It Says in The Bridge: June 2012
The story says pride of place must go to the Strictly Come Dancing Kilcullen Style initiative organised by the Kilcullen Lions and GAA clubs, but details some of the other events in the locality as well.
In other stories, there's a letter of 'thanks' from Lorraine Kelly to all those who helped when she became ill while walking recently, and the good news is that she is now back at work. Another health-related item is the placing of a defibrillator for public access at Kilcullen Credit Union, a move which could help save a life.
The annual Lions Club party for Kilcullen's Seniors gets much photographic space, while both words and pictures highlight how Kilcullen Scouts won the South Kildare County Shield for camp craft and skills. The recent passing of Dr Bernard Wailes is marked with a photograph of him 'on location' at one of the excavations he carried out on Dun Ailinne.
Upcoming events noted include the Community & Sports Open Night planned for this coming Friday, and longer distance out of the Kilcullen River Festival which will nevertheless be on top of us rather quickly enough.
There's big feature and photographic coverage of that afore-mentioned Strictly Come Dancing event, with Bernard Berney musing on what it meant for the community apart from mere fundraising. Bernard also ruminates on the 'We Say' opinion page on why he was moved to vote in favour of the Fiscal Stability Referendum.
The recent CPC Awards Day gets lots of deserved space, with special mention for Sian Fox as the TY Student of the Year. The retirement of Kathleen Cotter after teaching for 35 years in CPC is also recorded, with the epithet 'much loved' and whose influence through the school was felt 'in a most positive and enlightened way'.
In other schools stories we have the €1,339 raised for the Irish Heart Foundation by pupils from Scoil Bhride taking part in a Skipathon, the success of Brannoxtown NS in coming second in the Lidl Fit Factor competition, and the enthusiasm of Halverstown NS students in Active Schools Week.
The general high level of activity by Kilcullen's youngsters is also illustrated in the double spread of photographs from the recent Athletics segment of the local Community Games effort.
In features, Billy Redmond goes Off the Cuff on a trip to a local hostelry to visit a couple of old pals, and getting what he felt was a 'High Noon' reaction. He also echoes your editor's view that much of our current angst is due to too much information. And by the way, he will be running his annual Bazaar this year, just hasn't got a venue sorted yet.
Sean Landers in a Summer Letter From Taiwan takes the opportunity to profile one of his friends in that part of the world, who chose the nickname Woody to go by but is definitely a local to the mountainous part of the island. Elsewhere, Sean continues his explanations of the illustrations on the High Cross of Old Kilcullen.
Other pieces of importance include the details of the Kilcullen riverside wildlife survey currently under way, and 'scribbler' Conor McMahon on the closure of much-loved local music shop, DK Music in Newbridge. Let me add my own note to that, and wish Deirdre and Kevin well in whatever they are doing now, as I too bought my current guitars from them.
Finally I commend to you a timely and constructive piece by Pastor Robert Dunlop on 'Living with Insecurity'. If you haven't bought the current Bridge yet, it is one worthwhile piece among the many in this issue.
