Forms for joining the Kilcullen Garda District Text Alert scheme are available from The Grocery in Calverstown, Kilcullen Garda Station, Kilcullen Credit Union, and scheme committee members. Please encourage neighbours and friends to join.
No Jackpot winnerThe numbers drawn in the Parish Lotto tonight were 14, 16, 22 and 27. There was no Jackpot winner and next week's main prize will be €10,800.
The winners of the €50 Open Draws were Rita McCormack (Promoter: Friday Bridge), Helen Dawson (The Parish), Dick Rafferty (PJ Lydon).
The winners of the Promoters Draw were Mary Berney and Friday Bridge. The winner of the Draw for those present on the night was Fr Michael Murphy.
Dowling Property FeatureDowling Property has just offered for sale one of the first high profile local auctions of the season. Formerly known as 'Carters', this is a substantial property located on an elevated site on circa six acres of good quality land in one of the area's most highly sought-after areas. The house has four bedrooms and extends to circa 2000 sq ft, and some upgrading and modernising is required.
The Auctioneer is positive about strong interest, saying 'people are always looking for a manageable holding of between 6-10 acres with a house on it, and this ticks all the boxes'. "Properties with land in this area are slow to be offered for sale, and with its sensible guide price of €225,000 and location set back from the road, we are expecting good interest.”
The auction is on 30 May at 3pm in Fallons, Kilcullen.
Full details available from here.
All Kilcullen residents welcomeThe AGM of Kilcullen Community Action will be held in Kilcullen Town Hall on 13 May.
The meeting starts at 7.30pm and all members of the community are encouraged to attend.
There will be a review of the activities of KCA over the last year, and a presentation on the finances of the organisation.
KCA is the umbrella group for Kilcullen Tidy Towns and has been involved with a number of environmental and cultural initiatives over many years.
There will be an election of new officers on the night. For further information, call 087 6791005.
Watershed meeting on The Bridge MagazineWhen something comes around regularly for 42 years it can perhaps become taken for granted, writes Brian Byrne.
Which is why a unique publication like The Bridge Magazine needs a bit of help if it is to survive through to a golden anniversary and, hopefully, beyond.
There's a public meeting tomorrow night, May 1, to see if the community it serves, on a purely voluntary basis, wants to see it continue.
With the base of volunteers shrinking, and questions over whether a print publication of its kind is even relevant in these digital and social media times, the production team wants the community itself to get involved in the discussion.
The event, in Fallons, starts at 8.30pm.
There are a few who have been involved from the beginning. They'd rather it didn't end on their watch.
My own involvement in the early Bridge kicked off a lifetime career in journalism which has taken me all over the world as a writer, photographer and broadcaster. Even though I haven't been directly involved for a long time, I owe it.
Ride for Tidy Towns, SchoolA Vintage Cycle Rally taking place in Mile Mill/Brannockstown on Sunday next, 5 May, will raise funds for plants for the area's Tidy Towns effort as well as helping towards funds for the National School, writes Brian Byrne.
Registration for the event takes place at The Stray Inn from 1.30pm, and the ride will set off prompt at 2.30pm.
Anybody who has access to an old bike, High Nelly or otherwise, is welcome to take part. The fee is €10 for adults, €5 for children, or €15 for a family of four.
Helmets are compulsory, the Brannockstown Community Committee says. Simple rule: No Helmet, No Cycle.
The Diary has learned of the death of George Mitchell, Coakley Avenue, Graigcullen, Carlow, and originally from Kilcullen.
His removal from R Healy and Son Funeral Home, Pollerton Castle, Carlow, will take place this morning at 10.20am to St Clare's Church, Graigcullen, to arrive for his Funeral Mass at 11.
Burial will take place afterwards in New Abbey Cemetery, Kilcullen.
Family flowers only please, donations in lieu to the Poor Clare Sisters, Graigcullen.
May he rest in peace.
Students will debate Syria situationLocal second level student Jeffrey Hovenden-Keane is a member of the Newbridge College debating team which will fight it out against Ardscoil Mhuire from Corbally in the finals of the Concern Debates 2013, writes Brian Byrne.
The other team members are Grainne Carr, Chloe O'Reilly, and Ciara Maher.
Some 120 schools around the country entered the competition, the final of which will be held on Thursday 16 May, in the City North Hotel in Dublin.
The motion is 'The international community must now take military action to topple the regime in Syria', and having won the toss of a coin at the semi-finals, the Newbridge College team has elected to oppose the motion.
The recent semi-finals were held at the DCU Business School at 7pm and the defeated teams were from Ardscoil Rís and Pobailscoil Inbhear Scéine.
'More than ready to proceed with the project'The Board of Directors, Staff and all supporters of the project to bring a purpose-built Community Childcare Centre to Kilcullen are delighted and relieved at the news that the Departmental embargo on Leader funding has been temporarily lifted throughout the country for projects ‘in queue’, writes Iseult O'Donoghue.
We were very disheartened to have brought the project so close to completion for such an unforeseen and sweeping obstacle to have stalled progress. Fortunately, and thanks to the tireless work of our dedicated committee and supporters, we are in a position to benefit from the lifting of the embargo as we are more than ready to proceed with the project.
We expect that Kildare County Leader Partnership will formally approve the project application at its meeting next Tuesday evening. From there the application will be subjected to Ministerial review in the Department of the Environment. It may take up to six weeks for this review to take place but, again, we are confident that the funding for this valuable project will be granted.
We’d like to thank our local representatives Ivan Keatley and Mark Wall and, of course, Marin Heydon TD for their support and encouragement over the past few stressful weeks and throughout the entire project. We would especially like to thank the staff, parents and supporters in the Playgroup and committee for their encouragement and faith in the project – we’re just asking people to keep their fingers crossed for a little longer … we promise!
KCCEC will be holding a Summer draw with fantastic prizes so if you’d like to show your support for the project we’re asking people to help sell tickets – please see our website for details.
A fine day for cleaning upMaybe the Saturday of the Punchestown Festival wasn't the best day to get a big crowd out to pick litter, but there was a good core of local families there today to do their bit to make Old Kilcullen look better.
And from a weather point of view, they were being well looked after by the relevant deities.
The five roads leading to the tower will all look that little bit smarter by the time they finish.
Community Games 2013The Community Games Athletics Competition will be held in Scoil Bhride, Kilcullen on Friday 24 May.
Registration begins at 6pm, and the Competition starts at 6.30pm sharp.
Entry is €2, and all participants must be living in the Kilcullen Community Games area and be underage at 31 July 2012.
The events are Toddlers Race Boys/Girls, Boys/Girls U/860m & 80m, Boys/Girls U/10100m & 200m, Boys/Girls U/12100m & 600m & Ball Throw, Boys/Girls U/14100m & 800m, and Boys/Girls U/16100m.
Events not being held on the night, but available at County Finals are Boys/Girls U10 60m Hurdles, Boys U/12Long Puck, Boys/Girls U/1480m Hurdles, Girls U/14Long Puck, Boys/Girls U/161500m, 7km Marathon, Discuss, Javelin, and High Jump.
If anyone is interested in the events not being held on the night, please contact Anne on 087 7733576.
Lunchtime cleanupA Community Clean-up is being held in Old Kilcullen tomorrow (Saturday).
It's planned to pick litter and other rubbish around the five roads leading into Old Kilcullen.
All are welcome to help. Things kick off with a gathering of helpers at the entrance to the Graveyard at 1pm.
Discussions on Steiner systemA day of workshops and talks on the Steiner approach to science, arts and music, will take place tomorrow, Saturday, between 10am and 4pm at the Kildare Steiner School.
The cost of the 'Educating the Hands, Heart and Head' day is €20, and further information and booking is available by calling 045 401919 or 087 9796843. The school is located on the Gormanstown-Dunlavin road at Rathargid.
There's also a no-cost Open Morning between 10am-12pm for prospective parents who want to see the facilities at the School. Similar Information Days will be held on 14 May and 2 July, both between 7-8pm.
Night viewJust for those of you who don't walk through the town after dark, here's a recent view of the old Convent buildings floodlit. Some of the lights on the trees were turned around for St Patrick's Day, and changed the perspective quite a lot.
Funds embargo partially liftedThe embargo on finalising Leader funding for rural development projects which had recently stalled the planned Community Childcare Centre for Kilcullen was partially lifted yesterday, writes Brian Byrne, reviving hopes that it will soon be able to go ahead.
Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has released €90m from the funds which had been affected pending his department's review of such projects following a cut in the level of EU funding to the Leader programme.
According to local FG TD Martin Heydon, the move means that projects such as the Centre, which are 'in queue', can now be moved on. In a communication last night to the project promoters, he said that the Kilcullen project should now be able to go from a meeting of the Kildare Leader Partnership next week to consideration for ministerial approval.
"It's not possible to anticipate what queries the Department could have at that stage but I understand from Kildare Leader that they feel the substantive issues are well covered and that any queries should only be of a nature that would be relatively easy and quick to respond to," Deputy Heydon says. "Hopefully we are back on track now." He assured the promoters of his continued support should any problems emerge in the coming weeks.
In late 2011 the European Commission approved a change in the maximum co-funding rate from 55 percent to 85 percent for the Leader elements of Ireland's Rural Development Programme. This reduced the overall contribution of the Exchequer to the programme in relative terms, but also meant a net reduction in the overall budget, as the actual cash contribution from the Commission will not increase.
In February 2013 the Department placed an embargo on project approvals as these changes meant that the original project allocations given to each Local Development Company (LDC) required readjustment. The Department has now completed the rebalancing exercise and the minister yesterday authorised the issuing of contracts for approximately €42 million worth of projects which have all the necessary approvals in place.
The Minister has given two weeks to the Local Development Companies to let the Department know whether all of these €42m worth of projects are ready to proceed or not. The balance of the funding will be allocated among the LDCs once that information is in.
Precautions needed when using the internetThere's no doubt about the advantages which the internet has brought to all our lives, but care needs to be taken about how our children use it, was the message from a recent talk event in CPC, writes Brian Byrne.
It was organised by Kilcullen GAA's Juvenile division, and also included advice on the dangers of illegal drugs in sport and in everyday life.
No Jackpot winnerThe numbers drawn in the Kilcullen & Gormanstown Parish Lotto tonight were 19, 24, 25, 27.
There was no Jackpot winner so next week's main prize will be €10,600.
The winners of the €50 Open Draws were Garry Gavigan (Promoter Miriam McDonnell), Josie Kelly (Credit Union), and Vivienne Byrne (Vivienne Byrne).
The winners of the €50 Promoters Draws were the Credit Union and Ann Fitzpatrick. The winner of the Draw for those there on the night was Breda McCormack.
Looking for the natural care giverYou can put numbers on any business, but they only tell part of the story, writes Brian Byrne.
The Home Instead Senior Care operation in Kildare and Laois provides some 6,000 hours of care a month, and in the process has already helped around 200 families. If you look at those numbers, the business set up at the end of 2009 by Amanda Bohan is a serious success story.
But it's the human side of that story which is really important, the part that actually measures success. The Home Instead philosophy is to enable elderly people to live in their own homes and environment as long as possible, and by its very nature it has to be 'people centred'.
"What we can do is respond quickly to peoples' needs," says Amanda (pictured on left with office manager Karen O'Donoghue), whose interest in seniors care began while working nights in a nursing home as a student in Dublin, and also caring for her grandfather who had Alzheimer's. "Sometimes our work is simply providing support for a few hours on a daily basis, but if there's a sudden change, maybe due to a hospital admission and discharge, we can adapt the level and type of care immediately to suit the new situation."
That flexibility is a key part of the success of the Home Instead service. But at least equally important is the care they take in selecting caregivers, and then matching them to the client. It's all about relationships and all about people. Especially with the 'live-in' part of the service which is showing substantial growth. This can range, depending on circumstance, from a couple of 24 hour shifts a week through to full 24/7 care by a team of Home Instead staff.
"Getting the right people is challenging," says office manager Karen O'Donoghue, who figures that maybe two out of 20 of the applications that cross her desk end up being suitable. "It takes a huge amount of work to get the quality of the people that we need."
Home Instead meets with students in local colleges to recruit from those who are being trained in this area, but obviously is competing with the nursing homes for these people. And in some respects, caregivers for home care need to be a little different. So Amanda and Karen are currently seeking to recruit from the ranks of 'natural' caregivers in the community through Kildare and Laois.
"There are plenty of lovely women and men out there who have cared at some stage for family members," says Karen. "Perhaps a parent, or an aunt, uncle or dependent. When they no longer need care, have passed on or grown up, there's a void, and maybe those carers can fill that through working with us."
What Amanda and Karen are looking for is people with that kind of practical experience of caregiving. But they are the very ones who might be frightened off from offering their skills in a commercial operation because of the statutory requirement for training. "The training is necessary, but that can be done with us at their own pace," says Amanda. "Already they are home-makers. They bake, they sew, they do all the things that many of our clients value." As well as providing the kind of companionship that is essential to the wellbeing of every human being.
They also need to be licenced to drive, as in some cases they will be asked to use a client's car, and anyway will need to have access to a car to get to and from their work. "There's no age limit, as long as they are physically fit," Karen notes. "The usual Garda vetting and references requirements also apply, but the references don't have to relate to professional experience in the area."
At the moment, the Kildare/Laois Home Instead operation has around 120 caregivers on its books. More are needed, especially with the growing awareness of home care as a realistic, and often preferable option to a nursing home. "Once you go the nursing home route, it's very hard to come back," Karen observes.
Amanda makes the point that in the area where her franchise operates there are many older people living in rural areas. "They don't want to leave their homes, and in many cases their families get together to co-fund care at home. With the tax rebate available, on a cost basis it competes favourably with the nursing home scenario."
That tax break provides for 41 percent of the home care costs to be applicable against income tax for qualifying family members, including nieces and nephews. It can be split between a number of them, and Home Instead can invoice the individual co-funders separately.
That, of course, is again numbers telling only part of a story. Because, at the bottom line for its clients and for Home Instead itself, it's always a people thing.
And maybe you are the kind of people they want to get in touch with as a potential caregiver? If you think you are, give Karen a call on 045 484623.
Scheme seeks wide supportThe effort to establish a Community Text Alert system for the Kilcullen area has moved up a step with the official organisation of a committee to operate it, writes Brian Byrne.
Following a meeting last night of the Steering Group, Ivan Keatley is the chair of the new committee, with Aileen Thorpe as secretary, Maurice O'Mahony as treasurer and Sabina Reddy as PRO. Brian McParland is assistant chair and Phil O'Brien is assistant secretary.
"We have adopted a constitution and we're now actively seeking people's commitment to the scheme in writing," Sabina says. "Forms for this are available in Walls of Kilgowan, McParlands of Calverstown and McGanns shop in Calverstown, and they can also be had by contacting any of the committee officers, phone 087 6807139 or 087 2731335." The forms will also be available in Kilcullen Library later this week, and direct message requests can be made through the Kilcullen Town Facebook page.
The scheme involves a €10 subscription from each participating household, to be used for buying a dedicated mobile phone and setting up the system.
"We're canvassing support from other rural areas around Kilcullen, particularly the Milemill, Brannockstown, Carnalway, Harristown, Gilltown and Dunshane townlands. And we're asking local organisations like the GAA and the Lions to support the scheme publicly."
The committee emphasises that the aim is one strong scheme that will eventually take in both the rural and town areas in the Kilcullen Garda District. "We agree with Gda Steve Kinneavy's comment that there's 'power in numbers', and what we want is a really strong organisation to give the Garda the eyes and ears on the ground that will make a difference."
It's important to note that no strangers will be calling to people's homes looking for money. "We're asking neighbours in small local areas to canvass amongst themselves, with the forms. Don't give any money to anyone you don't know."
An official launch of the scheme is provisionally planned for a date in June, after the Bank Holiday. More details when that's firmed up.
Anita wins sunshine holidayThe winner of the CPC Parents Association Draw held this evening for a week for two in the Algarve was Anita O'Toole (nee Reddy), Calverstown, mother of Alice and Megan.
The seller's prize of a weekend for two in Manchester or Liverpool with Premiership match tickets was Hugo Clarke, Nurney (First Year Student, Class 1B).
The school would like to thank all who supported the draw, which was a good success.
Pictured at the Draw this evening are Allan Auld, Chairperson of the Parents Association; Garda Steve Kinneavy; and Noel Clare, Deputy Principal CPC.
Fallons top of the teesFallons of Kilcullen is now officially the 'best golfing restaurant in Ireland' following a great great win at the Restaurants Association of Ireland golfing event in Carton House.
Pictured after trouncing competition from 20 restaurants, including Patrick Gilbaud, are John Field, Jimmy Cosgrove, Barry Murphy (Après Match) Brian Fallon and Gavin Buckley.
Great gig in KildareMaria Doyle Kennedy is the featured artist in Upstairs at Cunninghams, Cunninghams Bar, Kildare Town, tomorrow night, writes Roy Thompson.
The award winning singer, songwriter and actress is best known by some for her acting role in 'The Tudors', by others for her role in 'The Committments', and by yet more for her early appearances with Hothouse Flowers, and later The Black Velvet Band.
Together with her husband, songwriter/guitarist/producer, Kieran Kennedy, Maria has been producing music of the highest calibre since the 80s. With six solo albums under her belt, she is one of Ireland's most highly regarded female artists.
Maria has recently released her sixth solo album - 'Sing' to critical acclaim.
Hugh remembered in competitionThe inaugural Hugh Peacocke Perpetual Trophy Bridge Competition was held by Ryston Bridge Club last evening.
It was won by Chris Desmond and Carmel Gleeson, pictured here receiving the trophy from Sheila Peacocke, along with Frank Lawler, chairman of the Ryston Club, and Ger Peacocke.
Funds needed for addicts' familiesFrances Black is well known for the passion which she puts into her music, writes Brian Byrne. Maybe not so well known for a similar passion which she puts into her other core activity, helping the families of those with addiction through her RISE Foundation.
She brought some of that passion last week to Kilcullen, to a meeting in Fallons where she outlined her work in this area, and also sought help with funding it.
"I saw all the heartbreak that addiction was causing for the addicts themselves. But I realised that they were the ones getting the help, while there was no help at all for the families of the addicts."
For those people, the situation was often soul-destroying. They were living in a life where their own self-belief was gone. In many cases, she came across family members who were suicidal about it all. "I met one woman walking out the gate of the Centre. Her husband was under treatment for a gambling addiction. They had lost everything, their house, their car. And her big fear was 'what if he relapses?' She had nothing left."
That was when she was prompted to set up RISE, and did so in 2008. There are two offices, in Dublin and Belfast, and the long-term objective is to set up a treatment centre on Rathlin Island.
She's blunt about Ireland being a 'nation of enablers' when it comes to making excuses for addictsTalking about the situation raises her passion noticably. She's blunt about Ireland seeming to be 'a nation of enablers' when it comes to making excuses for addicts and their problems. And she is concerned about the same nation's future. "I sometimes feel that we're losing our young people to a range of different substances because we don't deal with it. If we can change our attitude towards addicts and addiction, it would be life-changing for the nation."
Frances suggests that a lack of 'spirituality' amongst young people is part of the reason they get involved in addictive substances, 'to fill the void'. And background doesn't seem to make any difference. "You see young people from the most wonderful home backgrounds getting caught up in it."
She believes that there are 1.2m people in Ireland who have seen at first hand the effects of harmful addiction personally, or among family and friends. And that the number of hospital beds occupied each night by people with alcohol-related problems is in the order of 2,000. "For every person with an alcohol addiction problem, there are up to six family members profoundly affected. Our focus is on them."
They are the 'silent and invisible' in the addiction scene, and are 'frightened and terrified' about where they are. "They come to us at the end of their tether," she says. The programme she has set up, which runs for ten weeks, is deliberately on a one-to-one basis, because that's what these family members need to get themselves back on track to a liveable life.
There's a special need for a Children's Programme, and RISE is currently seeking funding for that. At a 'very conservative' estimate, Frances reckons up to 11,000 children are directly affected at any given time. "They are impacted big time by the problem, no matter how hard the adults try to keep it hidden from them. Something needs to change."
To help make that change, Frances travels the country talking, explaining, urging. To groups of two or three, a dozen, or scores. "Every little step is vital. If everyone I speak to can do something small, it could be life-changing for many more."
Respite for the families is something which RISE hopes to provide with the proposal to set up an Education & Therapeutic Centre on Rathlin Island, where a complex of buildings has been offered by the Commissioners of Irish Lights. Up to nine families at a time could be accommodated, but much more needs to be done before it can start operations. "We came up with a budget for the project in 2008 which was €1.5m. It wouldn't cost that today, but we'd still need hundreds of thousands of euro."
In the meantime, day to day funding for RISE operations is on a tightrope. Those taking part in the courses pay a contribution, but that only covers about half of the cost. "We're in crisis, really. We were expecting funding from sponsorship of an album, but that hasn't come through. For me, though, a higher power has always come through before."
A higher power that can work in many directions. Such as the Restaurant Association of Ireland, which came up with funds last year and to whom she is very grateful. The current big ticket fundraising activity is a planned walk along part of the famous 'Camino' in northern Spain, for which participants will raise €1,000 each towards RISE. If they can get 30 people to take part in the event in the autumn, that will help enormously — there are currently 13 signed up from different parts of the country.
But every small fundraising thing helps. Participation by individuals and groups in the Mini Marathon, local events. And remember, it's not for the addicts, 'already in their own oblivion'. It's for the wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers. And the children. To give them back hope, self-esteem, and, most of all, the knowledge that it's not their fault ...
Students win Intel contestFor six young CPC students, the fact that they're off on a week-long trip to the fabled Silicon Valley in October is only just sinking in, writes Brian Byrne.
But they are, courtesy of computer giant Intel Corporation and their own ingenuity. Their idea for an iPhone case with an inbuilt diabetes testing and emergency treatment kit won them out against 12 other second level teams from schools across Ireland in the Intel Youth Enterprise Ideation competition. The final took place today at Intel's plant in Leixlip.
"We're very proud of them," CPC assistant principal Noel Clare said at an impromptu celebration when the team got back to Kilcullen this afternoon. "They really worked very hard on their idea, even coming back during their Easter holidays to refine it. Their win is very well deserved."
He also paid tribute to the Kilcullen Lions for taking up and promoting the Ideation opportunity, and to Clodagh Kavanagh for managing the CPC end of the competition.
"It's particularly special that they won the first Intel Ideation Competition to be held in Ireland," Clodagh said. "From here on in, it's something that's going to grow and grow." She congratulated the CPC group particularly for demonstrating their teamwork at the finals in Leixlip.
The Kilcullen group was the only one that didn't have a social networking site in their idea, and they feel that this was an advantage. "We were also the only ones with a prototype made up. We had something physical, and a website, something with a fixed price of €55. A lot of the other ideas, and they were very good ideas, had things like monthly subscriptions. Seemed a bit steep for teenagers, because they don't have that kind of money."
The team's concept includes an app which will give instant blood sugar reading from a blood test strip inserted into a computerised reader that's part of the case. If blood sugar is low, the app will tell the owner to take some sugar gel that's part of the kit, and if it is critical a phone message with GPS location and details will be automatically sent to the owner's doctor and parents.
It's the first year the Intel Youth Enterprise Ideation Camp scheme has been run in Ireland, and it is being done in partnership with the Lions Club of Ireland. Some 1,500 students took part, from schools as far apart as Skibereen, Kinsale, Tullamore and Carrickmacross.
Two men are in Naas Hospital following a crash at Mooretown early this morning, writes Brian Byrne.
It seems the car went out of control at the top of the hill and ended up in a field. The injured men are believed not to be local.
Meantime, local gardai are investigating an overnight robbery in the Newberry estate at Castlemartin. It's understood entry was gained by 'pulling' the barrel from the door lock, a method now commonly used by intruders.
KCA has received another donation for the summer flowers from overseas, writes Noel Clare of KCA/Kilcullen Tidy Towns.
John Collins and Anne Collins who live in London were the latest to send a donation from abroad in support of the project. Harry Smith and his friend Doug had earlier pledged a donation and this has since been received by KCA.
Last year a donation came from as far away as Hong Kong - Sylvia McDonnell and her husband Heinz sent money following a visit home during the summer. Within the last week the street collection and table quiz in aid of the project were very well supported.
Window boxes are now being offered to property owners for the subsidised price of €20 each. This includes the box, the flowers, putting up and taking down and watering throughout the summer months. Because of shortage of funds this year boxes can only be offered to those who are willing to donate towards the cost.
Pictured with Frances Black at Thursday night's meeting about the singer's RISE Foundation, which helps the families of those affected by addiction, are Philomena Breslin and Brian Fallon. (Full report later.)
