Harvest Fair tomorrow

Don't forget the Harvest Fair tomorrow in the Parish Centre.

From 10am there are stands, fancy dress competition for children, a raffle, cakes, books and lots more.

Proceeds in aid of SUAS, the new active retirement group.

'Theft' in Kilcullen

Vivian Clarke and Philomena Bresln in rehearsal for Kilcullen Drama Group's production of 'Theft'.

Mark in 'Miscellany'

Here we go again - I can hardly believe that it’s that time of year so soon.

Time that is, for the by now annual fundraiser hosted by Tom and Phena Bermingham at their home in Mooretown just three miles outside Kilcullen on the Athy Road (N78) in aid of Michael Garry House Hostel for the Homeless, Newbridge.

For those who are not familiar with the event or who may be new to the area, Miscellany Sunday has been held each year (bar one) since 2000 to raise funds for the Michael Garry House Hostel for Homeless People in Newbridge.

The event is neither choreographed nor staged; it just happens. It is more “rambling house” than “coffee morning” and is reminiscent of how people used to socialise; by gathering in the homes of friends and neighbours sharing stories, making music, dancing (mind the dresser!) and breaking bread together.

To fulfill all elements of this age-old means of entertainment, Miscellany Sunday has an eclectic mix of music, singing, drama, poetry and art accompanied by mince pies and mulled wine, with copious amounts of tea, coffee and cake for the designated drivers!

So far there are confirmed appearances by members of Kilcullen Drama Group, in production at the moment with a new play – Theft by Eric Chappell, elements of Kildare Youth Orchestra, guitarist and singer Ludaigh Moran, violinist/fiddler Aoife Kelly, “Beefy and Friends”, James Healy, Bernard Roche, Dick Jeffers, Roy Thompson. There will, as usual, be many more on the day and updates will appear on ‘A Kilcullen Diary’.

So, where and when? Well, just follow out the Athy road for three miles from Kilcullen and the house is on the left – look out for the big sign and the balloons and the clutter of cars!

The when is Sunday December 6 from 2:30pm-ish to 6:30pm-ish.

This is not a ticketed event; it isn’t sold on a per table basis and it doesn’t have a corporate sponsor! (Although we’d welcome their money!)

We put a discretionary contribution basket/box in the hall where people can make a donation if they wish to, either on their arrival or as they leave, and, thankfully, donate they do. Each year the event has raised well in excess of €2000.

All are welcome, and Phena has asked me to stress that point. We have been very fortunate to be supported in our endeavours each year by so many people and we really do appreciate that many return each year and we look forward to seeing you all again. It would also be great to see some new faces and it is to you, those who have not yet been able to come, that we extend an invitation to do so this year. And if you are a musician, singer, poet, dancer or have any artistic tendencies or you just like to spend time in the company of ordinary folks who come together to support a service for all people in our society, then Miscellany Sunday might just be the place for you.

So if you are living in the Kilcullen, Calverstown or Ballyshannon area, do come along and spread the word and encourage folks you know from farther afield to come too.

Further information from Roy Thompson at 485996, or Phena Bermingham at 485232.

Hope to see you there.

Roy Thompson.

'Theft' by Kilcullen Drama Group

Don’t be misled by the headline. The Drama Group is not about to admit that they have been for years now, robbing the locals by charging them €10 each to watch a succession of farces by Ray Cooney, one more outrageous than the other. No, while this is patently true, the headline above refers to the group’s upcoming production of a play, by Eric Chappell, titled “Theft”.

The play concerns itself with the morality and behaviour of the upper echelons of our society as seen through the eyes of a small-time criminal, caught red-handed while robbing the mansion of a wealthy property developer.

Facing a term in jail our philosophical thief reflects on the dastardly nature of his crime and compares the enormity of his sins with those of his captors and the government of his country, whose laws will soon deprive him of his freedom. He reflects that, if he had a job which allowed him expenses of €100,000 p.a. he would forgo all notion of salary and would certainly cease his “present” thieving ways.

The play is described as “A Comedy-Thriller”. There is certainly loads of comedy in it. The thrill is to witness somebody taking an unorthodox look at our life and times. It is planned for end of November/December.

Philomena Breslin.

Unwrapping the gift of life

SInce we were children, we've all known about the 'anti-tet' jab, the first call if any of us came home from playing with a nasty cut. "When was the last ant-tetanus injection?" was the nurse or doctor's question if the injury was enough to need their attention. And indeed, pretty well every mother kept a note of the last time for each of their children.



Tetanus kills. But in our part of the world we take it for granted that we are, or can be, immunised easily and cheaply. But what if you live in an undeveloped community in many parts of the non-industrialised world? What if you are a mum giving birth in the bush, or in another less than clean environment? Your baby has a good chance of dying. So have you.

Local mother and writer Hazel Gaynor has been concerned about this recently. Especially after being invited to spread the word through her blog and other places about the tetanus vaccine campaign being run by UNICEF in association with nappy maker Pampers.

The campaign aims to provide 100 million tetanus vaccines this year. Further, it has the ambitious target to eliminate the disease completely by 2012.

"This year alone, 128,000 newborn babies will die as a resulty of acquiring tetanus," she says. "Along with literally thousands of mothers. And the tragedy is that the disease is entirely preventable."

Although a newborn baby in areas where tetanus is an endemic risk may appear perfectly healthy, symptoms can appear with days of the birth. It affects the mouth and facial muscles first, tightening them up until they can no longer breastfeed due to the 'lockjaw', the common name for the disease.

"It can quickly affect the rest of the body and eventually the baby is unable to breathe," says Hazel, who has two young children of her own. "Here in Ireland, mums like me have already given the gift of life to our own children. By supporting the campaign, this gift can be given to other babies."

After meeting with the campaign's personality ambassador, actress Natascha McElhone, and hearing her visits to vulnerable communities in places such as Angola, Hazel is very much taking an active part locally in the UNICEF/Pampers campaign.

"She told of seeing first hand the impact of earlier campaigns, of women and children living in communities without so much as a clean sterilised knife to cut a newborn's umbilical cord. It loeft me feeling that we live thoroughly spoilt and pampered lives, yet we can do something incredibly simple to help."

The 'incredibly simple' thing is to buy the products from Pampers -- nappies of wipes -- which promote the campaign. For every pack sold, Pampers will donate one vaccine unit to the campaign.

"If your children are out of nappies, maybe buy a pack for a friend with young children, or a packet of wipes. Or you can donate by clicking the special button on the Pampers website, or on my blog hotcrossmum.blogspot.com."

Hazel is also visiting chreches and pre-schools in the area, talking about the campaign to children and their mothers, and helping the kids play a 'pass the parcel' game which also results in further Pampers donations of tetanus vaccines.

The 2009 campaign finishes at the end of December. But a new one next year will continue the fight.

Thorny Rose competition

Pictures from the recent Thorny Rose Rehab fundraising night in The Hideout.

Iron man at Steiner school

The Steiner education methods are very hands on, but even for the pupils of the Kildare Steiner School used to that, a couple of days recently spent blacksmithing were a bit out of the ordinary.



They came courtesy of Bernard Graves, from Stroud in England, who specialises in bringing ‘experiental education’ to schools and to teacher training.

And the youngsters took to the ancient trade with a real enthusiasm, pumping bellows, heating and working iron bars, and generally sparking and soot-smutting all over the place.

They actually built their own pit-forge first, and then Bernard showed them how to set up the rest of a typical old forge, and how to run it.

Bernard doesn’t just do smithing, though. He was running another course in Ireland a few weeks ago which worked students through leathercraft, from skinning the deer all the way through to organically tanning it and then making finished articles.

“I also teach how to work with clay, willow, lime kilns, all sorts of different things,” he says. “But the accent in all of them is to go back to the source of the materials. Of course, in this case you can’t go back to the source of iron, but we do go back in time to when man began working it.”



One of his key ideas when working with children is to show an alternative to the ‘immediacy’ of today, where everything happens more or less instantly, and that is what children come to expect.

“You have to respect that the iPod Age is where the kids live, but there is an opportunity to take them back with something like this. In the process, apart from them learning skills, there is history, geography, science and all sorts of subject areas which come from it.”

After such practical days, pupils can go back to the classroom and tease out with their teachers all sorts things related to the experience. It certainly means they’re not just depending on books, or even more high-tech equipment, to learn all sorts of stuff about the past.

Bernard’s company is called ‘Pyrites: Living and Learning with Nature’. “Pyrites means fire, and everything we do somehow involves fire.”



When Bernard is teaching teachers how to do this kind of work, he usually takes them out into a country location, such as a farm or forests, and shows them how to build their own ‘outdoor classroom’. “I then skill up those who want to bring the concept to their own schools. I have to empower them to do it themselves, because it’s no good me doing it all the time.”

Although the bulk of his work in in Britain, Bernard has worked in Ireland in the Camphill network. “This is my first Steiner School here, and I’ve never done it for any state school here yet.”

He has also brought the ideas to New Zealand and Canada, and he spends quite a bit of his time running conferences and seminars. These are equally as hands-on as the regular courses, but include very intensive evaluation sessions in how experiental education changes those doing it, and on how the systems can be included in their own curricula.

Originally a Botany teacher, Bernard recalls in a humorous way how he got into this whole area. “I had an acorn in my hand and was blathering on to the class about how an acorn becomes an oak. Then I fancied this acorn talking to me and telling me I had never put it into the ground and watched it grow. I realised at that moment that all of my teaching was out of books, as it is for almost everybody, and I had a kind of crisis.”

He stopped teaching for a number of years and went into farming and gardening, and from there into crafts, and eventually, when he felt comfortable with it and began bringing it back into classrooms. He worked for 12 years with the Hiram Trust, which develops this area.

“My teaching now is more with adults who have a perception of the value of this kind of work.”

The sessions were held on the farm of Barney and Dorly O’Sullivan, which borders the Kildare Steiner School on the Dunlavin Road from Kilcullen.

Brian Byrne.

(This story appeared in last week's Kildare Nationalist.)

Community Awards presented

The annual annual Community and Tidy Towns Awards were presented at a function in the Town Hall on Friday night.

The awards are organised by Kilcullen Community Action to mark the effort put into Kilcullen's life by groups and individuals.

Jock Kelly was given an award for his service to the Canoe Club over at least 40 years and in particular to Kilcullen’s young people, many of whom he has taught to swim and canoe.

Jennifer Shortt received her award for her hard work in organising the Kilcullen section of the All Ireland Feile and for her contribution to Ladies Gaelic Football in Kilcullen

Tom McCarton was nominated for his trojan work in Kilcullen Parish Church. He is always available for church events, never fails to oblige with a smile and is always in good humour.

Katherine Weir was given an award for her competitive spirit and on winning Gold at the Shot Putt in the National Finals of the Community Games.

Liam Walker received one for his contribution to cycling in Kilcullen and nationally over many years, and especially this year for bringing the start of the FBD RAS to Kilcullen. Another stage of the Rás will start in Kilcullen in 2010 thanks to Liam’s dedication to a sport he loves.

The Landers Family was given one or their contribution to the social and cultural life of Kilcullen over many years through their teaching of Irish Dancing and for their contribution to many Community groups.

The Jim Roche Cup was given to the Cross and Passion College Access project.

Three awards for Most Improved Premises were given to The Hideout, the Hair Emporium hair salon, and The Powder Room beauty salon.

The Best Window Display accolade went to Dave Clancy Floral Designs, while the Byrne Cup/Landscape award went to the Market Square Riverside Development - Dunlea Properties.

The Jerry Kelly Memorial Trophy for the Best Large Estate went to Laurel Wood, while the Brendan Dowlingt Cup for the Best Small Estate was won by Luí Na Greine.

Castlemartin won the Most Improved Estate award, and Esker Lea took the Best Green Area prize.

Ger Markey of the Stray Inn received a Special Commendation for his floral display at the pub and surrounds.

Motorway run full

With less than two weeks to go registration for the 10k Crookstown Motorway Run is now closed at 700 walkers/runners.

The closed motorway course will allow for serious runners to challenge their presonal best times over this 10k distance.

The kids tent will keep younger kids happy with face painting and great music. A cup of tea/coffee/soup from the refreshments tent will keep everyone happy and warm on the day too.

The Jack and Jill Foundation, Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI), Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin and the local National School are among the charities that will benefit from this event.

Chernobyl event

Chernobyl Children' s Table Quiz takes place in St. Laurences Club House, Narraghmore on Saturday 7th November 2009 at 8pm.

Tables of 4 are €40. The monies raised will be used to meet the associated expenses of bringing children affected by the Chernobyl disaster to Ireland to stay with host families in Kildare, as part of Chernobyl Children's Project International Rest (CCPI) and Recuperation Programme.

It is said that this time spent in Ireland can add up to two years to each of the children's lives.

Contact Mary Reynolds on 087 604 6890 from CCPI Naoimh Bhride Kildare Outreach Group to book your table. All support is greatly appreciated.

Raise a cake for Suas

Feel like doing a bit of baking for a good cause?

Well, why not 'whisk up' something for the Harvest Fair at the Parish Centre on November 1. Proceeds are in aid of Suas, the newly-formed active retirement group.

All home baking welcome. There will also be many other stands, including books, candles, Aloe Vera, Jewellery, €1 Stall and lots more.

C'mon ... crack those eggs, shake that sugar, sieve that flour!

ESB cut Tuesday

Bank of Ireland in Kilcullen is one of a number of businesses which will be closed all day Tuesday because of a planned ESB power outage.

The outage, between 9.30am-5pm is for works to improve the local network. It affects Main Street and Nicholastown.

Scouts invested

A number of new members were invested into the Kilcullen Scouts at the recent Investiture Evening in the Scout Den.

Loretta Nolan was invested as a Scout Leader, and new scouts included Jason Norton and Hanna Begley, while Emma Foley was invested as a Venturer.

Also welcomed to scouting were Damien O’Sullivan, Rebekah Reynolds, and Donna Carpenter. Jessica Murphy, Rachel Dunphy, Craig Roche, Karen Champ and Jenny Fleming were welcomed to Venturers.

Concerns over retention application

Concerns about an application for retention of an unauthorised developement beside The Hideout were expressed at the most recent meeting of Kilculen Community Action.

The development was carried out by James Browne more than two years ago. After complaints from townspeople, Kildare County Council found that Mr Browne's development was in breach of his permission on ten counts.

These include an excess height of approximately one metre, an unauthorised 'A' roof over a section of the building, unauthorised installation of six windows and a related relocation of a ventilations system, and an unauthorised screen wall on the second floor with four unauthorised access points.

The developer had earlier been forced to close up a number of unauthorised windows which had been opened out onto the forecourt of the Esso filling station beside the building. Concerns of the danger of explosion and fire had been raised by Esso and the operator of the filling station.

In November 2007, Mr Browne was issued with an Enforcement Order by KCC and told to rectify the situation. The Council had powers carry out the work itself if the developer failed to do so, including demolition of any unauthorised aspect, and recover subsequently from the developer any costs incurred.

In addition, failure by the developer to carry out the necessary rectifications as detailed on an Enforcement Notice could make him liable to penalties of up to almost 13m euros as well as possible imprisonment for up to two years.

It seems the Enforcement Order was never enforced by the Council.

Ladbrokes opened a betting shop on the ground floor, relocating from a smaller premises on the Milemill Road. The betting company was granted a separate planning permission for that business.

Now the developer has applied for retention of the disputed work. Any submissions on the application must be made by October 27. The Reference Number is 05/187.

The ethos of small schools

"St Joseph's is like a big family, where the individual pupil is given their own space in which to develop their personality, and where the teacher gets to know and gets to love each individual pupil."



Those remarks by Petra Conroy, chair of the Parents Committee of Halverstown NS, summed up in the best of terms the ethos of a school which started off with just eight pupils and is still small by most standards. She was speaking at the recent 50th anniversary celebrations of the school.

"Things we can do which bigger schools can't, for instance, is that we can put the whole school in a minibus," Petra added. "Which means that we all get to go and see the bluebells in the woods every spring. We all get to go swimming together. And the number of trips we can all go on is very large."

She noted that while all the pupils leave with the benefits of the formal education curriculum, they also gain from other things related to the school's size.

"These come partly because it is a multi-class school system with just two teachers, and partly from the Gospel values that are part of the overall ethos of the school. Junior pupils are used to looking up to and respecting the older children, because they're in the same class with them. The seniors, without even noticing it, get used to looking after the little ones and taking a leadership role. I think it is invaluable what the children leave here with, and you can see it in the excellent members of the community they become when they leave."

She concluded that the past pupils should be proud of the heritage they have in being former students at the school, and which they spread out into the wider community.

Current Principal Marion Sherlock thanked everybody who had helped organise the celebrations, which had started out as something small but had quickly got much bigger.



She recalled how at one stage the school had been down to having just eight pupils, and was likely to be amalgamated with Kilcullen NS. “But there were people then who had the foresight and the wisdom to fight to keep the school, and I’m so glad they did,” she said.

The day, which had begun with a mass celebrated in a marquee on the grounds, continued with refreshments, music, and a chance for pupils of previous years to look back into their past through photographic exhibitions, and also see the two new classrooms which were officially opened on the day.

Brian Byrne.

Floral evening new date

The Floral Charity Evening planned by Kilcullen Flower & Garden Club which was postponed from October 21 will take place on 24 November.

Renamed ‘The Joy of Christmas’ it will feature demonstrations by Christopher White. The event will be held in the Cross & Passion College at 8pm.

Tickets are €10 and all proceeds go to KARE and the Alzheimer Society.

Learning computers

Kilcullen's Transition Year students are once again helping older people in the community learn to use the internet, in the 'Log On & Learn' initiative.

The 'one-to-one' tuition began in the last week of September and will run for two months. The Friday morning sessions are held between 9-10.30am.

The service is aimed at people who are 55 and over and involves very user-friendly classes which work participants through basic internet skills, including using email, booking airline flights and other day-to-day uses of the world wide web.

“It is the second year we’ve been involved in this initiative,” says CPC Assistant Principal Noel Clare. “It has worked very well, and there’s a great interaction between the young people and the older ones. I think it benefits the youngsters as much as it does those they are teaching.”

If anybody wants further information, they can call Marie or Glenda at 045 481524.

Students raised money for GOAL

Students and staff at Cross & Passion College raised €915 in aid of GOAL last Friday, as their part in the charity’s National Jersey Day.



The local collection was organised by the pupils of 3T Class and the event was done as part of the CSVE project.

They are pictured here with their teacher Averil Burke, with the cheque for the total amount raised.

Nolans score again with sausages, puddings

Local master butchers Nolans have added more trophies to their cabinet after winning three gold medals with their sausage, and black and white puddings in the 2009 Craftbutchers Sausage & Pudding competition. Nolans only narrowly missed being the overall national winners.

The business had previously won seven gold medals in the Eastern Regional Finals held in Portlaoise, from there winning through to the finals with the three products.

"The finals were very close," says James Nolan, the fourth generation of the family to carry on the business in Kilcullen. "The white pudding was beaten by 0.5 of a mark, the black by 0.75 of a mark, and the sausage by just a little bit more."

It was a remarkable achievement for what is generally acknowledged to be consistency and quality in the Nolans products, which are made to the original recipe developed many years ago by James's father Andy, who still works in the shop most days even though he is approaching 80 years of age.

"While we are disappointed not to have won the full All-Ireland title this year, nevertheless it was a fantastic achievement to be runner-up in the three categories we entered," says James, who is also the founder of the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund which helps those with kidney-related illness. "And believe me, notwithstanding his age, Dad is as passionate about his sausages and puddings as ever. A lot of credit too to Fred Mitchell, who spends most of his working time on these producs, making sure the quality is consistent."

The sausages and puddings are only available in the Kilcullen shop, and are one of the key reasons why people from all over the country make detours while they are passing through Kildare to stock up."

The same shop, which won a major award last year in the FBD Retail Excellence Awards, has this year been nominated into the final six for the Best Large Retail Store in Ireland, which will be announced on 9 November.

Brian Byrne.

Gospel Choir in Brannockstown

Just a reminder that Brannockstown Baptist Church is hosting an evening performance by the Tigh Linn Men's Gospel Choir on Sunday night, 25 October at 7pm.

Tigh Linn is a faith-based rehabilitation centre located in Co Wicklow and currently operates for 18 men; their women's rehabilitation, Shechem House, is located in Co Kildare.

Both the men's and women's houses are part of Teen Challenge, which reaches out to individuals struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol.

All are very welcome to attend. A freewill offering will be taken during the evening to benefit Tigh Linn.

Awards Night this week

Kilcullen Community Awards Night is set for Friday next, 23 October.

The awards are operated by Kilcullen Community Action and are designed to show appreciation for community effort over the year, especially in the area of Tidy Towns.

Awards will be presented for a number of categories, including Best Large Estate, Best Small Estate, Best Green Area, Best Landscape, Best Business Premises, Most Improved Business Premises, Best Commercial Premises, Best Window Display, Best Community/Public Facilities, and Best Apartments.

In addition, nominations have been given in for a number of Community Awards, which are given to groups and individuals who have contributed significantly to the life of Kilcullen.

All are welcome to the Awards event.

Four times champion Chrissie

Chrissie Byrne from St Bridget’s Pitch and Putt club has had quite a year on the playing circuit.



Her success started last November when she was selected by the governing body of pitch and putt in Ireland (PPUI) to play in the World Strokeplay in Montpelier in Southern France in April 09. The criteria based on selection was by the ranking system in which Chrissie was in 2nd position for the 2008 year. The top two ladies in Ireland were selected while the top six in the gents were also given the honour of playing in the prestigious event and representing both club and country.

A total of 85 players (including ladies and gents and representing 13 different countries) battled it out over 54 holes in blustery and rainy conditions over the April weekend on the Le Grande Motte course. Chrissie came away with the top ladies prize by 7 shots from the top Dutch lady Herma Kleinlutkenbeld while a Catalan took away the gents honour.

It was a great achievement to win the World accolade before the Irish chamionship season began. However it got better for Chrissie when she did the Leinster Double, winning both the Leinster Strokeplay and Matchplay within a few weeks of each other and being narrowly beaten in the National Strokeplay having led after 18 and 36 holes.

Chrissie also took away the Kildare Matchplay over her home course and ended the season on a very high note in September when she won the first Irish International Open in Meath. In what was a great year for the Kilcullen Lady we wish her all the best for a successful 2010 and keep the flag flying for her club and home town.

Chrissie is pictured here with her trophies for her World Strokeplay, Irish Open, Leinster Matchplay and Leinster Strokeplay wins. (Pic: Pat Foley/The Bridge.)

Poets for badminton

The 'Poets' were back in action again tonight in the Town Hall Theatre, this time in aid of Kilcullen Badminton funds.



These pix are from the wine and cheese reception before the performance.

Have you seen Tassel?

MISSING: West highland terrier, one year old, female, named Tassel, missing from Martinstown/Ballysax area. Reward to finder. Phone 087 9676276.

'Positive Ageing' event had them leppin'

The recent ‘Positive Ageing Week’ event in the Parish Centre had the older folk leppin’ the boards and showing a variety of comedic and vocal talents.

More than a hundred of the elders from the community came along to the event, organised by the Pastoral Office in conjunction with the Senior Citizens Association.

Refreshments were served by Cross & Passion Transition Year students, who also took their turns at entertaining.

A representative from Age Action Ireland, Gerard Scully, outlined the support programmes run by his organisation, including computer training and carer support.

“Positive Ageing Week is about celebrating older people in the community,” he said. “It is about the wider community acknowledging the contribution made by its older people, and which they continue to make.”

Emphasising the need for intergenrational activities, Gerard praised the youngsters from CPC for being a part of the event. He also spoke of the importance for older people to keep themselves physically and mentally active.

“It is vital that you get involved in things in the community, that you get out and meet people. What you pitch your activities at depends on each individual, what they are physically capable of. But it is vitally important that you don’t just sit there in the afternoons and watch ‘Countdown’. Go out to the shops, visit friends, have friends in to visit you.”

He strongly advised that those present consider setting up an Active Retirement Group.

Entertainment was provided by Billy Redmond and friends, and among those who did ‘party pieces’ were Lily Morrissey and Bernard Berney.

Funds for GOAL

Students and staff of CPC raised €915 last week on National Jersey Day.



The day was a fundraiser for GOAL.

Cycle 'brought community together'

The recent Family Cycle Fun Day organised by Brannockstown Community Committee was a very successful day, with more than 100 participants.

They came on ‘high Nellies’, racers, mountain bikes, tricycles, and scooters. There were singles, couples, whole families. Many dressed up for the event, with Nuala Collins winning the Fancy Dress category for her ‘Mise Eire: The Lady in the Red’ outfit.

The event, which included music and refreshments at the starting and finishing point in The Stray Inn, Milemill, was a fundraiser for the Brannockstown Community Committee. Among its ongoing activities are the annual Tidy Towns effort and looking after the public amenity area at Carnalway.

“Our main concern was that people would enjoy themselves,” says Steve Schwer, one of the organisers. “It was another way of getting the old and new members of the community out together, and I think it worked for that.”

Local resident and financial guru Eddie Hobbs dropped the flag to start the run, which had 3K and 10K courses.

Huge weekend for Kilcullen GAA

Next weekend is a very important one for Kilcullen GAA club, with the club involved in county finals with both our Men's and Ladies' teams. I would like to urge everyone in the parish to get to either or both of the games to get behind the teams, who have put in huge effort over the year to get to their respective finals. There is a buzz around the area, and the club officials have put black and white bunting and flags in place around the town. While also many people have bought the car flags which are on sale in Centra.

First up on Saturday, is the Men's Intermediate Final. The Rags have done brilliantly to put a poor league, and an opening game championship defeat, behind them, to go on a winning run to qualify for Saturday's final. Kilcullen lost their opening game against Castledermot in the group stages, before beating both Kill and Milltown to qualify for the Quarter-Finals. There they beat Castledermot, gaining revenge for their opening round defeat, before having a fine semi-final win over a fancied Raheens side in the Semi-Final.

Karl O'Dwyer has instilled a strong team spirit in the Rags this year, with all the panel playing their part over the season. Kilcullen will be slight underdogs against Maynooth, but fancy their chances of causing an upset and bringing the Intermediate trophy home. Both sides are familiar with each other having played out a draw in a tempestious affair in the league. Maynooth will be lead by Kildare player Karl Ennis and his brother Pierre who have both been in scoring form throughout the championship.

Intermediate Championship Final - Kilcullen v Maynooth - St.Conleth's Park in Newbridge on Saturday at 4pm.

Kilcullen Manager: Karl O'Dwyer.
Selectors: Mick Spencer, Niall Timmons.
Captain: Ronan Aspell.

Squad: Paddy Maher, Ian Barker, Jimmy Burke, Ronan Aspell, Kevin O'Brien, Fergus Aspell, Brian Fox, Thomas Davis, Warren Kinsella, Colm Fox, Brian Bell, Jamie Lambe, Paul Jones, Shane Lambe, Cormac Aspell, Darragh McMahon, John Whyte, Johnny Browne, Brian McMahon, Ciarán McMahon, Paul Bell, Alan Clarke, Darren Barker, Kevin Fox.

Kilcullen Ladies have won all their games this season to qualify for the Junior Championship Final. They have racked up some big score-lines along the way, as they have played with great skill and attacking flair. Carbury had been Kilcullen's bogey team over recent seasons, but the Ragettes finally gained revenge by beating them in the early stages of the championship in a hard fought win. However, it's no surprise to anyone who was at that game, that the two sides would go on to meet each other again in the final. A lot of hard work has been put into the Ladies section of the club in recent years, and a win on Sunday would be a deserved reward for their efforts.

Ladies Junior Championship Final - Kilcullen v Carbury - Allenwood on Sunday at 4pm

Kilcullen Manager: Warren Kelly.
Selector: Dan Bell.
Captain: Amy Moran.

Squad: Claire McDonnell, Amy Moran, Karen Bell, Zainab Afolabi, Emily Vaughan, Kayleigh Cogan, Amanda Boland, Jayne Peacocke, Laura Comerford, Aoibheann Smith, Clare Kelly, Sinead Maher, Clare Mulrennan, Nicole Murphy, Katie O'Brien, Emma Doyle, Rebecca Sheehan, Niamh Hayes, Laura Pearson, Louise Quinn, Jenny Murphy, Orla Domican, Colleen Talt.

Community Games in doubt

Kilcullen’s Community Games effort, which has seen significant success at regional and national levels in recent years, may fall at the first hurdle for 2010.

That’s because the recent AGM was unable to form a committee for the new year, apparently ‘due to lack of interest’.

Any further Kilcullen involvement now depends on enough parents coming forward to help with the campaign.

“By Community Games rules you need to have a minimum of five people on a committee,” says Ann Quigley, who has been involved for some years. “And to run it at the level we did last year we’d probably need eight or nine people.”

Ann says that ‘nobody came to the AGM at all’. “We have three people who expressed interest but we have actually lost people off last year’s committee, which was too small anyhow and made the effort very difficult.”

If people do not come forward in response to the current situation, there will definitely be no Kilcullen involvement in the Games in the coming year. “We need to have people in place by December at the latest,” Ann says. “And even if we get, say, six people, we still wouldn’t be able to enter nearly as many events as last year.”

Apart from the extensive local Games, involving 200 young people, some 18 competitors from Kilcullen took part in the National Finals in Athlone this year. They brought home a gold and a bronze medal as well as experiencing the thrill of representing their county at national level.

“We did a dozen or more events last year, but without enough people to help it’s just too much, with the paperwork, the PR, training the kids and the fundraising.”

Ann says the youngsters are ‘up for it’ for 2010, but it just isn’t a matter of parents sending their children along, they need to play their own part in the effort. Prior to the AGM, over 600 notices were sent to parents through the local schools, but without a result.

“It’s really disappointing when you go to the bother of sending out notices and nobody turns up.”

If anyone wants to step in and help save the games campaign for 2010 they can contact Ann at 087 7733576.

I see a fiction competition

Essilor Ireland, inventors of the varifocal, are celebrating 50 years of Varilux and are running a short story competition.

Local optometrist Nichola Kennedy is involved as a prize sponsor, and entry forms are available from her front desk.

The specifications are basically to write 2,000 words of a short story about seeing something for the first time -with the eye, the mind, the imagination, or the spirit or all the above!

Closing date is 30 Oct 2009, and other sponsors include Essilor and the Killaloe Hedge-School of Writing, run by award-winning author and journalist David Rice.

Another round of the Ras

Kilcullen is getting another FBD Milk Rás event next year, following the very successful start to the national cycle race organised here last year.

This time it will be an even more interesting weekend, with a finish on a Saturday night and the start of the last run across the Wicklow Gap the following day.

This year local cycle enthusiasts held a series of events leading up to the festival weekend, including organising a Museum of Cycling exhibit in the Heritage Centre.

'Miscellany' date set

The annual ‘Miscellany on Sunday’ in aid of Michael Garry House Newbridge, will take place at Berminghams, Mooretown Kilcullen, on Sunday, 6th December 2009.

The 'Miscellany' has been an annual event since the first one in 2000, and has raised many thousands of euros for the hostel for the homeless.

The ‘talent’ hasn’t been sorted yet, but expect the usual eclectic turnout of entertainers for the constantly changing audience of the afternoon. In the past they included, among others, Dorley O'Sullivan's classical music group, singers and musicians Lugaidh Moran, Roy Thompson, Aoife Kelly, Eoin O'Toole, Bernard Roche, Philomena Breslin, Nessa Dunlea and Pauline Fagan.

Nicholastown celebrates

There was music, reminiscence and general great humour at last night's party in the Parish Centre to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nicholastown housing estate.



Nicholastown was the first housing estate to be built in the village.

Community Awards

Just a reminder that today is the last one for nominations for the Community Awards.

Contact any member of KCA to get your preferred nominations in.

The Awards Night is set for Friday 23 October.

CPC joins multi-school trust

In a moving ceremony recently the trusteeship of the Cross & Passion College in Kilcullen was handed over to a new grouping of 11 religious orders who have come together to set up an overall trust to look after the schools and other properties in their care.

The trust, Le Chéile, has been under development for the last six years, and was inaugurated in May. In all, some 50 schools are involved.

The move marks the end of an era for the Cross & Passion sisters involvement in Kilcullen, since they arrived in 1878. Nine years later they opened a school with just three pupils.

"They went home on holidays at Christmas, and when they came back they brought three more with them, and the following year there were 12," Sr Anne Harnett said during the ceremony, which was held in the College's Art Garden. Describing the original nuns as 'a small band of adventurers', she recalled how one Thomas Quinn had given them land and his house, and it was in that house the school was started. Sr Anne is Chairperson of the CPC Board of Management.

Describing the move in one way as being a sad time for the sisters, she said that they had nevertheless done what they felt was right for the future of the school. "It's a movement in hope, and the story continues," she concluded.

Eilis Humphries, the CEO of Le Cheile, complimented the school on its values, which she had been struck by when she came down that day. "The first one is your respect for the natural world, as shown in the lovely idea of having an Art Garden. The second thing is the creativity that has gone into this beautiful ceremony, the dancing, the singing and the beautiful work around us. The third thing, which really struck me tonight, was the wonderful sense of community, all the things that come together to make education here so precious."

Paul Tyrrell, Principal of CPC, said the celebration recognised the inheritance which the school had received. "This evening marks a new moment in the journey of fidelity," he said. "The riches that we have received will continue to be supported by the Le Cheile Trust."

Nicholastown celebrates 70th

Nicholastown Residents are holding a Mass on Friday night in the Parish Church to mark the 70th anniversary of the estate.

There will be a social after the Mass in the Parish Centre with some refreshments and a slice of cake.
All residents, past and present, are welcome.

It's how you tell it

When storyteller Julie Duane sets down her cushions for a storytelling session to young library goers, she lays down some rules too.



"You have to be kind on the outside and kind on the inside," she tells her audience. "Kind on the outside means no pushing, pinching, shoving, pulling, whining, or ..." she pauses, trying to remember.

"Biting!" calls a little boy helpfully, and with some glee.

"That's right, no biting," Julie says with a smile of thanks. "And also staying on your cushion. Then being kind on the inside means that we put up our hand if we want to say something, and we take turns. And we laugh with people, and not at them, so that feelings don't get hurt."

The little ones in Kilcullen Library for the first of two Saturday morning sessions from Julie agreed to her terms happily enough. Sure, it would be hard not to agree with this comfortable, even cuddly lady whose tone of voice alone promised wonders to come. She looked the part, too, in a bright patchwork of dress and hat, straight out of a storybook itself. With a shopping bag that might hold goodies of its own.

She said she would start with stories for the youngest, because that was only fair. "And if you're only learning to read, that's OK too," she added. "Because you can always read the pictures."

But first, of course, Julie wanted to get to know her audience. So she asked them whether they were in little school or big school, and if they had learned how to hang their own coats on hooks. And she was suitably impressed when one little fellow, the one who had reminded her about no biting, reeled off his 'haon, do, tri' all the way to the end. "Maith an fear," she exclaimed. "Well done."

Anyway, it was time to get on with the stories. But Julie doesn't just do it in one direction. Nope, it's a two way thing. So it was a case of teaching everybody involved how to tell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in two minutes.

"There's a thing about Goldilocks that has always puzzled me," she mused as she got herself together. "I mean, was she polite? Did she wipe her feet on the mat when she went into the three bears' house? Did she knock on the door?" She shook her head then, not because she didn't believe that Goldilocks wasn't polite, but because we'll never know as it wasn't told in the story.

Anyhow, she got all the little ones involved in the story, going through the actions and, indeed, telling the tale in two minutes. "Now," she said, "you'll be able to tell that story yourselves for ever more."

Afterwards it was the turn of the older ones, with the tale of Chicken Little and how he thought the sky was falling and how much trouble he made for everyone he met. And lots of other stories, which meant that when Julie left Kilcullen Library, the jungle drums were already beating to tell those who hadn't come along that they'd have another chance the next week.

It wasn't so much the stories themselves, as it was how she, and her audience, told them.

The iPod and Xbox haven't won yet ...

AFC reach League Cup Final.

Kilcullen AFC first team reached the Final of the Georgina Donnelly Cup last Sunday.

They beat a fancied Rathangan team 4-3 in an extra time thriller.

The game started at a frantic pace with Rathangan attacking the Kilcullen goal but a combination of good goal keeping and tenacious defending by Kilcullen kept the home team from scoring. In the 30th minute Rathangan got the goal they deserved but Kilcullen equalised a minute from half time with a superb headed goal from Michael “Hook” Kelly.

In the second half Rathangan regained the lead but again Kilcullen showed their mettle when Brian Kelly latched onto an Aidan Carroll through ball and he slotted it away neatly.

Again Rathangan took the lead after persistent pressure on the Kilcullen goal. Then as if the team was not under enough pressure, they were reduced to 10 men ... but again they battled hard and got the equaliser through an Aidan Carroll screamer.

Extra time beckoned and it was a tense affair with both teams creating good chances but it was Kilcullen who eventually got the winner when Brian Kelly was taken down in the Rathangan area. Brian coolly got up and scored from the spot. A great result for the team and now a Final against Portlaoise Celtic in a few weeks.

Ironically Rathangan and Portlaoise are also in the league running so a great few weeks left in the season.

Ray Kelly.

Aid for Dan being collected

Over the last 30 years, local people have always given great support to Brownstown-born Fr Dan Noud’s endeavours in Tanzania to provide schools and healthcare for the people of Nangwa and Mogitu.

The last big effort resulted in three containers of aid being sent out, and another was sent in May of this year.

Now, Newbridge businessman Michael Murphy has donated another container, along with two vans and some fabric materials for the project, which most recently has built a hostel for girls coming to the local school.

As there is plenty of space in the container, there’s an opportunity to provide further help.

In particular, the project needs stackable school desks and tables, Junior and Leaving Cert text books -- especially in Maths, English Grammar, Biology, Physics, Business Studies and Accounting.

The organisers are also hoping that some local schools may be able to donate some of their older and unwanted laboratory equipment to help the science classes.

Sewing machines for the girls would also be very useful and welcome. There’s also a need for bed linen

In addition, tools of all kinds are always useful, including those for masonry work, carpentry, and electric power tools. It doesn’t matter if they are secondhand, as long as they are in working condition. These are needed to help with the construction of a clinic, which has been under way since July of last year.

Windows, gutters, corrugated iron, paint, electrical fittings and cable and other items are needed for the completion of this project.

The container is parked in Fr Noud’s yard at Farrell’s Cross, Brownstown, near the Curragh.

If anyone has some materials from the above list that they would like to contribute, they can contact Miontini at 085 1182776, or Vivienne at 086 8598030.

No joke, guys

Some idiot, or idiots, think it's funny to play with the speed limit signs. Not a joke, guys. You could be the cause of injury or death, not to mention penalty points.



Just in case you haven't got it, the speed limit signs at Nicholastown have been reversed, on both sides. Since Tuesday at least.

Small school with a big heart

It has always been one of the smallest schools in the region, and that’s both a part of its charm as well as making sure that its recent 50th anniversary celebrations was a very families affair.



The official day of celebration for St Joseph’s NS in Halverstown kicked off last Saturday at midday, when two newly-built classrooms were blessed and officially opened. Then there was mass in a marquee on the school grounds.

A Family Fun afternoon included refreshments from 2pm, and throughout the day present and past pupils and even people from Kilcullen who never had any direct connection with the school could examine old roll books and photographs, and were entertained by live music in the marquee and singing from the pupils, as well as fun stuff from the Tricky Tricksters. Up to 200 items were made available for the exhibition and even included some Report Cards for individual students.

A booklet was available on the day with some of the pictures and with stories written by some past pupils about their time in the school, as well as from teachers.

The evening before, many of those present enjoyed a pre-celebration dinner dance in Fallons, where music was provided by Thin Ice.

The school currently has 28 pupils and on the day it began it had 11. Since that first day, more than 360 pupils have sat through their years of primary education in St Joseph’s.

“We’re small, but we have always managed to keep going, and our projected enrolments now that we have two new classrooms are bigger,” says current Principal Marion Sherlock. “That’s partly because of the new families who have come to live in the area, and they tend to be young families with a number of siblings coming up to school age.”

The school’s hinterland extends into Kilcullen, Dunlavin and Crookstown, but because of its size there are a number of families who have been associated with the school through several generations.

“The size of the school makes it a very family-oriented place,” says Marion Sherlock. “The older ones look after the younger ones, and everybody knows everybody else. And you can get the children involved in projects that you couldn’t do in larger classes, do the things that you learn in training college.”

On that last, the children last year did a project on the glaciation of the Curragh and brought it to exhibit at the Young Scientists Exhibition.

“Professor John Feehan came down from UCD to talk to them, and parents got involved, doing things that you could only do in a small environment.”

It also seems to be a fact that children with special needs of any kind tend to thrive in a small school environment, and often lose their problems. “We just have the time that other schools don’t,” suggests Marion. “The children learn to look after each other, and to accept difference. When we have in one room children from eight to 13 years, they accept difference very quickly.”

Over the 50 years there have been four Principals: Peggy Keville, Mary O’Mahoney, Esther Reddy and Marion Sherlock. Overall there have been about 160 families involved, many of them second and third generations.

Positive Ageing morning

There was a great turnout in the Parish Centre for the Positive Ageing 2009 morning.

Gospel Choir performance

Brannockstown Baptist Church is hosting an evening performance by the Tigh Linn Men's Gospel Choir on Sunday night, 25 October at 7pm. Tigh Linn, a faith-based rehabilitation centre located in Co. Wicklow, currently facilitates rehabilitation for 18 men; their women's rehabilitation, Shechem House, is located in Co Kildare.

Both the men's and women's houses are part of Teen Challenge, which reaches out to individuals struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol, as well as other life controlling problems. Originating in New York City in the 1950s, their goal is to see these men and women become physically well, emotionally whole, socially adjusted and spiritually alive.

All are very welcome to attend. A freewill offering will be taken during the evening to benefit Tigh Linn. For more information, please visit www.BrannockstownBaptist.ie or ring 045 420 811.

Love and Summer - A review

Love and Summer. William Trevor. Novel.

I read this book at a sitting in an airplane. Literally, beginning it as we taxied in Dublin and finishing it halfway along an unscheduled leg to our destination, Barcelona, from Valencia to where we had been diverted because of thunderstorms. In all I was on the plane, in the air and on tarmac, for as long as it would have taken to fly to America.

So I was very glad to have with me what turned out to be a totally engrossing book. I hadn't read William Trevor for many years. It is very nice to know that he hasn't lost his gift for telling stories about people, and especially about them in Ireland.

Love and Summer is set in a Tipperary village, around the end of the 50s I would guess. And I suppose it is because I grew up in a place with the same characteristics that I could identify with every character, each location, and the ethos under which they lived.

It's a kind of Romeo and Juliet story. Ellie and Florian encounter each other while each is at a crossroads in their respective lives, coming from quite different backgrounds. What makes the book hold our attention is a curiosity to see what develops, if anything. Both Ellie and Florian are vulnerable not just to each other, but to the circumstances around them.

Trevor's skill is not just in dealing with main characters, but also the others surrounding them. All are deftly painted, and given enough detail to reflect their positions in the overall narrative. They are all more than just peripherals in the story, although the individual importance of each can take time to show itself.

The mores and morality of a small Irish village in the middle of what is now the last century are skillfully recalled in this book. But not in a heavy way, and in no manner judgemental. And if nothing else, although the pace of life today is quite faster, reading Trevor's latest tale, from a time when the bicycle was the more common mode of personal transport, does leave the reader with the thought that the basics haven't changed at all.

It is a story where sublimated bitterness sometimes hides the sweet. Where charity lurks behind gruffness. Where love might not triumph but humanity definitely will. The tale also shows once again that the author retains a very real affection for the roots wherein he was reared, and is able to depict with equal facility the feelings and fears of both genders and of every age. His skill with language is at least as good as it always was.

At the airport again today I see that the book is close to the top of the fiction best seller lists in Ireland. It deserves to be. And that it is available already in our local library is a credit to that service.

Love and Summer is one I can, and do, recommend without reservation.

Brian Byrne.