It Says In The Bridge — Jul/Aug 2016
As always, it’s all happening in Kilcullen. Though no more Bridge happening until September as the magazine takes its annual break.
News this month is also wide ranging — the Culture Night 2016 contribution being just one. Local artist Sandra Petit-Frere is painting the portraits of ten local people, for an exhibition that will run from September to December, while the Heritage Group will do interviews with the ten to add to an archive of recordings already done.
There are congratulations to new Mayor of Kildare Ivan Keatley, a note of the success of the Maintain Hope Acoustic Picnic 2, and a call for submissions to the annual Community Awards organised by Kilcullen Community Action. A report on Tidy Towns progress and one of the recent Dun Ailinne ‘dig’ which found some 2,000 years-old litter round out the main news of the month.
Schools news include a report on a trip to the Zoo by St Joseph’s NS pupils, the surprise arrival of horse-racing legend Lester Piggot to the Brannoxtown NS Sports Day, and the mini soccer ‘Euros’ which were organised by students in Scoil Bhride.
In feature items, Eoin Houlihan muses on the theme of Gratitude and how to remember each day to be thankful for what we have. Dorly O’Sullivan introduces the Gormanstown Choir, which had a highlight event this year when invited to perform at the Dunlavin Festival of the Arts. An article on the security technology in new euro coins comes through the good offices of Joe Robinson, and a profile of local Cardiac Physiotherapy specialist Karen Cradock details how people after heart attacks can be helped to become strong again.
Regular writers offer a broad church of thoughts this month. Billy Redmond ruminates on death, his ‘meeting’ with ‘MD’ at the Bloom garden festival, and the state of begging on the street, as well as the Garda Commissioner’s body language. Julie Dunlop’s topic is self-control, without it we’re like a city broken into and left without walls. Sean Landers tips the ash about smoking, during his boyhood days (not himself, though), in today’s Taiwan, and in the Arabian style. Joe Soapbox goes red-top style about Brexit and Fine Gael, and Paul Aspell muses on the EU as a ‘busted flush’.
There’s a double page colour photo spread on the clean—up activities for Tidy Towns, with a lot of new faces very much involved. More picture features include the KiYC group on their way to the World Youth Day event in Krakow, and the aforementioned birthday party for Donal St Leger, and in the Sports Section, plenty of pictorial material from the Community Games, Badminton, GAA, Soccer and Pitch & Putt.
And finally, a thought for next weekend, in a piece asking for support for the Cycle for Crumlin organised by Murphy Surveys and Kilcullen Cycle Club. There’s still time to register to take part, or if you know someone who is, to sponsor them.
In any case, if you’re around on Saturday, give the riders a cheer as they leave and come back to Kilcullen.
