Christmas Fairs for Kilcullen

A series of Kilcullen Christmas Fairs is being planned for the weekends in December prior to Christmas itself, writes Brian Byrne.

The initiative is being promoted by Antoinette Buckley and Noel O'Connell, who plan a 'retail regeneration' in Kilcullen that is hoped to make the town a 'destination' for focussed retail in mid-Kildare.

The Christmas Fairs will be held in the downtown area, around the River Cafe, and will involve appropriate stallholders from within and outside Kilcullen.

"We're hoping to have a Retail Committee in the town soon, with the aim of building up the Kilcullen offer to attract people in to shop," says Antoinette, who has a strong background in retail in Kildare and Dublin.

In advance of the Christmas Fairs, a Fashion Show is planned for November in Kilcullen's Town Hall, to raise funds which can be used for the provision of suitable tented stalls for the season.

"We're looking further down the line to having enough funds from the Christmas Fairs to provide for more seasonal lights and other things to attract retail customers to Kilcullen," she says.