Bridge takes summer break

With the compilation of the July/August edition of Kilcullen's community magazine 'The Bridge', those who are part of the effort can take a bit of a summer break before heading the publication to its 40th year.

Arguably the longest running voluntary community magazine of its kind in the country, 'The Bridge' has chronicled Kilcullen activities and people not just for these four decades but also for centuries and even millenia, thanks to many historical pieces written by local residents and writers over the years.

"We're finding that the new Kilcullen people are getting involved, both as regular readers and in some cases as writers," says Noel Clare, who looks after the printing and makeup of the magazine with his wife Frances. "Those who are settled here for the long haul have taken to 'The Bridge' because they see it as a window into the town they have adopted. Both what's going on today and where it came from."

The magazine was started using a Gestetner copying machine back in 1971, the brainchild of two local young men and brought into existence by the support of local curate Fr Cathal Price. It continues today thanks to the continuing voluntary effort of a number of Kilcullen people old and new, young and older.

The latest issue includes, as well as the local news led by the recent winning by Usk residents of their court case against a 'superdump', views from long-time columnists Billy Redmond, Bernard Berney and Sean Landers. There are also roundups of the happenings in various sports clubs, the national and secondary schools, business and enterprise, and just general to and fro in Kilcullen.

'The Bridge' has always depended on the direct involvement of local people, in a very unstructured way. If you want to be part of a continuing four-decade success story, email thebridgemagazine@eircom.net And this writer, who has been a professional journalist for more than 30 years, will always acknowledge that he cut his writing teeth, so to speak, by having 'The Bridge' as an outlet to hone his writing and editing endeavours for many years before he made it his career. Without it, I might never have had so much fun as I have had in my life.

Brian Byrne. NOTE: This feature was originally published in last week's Kildare Nationalist.