Garden tools stolen

A shed at a home in Old Kilcullen was broken into on Thursday, and a quantity of garden tools were take.

Through the Text Alert system, An Garda are seeking information on the on the incident, which is understood to have occurred sometime prior to 6pm.

Any recollection of suspicious behaviour or vehicles in the area should be notified to Kilcullen or Naas Garda stations.

Peter Mulvey in the BAG

BAG welcomes Peter Mulvey back to Mick Murphy's Bar, Ballymore Eustace, for what is his only scheduled Irish date in 2016, on Bank Holiday Monday, May 2nd, writes Roy Thompson of the Ballymore Acoustic Gigs.

What can I tell you about this singularly remarkable singer and songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin? Well, I'm just going to leave that to The Boston Globe: “Peter Mulvey is all substance, which is his style.”

Apart from that, I'll tell you that those of us who have been attending/involved with this gig over the past 20 years, have come to know and highly regard Peter Mulvey over that time, and to eagerly await his every return.

Doors open at 8:30pm. Admission is €12.

**N.B. This show is going to be popular on the night, so come early to avoid disappointment!**

No more an old men's town

Fr Furlong blessing the site at the turning of the sod for Kilcullen's affordable housing project, in the early 1970s.

"We want to change it from being an old man's town," a member of Kilcullen Development Association told a group of journalists in September 1962, writes Brian Byrne. He was presenting the views of his Association’s members, then comprising Paddy Nugent, Michael St Leger KCC, Tommy Orford, Mrs Margaret Burke, Sean McDonnell, Joe McTernan, Andy Nolan and Tommy Byrne.

The description was apt. At that time it was said that more young Kilcullen men met after work in Reading, England, than in their home town. That was where Kilcullen-born Matty Aspell had a busy building company, and was always ready to give young men from back home a 'start'.

The press conference had been called in part out of frustration. Because Kilcullen Development Association Trust, formed three years earlier, and previous incarnations established in 1949 and 1954, had failed in their efforts to attract an industry to Kilcullen. Chronic unemployment was endemic across Ireland. No less than in any other small Irish town, the Co Kildare village was being bled of its youth virtually at the point of its children leaving school.

FULL STORY HERE

Justin wins two equestrian medals

Justin Wynn, a long term resident at the Camphill Bridge Community, recently won a gold and bronze medal in the dressage horse riding category of the Special Olympics. The Transitional Training Project Management Group at Camphill met with him and interviewed him on this achievement.

1) What is the name of the horse that you rode on in Special Olympics? Max, a white gelding.

2) What is dressage? What does it involve? You take the horse in steps around the arena. The horse goes round various obstacles. It is a bit like the horse dancing.

3) How many people took part in the competition? There were 20 competitors in the competition.

This was Justin’s first competition. It was held in Castledermot in County Kildare. Justin had to train every Thursday and Friday for the last few months, in preparation for the competition. Jumping and cantering are Justin’s favourite parts of dressage.

Excellent 'report card' for Camphill in Kilcullen

When the acronym HIQA appears in the news media, it is generally a bad news story, writes Brian Byrne. This is refreshingly not the case with the recent inspection of the Bridge Camphill Community by the Health Information and Quality Authority, which the Community passed with flying colours.

It was the first inspection of the designated centre for people with disabilities since it was established in Kilcullen more than two decades ago. The inspectors examined it under 18 headings ranging from 'Residents Rights, Dignity and Consultation' through 'Safeguarding and Safety' to 'Governance and Management' and much in between.

The subsequent Report logged no non-compliances, and was very complimentary overall of the centre which has become so much a part of the overall community of Kilcullen. In just three of the areas of inspection were there small issues which needed to be dealt with, relating to procedures in Social Care Needs, Safeguarding & Safety, and Records & Documentation.

Indeed, beyond the necessarily dry words of the Report itself, we understand that the inspectors made many verbal comments about Bridge Camphill, such as being 'blown away by what we saw in the two days we were here in relation to integration and inclusion within the wider community'.

The Report noted the particular Camphill model of such centres whereby residents shared their homes with co-worker volunteers and with a mix of professional staff. The inspectors found that residents 'were provided with a very good standard of service and residents were found to enjoy a good quality of life' at the Kilcullen centre. Residents and their families alike were 'very positive' about the service model, and levels of social activation and meaningful engagement were cited by families as being 'very person centred and supportive'.

The staff at Bridge Camphill were themselves very pleased with the result, after being somewhat nervous in advance of the first inspection of the centre. "Given that there is a new scandal in relation to disability centres and HIQA Compliance reports in the press every other week, it's nice to also celebrate such an achievement which gives local people confidence in supporting a worthwhile cause," Mischa Fekete, as person in charge, said afterwards.

The 25-page Report is available from the HIQA website www.hiqa.ie. For anyone interested in the care and development of people with disabilities, it makes uplifting reading.

This article was first published in the Kildare Nationalist.

Garda appeal on Kilcullen, Ballymore burglaries

An Garda have issued an appeal for information on burglaries today, one each in Kilcullen and Ballymore.

They have asked people in both communities to keep a lookout for suspicious activity and report anything unusual or suspicious to Naas gardai.

The appeal came via Kilcullen Garda District Text Alert.

Thelma wins photography competition

The winner of the Kilcullen Enterprise Town photographic competition was Thelma Kenna from Kilcullen, writes Brian Byrne.

She is pictured here with her winning photograph, taken of the bridge in Kilcullen, with Bank of Ireland Kilcullen manager Jo McMahon.

Thelma took her photograph with her Samsung phone. She won a €150 One4All gift card.

In other competitions during the event, the winner of the Exhibitors' Draw on Friday for lunch in Fallons was won by Whelan Byrne Associates, and the Draw on the Friday for two rugby tickets by Christy Sweeney. The winner of the Draw for a lunch voucher on the Saturday was Claire Kinneavy, and the winner of the rugby tickets on the Saturday was Adam Maher.

Brannoxtown NS pitches for Naas pupils

Brannoxtown National School has made a big pitch for pupils from Naas in response to criticisms made by Deputy James Lawless about overcrowding in Naas schools, writes Brian Byrne.

Picking up on reporting of the deputy’s remarks, the Brannoxtown school’s Principal Dolores Burke says there are places there ‘on Naas’s doorstep’ where pupils can enjoy the advantages of education in a small rural school.

In a letter given prominence in this week’s Kildare Nationalist, Ms Burke details some of these advantages, such as pupil-teacher ratios of 17:1 in some classes, half that applicable in some Naas classes.

Other reasons to bring your child to Brannoxtown NS, which acquired a new state-of-the-art building a few years ago is a strong emphasis on individualised and small-group instruction. The chances of getting a part in a class musical, or playing on the school football team are also much higher than in larger schools.

The interaction between parents and teachers is also much easier in a school where ‘bureaucratic layering is at a minimum’. “There is usually less red tape and fewer rules,” Ms Burke notes. “Scheduling is much more flexible than in a large school, and schedules can be easily altered to accommodate instructional activities.”

In conclusion to a very comprehensive piece, she suggests that any parent interested in a quality rural education should read local parent Tracy Piggott’s article on the school’s website, and visit the school itself.

Garda appeal for information on diggers damage

Kilcullen Garda are seeking information on criminal damage which was done last week on equipment owned by a construction company.

The damage was done over the weekend at Trench Control on the Kilcullen Business Campus at Knockbounce. Diggers and JCBs in the compound were targeted.

Any information would be welcomed at Kilcullen Garda Station, 045 481212.

Housing Shortage – What is happening in the Market?

There is a severe shortage of property for sale on the market, writes Austin Egan of Appleton Property. In fact the level of property on the market nationally is at its lowest level for more than 10 years.

The level of property available to buy in Kilcullen is also at its lowest point for many years. We live in a very highly sought after area. Our like for like house values currently exceed Newbridge values and are rising towards Naas levels.

Despite our continuous listing of quality property — we are agreeing sales so quickly that the level of supply on the market continues to decline. Here are three examples in the last few weeks:

• 38 Hermitage Park, Asking Price €199,950, Sale Agreed within 2 weeks
• 48 Hillcrest, Asking Price €239,950, Sale Agreed within 2 weeks
• 23 Laurel Wood, Asking Price €249,000, Sale Agreed within 3 weeks

We have seen the same trend with our recent sales in Castlemartin Lodge and Cnoc na Greine where we have also seen record results and have continuous enquiries.

We urgently need more property for sale in Kilcullen and surrounding areas for registered ready to go loan approved and cash buyers.

If you are considering selling, now is certainly a good time to enter the market. We guarantee you the best possible outcome when you instruct Appleton Property to sell your home. Call me for a free no obligation valuation. I will call to your home and explain the entire process and demonstrate our results.

Call us today – 045 482 759 or 087 131 1133. Like us on Facebook and we will keep you informed.

Austin Egan MIPAV, Appleton Property, Main Street, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare. (Sponsored Post.)

Maintain Hope coffee date

The summer is rolling in with longer days and — we hope — a lot more sunshine, writes Gerry O'Donoghue of Maintain Hope. What better way to celebrate midsummer than with coffee and friends and in aid of a good cause!

Put 25 June 25 in your diaries and join us in the Berminghams home in Mooretown, Kilcullen, between 12 noon and 6pm. A relaxing, easy day is guaranteed, with friends and neighbours, tea, coffee and sweet treats. Join in a chat, listen to a poem or song — you might even share one yourself!

There will be a particular welcome for young people who might like to get involved. 'When you’re performing, you’re creating a moment' (Erykah Badu) and we have lots of moments to share with you on 25 June 25.

All donations go directly to the work of Maintain Hope, which since 2005 has aimed to alleviate poverty and provide educational opportunities for deprived children in Kenya. Every cent raised goes towards the projects of Maintain Hope, with no deduction for administration — truly every euro makes a difference.

So join us on 25 June and make a difference. Further information: Esther Reddy 087 9450634, Gerry O’ Donoghue 087 2642887.

Kilcullen Parish Lotto

The numbers drawn in the Kilcullen & Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw held on Tuesday 26 April 2016 were 7, 11, 19 and 30. There was no Jackpot winner and next week's main prize will be €3,800.

The winners of the €50 Open Draws were Seamus Dempsey (Promoter Eithne Dempsey), Tom McGann (Vanessa Clarke) and Betty Law (New Abbey Bridge Club).

The winners of the Promoters Draw were Anne Brennan and Adrienne Byrne and the winner of the Draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Vivienne Clifford.

The Parish thanks all those who support the Lotto.

Pride of Place Competition

Kildare County Council would like to invite all residents associations and community groups from Local Authority Estates in County Kildare to enter the Pride of Place Competition 2016.

For the past 21 years the council has held a competition for Tidy Estates and Best Kept Gardens with great success. The focus is on building vibrant, sustainable communities and encouraging residents to become actively involved in the development of their communities.

The estates will be judged on the following:

* Open space maintenance/estate enhancement
* Levels of voluntary participation
* Community development initiatives
* Best kept gardens

Judging will take place in late June/early July 2016. The closing date for the competition is Friday, 20 May 2016. No late applications will be accepted.

All prize winners will be announced at our annual Community Awards night in November and all non prize winners will receive a token for their participation in the competition.

Application forms are available on our website here or you can contact the Community Development office at 045980692/acorbett@kildarecoco.ie.

The passing of Therese Price

The Diary has learned of the death of Therese Price, late of Ballyshannon.

Reposing at her cousin Phil Goodwin's residence, Maddenstown, the Curragh, from 2 o'clock this afternoon, with the Rosary this evening at 8.

Removal on Wednesday morning, arriving at St. Brigid's Church, Suncroft, for Requiem Mass at 11 o'clock. Burial afterwards in Ballyshannon Graveyard.

No flowers, please. Donations, if desired, to Gravelodge Care Home, Portrane, Co Dublin. Donations box in church.

May she rest in peace.

The passing of Tommy Skehan

The Diary has learned of the death of Tommy Skehan, Calverstown, and late of Galmoy, Co Kilkenny.

Reposing at his residence today between 5-8pm, with the Rosary being celebrated at 7pm.

Removal will take place on Wednesday morning at 10.30, arriving at the Church of the Sacred Heart and St Brigid for Funeral Mass at 11. Cremation afterwards in Newlands Cross Crematorium.

Family flowers only. Donations, if desired, to The Irish Society for Crohn's and Colitis Disease and The Irish Heart Foundation.

May he rest in peace.

KBC reach new heights in leagues

Overall it was a great weekend for the club with teams from Kilcullen Badminton Club competing in a club record of four Dublin District League Finals. Friday 22 April saw three of those teams out with the Division 2 Mens, the Division 2 ladies and the Division 6 Ladies out representing the club in Whitehall Road in the 7pm session.

Murt's men had beaten Mullingar in the semis and had the Kilmeasan Men in the final. The Kilcullen men were absolutely superb in this final and didn’t even drop a set on their road to victory. This is a great achievement for the lads, not only is it the highest accolade for the club but this team was only formed at the beginning of the season. All four lads put in a lot of effort with training with the newbies, Eoin and Declan who only joined the club this year. To Eoin and Declan I promise never to mix you up again in my write ups, as Declan said to me on Friday night after the final “we are both tall but Eoin’s the one with the fancy hair!!” A big congrats to captain Murt, Gareth, Declan and Eoin.

Lynsey and her Division 2 Ladies were on centre court and they were hoping to take the league back to Kilcullen. This wasn’t to be the ladies night and in a very close final they were beaten by An Caislean Nua 3-1. There were some very close sets in this game and Lynsey and her team gave it all leaving nothing on the court. Hard luck to Lynsey, Lorraine, Sinead and Gillian on a great season and remember being the second best team in the Division 2 ladies league aint a bad achievement!.

On court 4 were Sarah and the Division 6 Ladies who played an excellent Rolestown team. This was a repeat of the Division 6 Ladies Dublin District Cup Final which had been played earlier in the year where the KBC Ladies only managed to beat Rolestown on sets. Captain Sarah was unfortunately unable to play due to a calf injury she had sustained in the League semi final the week before. In stepped the capable Jen Monaghan for the occasion. First Ladies Siobhan and Tara took the first game but Rolestown leveled the second with Kath and Jen narrowly beaten in a 3 setter. Jen and Tara took the third game in two sets while Siobhan and Kath took the fourth game giving KBC a 3-1 win.Well done to the fantastic five, captain Sarah, Kath, Tara, Siobhan and super sub Jen.

On Saturday the 23rd of April KBC were again represented in the DDL finals and this time it was Jen’s Mix 6 team on stage. The KBC four met Sheriff Street, the team who had knocked KBC’s mix 5 out of the semi finals. Jen's team were determined not to loose a second Dublin District final in a season but things didnt go their way from the off. The gang lost in three games with some of the sets very close and could have as easily gone Kilcullen's way with a bit of luck. Its been a great season for Jens team overall who have only lost three matches all season its just unlucky that two have been finals. Well done to Jen, Tara, John and Enda on a great season.

In other news Kilcullen's Grade 2 Mix also achieved another club record when Lynsey and her team won the Southwest Grade 2 Mix Cup final on April 20 in Carlow LTC. They beat the hosts in a great game of badminton. Well Done Lynsey, Sinead, Gillian, Tara, Murt Eoin, Gareth and Dave J on this great win taking KBC to another new height in the leagues. With all the DDL and South West League matches played, we now wait to see how KBC’s Grade 4 Mix will do in the All Irelands on May 8th (but don’t worry we will keep you posted on that one!).

Finally the players would like to thank all the people who travelled up to Whitehall Road on Friday and Saturday night to cheer us all on, your support was greatly appreciated.

Pictured on top are the Grade 2 Mix SWL and, below, Division 6 Ladies Champs.

More than 100 participated in ET

There was a total 105 participants over the two days of Kilcullen Enterprise Town’s Expos last weekend, representing enterprises, community, sports and social groups in the town, writes Brian Byrne.

Some 71 of those who took stands or provided entertainment in the Bank of Ireland sponsored free event were businesses, spread across sectors which included Arts & Craft, Childcare, Construction and Home, Fitness, Food, Health & Care, Print & Publishing, Property, Retail, and a variety of Services.

There were 17 Community & Service stands ranging from An Garda Siochana through Kilcullen Lions Club to Kilcullen Heritage Group, while the local schools and their pupils were responsible for nine presentations.

Seven sports organisations took part, including Athletics, Community Games, Cycling, GAA, Tennis, Soccer and Pitch & Putt.

Prizes were presented to enterprise teams from Scoil Bhride’s Fifth Class who participated in the Bizworld Competition — Super Sprayers and Blue Shoes.

Cross & Passion College Transition Year Mini Company groups also received prizes — Creatively Prepared Cards, Pow Pack, All Boxed Up, and Crann de Dhearadh

A prize was also presented to the team who reached the semi-finals in the Bank of Ireland sponsored Junk Kouture Competition.

The full list of participants were:

Business/Arts & Crafts: Curious Quirkes, Sandra Petit Frere, An Original, Artastic, Ceramic Art, Conor Williams Photography, Curragh Pens, Drama Dynamics, Geraldine School of Dancing, Handcraft Jewellers, Hens.Love.Dance, Jenny Landers School of Dancing, Joe O Connor Engraving, Kings & Clowns Drama School, Purity Belle Candles, The Premiere School of Dancing, and The Signmaker.

Business/Childcare: Auntie Annes Country Creche, Kidz Academy Creche, Kilcullen Community Childcare, and Toddlers & Wobblers.

Business/Construction & Home: Bneatstairs, Ecokem Ltd, Firechief Fire & Safety, Kildare Bathroom Company, McDonald Window Cleaning, Murphy Design &Build, Murphy Surveys, OB Lawnmowers, Ultra House Cleaning, Woodlock Plumbing and Heating, and Your Gardening Needs Sorted.

Business/Fitness: No. 1 Fitness Kilcullen, and Kilcullen Taekwon-Do Club.

Business/Food: Francis Southern, Aedamars Curds, Armelle's Kitchen, Caroline Liston, Fallons, Foxhill Quail Eggs, Kalbarri Cookery School, Rachel Allen, and Traditional Smokehouse.

Business/Healthcare: Curragh Lawn Nursing Home, Pamela Harpur Yoga, Home Instead Senior Care, Kilcullen Dental & Orthodontics, Kilcullen Holistic Beauty, and Nichola Kennedy Optometrist.

Business/Print & Publishing: Clare Print, and Whelan Byrne Associates.

Business/Property: Appleton Property, and Dowling Properties.

Business/Retail: Eurospar, Avril’s Flowers, Berney Bros, Dunleas of Kilcullen, Karen O'Connor Forever Living, Kilcullen Carry Out, Pretty Little Things, Secret Kloset, Shabby Chic J&A, The Brickx Club, Value Zone, and Vincents.

Business/Services: H.S.F. Ltd Kildare Cleaning, Gordon Machinery Repair, Kilcullen Bouncy Castles, Kilcullen Parish Centre, Paul Aspell Guidance Counselling, and Robert Coonan Solicitor.

Community/Services: An Garda Siochana, Arthritis Ireland Kildare Branch, KARE, Kilcullen Community Action, Kilcullen Community Library, Kilcullen Carer & Toddler, Kilcullen Lions Club, Kilcullen Team Relay for Life, Kilcullen Text Alert, Kildare & Wicklow Education+Training Board, KYC Kilcullen Parish Youth Club, National Learning Network, Teach na nDaoine, The Bridge Camphill, The Bridge Magazine, Gormanstown Chapel (Music), and Kilcullen Heritage Group.

Schools: All Boxed Up (TY), Brannockstown NS, Crann De Dhearagh (TY), Creatively Prepared Cards (TY), Junk Kouture, Kildare Steiner School, Pow Pack (TY), Scoil Bhride, and St Josephs NS Halverstown.

Sports: Crookstown Millview Athletics Club, Kilcullen Community Games, Kilcullen Cycling Club, Kilcullen GAA, Kilcullen Tennis Club, Soccer Club, and St Bridget’s Pitch & Putt.

(And some people say there's nothing in small towns ...)

Deer shot (photographically) in Kilcullen

Deer are getting closer to the town, as this photograph taken by Geraldine Gahan from her garden shows, writes Brian Byrne.

“I have suspected for years that they were around, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen one here,” she told the Diary. “The photo quality isn’t great, but I was trying to stay hidden.”

The picture was taken this morning.

Local issues, election, discussed at FG AGM

The provision of a pedestrian crossing at Nicholastown at the entrance to the all-weather pitch area is to be a focus of attention from local Fine Gael representatives in the coming months, writes Brian Byrne.

Speaking at the recent AGM of Kilcullen Fine Gael, Deputy Martin Heydon also said that something needed to be done on the issue of providing safe crossing for children going to school from Cnoc na Greine.

At the moment, many children and their parents from Cnoc na Greine are using a makeshift and potentially unsafe crossing of Pinkeen Stream to the back of the Scoil Bhride grounds. If they walk all the way down the access road to the main Curragh Road, they then have to deal with volumes of motor traffic entering and leaving two entrances which are side by side.

Knowledge of such matters showed the importance of the local party team on the ground, the deputy said, taking the opportunity also to thank them for their help in having him re-elected to a second term in Dail Eireann. "We have a great network and a great team," he said. "I wouldn't be where I am without them. And being told where the issues are is the only way that I can then help deal with them."

On the election results, Deputy Heydon said that 'the wind was against' the Government, which meant that his running mate Cllr Fiona McLoughlin Healy didn't get elected. "But despite the difficulties, we brought in a strong Fine Gael vote."

He added that the party is now at a 'critical juncture', and that it has to be very careful that it doesn't suffer for 'doing what is best for the country'.

The meeting was chaired by Cllr Fintan Brett, who said he was 'very surprised' at the results of the General Election. "That the electorate will so quickly put people back in who ruined the country shows that eaten bread is soon forgotten," he said.

Cllr Darren Scully also addressed the meeting, commenting that the party leadership 'has to listen to the party members on the ground', and to the councillors to whom it hasn't always paid enough attention.

Deputy Heydon thanked those attending for coming, and said he was gratified to see new members amongst them.

Tidy Towns Quiz this evening

The annual Kilcullen Tidy Towns Table Quiz organised by Kilcullen Community Action takes place in O'Connell's Lounge this evening, Monday 25 April.

C'mon down ... there might be a few surprises in the questions which even your smartphone can't help with. (Return of brain-power!)

Usual terms and conditions. Usual head-scratching, whispering wrong answers just loud enough to confuse the competition (ah no, not with this crowd!), and all that good stuff.

Diary thoughts from the Expo

It’s a funny thing, but whenever people mention the Diary to me, they almost inevitably say that it’s great for Kilcullen people who live abroad to be able to keep in touch with what’s happening at home, writes Brian Byrne.

And I guess it is. But the bigger part of the readership is actually in Kilcullen itself. The vastly bigger part.

On the basis that the Diary is very unlikely to be of any interest unless one has a Kilcullen connection, the Google Analytics breakdown of traffic geographically is arguably a good reflection of Kilcullenite readers' location.

So here’s the top ten gen on the last month, kicking off with Ireland (likely most from the parish itself) with 86pc of all visitors to the Diary. The UK is next for readership with 5.4pc, followed by the US (3.5), Australia (1.4), Canada (0.6), Taiwan (0.5), Germany, Belgium and France (0.2pc each), and ‘not set’ at 0.3pc.

Statistics can be dry and dusty, but underpinning those figures are real live people. Kilcullen people. Of course, I don’t know exactly who looks in, except for those who sometimes stop me while walking down the street, to make a comment on something they’ve read. Sometimes they are ‘wild geese’ who are home for a visit, but mostly they are the ones who never flew away at all. Even then, they’re quite likely to be people whom I don’t actually know, such has been the expansion of Kilcullen over the last decade or so, ‘a village grown bigger’.

It is a decade or so that also mirrors the birth and growth of the Diary itself, which I set up in January 2005 without much thought about what it might become or how long it might last. It is still a day-to-day activity without a forward plan, though substantially more intense than it was 11 years ago. I sometimes use the phrase that I created ‘a monster that has to be fed every day’, but in truth it is a happy and charming monster, at least from my side of things.

All of us in our lives, if we’re lucky, find our ‘reason to be’. It can range in importance from mere interest through to absolute passion. It can be something external which entertains or intrigues us. It can be our hobby, our work and career, or our commitment to something that has nothing to do with the ‘ordinary’ part of our lives. But it marks us.

So, as we walk down the street we meet people who are dedicated to a sports club, or to a charity, or to a business, or music, or drama, or politics, or … well, or anything in the long list of interests and activities which humankind has developed around itself. All with their own stories.

Which brings me to the other thing people say when they talk about the Diary, that they don’t know how I can find enough material to keep it going virtually every day of the year. Well, there are all those stories, waiting to be told. Wanting to be told. And people wanting to hear them. It applies whether we live in a tiny village or a village grown bigger, a town or a city. The fabric of any group or population is woven from the people and their stories and their activities within it. In time, that becomes heritage.

Over this Kilcullen Enterprise Town weekend, a continuing refrain has been that ‘we didn’t know there was so much business and community stuff’ in the town. Which is very true. The initiative from Bank of Ireland provided the impetus, and a platform, for all our interests and activities to gather in one place for a few hours. So we could meet each other, find out about each other, in business and community terms. So we could expand our knowledge of ourselves as Kilcullen.

The Diary was there too. And, like all who came to the super Assembly Hall venue in Scoil Bhride, whether exhibitor or local visitor, we met new people, found out new things. We have new stories to tell, and old ones to reprise with fresh thoughts.

And this is why, from the time I first dipped my toe into the world of journalism, 45 years ago in The Bridge Magazine, I do what I do. That’s what marks me, I guess. Thanks for looking in. Hope you’ll keep doing so.

Josh Harty in the BAG

The BAG welcomes Josh Harty back to Mick Murphy's Bar, Ballymore Eustace, on Monday 25 April, writes Roy Thompson of the Ballymore Acoustic Gigs.

Josh Harty is a North Dakota songsmith. A third generation musician, son of a small town police chief and preacher, he often muses that growing up he figured he'd end up going to jail or going to hell.

In 2011 Harty released 'Nowhere', and 2014 saw the release of two duo albums he recorded between 2012 and 2013 — '12 August 'with fellow Americana artist John Statz and 'The Attic Session' with long time collaborator Blake Thomas.

Over the last five years Harty has toured in 41 US States and countries across Europe and the United Kingdom. He demoed songs for his new album with George Lucas in Brno, Czech Republic (released as a download called 'The Brno Session'), in New York City, and in Gleisdorf, Austria with Chuck Lemonds. His new album, 'Holding On' features songs written on the road over the last two and a half years, performed by a full band.

Doors open at 8:30pm. Admission is €12

Another Country Sunday today

There's another in the Country Sunday series taking place in The Spout Bar today, 24 April.

Once again organised by local singer James Aspell, it will also feature favourites Bernie Heaney and Tom Cooper.

The usual time, 6-10pm, and again there's a raffle for a hamper.