It Says in The Bridge: May 09

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.