Rain stopped for Childcare Centre sod turning

Despite really bad weather prospects, today's event to officially mark the commencement of work on the new Community Chldcare Centre today got a window without rain before the heavens opened again, writes Brian Byrne.

It's again something of a good omen for a project that has had its ups and downs in getting to this stage, but all is now looking really good.

"We were also very lucky that the foundations went in this week before the weather broke," says Orla O'Neill, who led the team from the Naomh Bhride Community Playgroup that pulled the project through its final two years of fundraising and planning, some of that time quite fraught.

But the 'long road' described earlier this week by her fellow committee member Iseult O'Donoghue now does seem to have an end in sight.

The children pictured are Eleanor and Sophie Steed, Caitlin Bennett (with the spade) and adults (back) Kate Steed, Ed Dickson and John Farrell of Kennycourt Construction, Project Manager Martin Murphy, and (front) Maureen Keogh, founder of Naomh Bhride Community Playschool. Caitlin is the youngest child attending the playgroup and she and Maureen were given the honours of making the first dig.

Pic by Kieran Behan.