Dialysis Unit's art exhibition

One of the fruits of the fundraising efforts of Kilcullen women participating each year in the Flora Womens Mini Marathon was opened to the public in Waterford last week as an exhibition, Captured Time.

Comprising artworks and poetry by Johanna Tanner, Frank Curtis and Philip Cullen, Captured Time created through art sessions in the Dialysis Unit of Waterford Regional Hospital was officially launched by the Mayor of Waterford, Cllr John Halligan. A crowd of over 100 friends, family, patients and hospital staff were in attendance. The exhibition will remain on display until the 30th September.

The Renal Dialysis Unit in Waterford Regional Hospital is a 16-bed unit that accommodates 97 chronic renal dialysis patients. Since 2006, the Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT) has delivered an arts programme in the Renal Dialysis Unit. This has been made possible by funding from the Punchestown Kidney Research Association. Patients have an opportunity to engage with the trained arts facilitators Boyer Phelan and Philip Cullen.

When Philip Cullen began working in the Renal Dialysis Unit he met Frank Curtis and Johanna Tanner. Philip has a large bank of artistic skills not confined to visual art. He works with people through many disciplines including creative writing. Philip gently guided and encouraged Frank and Johanna to develop their creative skills and the result is a wonderful series of portrait drawings by Frank and a book of poems by Johanna entitled Lines in the Half Light. The exhibition also includes sculptures by Philip made in response to both Johanna and Frank’s work.

Speaking on the night Mr Gordon Watson, Chairperson of the Waterford Healing Arts Trust congratulated Frank and Johanna on creating such fantastic work especially in the challenging environment of the Dialysis Unit. He also thanked Philip Cullen for guiding the project and Brenda Ronan, Clinical Nurse Manager, Dialysis Unit and her staff for supporting the arts programme in the ward.

Captured Time is in keeping with the aims of the Waterford Healing Arts Trust which was set up in 1991 to explore the role of the art in the promotion of healing and wellbeing.

Pictured at the opening are Kilcullen's Phena Bermingham, representing the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund, and Gordan Watson. Pic: John Power Photography.

Talking about Kilcullen

Nessa Dunlea, chair of the Kilcullen Heritage Group, and longtime Kilcullen resident Pat Lynch are the first Kilcullen people to be recorded for the 'Kildare Collection', a series of CDs produced by Maurice O'Keefe of 'Irish Life and Lore'.



Passionate about the history and heritage of her native town, Nessa talks on the CD about how her grandfather Michael O'Connell set up a bakery business in Kilcullen which grew until he had 10 horse drays delivering to the surrounding villages and towns.

She also talks about her own childhood growing up here, and how much the River Liffey was used as an amenity for swimming and boating by local people.

The 55-minute CD only touches on the wealth of memories which exist in Kilcullen, and indeed in every small town in Ireland.

"Maurice was a really good interviewer," she says. "I didn't know what to expect, but very quickly it was just like having a chat with a friend. When we finished, I brought him up to Pat Lynch in Logstown, who has much longer recollections than I have."

Pat's father, also Pat, used to drive Michael Collins around Dublin in the 'Sliabh na mBan' Rolls Royce armoured car, and on the CD he provides anecdotes of that dangerous time as told by his dad. He also recalls his own life, both as a motor mechanic in the Irish Army and his experiences growing up in Kilcullen. He is particularly proud of his involvement in the Kilcullen Boxing Club, of which he has been a part since 1941. His CD in the Kildare Collection has a wealth of anecdotes about now gone townspeople, how they entertained themselves, and how they spoke.

"It was very pleasant doing it," he says. "Maurice just came up to the house and we sat around the fireplace and talked of the old times."

Irish Life and Lore is based in Tralee in Co Kerry, and was commissioned by the Kildare Collections and Research Services of the County Library and Arts Service to do a series on Kildare.

Maurice and Jane O'Keefe have compiled an archive of over 1,500 such recordings since 1990. In addition to the current Kildare Series under way, they have developed similar projects for the local authorities of Kerry, Cork, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kilkenny, Mayo, Wexford, Carlow and Dublin.

Brian Byrne.

Kicking up a cool figure

It’s the time of year when people start thinking of autumn and winter activities to combat the darkeing evenings.

One option, which has the advantage of making you fit and shedding superfluous kilos, is kick-boxing.

A new 6-week Cardio-Kickboxing class starts Monday September 14th in Kilcullen Community Centre at 7pm. Classes are a fun mix of aerobics with basic kickboxing moves and the cost for the series is €45.

Places are limited so if you are ready to burn those calories and get fighting fit, contact Geraldine today on 087-9850883.

Golf classic raises €4,250

The recent Golf Classic held at the Curragh Golf Club in aid of parish funds raised €4,250.

Organiser Nessa Dunlea would like to thank all who participated in and supported the event.

Drama registration

The registration for the new term of Drama Dynamics will take place in the Parish Centre on 9 September, between 5-7pm.

Bring Them Home

Kilcullen is kind of lost in the summertime. There's no focus, no point to aim for, and we drift. Pretty soon the summer is over and we haven't noticed anything special, except maybe that it rained again. But we don't have anything to look back on and say: 'That was good; let's do it again next year'.

The above is how I began my recent podcast on 'Talking Points'. For those of you who didn't, or couldn't manage to listen through my rambling monologue, here it is in written form.

It's an idea for a festival that could become Kilcullen's summer event. I've already had some feedback from the podcast, but maybe more of you might consider it worth further discussion.

Brian Byrne.

Fundraiser for Barretstown

The residents of Lui na Greine are holding their estate summer party this afternoon. All donations go to the Barretstown Trust. All welcome and please support.

James wins Bronze in Oz

Kilcullen's kidney transplant athlete James Nolan has won a Bronze Medal in the 17th World Transplant Games, currently under way on Australia's Gold Coast.



James competed in the 400 metres today, the first day of the track & field events.

The 19-strong Irish team, ranging in age from 22-64, have travelled Down Under with 13 new kidneys, five new livers and one new kidney-pancreas.

“Every day, the athletes remember their donors, and each performance, let alone victory, is a way of saying thank you to the donors who gave them the gift of life,” said team manager Colin White.

Over 2,000 athletes from 50 countries are taking part in the Games.

Next year, Ireland will host the European Transplant & Dialysis Games in Dublin from August 8th-15th. Athletes taking part will have received a transplant of one, or a combination, of kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, lungs, bone marrow.

Interesting talk on 'Big House' women

There was a good turnout to last night's Heritage Week talk on the Duchesses of Kildare in Carton House.



The talk was given by Colette Jordan, who has researched the Carton House history extensively. Pictured above are Geraldine Gahan, Bernard and Mary Berney, and Nessa Dunlea.

Race Day raises €14,000 for cancer

A Race Day in Naas in memory of the late Paul Byrne raised €14,000 for cancer research.



Pictured above handing over the cheque to Dr McDermott and Nurse Anne Marie O'Shea of Tallaght Hospital are Paul's mother Ann, his wife Eileen, and other members of the Byrne family.

Paul was 41 when he died of cancer, and the fundraising Race Day on the June Bank Holiday Monday was organised by his brothers James and Mark.

"So many people supported the event, it was wonderful," says Ann. "There was a great response, and everybody had a great time on one of the few sunny days of this year. We just want them to know how much they raised, and where it went"

Great response to marathon effort

The money raised for the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund by Kilcullen ladies in the recent Flora Womens Mini Marathon has now reached almost €16,800.

"Though the money is down on last year, this is a wonderful achievement in these difficult times," says organiser of the Kilcullen participation Phena Bermingham.

A presentation to PKRF founder James Nolan is planned for Tuesday 22 September, when James will be back from his participation in the World Transplant Games in Australia. The popular Kilcullen businessman received a donated kidney from his sister when he was 20, and has been a tireless fundraiser for kidney research ever since.

Meanwhile, the Waterford Healing Arts Trust in Waterford Regional Hospital is putting on an exhibition of art related to funding from the PKRF. 'Captured Time' is an exhibition of artworks and poetry created through art sessions in the Dialysis unit of Waterford Regional Hospital. The opening is Thursday 27 August at 7.30pm.

Read it in the Kildare Nationalist

In this week's Kildare Nationalist, published today, the following are amongst the stories which are told on the 'Kilcullen Page'.

* Nessa Dunlea, chair of the Kilcullen Heritage Group, and longtime Kilcullen resident Pat Lynch are the first Kilcullen people to be recorded for the 'Kildare Collection', a series of CDs produced by Maurice O'Keefe of 'Irish Life and Lore'.

* More than €200,000 has been collected for the Irish Cancer Society by the Mac & Norman Vintage Rally, which this year celebrated its seventh year. It is considered as being among the top three of the dozen or more such events which are conducted through the country during the summer.

Remember, the Kildare Nationalist is the only local newspaper which gives Kilcullen issues a full page every week.

'Women in the Big House' tonight

Kilcullen Heritage Group is organising a talk '150 years of Women's Role in the Big House' as its contribution to National Heritage Week 2009.

The event will take place this Wednesday evening, 26 August, in the Town Hall, and will be a lecture by Colette Jordan, historical researcher on the Duchesses of Leinster who resided in Carton House.

Colette has spent the last number of years collecting information on the Leinster estate and Carton House. She has been associated with the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses & Estates (CSHIHE) since she joined as a researcher in 2004.

Signs of the times

When the new signs went up on The Hideout recently, they were more than lifting the look of a famous corner. The ‘Boyce Bros’ name officially marks the latest chapter in the pub’s story which began in 1855.



But maybe even more interesting, the signs themselves represent the expertise and experience built up by three generations of one family. Brian Hopkins of Rathangan has revived a century old method of making high quality signs.

The method is a delicate combination of wood carving, water gilding, and ‘glue-chipping’ glass. The skill died out after WW2 when the ubiquitous plastics and neons began to appear and appeal to the then ‘modernist’ tastes.



The Hideout work includes a new hanging sign, and a food sign, as well as bespoke interior items. The method, using various kinds of rich metal leaf depending on the style, is expensive. But it is inimitable by any mass production method.

“It’s the kind of work that somebody needs to know about, someone who can appreciate really classy work,” says Brian, who began work with his father Aidan when he was 13. Aidan had worked from an early age in signage and headstone carving with his own father Sydney. It was Brian’s dad who started experimenting with the old gilded signs, encouraging the younger man to learn more.

“I did a lot of research on the methods, and I also went to Birmingham to do a course on aspects of it,” Brian says. “The system was also used in making old pub mirrors, and we have done quite a few of those to specially-commisioned designs.”

Although the new signage at The Hideout is in an old style, as operator Eamonn Boyce wanted in keeping with the age and style of the building, Brian can use the method to make contemporary-looking signs as well.

Kathryn wins gold

Kathryn Weir won the Gold medal in the U/14 Shot Putt at the National Community Games Finals in Athlone last Saturday.

A student at Cross and Passion College, Kathryn has many County, Provincial and recently All Ireland medals for shot putt and has now added a Community Games National Title to her tally.

Other Kilcullen athletes to compete at the National Finals were Keelan Hegarty Kelly U/16 Discus, Katie Berney U/14 100m, Dean Clifford U/14 Shot Putt, Grace O'Toole U/8 60m and also in swimming Tony Aspel U/14 Breaststroke. Well done to all.

Ann Fitzgerald.

Drama registration

A registration evening for the Drama Dynamics speech and drama term will be held in the Parish Centre on Wednesday 9 September, between 5-7pm.

Evelyn O'Sullivan.

Talented Kids wow in Hollywood

Although the recent Talented Kids Summer Camp in Kilcullen Community Complex was a bundle of fun for all, lots of those present still had stars in their eyes from their recent trip to Hollywood.



Many of them were part of Team Ireland in the World Championships of performing Arts, and came back with medals and bursaries and, more importantly, a sense of having represented their country very well indeed.

They included Ellen Gallagher from Cnoc na Greine, who not alone performed in an 11-member sub-group called Celtic Fusion, but won many awards for her solo dancing, singing and acting. She took home nine medals. “It was my second year at the World Championships, so I was able to prepare better this time,” she says.

Susie Power from Calverstown, aged 5 and who is already a junior star in the RTE series ‘Fair City’, was the youngest competitor there, and took home eight medals for vocal, drama and dance competitions.

Aaron Lockhart from Kildare competed with some set acting pieces, including ‘The Joker’, ‘Goodfellas’. He also got an invitation to attend the New York Conservatory of Drama, as their representative was very impressed with his performance. “It was really exciting to be over there where acting lives, basically,” he says.

Other star performers included Lorna Dempsey from Leixlip, who has been signed by New Leaf record company to be part of a new international girl band.

There were 24 youngsters in this year’s Summer Camp at the Kilcullen venue, where classes for children in drama and musical theatre are run from September to June by Maureen Ward, assisted by Johnny Ward and choreographer Lorna Dempsey. Maureen was National Director for Team Ireland and won the Best National Director award in the Hollywood event.

Originally based in Dublin, the Talented Kids Performing Arts School now has a firm Kilcullen footing as Maureen lives in Calverstown. She also operates a talent agency, and a number of her students now act in such shows as 'Fair City' and in films.



This year’s camp included as tutors Mick McDermott, actor and entertainer, who gave a workshop on balloon modelling and face painting, Catherine McKiernan from RTE’s The Den, and Sinead Mulvey from the Eurovision Song Contest.

"The whole point of the summer camp is for kids to enjoy themselves," she says. “But this year is special, because I am so proud of how our own students performed as part of the very successful Team Ireland.”

Brian Byrne.

(This article was first published in the Kilcullen Page of last week's Kildare Nationalist.)

Infants of 1976

Were you there? These are some pictures of the Infants class of 1976, courtesy of Nuala Collins.

Billy's Bazaar continues

Just a reminder that Billy Redmond's Bazaar in aid of the Irish Wheelchair Association continues this coming week.

There's lots of interesting stuff on sale in the bazaar, which is being held this year in the former video shop beside Brennans Hardware.

Ann and Peter celebrate 40th

There was a great turnout in The Hideout on Friday night when Ann and Peter Sully celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.



We might have got in a couple of extra people simply because they were there. But everybody enjoyed the party.

Badminton club trims costs

Kilcullen Badminton Club is looking forward to its new season as the Summer Club draws to a close.

The new season begins on the 1st of September and the good news is that the club has cut its membership fee from €200 to €180.

Teams need to be decided by the 7th of September, so get your names in and the grade you would like to play in. You can text this to any committee member.

The new committee members are Anne Marie (087 2670201), Sinead (087 6779695), Trina (087 2288104), Sorcha (087 9567759) and Niamh (087 9520879).

New members are always welcome, so spread the word.

Traffic calming in Kilcullen

Kildare County Council intends to provide traffic calming measures in Kilcullen.

According to a statement from the Council these will consist of providing double yellow lines at Market Square.

Drawings showing the proposed works may be inspected at the public counter in the Transportation department at Arus Cill Dara during office hours (9am-5pm) Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays) from Friday 14 August to Friday 18 September 2009.

Representations relating to the proposed works may be made in writing to the Senior Executive Officer, Transportation Department, at the address below on or before 12 noon on Friday 18 September 2009.

Talking Point: Bring Them Home

Sometimes I get to thinking.

I know, a dangerous habit. But here are my latest thoughts on something very close to me, Kilcullen as a community.

Anyone like to get involved?

Bring Them Home

(Previous Talking Points)

Brian Byrne.

Hannah wants ideas on Positive Ageing

Kilcullen’s Pastoral Worker Hannah Evans thinks that there might be quite a few older people out there not getting the opportunity to make the most of their lives in the golden years.

So she is teasing out some ideas in conjunction with other groups who are involved with older folk in Kilcullen that may result in getting them out more.

A kickoff for the idea is already in planning for 1 October, when the normal Thursday morning Hospitality Tea event in the Parish Centre will incorporate a special ‘positive aging’ talk and discussion, as well as entertainment.

“That’s the middle of the national ‘Positive Aging Week’, which runs from 28 September through to 3 October,” Hannah says. “It seems like a good opportunity to see what can be done. I’d really appreciate any ideas from other people in the parish.”

Hannah can be contacted at the Parish Centre beside the church.

Paddy is still keeping busy

If there was ever an example of the antidote to ageing being just not stopping, Paddy Maloney of Kilcullen is that.



A year on from being guest of honour, at the age of 88, for the opening of the new premises of the Kilcullen Canoe Club which he founded, he still finds time and has the talent to make things, and make them well.

A carpenter and builder by trade in his younger days, Paddy these times has put his hand to making very attractive bowls from fine woods such as mahogany and parana pine.

And not content to just turning a bowl from a chunk of wood, he painstakingly cuts out pieces in shaped and splayed sections, clamping them together and creating very ornate pieces from his own patterns.

The results from his endeavours in his home workshop he gives to family members to mark special occasions. His latest creation is made from no less than 60 individual pieces.

“He’s a great man, and a great example of keeping busy in older age,” says a friend who visits him regularly.

John is making a run for it

Local auctioneer John Dowling, Main Street, Kilcullen, is making ‘a run for the hills’ by taking part in the Dingle Hill Marathon on September 12th in aid of Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue. This will be followed by the Dublin City marathon in October.

John, who is a member of the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team, will be trying to raise as much money as possible for this worthy cause by completing both marathons this year. A keen outdoors man himself, he told the Diary that there‘s a ‘vast increase’ in the number of people taking to the Wicklow Mountains and taking part in activities such as mountain biking, hiking and rock climbing.

“Basically, there’s very little start-up costs for the participants, and people generally have more time on their hands,” he notes, “all adding up to more call-outs for the DWMRT, who responded to 55 call-outs last year.”

Anybody who wants to donate can call to his office on Main Street, Kilcullen or call him 087 8536895.

'Poets' for Kentucky?

Some of the stalwarts of Kilcullen Drama Group are musing on the possibility of going to Lexington, Kentucky, after being a hit with delegates from there recently.



The actors performed their own work ‘Poets in Paradise’ in the Town Hall Theatre for the delegates, who were in Kildare to mark the 25th anniversary of the twinning of the county with Lexington Fayette. A number of the county’s officials and public representatives also attended.

“They had us all signing autographs afterwards, and they enjoyed it so much that it was suggested we should take the show to America,” says Vivian Clarke, who plays the part of Brendan Behan.

The show, which is about how some of Ireland’s greatest dead poets get on in Heaven, also stars Bernard Berney, Philomena Breslin, Maurice O’Mahony and James Healy.

“‘Poets’ is one we bring out every now and again to dust it off,” says Vivian. “We did it last Christmas too, and it went down very well along with some more seasonal offerings.”

Brendan and the annual Barrow Paddle

Every year for more than two decades Brendan O’Connell of Kilcullen is one of the driving forces behind a week-long camping and canoeing trip down the Barrow for 16 young people.



“It all started when we moved to Kilcullen from Athy in 1978,” says the other prime mover, Athy man Aidan McHugh. “It happened that Brendan O’Connell was my new neighbour, and he introduced us to canoeing.”

Brendan, of course, was one of the early members of Kilcullen’s Canoe Club, which is 50 this year. An Irish Olympian canoeist on a number of occasions, it was inevitable that he would involve the McHugh family in his own sporting passion.

“Prior to that, I had been involved in the Gymnastics Club in Athy for many years,” says Aidan, who moved back there some years ago. “Every year we would have a Gym Camp, and one day I was asked if there was any chance of doing a bit of canoeing with some of the kids. So I asked Brendan if he could help. I had the youngsters, Kilcullen had the canoes.”

It was a good match, and Brendan O’Connell recalls that they ‘commandeered’ as many canoes as they could from Kilcullen owners and got them down to the Barrow banks in Athy.

Aidan and Brendan limit the number of the camping paddle to 16 young people, because, as Aidan says, “you can manage 16 kids around a campfire”.

Some of the older ones have become true adventurers as a result of their canoeing and camping, and are frequently to be found undertaking such hair-raising stuff as free-climbing on sea rocks.

The trip down the Barrow is 45 miles, with 23 weirs and six sets of rapids. In addition to the daily travel, the group get training in the evenings in different aspects of watercraft under the watchful eye of an Irish Canoe Union trainer.

In return for the help that they gave them to get going, the Athy group still maintains a very close relationship with the Kilcullen Canoe Club. Part of that is helping out with safety management when Kilcullen hosts its annual race from Ballymore.

Brian Byrne.

(A fuller account of this appeared in the Kilcullen Page of the Kildare Nationalist last week.)

Query on Cullen ancestors

A recent visitor to Kilcullen had come from the other side of the world to find information about his family.

John Cullen from Melbourne had been over to London for the cricket tests, he took a detour to visit Ireland before going home.

John was particularly interested in a Patrick Cullen who was born in Kilcullen in 1809. He sailed to Hobart on the ‘Panama’ on 27 April 1853. Married perhaps to Henrietta Maxwell, he is also linked with the names of Mary Brown or Georgina Brown. He had six children, Rosanna, Thomas, Stephen, Michael, Andrew and William, born between 1833-1842.



John visited New Abbey Graveyard during his visit, and also Old Kilcullen where a headstone to a Patrick Cullen (died 1798) and a William Cullen (date of death unreadable) intrigued him.

He was also interested to find that it was the late Cardinal Paul Cullen who laid the foundation stone of Kilcullen’s parish church 140 years ago.

Anyone with information can contact him initially through this writer at 086 8267104.

Talented Kids new term

Talented Kids Performing Arts School and Agency Classes start back in Kilcullen Community Centre on Saturday 12th September. See www.talentedkidsireland.com for details.

Barretstown Family Fun Day

Top stars from a number of different sports will be on hand to make a Family Fun fundraiser at Barretstown Camp a day to remember.

The event will take place on 29 August, with the gates opening at 10am for a ‘children’s activity blitz’.

Proceeds from the day will go to helping the camp founded by the late Paul Newman, which provides holidays for children affected by cancer and other serious illnesses.

The programme includes rugby with Gordon D’Arcy, Donncadh O’Callaghan, Frankie Sheehan and friends; hurling with D J Carey, Sean Og O Hailpin, Joe Canning, Thomas Mulcahy and others; Gaelic football with Kieran Donaghy, Padraic Joyce, Graham Canty, Dermot Earley; soccer with Michael O’Neill and a selection of Shamrock Rovers players; and drama with Amy Huberman and friends from ‘The Clinic’.

Tickets are €90 for a family (two adults and two children) and can be bought at ticketmasters.ie. Children under five are free.

Great Vintage Rally

There was a great turnout for the 7th Mac & Norman's Vintage Rally in aid of the Irish Cancer Society.



We'll give an update on how much was raised in a week or so.

Help for Lourdes appeal

An appeal for donations to the Lourdes Diocesan Associate Membership Scheme was made recently at masses in Kilcullen.

The scheme is the backbone of fundraising which helps send very sick people to Lourdes every September. By donating any amount, people will in return gain associate membership and during the pilgrimage a Mass for all associate members will be celebrated at the Grotto.

Contributions like these can really help to make a difference to the life of a very sick person, and donations can be made at the Parish Shop or Pastoral Office.

Read about the saints

An initiative in Kilcullen Parish Church is designed to raise awareness amongst parishioners of the lives of saints.

It is in the form of a ‘Saints Bulletin Board’ which highlights the feast days of saints which will be celebrated in the coming week.

“The saints form an integral part of our prayer lives and serve as great sources of inspiration for us to model our lives on,” says Fr Michael Murphy PP, who has urged mass-goers to spend a little time checking out the board.

Council will 'monitor' dangerous footpath

Kildare County Council is to ‘monitor’ the condition of the Church Road footpath over coming months, following representations by councillors.

The condition of the footpath has given rise to much local concern, especially since a woman tripped and fell on it over the June Bank Holiday, necessitating a trip to hospital.

At the recent local area meeting in the Council, Cllr Martin Heydon asked that it give an undertaking to repair the footpath ‘as a matter of urgency’. Cllr Aoife Breslin also asked that the repairs be carried out in the interest of public safety.

In response, they were told that the reduced budgetary provision for footpath repairs in Naas Area in 2009 means that the available funding must be prioritised on small scale, high importance repairs, ‘where an immediate danger to the public exists’.

The Council says the Naas Area Engineer is ‘aware of the poor condition’ of this section of path at present. It says the situation will be closely monitored over the coming months and should the condition of the path deteriorate to such an extent that it is dangerous for pedestrians, relevant repairs as funding allows will be carried out.

'Big House' women lecture

Kilcullen Heritage Group is organising a talk '150 years of Women's Role in the Big House' as its contribution to National Heritage Week 2009.

The event will take place on 26 August in the Town Hall, and will be a lecture by Colette Jordan, historical researcher on the Duchesses of Leinster who resided in Carton House.

Further information from Nessa Dunlea at nessadunlea@gmail.com or 087/2339610.

Walking on water in Kilcullen

Unless we get another Ice Age instead of global warming, it is unlikely that the scene in this picture will ever be seen in Kilcullen again.



The photo is taken from upstream of the bridge in Kilcullen, and shows people walking on the ice that covered the river to where the new Canoe Club building is now.

The picture was taken, by somebody unknown, in 1938, according to local lore from Pat Lynch and Jim Collins.

What made it possible, apart from the very cold winter of '38, was the existence of the weir just downstream of the bridge, which slowed the water flow enough for it to freeze.



The second picture has a lot of camera shake. It shows the river downstream of the bridge and up from the weir, and people can clearly be seen crossing on the ice there too.

Miley to meet minister on bypass

Councillor Martin Miley has added his voice to the campaign for a slip road off the new motorway section at Kilgowan.

In a statement he says this slip road is vital for the local community as the industrial area of South Kildare is being cut off from this major road infrastructure.

“I welcome the road but am extremely worried about the effect it will have on employment in rural South Kildare,” he says. “I have called on the minister and will be meeting him in the coming weeks to try and get this vital life line for our area.”

Up to 150 local jobs are under threat if the slip road isn’t provided.

CPC access project complete

A €500,000 construction programme to make Cross & Passion College completely accessible to students with disabilities has now been completed.

Phase 1 was completed last summer, when the accessible toilet facilities were upgraded and accessible desks were installed in all class rooms.

Phase 2 has removed barriers such as steps throughout the school building and grounds. The main part of the project involved the building and installation of a lift shaft and a lift to allow access to the second and third floor of the original Cross & Passion convent building. Although much of this building has now been taken over by KARE, several rooms on each level remain part of the CPC complex.

Also included in the work is a state of the art electric lift at the back of the stage of the school’s Assembly Hall. This allows wheelchair users to ‘climb’ the stairs access to the backstage.

A special car ‘bay’ was also constructed near the main entrance to the school to allow parents of wheelchair-using students bring their cars right up to a ramp area for such students.

“We’re now probably the most accessible second level school in the region in every respect,” says CPC Principal Paul Tyrrell, pictured on right with Vice Principal Noel Clare. “It completes the part of our Mission Statement where we want to provide a school that is totally inclusive to all students.”

All that is left to do now is restoration and decoration, which should be completed by the time the school reopens after its summer break.

The project was spearheaded by a steering group of parents and teachers including Denis Dennehy (staff), Breda Kelly & Geraldine Kelly (parents), Gabriel McGinley (architect), and Susan Forde (Enable Ireland).

Phase 2 took 16 weeks - right up to the end of the school year. The contractors were Weslin Construction. The project was funded through the Department of Education and Science.

Brian Byrne.

(This article was first published in last week's Kildare Nationalist.)

Doing the 'Mum Olympics'

Travelling on your own with small kids? Dreading the 'Mummy Pentathlon' of making it through airports and their systems and retaining both sanity and all children?

You CAN do it. Read Hazel Gaynor's piece from her 'Hot Cross Mum' blog and take heart. Medals are notional, but none the less satisfying for all that.

Heard of 'Tinman'?

As they work their way through redecorating the Hideout pub with some of the old pictures and mirrors they found in storage in the premises, new tenants of the famous hosterly Eamonn and Rory Boyce have come across a couple of puzzles.

One is a picture of a jockey with the name ‘F Archer’. Eamonn had never heard of him, so he made some enquiries and found it represents both major triumph and personal tragedy.

Cheltenham-born Fred Archer was a flat race jockey who held the English National Champion position for 13 years in succession until 1886. He won 21 classic races, including five Epsom Derbys. In 1885 he rode 246 winners, a record that wasn't broken until Gordon Richards' 1933 season.

Known as ‘Tinman’ because of his appreciation of money, he committed suicide in 1889 at the age of 29. His wife Helen Rose, daughter of trainer Mathew Dawson, for whom Archer was was stable jockey from 1874 until his death, had died in childbirth two years before. The couple had already lost their first child.

Youth 2000 Summer Festival

The annual Youth 2000 Summer Festival will take place near the ancient ruins of the Clonmacnois monastic site in Co Offaly on this coming weekend of 13-16 August.

The Festival is for young people age 16-35, and will include inspiring talks, dramas, a concert, prayer, games and time for reflection and sharing.

“It promises to be a great opportunity for young people from all around Ireland to explore their faith, meet new friends and have some craic,” says Hannah Evans, Kilcullen Parish’s Pastoral Worker.

Hannah notes that accommodation and buses are free, and all young people need to participate is ‘a sleeping bag and a pair of wellies’.

Hannah can be contacted in the Parish Pastoral Office, or at 087 9365767.

Barbecue raises €2,900 for kids

The recent barbecue held in Bardons raised €2,900 for a very deserving charity.

Held on the pub’s roof garden, the event in aid of the Barretstown Castle Foundation just sizzled along.

In included live music from Beefy Minehan & Friends and was the brainchild of Bardons regular Stan Clarke, supported by proprietor Eddie Cross and his colleagues Linda Price and Ellen O’Driscoll.

Local businesses got behind the event with sponsorship of the food and spot prizes.

In 1994, Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps founded its first camp in Europe, at Barrestown.

Stagecoach school meeting

An Open Meeting in Cross & Passion College on September 16 will provide information on the Stagecoach Stage School, which will begin sessions for children on Saturday 19 September.

The school is geared for pupils aged 6-16, and is part of an international group of more than 600 schools.

Participants take part in three hours of classes per week which are split up into three one-hour classes of jazz/modern dance, drama and singing. No more than 15 youngsters of similar age are in each class.

The Open Meeting on September 16 begins at 6pm. Further information available from Mariclare at 045 484879.

Flowers collection today

The KCA/Kilcullen Tidy Towns annual street collection towards the summer flower planting takes place today Saturday from 10am to 5pm. The funds raised go some way towards the cost of the project. All support is very welcome.

Another project being carried out as part of an incentive to promote business in the town is to update the local Business directory which was compiled by KCA a few years ago. If you want, leave details of your business/contacts with any of the collectors today or mail details to kilcullen.directory@gmail.com

Ray Kelly.

Brannockstown NS helps Kenya

The 5th and 6th Class pupils of Brannockstown NS recently presented a cheque for €1,255 to Gerry O’Donoghue, director of the ‘Operation Maintain Hope’ charity which has supported a children's shelter near Nairobi, Kenya.

The organisation has built accommodation, and provided a bus as well as clothing and footwear for those helped by the shelter.

Gerry, who is Principal of Athgarvan NS, is currently back in Kenya working on the latest stage of the development there.

Freddie White for Kilcullen return

A familiar figure in Berneys back room in the 80s, singer/songwriter Freddie White returns to Kilcullen on Friday 25 September.

He will be performing in the evening at the Town Hall Theatre, and tickets can be booked by calling 087 2636375.

Freddie is one of Ireland’s best live performers, and performs his own compositions as well as his particularly individual interpretations of works by Randy Newman, Tom Waits and John Hiatt, to mention just a few.

His return will likely be a full house affair very quickly.

Nolans highlighted in 'Times'

Just in case you missed it, Nolans was featured in last Saturday's Irish Times weekend magazine.



The article says it all.

Green fingers interest

A scheme to rent allotments by a landowner in Kilcullen has received significant interest, though more will be required to make it a viable proposition.

That said, Diarmuid Murphy, the man behind the scheme, says he has been very encouraged by the level of enquiries.

The land, on the Athy Road out of town, is zoned agricultural. Diarmuid is proposing to provide plots of either 8x8 metres or 8x16 metres. These will be for rent at €150 or €250 a year respectively, plus a contribution towards insurance.

The site has running water, and each of the allotments will be rotovated and fully prepared for use. The whole area is fully fences, and each plot will be clearly marked.

Allotments are not a new idea. For instance, when the original Nicholastown housing estate was developed, Kildare County Council also made a number of allotments available behind the estate for use by tenants who wanted to rent them.

And they used to be very common in Dublin; anybody driving in by the canal will have noticed a number of them still in use along the canal bank.

“We also saw them in England a lot, and that recent Richard Corrigan TV series about growing vegetables in a city site also caught our attention,” says Diarmuid. “We decided to see if there was any interest here, and we have about half the number of people that we need, so far.”

In no more time than a swish of a Celtic Tiger’s tail, it does seem that more people have come to consider growing their own vegetables, partly from trying to cut their living costs.

“But it is also a very rewarding hobby,” says Diarmuid, who suggests that if the idea takes off properly, he would organise weekend demonstrations from experts for the benefit of those who take up the allotments offer.

Diarmuid can be contacted on 087 6568366 or email gardenplot@ymail.com

Green fingers, anyone?

Brian Byrne.

Bypass businesses step up campaign

Local businesses which will literally be ‘strangled’ with the opening of the next stage of the M9 motorway have stepped up their campaign to have a slip road built beside the well-known Priory bar and restaurant at Kilgowan.



Up to 150 jobs are at risk if the link isn’t provided, according to Tom Wall (above) of The Priory and Seamus O’Reilly (below) of the Crookstown Service Station. In addition to their own businesses, several others along the short stretch of the N9 affected depend on access by passing traffic.



And their further plea that provision of the off-ramp is absolutely necessary from a road safety issue has been backed up by local councillor Martin Heydon. He has written to the Chief Executive of the NRA, Fred Barry, saying there is still time to provide the exit.

The new section is scheduled to open in the first week of December.

Seamus O’Reilly has been leading a campaign for the last seven years to have provision made for motorists and hauliers come off the new motorway for refuelling, refreshment and rest. This was in line with the then NRA policy that such services should be ‘off-line’, or not part of the motorway system itself.

In the last couple of years, that policy was officially changed, and the NRA proposed ‘on-line’ service areas. One was planned for Halverstown, just outside Kilcullen, and was the subject of an An Bord Pleanala Oral Hearing last March.

Since then, however, all such on-line service areas have been shelved owing to lack of funds in the current economic climate. This, say Tom Wall and Seamus O’Reilly, makes it even more imperative that the southbound exit at Kilgowan be provided.

In their proposals to the ABP hearing, the local interests estimated that providing an exit ramp at The Priory could be done for about €150,000, ‘very inexpensive’ compared to the multi-million-euro proposal for the new service area.

A link to the M9 south of the Crookstown end of the stretch affected is already in place, and the total extra distance involved for southbound motorists who would use the link to services is about a kilometre. The total driving time between the two points, on the existing stretch of the N9, is a mere eight minutes.

This link could also be used by northbound motorists who need to rest or refuel, and they could then resume their motorway journey via the Kilcullen junction a few kilometres further north from The Priory.



The Wall family have offered to turn land adjacent to their business into fully-serviced parking for cars and trucks. This would be at no cost to the NRA, which is no longer in a position to build the mooted service area and is not likely to be for at least five more years.

“Driver fatigue has been identified as being a factor in 20 percent of fatal accidents,” Cllr Martin Heydon says in his recent letter to the NRA chief executive. “However, if the motorway opens ahead of the construction of the service area, then drivers on this stretch of road will have no alternative but to continue driving, due to an absence of a rest or service area. This will lead to a very real road safety issue, with an increased potential for fatal accidents to occur on this stretch of road.”

The report of the Bord Pleanala oral hearing appears to have been delayed and is not now expected until sometime in August. Two weeks ago, Tom Wall wrote directly to the Chairman of ABP, John O'Connor, asking for the Bord’s support. At the March hearing into the service area proposal, the local interests, along with representatives of the Road Hauliers Association, provided detailed submissions in support of the local alternative.

All local public representatives have supported the provision of a Kilgowan exit ramp. But appeals to the Minister for Transport, Mr Dempsey, and to the top levels of the NRA, have apparently gone unheeded.

Tom Wall and Seamus O’Reilly emphasise that they and the others they represent in the campaign are completely in favour of the motorway.

“But it doesn’t make sense in these times to needlessly throw away jobs,” Tom Wall says. “We know that even with the ramp all of us on this stretch will lose a significant amount of current business. But the ramp would give us a fighting chance of survival.”



Seamus O’Reilly notes that his staff are always very keen to work even from very early hours, but if access to the stretch is cut off, he will inevitably have to cut staff. “Some of them have been with me for over 20 years,” he says.

Brian Byrne.

(This article was first published in last week's edition of the Kildare Nationalist.)

Frill 50% sale

Frill Boutique on Hillcrest has a sale on with 50 percent off selected stock.

Owned by Elaine Hanlon, Frill stocks a large variety of labels which are exclusive to Frill in Kildare.

Catering from casual to evening wear, Frill has an ensemble to suit every occasion. The boutique has many dresses in stock for less than €100.

Labels include Minw UK, Bobi, Moovy, Pink, Soda Boutique, Natali Chaize, Chocolat, Jovani (full length) and many others.

Open from 10am to 6pm Mon/Sat.

Badminton news

Kilcullen Juvenile Badminton Club Academy completes its final session on Friday 14 August.

Thanks to all who volunteered their time to assist our super coaches Sheila and Clare (above) and to all our Juvenile Players who have worked so hard with the Coaches all Summer.

The CMF Badminton Blitz will take place on Sat 15th August in Whitehall rd at 2pm. Contact Sheila or Clare for details.

Our final event before the new season starts will be Our “Family Fun Day” on Sunday 16 August in Kilcullen Community Complex, starting at 2pm.

All parents and kids are welcome for some Fun n’ Games, and we might hit the odd shuttle! Ronan Murphy.

The passing of Brigid Burke

The Diary has learned of the death of Brigid (Bridgie) Burke, (née Fitzgerald) of Melon Hill, formerly of Friarstown, Kildare.

Removal will take place from Anderson and Leahy's Funeral Home, Newbridge, this Monday evening at 6.15pm to St Brigid's Church, Kilcullen, to arrive at 7pm.

Funeral, after 11am Mass tomorrow, Tuesday, to St Conleth's Cemetery, Newbridge. Family flowers only. Donations, if desired, to The Friends Of Naas Hospital.

May she rest in peace.

Abuse of litter container

The litter container which was erected and maintained privately on the New Abbey Road has now been removed because the facility was being abused.

This was a most needed facility on the entrance to the town and was used to keep the walkway to the cemeteries clean and tidy. However somebody has been cramming it full with household waste. The same individual has been dumping bags of rubbish on McGarry’s Lane.

A profile of the offender has been made from items found in the waste and the litter warden has been informed. If anyone sees someone dumping illegally, please report them. Tidy Towns can do without this added problem.

Boot sales have raised €3,500

There was another successful Car Boot Sale at Cross & Passion this morning.



The total raised so far for the school's Books Fund has now reached €3,500. Principal Paul Tyrrell says the fund, especially in the current cutbacks situation, allows the school to continue to provide books for students who can't afford them.

Old Kilcullen mass cancelled

The Mass in Old Kilcullen Graveyard planned for last evening was cancelled due to the inclement weather. It is now scheduled for Friday 11th September at 7.30pm.