Fire guts building in Kilcullen

A fire badly damaged a derelict building in Kilcullen yesterday afternoon.

The property on the Curragh Road, owned by Leslie McCarthy, has been empty for eight or nine years. It was formerly used in four apartments.

The fire was noticed around 2.30pm and was attended by a unit from Newbridge Fire Brigade. Nearby business premises were evacuated while the firemen brought the blaze under control.

Traffic was also disrupted for a time. The pictures above were taken by local businesswoman Geri Dineen.

Nolans is 'best butcher shop in Ireland'

Nolans Butchers has been awarded the accolade of the Best Butcher Shop in Ireland, at the Star Shop Awards presented at the Shop 2010 exhibition in the RDS, Dublin.

The awards are presented by the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland, which had a large themed pavilion at the exhibition. Nolans also won the Rural Butcher Shop Category.

Judging took place during July and August. The competition was scored by mystery shopper visits, and is aimed at raising standards and making CraftButcher shops 'destinations of choice' for consumers.

In addition, last week they entered eight products in the Leinster qualifiers of the Craft Butchers Sausage & Puddings Competition, judged by the Irish Food Writers Guild. And they came away with eight gold medals. The products are produced in the premises by Fred Mitchell, most of them recipes devised by Andy Nolan.

"It has just been a great experience for us this last while," a very happy James Nolan told the Diary this afternoon. James is Andy's son, and now runs the business set up by his great-grandfather. Both are pictured above when the shop won the Best Retail Store in the FBD Retail Excellence awards 2008.

The shop is a nationally-known element of the 28,000 sq ft complex which was designed by James as a state-of-the-art food retail store, abbatoir, boning hall and curing facility, and all the required ancillary services.

Broad support made playground possible

Cash donations from individuals and companies made up the bulk of the €16,318 raised locally for the Community Playground Project, construction of which is expected to begin shortly.

Such donations came to €9,918, according to the accounts of the fundraising campaign released recently by the organising committee.

Collection tins placed in strategic locations around town added another €2,253 to the fund, while the balance of €4,477 was raised by events that included a Table Quiz, bag packing, and a Childrens Disco.

Expenditure incurred on the project to date amounted to €330.

The Kildare Leader Partnership has approved a grant of €55,000 towards the project. Kildare County Council will be providing the balance for the €200,000 project in funds and work.

Just a few more pupils, please ...

St Joseph's NS in Halverstown is looking for just a few more pupils to make sure of getting a third teacher next September.



Since the new classrooms were opened last year, accommodation has been available to make it a three-teacher operation, last year's 28 pupils has at the start of this year mushroomed to 37.

"And we have 12 Infants already lined up for next year, which would bring us to the third teacher point of 49," says school principal Marion Sherlock. "But we really need a few more to be booked in to guarantee our situation."

The school over the last 50 years -- it celebrated its anniversary a year ago -- has built a reputation for the smallest school in the parish with the biggest heart.

"It 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," says Petra Conroy of the school's Parents Committee.

At one stage in its history it almost disappeared. "It had gone down to having just eight pupils, and was likely to be amalgamated with Kilcullen NS," says Marion Sherlock. “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."

With the influx of new families into the general Kilcullen area, interest in the school has been growing steadily over recent years, one reason for the big jump in numbers this year.

"We also had an Open Day earlier in the year, so people now know that we exist. And the children are taking part in a lot of local initiatives, which has put the school more on the map."

Along with Marion, Carmel Brown is the other full-time teacher. There's also a part-time learning support teacher, Breda McEvoy.

Brian Byrne.

(This article originally appeared on the Kilcullen page of the Kildare Nationalist.)

All square in Junior final thriller

After a couple of postponements, everyone was delighted to see the much anticipated Final of the Junior Championship go ahead yesterday. However, the teams will have to do it all over again after a pulsating draw after extra time in Sallins yesterday. The final score was Kilcullen 3-7 Kilcock 1-13.

In an even first half, a well worked move was finished to the net by Séamus Pembroke, which helped the Rags to a 1-4 to 0-5 half-time lead. Kilcullen went on to dominate the early stages of the second half, but Kilcock finished strongly to bring the game to extra-time on a scoreline of Kilcullen 1-7 Kilcock 0-10. Kilcock then had the momentum, and were dominating in extra-time, and went a couple of points clear, but substitute Ger Kelly got his fist to a long range free to score a goal which gave Kilcullen a one point lead.

Kilcock then kicked on again, and a final minute goal gave them a three-point lead, and it looked all over for Kilcullen. However, the Rags went straight back down the pitch and a dangerous ball across the square was finished to the net by Super-Sub Ger Kelly which meant the match finished level.

The draw was a fair result, as neither side deserved to lose in a hard fought and exciting encounter. Best for the Rags were Shane O'Connor, Franny Shortt, Hook Kelly, Barry Comerford, Willie Jones and Séamus Pembroke.

Kilcullen Side: R.Kiely; K.Fagan(capt), I.Barker, J.Caples; S.O'Connor, F.Shortt, B.McMahon; M.Kelly(0-1), B.Comerford; C.Aspell(0-2f), W.Jones(0-1), A.Carroll(0-1); S.Pembroke(1-2,1f), D.Hickey, W.Hegarty-Kelly. Subs Used: G.Shanahan, D.Mitchell, G.Kelly(2-0), A.Clarke, R.Toft.

Aidan Gleeson.

Vincents holding draw, Customer Afternoon

Tickets are now on sale in the Vincents Shop on Main Street for a draw that will be held during a Customer Afternoon being held this coming Thursday.

Tickets for the draw are €1 each or six for €5, and prizes include a Philips iPod docking system, a Kenwood smoothie blender, and a first prize of a matching Morphy Richards kettle and toaster. CoCo Star Hair Salon has also donated as a prize a gift voucher for a wash, cut and blow dry.

For further information, or if you would like to volunteer some time at the shop, call 045 480785.

Brannockstown Family Cycle Day

There was again a great turnout to the Brannockstown Community Family Fun Cycle Day 2010. And the weather was kind again too.

Colm's Big Apple dream comes true

Colm, a resident of the Bridge Camphill Community in Kilcullen, is a young man of few words. Colm is autistic.

But he has long had a dream. Of going to New York. And the local community has rallied around to help make this dream come true. The week before last, Colm flew to the Big Apple, and he will live in the Triform Camphill Community in upstate New York for six weeks.

In addition, he has been invited to stay for five days in Manhattan, where he will see all the sights of the Big Apple, including the Statue of Liberty.

"The famous words of Martin Luther King, 'I have a dream', have inspired many," says Mischa Fekete of Bridge Camphill. "When an opportunity arises to follow a dream, one will work hard, and be persistent."

Colm, despite his difficulties in communication, worked hard to tell those living around him what his dream was. He constantly made indications about airplanes -- he had been in one before. He also regularly reacted to pictures of New York in magazines and newspapers.

"Then one day in Eason’s in Newbridge, he went straight to the travel section and browsed travel books for New York," Mischa says. "And there was this poster he acquired one Saturday afternoon in HMV. It was a treasured buy, that when eventually revealed on the wall of his bedroom showed the Statue Of Liberty, the obvious symbol for the often dreamed of 'New World' in all her glory."

Magazines, books, posters and cards relating to the Big Apple kept appearing. Yet such a trip seemed out of reach as Colm’s and his family’s financial resources are limited.

The support he needed would mean at least two people travelling. It was when suddenly a request for an exchange with another person from a Camphill Community in upstate New York arrived in the inbox of the Bridge Community, and when a recent volunteer co-worker in The Bridge Community was about to return to her home in New York City, that this trip to the 'Land of Opportunities' came into reach.

At the recent Kilcullen River Festival, the Bridge Community sold waffles to raise funds to make this special young man’s dream come true and contribute towards sending him to New York. There was a good response, and with the funds raised and other support from a number of individuals who came forward, Colm's dream has turned into reality.

Colm is pictured above with with Mischa Fekete of the Bridge Camphill Community, fundraising at the recent Kilcullen River Festival to help make Colm's dream of visiting New York come true.

Brian Byrne.

(This article was originally published in the Kildare Nationalist.)

Armelle's bakery shop is open

Armelle Siomboing's new French-style bakery shop opened yesterday and she was run off her feet, selling out of almost everything.

"It meant I was up very early this morning, baking a restock," she told the Diary today. "It has really been terrific."

We wish her well in the enterprise, which has been a dream ever since she moved to Kilcullen.

Junior Championship match rescheduled

The Junior Championship Final between Kilcullen and Kilcock has been refixed for Sunday at 5.30pm in Sallins.  

All support appreciated!

Aidan Gleeson.

Family Mass Group

Over the past couple of years the Saturday Family Mass has enjoyed the welcome support of a growing congregation from all parts of the community.

For the group to survive, we need new members - musicians, singers and readers. We practice on Tuesday nights at the Parish Church at 7pm for one hour and join in the celebration of Saturday evening Mass at 6.30pm (that’s approx. 1hr 45 mins per week!)

The group are resuming on Tuesday next 28th September at 7pm at the Parish Church. It provides an ideal outlet for those who can play an instrument or like to sing. So this is an appeal to anyone in the community from eight years and upwards with an interest in music to come along on Tuesday 7-8pm.

Frances Clare.

What's on for the weekend

There's a plethora of activities and gig on in and around Kilcullen to make the weekend an active one for just about everybody.

Tonight, the annual Harvest Thanksgiving service takes place in Brannockstown Baptist Church, at 8pm. Always a pleasant hour of music and reflection, and very appropriate this year after a good harvest has been won.

On Sunday there are two attractions, the second Brannockstown Family Fun Cycle Rally kicking off from The Stray Inn in the afternoon, while the Vintage Rally organised by Halverstown NS takes place from the Community Centre, Kilcullen, starting at 11am.

And after 11 Mass on Sunday morning, the knitted representation of a stained glass window made by the Suas Knitting Club will be unveiled in the Parish Centre. Refreshments will be provided.

Arthur!

Clare Boyce and friends raising a glass to Arthur Guinness in The Hideout on Arthur's Day 2010.

Match called off

The Junior Championship match scheduled for tonight between Kilcullen and Kilcock was called off, due to the weather making pitches unplayable.

Earlier this evening the game had been switched to Naas, as the pitch in Moorefield was unplayable. It originally was supposed to be played in Athy.

Kilcullen GAA apologised to supporters, but said the situation was out of their hands.

Frill and Riverside presents

Here's a date for ladies' diaries in the Kilcullen region — Thursday 30 September.

A glamorous evening of fashion and food at the Riverside Restaurant promises to be a fantastic event for fashionistas of all ages.

The time: 7.30pm. A champagne reception and four-course dinner will be served, followed by a showcase of the fabulous autumn/winter range from Frill Boutique on Hillcrest.

Ticket price is €40.

Flower power Table Quiz tonight

For the third year in a row, the street flowers project has brightened the summer and autumn in Kilcullen, thanks to the trojan work of the Kilcullen Community Action volunteers who put the whole thing in place.

Even with the voluntary work, though, there are still expenses to be covered, and KCA has publicly thanked those who have contributed to date to the project, originally the brainchild of local businessman Brian Fallon.

There are still funds needed, and a Table Quiz on tonight in The Hideout is geared to helping meet the current shortfall. It begins at 9pm.

Other donations should be made to Kieran Forde or any other KCA member.

Trad for Trocaire

A night of music, song and dance in aid of Trocaire is being held in the Stray Inn on Saturday 9 October.

Everybody is welcome to come along on the night to play a tune, sing a song or just enjoy the music!

No entrance fee - donations of any amount welcome and there will be a raffle for spot prizes.

For further information, contact Niamh (086-8805734) or Svantje (085-1574267).

Ragettes Table Quiz

The Ragettes are holding a table quiz this coming Friday night 24 September in Markeys Pub.

Tables of four cost €40 each, with the quiz starting at 8pm. Please spread the word, and come along to support the ladies.

Contact Warren Kelly or send a private mail message to the Kilcullen GAA Facebook page to confirm a table.

Venue change for GAA Juniors

The Junior Championship Final on Wednesday night between Kilcullen and Kilcock has been switched to Moorefield. Throw-in is at 8pm.

All support appreciated!

Esker Lea, Laurel Wood, to be taken in charge

Kildare County Council is proposing to take in charge the roads, paths, public lights, open spaces, water supply system and sewerage systems in Esker Lea and Laurel Wood.

A map of the estates may be inspected at the public counter in The Planning Department at the offices of the County Council at Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas from 9am-4 on any day Monday to Friday (except for public holidays) from 20 September 2010 to 21 October 2010 inclusive.

Objections or representations may be made in writing to the Council at any time before 5 November 2010. These should be addressed to The Senior Executive Officer of the Planning Department, Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co Kildare and marked on the bottom left hand corner of the envelope 'Taking in Charge of – “x”' where “x” would be the name of the particular estate.

Great entertainment

Kilcullen Drama Group & Friends ended a short run of superb one-act performances last night. Full report later, but suffice to say now that it was magnificent entertainment.

Support Table Quiz for flowers

Street flowers still brighten our town. Show your appreciation by going along to the Table Quiz on Wednesday night organised by The Hideout to raise funds for the project.

Kilcullen out of Intermediates by point

Kilcullen are out of the Intermediate Championship after a narrow 1-5 to 0-7 defeat to Kill today.

The Rags had battled back from a 1-4 to 0-2 half-time deficit to almost get the draw that would have seen them through, but it wasn't to be.

Scorers: P Jones, B Bell 0-2f each; J Lambe, J Whyte, S Lambe 0-1 each.

Aidan Gleeson.

FG candidate believes earlier election now likely

After a 'politically eventful' week, Fine Gael's general election candidate in Kildare South, Cllr Martin Heydon, is to step up his campaign activities over the next couple of months, as he believes the possibility of a general election in that period 'has now increased'.

"The recent events highlighted again the vulnerable position of the current government," he says in an email to supporters this weekend. "The resumption of Dail activities in just over a week will, I believe, bring further instability."

The candidate will extend his canvassing programme and has asked supporters to help him in their areas.

He will notify existing supporters in advance of his working in each area, but in the meantime anyone wishing to help can register their interest by phoning 087 2349931.

Pilgrimage plane diverted

A plane carrying pilgrims from Dublin to Lourdes, which included a number of Kilcullen people, had to divert to Nantes yesterday because a passenger became ill.

The incident meant the two-hour flight extended to five hours before the party arrived in Lourdes airport at 7.30pm Irish time.

The group from Kilcullen included residents from the Curragh Lawns Nursing Home, and helpers.

Junior Championship Final

Kilcullen Juniors face Kilcock next Wednesday (Sept 22nd) in the Senior Reserve B Championship Final.

Kilcullen have beaten fancied teams Allenwood, Raheens and Moorefield to get to the final, and hopes are high of lifting the cup. However, they face tough opposition in Kilcock, who have beaten some good teams to get here themselves, most notably a strong Sarsfields team in the semi-final.
The final takes place on Wednesday at 8pm in Geraldine Park in Athy. All support appreciated!

Management - Des O'Brien, Alan Barker, Johnny Lambe. Panel - Ronan Kiely, Ian Barker, Kevin Fagan (captain), Owen Nolan, Tadhg Shanahan, Franny Shortt, David Hickey, Michael 'Hook' Kelly, Barry Comerford, Aido Carroll, Johnny Caples, Willie Jones, Cormac Aspell, Shay Pembroke, Wayne Hegarty-Kelly, Ger Kelly, Alan Clarke, Ross Clarke, Shane O'Connor, David Mitchell, John Daniel Lavin, John Keatley, Ger Shanahan, Ronan Toft, Gordon Bond.

Aidan Gleeson.

Youth choir seeks new members

Kilcullen's youth choir, 'The Chuillin Singers', is looking for new members.

The choir practices on Monday evenings, 7pm in the Parish Centre.

All between the ages 12-35 are welcome.

Badminton academy to be established

Ireland's first badminton coaching and training academy is being launched on October 3 in the Community Centre.

The Uno Badminton Academy will be directed by Claire Flood, former Irish International Player and the first Irish woman to qualify for the World Singles Championship held in the USA in 2005 as a Top 80 singles player.

Claire is a qualified coach since 2002 and will base her academy in the four-court Community Centre hall in Kilcullen with regional centres in Dublin, Wexford and in the South and West of Ireland.

The UBA aims to deliver programmes that will enhance player development and skills. It will also 'brand and market' badminton and will integrate with nutrition and sports psychology programmes.

The academy will also host team events, blitzs, tournaments, training camps and exhibitions.

UBA has already attracted Victor Sport and DataSolutions as sponsors.

The launch day will include an exhibition match with senior Irish international players, and there will be a Juvenile event. There will be 'celebrity' guests.

Drama from Thursday

Rehearsals are complete and and now it's time for the first Kilcullen Drama Group offering of the season, a set of one-act performances which will run this Thursday through Saturday nights.



'Two for a Girl', produced by Dick Dunphy, is about a romance that develops when a meeting happens between a group of travellers and members of the settled community.

'Four AM' is performed by a group of young people, a play about their lives and personalities as they listen to a radio DJ at four in the morning. It is produced by Eilis Phillips.



'Reeling in the Years' is a humourous look at some recent history, performed by members of the McMahon KARE school, produced by Noreen Donnelly, an Instructor Facilitator with the facility.

Bookings €10, from Bernard Berney Chemists.

Kilcullen meets Kill on Saturday

The Intermediate Championship Round 4 game between Kilcullen GAA and Kill has been fixed for Naas on Saturday at 2pm.

The Junior final between Kilcullen and Kilcock is not on this week as previously thought, and no date has been set yet for it.

Also, the Senior Championship game between Round Towers and St.Laurence's takes place in Kilcullen on Saturday at 5pm.

Teenagers parenting course

A Parenting Course for teenagers is being held in the Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley, Dublin on October 2.

The cost is €99 for one person or €180 for two parents.

Contact the Parish Centre for details.

Toastmasters open night

Kildare Toastmasters Club Open Night takes place on Tuesday September 28th, 2010.

Guests and visitors are very welcome. Whether you want to improve your communication skills, gain more confidence, be more effective in meetings or get your thoughts across more concisely, Toastmasters can help you develop your ability to communicate and become a more effective leader.

Kildare Toastmasters meet at the Silken Thomas, Kildare Town on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 8pm from September 2010 through to June 2011.

For further information about membership visit www.kildaretoastmasters.com or contact Eilis McCormack, President Kildare Toastmasters on 086 332 9876 or Mary Reynolds VP Public Relations on 087 604 6890.

Hospice Coffee Mornings

A Coffee Morning in aid of St Brigid's Hospice on The Curragh will be held in Kilcullen Parish Centre on Thursday morning next, 16 Spetember.

The times are 10am-Noon and all are welcome.

Further information from Monica Martin at 045 481355 or 087 2055687.

There's also one in The Green, Cnoc na Greine, in aid of Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross. From 10am-12.30pm. Number 28 and all welcome too.

World Youth Day 2011

Registration is now open for young people who want to participate in Wold Youth Day 2011, which will be held in Madrid, Spain. The event is open to people between the ages 17-35.

The dates are August 15-21, and pastoral worker Hannah Evans is organising things.

Fares will be subsidised by fundraising which will take place in the parish between now and the event.

There are just 20 places available to parishioners, so get your registration of interest in early. Contact Hannah at 087 9365767.

Class of 77

Apologies from the Diary that we didn't make it to Naas last night for the CPC Class of 77 reunion, but your editor had a magazine print deadline to meet.

If anyone who was there has some pics and report, we'd be delighted to post them.

Ladies Club returns

Kilcullen Parish Ladies Club resumes activities tomorrow evening, 13 September.

The venue is again the Parish Centre, and things get going at 8.15pm.

Everyone welcome.

Diary goes onwards, upwards

The Diary continues to grow in readership, with monthly traffic up 67 percent in the year ended 31 August and pages read each month up 81 percent over the same period.

We continue to be amazed at how the site has evolved since it was founded some five years and eight months ago. Thank you all for looking in.

Latest kidney cheque presented

Mary Dunne from Suncroft presents a cheque to James Nolan, the proceeds of this year's participation by local ladies in the Flora Womens Mini Marathon.

The money brings to almost €89,000 the funding raised by the ladies in the mini-marathon over the last five years.

New drama chair

Evelyn O'Sullivan is the new chairperson of the Kilcullen Drama Group.

She took up the position at the group's AGM on Monday night, succeeding Vivian Clarke who had been chair for six years.

Three one-act plays will be performed by the group and friends on September 16/17/18.

Golf Classic raises over €4,000

The annual Golf Classic in aid of Parish funds raised over €4,000.
The event was held at the Curragh Golf Club, and a meal and entertainment at the end of the day attracted a good number of non-playing supporters.

Fr Michael Murphy expressed his thanks to participants for their generosity 'in these stricken times', and organiser Nessa Dunlea also thanked those who had supprted the event both by entering teams and coming along to the 'afters'.

The winning team was entered by Curragh Lawns Nursing Home and comprised Noel Ryan, Alan Ryan, Dave Weyer and Declan Goode.

Second in the placings were Steve Kinneavy, Simon Hume, Mick Spencer and Mick Hyland. Next up was the quartet of Mick Masterson, Mark Masterson, Ronnie Masterson and John Shortt. The fourth place team comprised Ger Peacocke, Frank Kenny, Frank Kenny Jr and Charlie Dowling.

Prizes which included green fees for the K Club, Carton House and Ratsallagh were donated by Rosemarie Sisk, and Joe O'Flynn.

Thanking all the sponsors, Nessa Dunlea said the raffle and sponsorship of tee boxes were also well supported.

Pictured at the presentation of the winning team prizes are Declan Goode, Dave Weyer, Fr Michael Murphy, Nessa Dunlea, Noel Ryan (Captain of the Curragh Lawns Team) and Alan Ryan.

CPC 77ers reunion on Saturday

The girls of the 1977 Leaving Cert class in Cross & Passion College will be holding their first reunion next Saturday night, September 11.

The event is being held in Lawlors of Naas because nowhere in Kilcullen was available on the night says one of the organisers, Phyllis Blake, adding that there seems to be ‘a very good response’ so far to the idea.

Although they weren't able to get full records from the school that far back, the organisers reckon there should be up to 45 members in the two Leaving Cert classes that were in place in 1977. And, unlike what is probably the norm these days, it seems that they haven't spread too far away.

"Most of them appear to be in the Kildare area. We have two in America, one in Australia, and a few in England, but most of them are around. Some have been away and come back."

Among those who left that year is Constance Cassidy, who along with her husband Eddie Walsh currently owns Lissadell House in County Sligo.

Cross & Passion College, established in the late 1870s, was still an all-girls school at that time, so there are no boys on the list for the event. The College went co-ed in 1986. Also, there were quite a number of boarders in the college then. And Phyllis says she has been surprised at the numbers who hadn’t been in touch with each other since they had left.

“One girl I contacted, the last time I saw here was the day we walked out of the school together after the Leaving Cert. And it seems that this applies to a lot of the class.”

Up to last week there were still about half a dozen boarders whom the organisers were ‘struggling’ to contact. If any of them happen to be reading this, the the contacts are Miriam Deering at 086 80441151, or Phyllis Blake at 087 6602473. Or email phyllisblakebyrne@hotmail.com

PKRF funds handover

With more than €11,000 already in from sponsorship of Kilcullen ladies participating in the Flora Womens Mini Marathon, the organisers have asked for any outstanding sponsorship cards to be handed in before tomorrow night's presentation to James Nolan, founder of the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund.

"If there is anything outstanding, it can be handed in at Nolans Butcher Shop, or sent directly to me," says Phena Bermingham, who organises the event each year.

Envelopes handed in should be marked 'Mini Marathon'. Phena can be contacted on 045 485232 or 087 9767531.

Unislim programme

The autumn session of Unislim has begun in Kilcullen, with meetings scheduled in the Community Centre.

The members meet here on Wednesdays at 6.30pm. Further information from Breda on 087 6382545.

Kilcullen v Two Mile House

Kilcullen GAA Club's U/16s take on Two Mile House in the championship final today in Newbridge at 2pm.

The club is hoping that a big crowd from Kilcullen will be in at the county grounds to cheer on the Young Rags!

Kilcullenite reports from NZ earthquake

A Kilcullen-born woman caught in the Christchurch earthquake has contacted her brother here to say she is OK, but her home is badly damaged.

The text to Niall McDonnell from his sister Irene said the chimney of her house was 'gone', with lots of 'big cracks' inside the house and in its outside walls.

"There are still strong tremors, it's really frightening," she said in the message that arrived around 9.30pm Irish time tonight. "Roads are up. Neighbours are crying ... I am happy to be alive. The dogs are horrified, there's no electricity and little water. We're sitting in the car with a blanket and Irish whiskey."

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck at 4.35am about 30 kilometres west of Christchurch.

Police have cordoned off the central city area where some of the worst damage is being reported, and the facades of some buildings are said to be completely destroyed. There are reports of collapsed buildings and loose masonry and rubble. There have also been reports of looting.

Amid concerns about the safety of bridges people being told not to drive around. Christchurch airport has been shut down. Hospitals in the area are being powered by generators.

Brian Byrne.

Drama Group AGM

Kilcullen Drama Group will be holding their AGM this coming Monday night, September 6.

The venue is the Town Hall Theatre and the time 8pm.

All are welcome.

Vincents need volunteers

Can you spare just 3 1/2 hours a week?

Vincents Charity Shop in Kilcullen is in urgent need of volunteers for afternoons and Saturdays. Running the till, pressing clothes and sorting donations—there’s always something to keep you busy and help a worthy cause at the same time.

No experience necessary; training is provided. If you can help out, just call by the shop Monday through Saturday 10am to 5pm to pick up an application form or ring 045 480785.

Drama school pupils in 'Chitty Chitty'

Two children from the Stagecoach Kildare drama school, Niamh Byrne from Castlemartin Lodge, Kilcullen and Emment Opponj from Athy, were in the cast of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Dublin's Grand Canal Theatre during the summer.

"Both children worked very hard to pass the auditions and become two of the 20 children chosen as the sewer children," says Maryclare McMahon, Principal of Stagecoach Kildare (pictured with the pair above). "They loved the whole experience."

Generous response to parish fundraising

Two fundraising events associated with the parish in recent weeks shows that there is still a great sense of generosity in our community.

The recent Golf Classic held in aid of parish funds raised €4,050, which has been presented to Fr Michael Murphy.

And the local contribution to the Diocesan Collection in aid of flood relief in Pakistan came to €5,086.

Fr Murphy thanked all concerned for their generosity 'despite these striken times'.