Kilcullen on the Diary in 2012, Pt 1
It has become our custom over the years to provide a lookback at what has been recorded here over the last 12 months, writes Brian Byrne. It is by its nature a very limited snapshot of the year, but perhaps will trigger further memories. With this piece, we look at the first six months of 2012.
At the start of 2012, there were a number of 'progress' reports in stories on the Diary, one of which was the hopeful state of play in the revived Community Childcare & Family Resource project. Local fundraising was still going on, and a packed Table Quiz in Bardons kicked off the new year effort.
The Drama Group announced an ambitious Spring production, 'Les Miserables', the stage adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel. Mischa Fekete was taking the reins for the play, which would have a stage-filling cast of 30.
The Community Survey commissioned by Kilcullen Community Action was released, producing an invaluable and very detailed 'snapshot' of Kilcullen at this time. It included viewpoints over many areas including shopping habits, policing, local amenities and services, community involvement, environment and transport, and unemployment. KCA organised a public meeting at which the results were detailed, and from there an ad hoc committee to see what the next move should be was established.
In February, the six years old Kilcullen Cardiac First Responders disbanded, in what became something of a controversy over what the group described as a lack of cooperation from the HSE Ambulance Service. After a degree of fairly public discussion, the group decided to make their defibrillator available on a public place to be decided.
Two very significant 'growhouses' for cannabis were found within a week of each other in the close Kilcullen area, totalling over €1m in street value. They were part of a nationwide activity involving Asian operators.
In education, pre-planning discussions took place to provide a second level autism unit in Cross & Passion College, following confirmation of funding from the Department of Education.
Work got under way on developing a Kilcullen internet 'portal', which would use social media to expand the town's global connectivity 'footprint'. It would lead to a Facebook page and a Twitter account related to Kilcullen Town.
The Eucharistic Congress Bell, touring Ireland as part of the preparations for the Congress in June, visited Kilcullen on Ash Wednesday. It was rung in the local churches and the schools and was in the Town Hall for a period before continuing on its journey.
A new website for KCA was ready to go live, prepared by local designer Davitt Steed. Among the elements were an online version of the Community Directory, and a Calendar for upcoming Community events.
Concerns that a speed survey on Sunnyhill Road the previous autumn may have been 'skewed' by a wrong positioning of the equipment were raised at local and Kildare County Council levels. The result was that the survey would be redone.
The CPC wall project undertaken by KCA and CPC was completed, opening up and very much improving the streetscape of that part of Kilcullen. Meanwhile, KCA initiated discussions with owners of property on Lower Main Street to see what might be done to improve the look of the area.
In March, local writer Hazel Gaynor published her first novel, 'The Girl Who Came Home', in Amazon Kindle format. The story is based on the 'Addergoole Fourteen' from a Mayo village who sailed on the Titanic, and only three survived. The book was to be a major success for Hazel, who had always been fascinated by the Titanic story.
Nolans Butchers continued on a seemingly never-ending trail of national and international awards, and James and Emma spoke with Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show about that and James's work on fundraising for kidney research.
There was deep anger and shock in Brannockstown at an aggravated burglary where a 95-year-old woman was robbed of belongings and her panic alarm. This led to calls for people to keep an eye on elderly neighbours.
The first meeting of the group taking the lead in implementing recommendations in Kilcullen 2017: A Community Plan for Development was held in the Credit Union and was attended by two HSE officials with responsibility for primary health care and older care. The meeting heard that Kilcullen could have a Primary Health Centre up and running in 2013.
Your editor was in Barcelona on business at the end of the month when he found himself right in the thick of how Spaniards were responding to austerity measures by their Government.
In April, the Landers School of Dancing held its annual Feis in aid of parish funds. It was the best ever such event, which has been run since that days of the Parish Carnival Marquee 45 years ago, and more than €5,200 was raised.
In a week of drama, the 'Les Miserables' production by Kilcullen Drama Group was a marvellous success, especially considering the scale of the piece.
Also, members of Drama Dynamics produced 'Out of the Frying Pan, which showed that there's no lack of upcoming theatre talent in Kilcullen.
By mid-month, the discussions on improving properties, especially derelict ones, on Lower Main Street had shown great fruit.
Meanwhile, a less pleasant element of Kilcullen life showed itself in what what was described as a 'drink-fuelled' incident, in which the fence around the all-weather pitch was damaged by a car driven through it. Gardai were able to follow a 'definite line of enquiry'.
A very pleasant morning at the Dun Ailinne Interpretive Park saw members of KCA and families working on a spring clean and replanting of the area.
And the project for the Community Childcare & Family Resource Centre got a further boost at the end of the month with a visit by the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD. Local food interests also got a boost when she was presented with a hamper of local produce.
In May, the planning permission for the Autism Unit in CPC came through, allowing work to get under way so it would be open for the new term at the end of the year.
Brannoxtown NS came in second in the National Final of the Lidl Fit Factor competition, winning €3,000 worth of sports equipment vouchers to add to the €500 worth already won as the regional winner.
CPC students became the first in the country to receive the Bright Star Awards inaugurated by Oxigen Environmental. The main award went to David Nolan and awards also went to Gerard Conway (centre) and Ischa Lynch (left). Also in the picture is Fifth Year Head, Gaye McDonnell, and Martin Harrell (pictured right), Director of Human Resources and Communications at Oxigen Environmental.
A young Kilcullen boy won a gold medal at the HSE Community Games National Finals held at the Athlone Institute of Technology. Leon Cullen (pictured centre above on the podium) took first place in the U12 Boys Art competition. It was his third appearance at the National Finals, where he had previously won a bronze.
An Open Evening was organised in the Community centre which included a talk by the development officer of the Muintir na Tire Community Alert Scheme, Margaret Quinn. Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Conor McMahon from Naas Garda Station spoke on the need for taking security precautions in the home, and Cllr Ivan Keatley considered the benefits of volunteering in local organisations. Pictured above are organiser PJ Fagan, Gda Joanne O'Sullivan, Sgt Conor McMahon, and Community Alert development officer Margaret Quinn.
Local woman Josie Connolly was honoured at the County Show in Athy, receiving a 'Local Hero' award from Brian Ashmore, President, Kildare County Show. She's pictured here being interviews by KFM's Clem Ryan.
The summer show by the local Stage2 drama school was Cinderella, the cast of which is pictured above.
A series of nature walks, part of a 'Wild Weekend' associated with a Biodiversity Study commissioned by KCA, were wonderful successes. They included a 'Bats Walk & Talk' (above) and a 'Wildlife Walk' along the river.
(The second half of this review of last year will be published next week.)
