow racers which had gotten stuck in the reeds.
The race itself actually had very few problems, with the winner sneaking out on the inside bank from the pack and slipping quietly under the line. That little yellow thing won Carol Ivory from Riverside Manor a weekend away for her prize. Runners-up won vouchers for Fallons, Paolo's and Whitewater.
The ducks were then quickly collected again, as the river level rose in preparation for the third big event of the day, the annual Ballymore-Kilcullen Canoe Race organised by Kilcullen Canoe Club. That event itself arrived at the finish line around 3pm.
Just another quiet Sunday in Kilcullen...
Brian Byrne.
Every now and again there's a special Bridge, usually relating to some festival like Christmas, or a local historical anniversary. This month's colourful cover highlights the FBD Rás, which for the first time starts in Kilcullen.
It isn't the first time we had a stage of the famous cycle race here -- a stage took off from the town in the 60s -- but it is the first time the complete race began in the village.
So there's much about the event, largely historical, as there are a number of Kilcullen people past and present with Rás connections. Noel Clare has done most of the research and writing about the event, and the Rás stories include profiles of Liam Baxter and Liam Walker, both former highlight cyclists in KIlcullen.
Also, there's a business profile of the Kilcullen-based company that is sponsoring the Kildare team, composed of Kilcullen Cycling Club riders Kieran Kelly, Brian Geraghty, Ciaran Steed, David Peelo and Colm Bracken. That's Murphy Surveys, a nationwide company based in new business park. The big start happens today (Sunday 17 May), which is partly the reason I delayed getting this piece out.
There is of course, as usual, much more in the May Bridge. The variety of subjects includes some stuff relating to the upcoming local and European elections, beginning with an editorial which doesn't much care for politicians past and what they seem to have presided over in this currently sad country. There's also a note about how the town has been split for these elections, which doesn't strengthen our hand in any negotiations with our local authority (maybe somebody thought we were getting too strong?).
That community strength is highlighted in the Environment News section, which headlines the good news as the 'on/off' playground project got switched 'on' again.
With the latest Kilcullen Drama Group production now well finished, there's room for the talented youngsters to shine, and a story about two young members of the Calverstown-based Talented Kids Performing Arts School featuring in the voices of an RTE TV cartoon series is part of that.
Meanwhile, moving on to the adults, the art of belly-dancing is explained in another piece. Among its advantages are its ability to clear the mind of anxiety, stress and depression.
Billy Redmond, on the other hand, never strikes one as suffering from stress of any kind, possibly because of the enjoyment he takes in mowing grass in some of our public spaces. But the activity also gives him a chance to think on topics for his 'Off the Cuff' column. This month he recalls some moments of Miss Griffin, currently a focus of several recent Bridges. He also muses on whether we could have our new NAMA take over some of our own personal 'toxic' loans, the dangers of changing from one's accustomed place in the church, and how we should in these times of economic downdraft spend whatever pennies we have locally.
Sean Landers is back in his local home of Taiwan, though jobless yet. His monthly letter details some of his own methods of surviving in recession, and he hopes it will help him lose weight. It might, especially as he noted that, at Easter, there wasn't a chocolate egg to be seen in the city.
Other ways of looking after our health are detailed by Donn Brennan, who writes about Ayurveda, India's ancient 'Tradition of Health'. Among other things, we have to know what kind of individuals we are before we can work to improve ourselves.
Sean Landers has started another series too, in profiles of local people. He starts this month with 'The Life and Times of Babs Fitzpatrick', a comprehensive story of a Laois woman who 'didn't want to come to Kilcullen, but now I never want to leave it'.
In the schools reports, Brannoxtown NS has two new interactive whiteboards, thanks to a lot of local fundraising. Scoil Bhride's emphasis is on cross-country running and 'Sleeping Beauty' (two different stories!), while the pupils of St Joseph's NS in Halverstown came back after Easter to newly painted classrooms and fresh grass growing on their football pitch.
There's lots of sport, with Kilcullen Community Games activities showing two full pages of photographs, the Badminton Club highlighting a League win by the U-17s, and a world title for Chrissie Byrne of St Bridget's Pitch & Putt Club at the inaugural Ladies World Strokeplay Championship in Montpelier, France. The GAA page highlights successes by their Ladies players and their Junior team, as well as recalling with a picture the days when Donal St Leger, Jack Kelly and George Mitchell played for the club.
Ladies also figure on the 'Offside' soccer page, which report that after an absence of 'a good few years', a Ladies team will take to the pitch over the summer.
A bumper issue indeed.
Brian Byrne.
The ladies doing the mini marathon on June 1 in Dublin, in aid of The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund, held an information evening last Wednesday at Kilcullen Parish Centre.
James Nolan, chairman PKRF, welcomed everyone and thanked the team for choosing this charity.
Darren Cawley (above), from Mayo, told of how he has coped with being on dialysis for 11 years. He spoke of the very restricted liquid intake he's allowed,and the limited vatiety of food. This affects his social life, his work and participation in sport, which he loves. Darren had driven from Westport to Castlebar Hospital for his dialysis. After a short rest, he drove four hours to Kilcullen, rested a while and came to speak to us. He was driving back home again after the meeting.
Padraig Moloney, from Kilcullen, had dialysis in Tallaght Hospital on Wednesday evening. On his way home he stopped off to join us. Padraig had a transplant, which enabled him to lead a normal life for 18 years until it failed and he is now back on the transplant listand has dialysis three times a week.
Mary, an entrant in the mini marathon, spoke of her 24-year-old daughter, a nurse, who had a transplant in February. She told of how it affected the family and her daughter's life. Mary said she had never even considered filling in an organ donor card until her daughter needed and got the gift of life.
All the speakers pleaded for organ donors. Like Mary, we never know when any of us or a loved one will depend on organ donation for the gift of life. Fill in that card and tell your family.
Caroline is collecting the race numbers in Tullamore and they will be distributed on Thursday 21 May at Kilcullen Parish Centre from 7-8pm. If you can't make it, contact us. We still need numbers not being used, please.
Phena Bermingham.
Since the Diary started, there have been a growing number of local blogs, some of which we have highlighted, others which we offer links to.
Well, the latest is Hazel Gaynor's 'Hot Cross Mum', a weekly commentary on the life of a 'stay at home' mum and her family.
You might remember we featured Hazel here back in February (and on the Kilcullen Page of the Kildare Nationalist). Since then she has written in the Bridge, and some national magazines and websites, in her quest to become established as a writer.
We can heartily recommend Hot Cross Mum as an antidote to the stresses of family life, especially in these times. If nothing else, she articulates what an awful lot of other people are going through, quietly and sometimes desperately.
Brian Byrne.
As part of the run-up to this weekend's start of the FBD Rás Cycle Race, a special Museum of Cycling has been set up in the Heritage Centre.
It was officially opened on Tuesday night at a function in Fallons, by Liam Walker, Secretary of Kilcullen Cycling Club. Guest of honour was Shay O'Hanlon, who has won the Rás the most times.
Local children are on the boards at Kilcullen Town Hall Theatre all this week, performing in the Brian Brady Youth Theatre presentation of 'Oklahoma!'
It's the sixth year the Youth Theatre has put on a show in the town.
Representatives from a wide range of Kilcullen groups and organisations who deal with children recently attended a Child Protection Workshop, held at Kilcullen Parish Centre.
The workshop was conducted by Fr Paddy Boyle, who has been doing similar events across the Dublin Diocese under a programme set up by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
“The Diocese is very extensive, but it is very important that, at a local level, people are aware of best practice in protection of children,” Fr Boyle says. “It’s essential really, so that the various activities of clubs and other organisations involved with children can keep going.”
The workshop is aimed at making people aware as best they can how to ensure that children are safe and engaged in a rich environment that will help them grow physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Fr Boyle says the programme has been getting an ‘excellent response’ from wherever it has been made available. But he says it isn’t all just one way.
“Always at each individual course we learn something new,” he says. “We hear of a different slant or experience which adds to our fund of information and knowledge. That’s very beneficial, because it gets passed on to others as well.”
A new Pet Farm just opened at Stonebrook Farm, between Kilcullen and Ballymore, will be an eye-opener for possibly thousands of children, and even their parents.
The project is being developed by Jackie Ronaldson (above), whose husband Tim farms several hundred acres in a mix of tillage and animal husbandry at Stonebrook.
Helped by her friend Caroline Broadley, who operates a local PR consultancy, Jackie has put together a programme wihich will involve a 40-minute tour of parts of the farm, followed by general time to play and picnic in a real rural setting.
Stonebrook Farm has been in the Ronaldson family for four generations, and the property has links much further back than that to the Eustace family. To manage the new venture, Jackie and Tim have established a number of paddocks in the former kitchen garden where the visitors can meet and pet and even feed some very friendly baby animals. The project is geared towards pre-school children and junior and senior infant classes.
The tour begins with a visit to the hens and ducks house, where the youngsters will get close up and personal with those feathered animals, feed them, and work out which kind of hens laid the differently coloured eggs.
Then they come through to meet with Bertie the pygmy goat and the Shetland pony Elf. Although Bertie and Elf spend a lot of time butting each other in mock fighting, they are the best of pals.
Two new suckling calfs are happily bounding around their new paddock and will be a big attraction to the children, while three young lambs are already getting very hardy from a constant round of bottles of milk. A black lamb is also in the paddock with its mother.
Two rare kune-kune pigs are also part of the petting menagerie. Along with Bertie, they came from Dublin Zoo. There will also be baby chicks, ducklings and goslings to see.
Brian Byrne.
On a Sunday morning walk through the town, your Editor noticed that boulders have been placed in the river below the bridge.
We presume that they have something to do with protecting the bank from being damaged by flowing water, but we'll make some enquiries during the week. Meantime, though, if anyone happens to know the 'who and why' of the move, maybe they'd let us know?
The latest edition of a school newspaper published by the students of Scoil Bhride NS is currently being read avidly through the school.
'The School Scoop' is produced four times a year under the guidance of Mrs Murphy and an editorial board of students from Sixth Class.
This year's board are Aisling Robinson, Josh Green, David McMahon and Orlaith Dixon. Each have encouraged other children in the school to submit work, collect articles, type and proofread material, and work on page layout.
"They also take responsibility with Mrs Murphy for collating the magazine and issuing a copy to each family in the school," says Scoil Bhride's Anne O'Mahony.
Father Cathal Price, who served in Kilcullen in the late 60s and early 70s, will be 50 years a priest on Saturday, May 23.
His parish is based in the Church of St John the Evangelist, Greendale Rd, Kilbarrack in Dublin.
The organisers of a celebration mass to mark his jubilee have issued an invitation to anyone in Kilcullen who remembers Fr Cathal from his time here to join them at 6.30pm on May 23. The mass will be followed by refreshments.
It almost seemed they'd have to form a waiting queue at the door last night, so great was the interest in the Kilcullen Art Group's first public exhibition.
With more than 150 paintings on view, from a group ranging in age between 15 and 94, there was plenty for those attending the gala night to see.
The event was held in Fallons Bar & Cafe, and the exhibition will run until May 14.
(There will be a full report from the event in next Wednesday's Kildare Nationalist.)
An excellent turnout to this morning's 'Big Brew' event in the Parish Centre raised substantial funds for Alzheimers care and research.
We'll get the actual amount to you at a later stage, but many thanks to all who came, enjoyed the fare, and contributed.
Fr Cathal Price, who worked as a curate in Kilcullen from the mid-60s to the early 70s, will be celebrating the golden jubilee of his ordination on May 23.
Fr Price, currently working in as a curate in Kilbarrack-Foxfield, was a major influence on the youth clubs in the village.
He was one of the founder members of the group that brought 'The Bridge' magazine to Kilcullen.
He is pictured above (back centre) with then PP Fr Furlong and members of the Carnival Committee.
It's the last splashes of paint time for the members of Kilcullen Art Group, who are holding their first exhibition this coming weekend in Fallons Bar & Cafe.
A Cheese & Wine reception will launch the event on Thursday evening in Fallons back room.
A number of the paintings will be available to buy. All will be on display in Fallons for a week.
Sunday morning's Car Boot Sale in aid of CPC Parents Association was very successful, helped by the fine weather.
The funds raised are going towards replacing the Book Fund terminated by the Government in the recent Budget. The school has lost the €9,000 annual grant for books, which went to help families who found it difficult to afford school books.
Kilcullen Community Games held their swimming competition recently in the Curragh Swimming Pool.
Many thanks to staff at the Curragh for allowing us to hold our event there. A very big thank you, in particular, to Gordon Rochford for his assistance in organising this event and for helping out on the day.
Pictured above are 1st Shane Penrose, 2nd Nazar Moklovych, and 3rd Brian Murphy.
Meanwhile, Kilcullen Community Games Gymnastics - Starting Thursday 7th May in Senior Hall, Scoil Bhride at 2.45pm. Boys and Girls U/8, U/10, U/12 & U/14. Further Details contact Anne on 087 7733576.
Athletics training for all children that qualified to represent Kilcullen at the County Finals will commence on Friday 8th May at Crookstown Millview Athletic Grounds at 7.30pm. Trials for relay teams to be held during training on the following week Friday 15th.
Anne Fitzgerald.
Swimming Results as follows:
Boys U/8 Freestyle - 1st Shane Penrose, 2nd Nazar Moklovych, 3rd Brian Murphy
Boys U/10 Freestyle - 1st Sean Murphy, 2nd Ben O'Shea, 3rd Iarlaith Behan
Boys U/10 Backstroke - 1st Killian Corless
Boys U/12 Freestyle - 1st Brendan Aspel
Boys U/12 Backstroke - 1st Stephen Murphy
Boys U/14 Breaststroke - 1st Tony Aspel, 2nd Michael O'Shea
Girls U/8 Freestyle - 1st Molly Aspell
Girls U/10 Freestyle - 1st Roisin Robinson
Girls U/10 Backstroke - 1st Lisa Aspel
Girls U/12 Freestyle - 1st Laura Quigley
Girls U/12 Backstroke - 1st Alannah Murphy
Girls U/14 - Freestyle - 1st Aoife Murphy, 2nd Blaithnaid Corless
If the weather tomorrow is as nice as today promises, don't forget to pay a visit to the Cross & Passion Car Park from 10am on Sunday.
The Car Boot Sale they're holding there will benefit projects in the college.
Darren Cawley from Mayo, who has been on dialysis for nine years, will again be the principal speaker at an Information Evening for those taking part in the Flora Womens Mini Marathon 2009 on behalf of the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund.
The Information Evening will be held on 13 May in the Parish Centre. It is Darren's 4th visit to Kilcullen.
Other guests will also speak of their situation and how it affects their families.
Further information from Lorraine Hegarty-Kelly 085-7604806; Siobhan Mitchell; 087-7673002; Caroline Dempsey 087-2562563; or Phena Bermingham 045-485232 or 087-9767531.
