€2,000 raised by Thorny Rose

It was a little bit surreal, a 'beauty' contest of local men in drag.



But that was the whole idea, to have a bit of over the top craic in aid of one of the best causes, Rehab. And this year the Kilcullen heats were held in The Hideout, with contestants from other pubs in town participating.

Music was provided by Alan Dee.

With €1,700 raised on the night, the event was a complete success, and Hideout proprietor Eamonn Boyce is confident that the final tally will exceed €2,000 for the charity. “I really appreciate the support for the event from the other pubs in town also, which shows that for a good cause we’re all able to rally around together.”

The Thorny Rose idea has been around for years, and the nationwide event is organised by Matt Browne, Rehab's tireless fundraiser. Matt, who lives in Kildare, lost a leg to diabetes some years ago. But that hasn't stopped him from being very active indeed.

Among his exploits are successfully completing the challenge of a lifetime by becoming the first person to circumnavigate the Irish coast on a jet-ski, three years ago. The epic 19-day, 1,000 mile journey began and ended in Howth, Co Dublin.

Matt was also awards coordinatior for this year's Kildare People of the Year competition, which took place in Keadeen Hotel last weekend. He was the winner of the first Kildare POTY back in 1989.