Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Parish Lotto Draw results

The numbers drawn in the Kilcullen and Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw held on Tuesday 31 October 2017 were 15, 18, 21 and 30. There was no Jackpot winner and next week's main prize will be €12,200.

The winners of the €50 Open Draws were Sheila Quinn (Promoter Friday Bridge Club), Eugene Hall (Miriam McDonnell), and Antoinette Coughlan (Robert Archbold).

The winners of the Promoters Draw were Ger's Fruit & Veg and PJ Lydon, and the winner of the Draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Margaret Talbot.

The Parish thanks all those who support the Lotto.


New Local Area Representative appointed by Fine Gael

A Ballymore woman has been appointed as Local Area Representative for the Naas Municipal District by the Fine Gael Party, writes Brian Byrne.

She's Evie Sammon (24), and she'll be assisting Cllr Billy Hillis and Deputy Martin Heydon (pictured with her above) with their constituency work in Kilcullen, Ballymore, Brannockstown, Two Mile House and Caragh.

Evie currently works as Secretarial Assistant to the Tanaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald TD. She received her primary and secondary education in Ballymore and Naas, and subsequently graduated from the University of Limerick with a degree in Politics and International Relations.

Becoming a Local Area Representative is often a precursor to other political position, and she makes no secret of an ambition to go further in politics. "I did my thesis on Gender Quotas, and one of my interests is to secure more places for women in politics," she said on the announcement of her new role. "So I might as well put my money where my mouth is and give it a go myself."




More awards for Nolans

Nolan’s of Kilcullen had a very successful outing at the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland National Craft Finals which were held in the K Club, Straffan, on Sunday last.

They won the National Championship title for their Gluten Free Sausages in the Gluten Free category and finished runner-up with their Reduced Fat Sausages in the Lifestyle Choice category.

They also claimed the Championship title for the Best Spiced Beef in Ireland in the hugely competitive National Spiced Beef competition, beating off strong opposition from the rest of the country.

James Nolan was quick to praise Fred Mitchell for all his hard work with Nolan’s world famous sausages, which are made fresh every day. James also paid huge credit to Dermott Mitchell and Marc Behan with the preparation of the Spiced Beef for the national finals last Sunday.

With Christmas only round the corner these prestigious national awards will give the friendly and capable team in Nolan’s of Kilcullen a huge lift before the busy festive period.

The latest wins add to an extraordinary tally of awards by the shop and its team, which include Best Butchers Shop in the UK & Ireland at the House of Lords in London in 2015, as well as an Outstanding Achievement Award at the World Cup Finals for Craft Butchers in Frankfurt in 2016.

Pictured top are James Nolan receiving the latest trophy for the Best Spiced Beef in Ireland from Minister of State Andrew Doyle, in the company of Seamus Etherson, President of the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland; and John Hickey, Chairman of the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland; and (below), James and Emma Nolan after presentation of the awards.





Monday, October 30, 2017

Lip-Sync a great, amazing success for Kilcullen GAA

It was an amazing night, an absolute complete success, writes Dara Clarke about the GAA Lip-Sync Challenge held in Killashee House Hotel. There were over 800 people in attendance and from the very start the buzz in the room unbelievable, with everyone commenting that the ‘whole of Kilcullen was out’.

There was a great feeling of huge support for the acts and that people were out to enjoy themselves. The tone was set by the showing of the new club promotional video (see the Kilcullen GAA Facebook Page to view it) which highlights the role the club plays in the community and filled everyone with a huge sense of pride and emotion.

After that, Killian Whelan’s master of ceremony skills kicked in and the show commenced. I think what really blew people away was the professional performances that they then experienced. Leah Moran and her team are true professionals and they had everyone on stage up to their standards. Every single act was a contender for winner with some stand-out performances by participants who obviously have previously unknown hidden talents ... in particular Stephen Willis as Michael Jackson, and Des O’Brien as Celine Dion!

The judges did a great job, providing entertaining analysis. The winning team on the night was ‘Handbags & The GladRAG’s’ captained by Monica O’Brien.

The partying continued on the dance floor into the early hours, with everyone in the house commenting on what a fantastic night it was, an amazing show. A roaring success!

(Photographs were taken through the day by Conor Williams. Along with the ones above, they can all be seen on the Kilcullen GAA Facebook page.)


Humphrey Bogart helps Damien on his writing way

When Damien Aulsberry received a communication last week from Florida, he was understandably 'over the moon', writes Brian Byrne. His screenplay for a short movie, 'Sons and Broken Noses', had just won the Neo-Noir category of the Film Noir Shorts Competition of the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival.

"I entered the screenplay in four places this year, but this is the one I really wanted to win," he said after getting the news. "I didn't expect to, because my fellow finalists were top professionals, and they were actually at the Festival, while I was waiting here in Kilcullen."

Just shows, talent will out. Damien's script had already won its category at the 2017 Wexford Film Festival, so it's doing well for him already. He describes it as an 'Irish-based contemporary Western', and it's about a couple of part-time criminals who take a hostage during a botched bank raid, and find they have taken a big load of trouble. Another good thing about it, it's scheduled for filming in December, with a top-notch Irish director and Irish actors.

Short films don't make money for the writers or directors, but they offer a road into the feature film market for newcomers and those without a movies background or big bank balance. They are also a way of honing skills, especially for a writer like Damien who has only been doing it since 2013. "I wrote my first script for a €5 bet with a friend, after we had been discussing movies and I rashly said I could do one."

He won his €5. Not content with that, he joined an online screenwriting group operated by the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, where members critiqued each others' work. Damien says he learned a lot from that. Eventually, his 'Memoirs of a Docket' was included as a read script in a major Toronto Film Festival. Two years ago he had the first ten pages recorded on stage by members of Kilcullen Drama Group, to use as a 'demo' for possible production.

"That was really brilliant. A screenplay is nothing until you hear and see actual actors doing your words and actions. I had always had a great respect for Kilcullen Drama Group, and to hear people like Dick Dunphy and Bernard Berney playing my parts was just great."

Moving on, last summer Damien had a short script filmed, and that is now in a post-production stage. The actors included Bosco Hogan, Paul Ronan — Saoirse Ronan's dad — Karl Shiels from 'Fair City', and Anthony Morris who has been in 'Game of Thrones'. "I haven't seen it yet, but I was there when it was being filmed, and to hear an actor of the calibre of Bosco Hogan saying my lines just blew me away. There will never be anything like that first experience for a writer."

The last two years have brought Damien on a very steep learning curve about the craft. He has corresponded with producers and directors at home and in the US, some encounters ending with frustration, others resulting in useful knowledge gained and an increasing network of contacts in an industry he says is 'cut-throat'. His experience on set while his film was being made last year also gave him a very important insight into how the wide range of elements that go into making a film work.

"Even to the matter of deciding what to put in or leave out for budget reasons," he says. "For instance, when I was writing 'Sons and Broken Noses', I then knew that the cost of shooting an actual bank robbery scene would be very expensive, so all the story takes place after the event."

When Colin Fleming and Nigel O'Brien decided to pick up the screenplay for production, it was moving to a next level for Damien. Not least because money had to be raised for the €10,000 cost. It is a 4-day shoot, and the money will pay for the actors and the crew. Eric Lalor and Jason Byrne play Jake and Sean, the hapless bank robbers, while Frank O'Sullivan is an underworld kingpin whose kidnapped son is played by Emmet Byrne, recently seen in the RTE drama series 'Striking Out'.

The funding is being raised through Indie Go Go, the crowdfunding website, and Damien has already seen a strong level of financial support. "Though it will take more effort to reach the goal."

When the film is completed, it will be introduced to the local and international film festivals circuit. Which means that Damien's work is then incorporated into a team production which will be a 'calling card' for all involved, a 'trailer' for their abilities which they hope will lead to commissions for feature length productions.

"I've learned a heck of a lot over the last few years, both about writing and production," Damien says. "I know that I'd even like to direct at some point. But most of all I have learned self-confidence. I'm no longer someone who wants to be a screenwriter, I am a screenwriter."

He didn't do it on his own. He acknowledges a lot of help, advice, and encouragement from many people in the business, and, just as important, from his family. And he knows too that he still has a long way to go.

"But I'm turning 50 shortly. My children are grown up, my life has reached the completion of that phase. Now I think it is my time, and I intend to go wherever it takes me."

He knows also that it isn't going to be an easy road. "Of the screenplays that are written, 95pc get thrown in the bin, five percent are read, and one percent get made. Also, there's no 'amateur circuit', you're up against the pros from the beginning, and you've got to hit the ground running."

With 'Sons and Broken Noses' already beating the pros, that's just what he's doing.

This article was first published in the Kildare Nationalist.

Spooky Kilcullen

A few more takes from the spooky windows of Kilcullen.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Gareth and Markus on the run



Well, the Dublin City Marathon 2017 is now under way, and Gareth Landy and Markus Pedersen, both running to raise funds for Kilcullen Community Action projects, sent us this clip just before the off.

It's almost Halloween ... be afraid

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For the weekend that's in it, here are just a few of the spooky window displays that are to be seen in Kilcullen. Do you know where they are?

We'll bring you more between now and Halloween itself.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

The passing of Peggy Walker

The Diary has learned with deep sadness of the death of Margaret 'Peggy' Walker, nee Shanley, of Nicholastown, Kilcullen. October 28 2017, peacefully at Naas General Hospital.

Beloved wife of Liam, dearest mother of Niamh and John, Peggy was predeceased by her sister Judy. Her passing is deeply regretted by her brothers Eddie and Mick, sisters Maureen and Catherine, son-in-law Tom, brothers-in-law Johnnie and Pat, sisters-in-law Audeon and Mary, grandson John, and her nieces, nephews, neighbours, relatives and friends.

Peggy is reposing at her residence from 5pm today, Saturday, until the conclusion of prayers beginning at 8pm. Removal by PJ Willis Funeral Directors will take place tomorrow, Sunday, at 7pm to the Church of the Sacred Heart and St Brigid, arriving at 7.30pm.

Requiem Mass will be celebrated on Monday at 11am, followed by interment in New Abbey Cemetery.

We join with all the community in extending our condolences to Liam and all of the family.

Donations, if desired, may be made to the Friends of Naas Hospital, for which purpose there will be a donation box in the church.

May she rest in peace.

Market square consultation day results


A strong interest in changing the use of the market square space is one of the outcomes of the recent public consultation exercise carried out by the KCA sub-committee looking at the project, writes Brian Byrne. But the survey also showed a significant interest in retaining a car-parking element in the area.

The public consultation event on 30 September resulted in 217 questionnaires being filled in, of which 54 were completed on-line after the day, which included displays and photographs of various uses of the square in recent years as well as family entertainment.

The survey should be read against the background of a resident population in the town of several thousand people, many of them families who have moved in here over the last 15 years, and the actual numbers who took part.

It isn't an easy survey to analyse, as the questionnaire relied on getting respondents' feelings about the space as much as it asked direct questions. The results in some ways seem to be contradictory because of that. But the document produced does offer a more solid background to future proposals than had existed before the consultation took place.

The organisers of the day have broken down the results under a number of headings, including the demographics of age, place of residence in relation to the square itself, and how often and why respondents come to the area. They also asked a words association question to establish how people think about the square and its environs, followed by dislikes and likes about it.

The possibly most important section asked for ideas for improvement. In the results the responses have been divided into two sections, ideas for the use of the space, and separately in relation to parking and traffic.

Under the use of space, around two-thirds of those who expressed ideas generally wanted the square to be integrated more with the River Liffey, to be available for outdoor events in an amphitheatre form, and be made a community space and amenity area. Within those broad elements there were specific suggestions on river safety, family use, and how it might be a social centre in Kilcullen. There was also a significant support (17.3pc) for the holding of a regular market in the square.

Under the specific parking and traffic improvement section, the survey shows 29pc of commentary not wanting any parking in the square, while nearly 12pc more favoured cutting down and limiting parking in the area. On the other hand, a substantial fifth of the response was in favour of keeping parking there, with improved layout and better management of parking being among the comments. Another 7.8pc in this section want a clearly defined through road and better access to Riverside Manor, with boundaries properly marked.

There was a clear parallel with the questions on current associations and dislikes about market square. In both areas, four in ten responses were negative towards parking and cars using the square entry as a turning circle, though, contrarily, only 5.6pc said the area is currently dangerous for pedestrians. In each section too, around 28pc of responses described the square currently as drab, underutilised, unattractive and similar.

Aspects of the area that respondents liked most were the river views and access to the river (37pc of responses within this section), the central location (20pc), and parking (11.3pc). Significantly, just 3.3pc of the responses noted access to shops, cafes and the bank as important,  though, the chart below on What brings you to Market Square? indicates a healthy 25pc of the reasons offered by those creating the survey.  Like I said, it isn't an easy survey to analyse. Given the success of public events held in the square in recent years, the 5.5pc who specifically noted this aspect might seem unexpectedly low?

The demographic aspects of the survey aren't tabulated in the results document so far circulated, but the pie charts below give some visual representation.




The organisers of the public consultation say they are 'delighted with the results and all the comments and suggestions'.

"We'd like to thank all the residents and businesses from Kilcullen that came along on the day to give their views and suggestions," says the sub-committee chair Antoinette Buckley. "I'd also like to thank Joe Boland KCC and Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin for all their support from the start of the project, as well as the sitting committee including the four MD councillors Robert Power, Sorcha O'Neill, Anne Breen and Fintan Brett. Thanks also to Martin Heydon TD and Cllr Ivan Keatley for attending on the day, and a very special 'thank you' to James Hennessey from Paul Hogarth Urban Designer for all his support."

A parking survey will be carried out over the next two weeks as part of the next step of the project.




Emma Campbell is opening a Christmas Art Lodge exhibition

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If you're looking for something special for someone special for Christmas, taking a short drive to artist Emma Campbell's 'Christmas at the Art Lodge' exhibition might well be worth while, writes Brian Byrne.

The Art Lodge is Emma's working studio in Kilmeague, and it will be officially launched on 11 November with an open exhibition of her very intriguing works, mainly in vibrant acrylics. There is something almost extra-terrestrial about her imaginative take on what are otherwise simple views, and with each one unique, they could make for unique gifts.

'Christmas at the Art Lodge' is running every weekend right up to Christmas Eve. It is free entry and all are welcome to come and sample a glass of mulled wine and take in the colour and excitement.

Emma has a broad range of original pieces that can be found from small to large, framed or unframed and Limited Edition Prints.

Emma, originally from Newbridge and mother of three young children, likes nothing better than getting knee deep in paint where she can unravel the ideas, emotions and visual senses of an idea that spirals from a small thought process onto canvas.

More information from 087 7575715 or emmanizeart@gmail.com, or you can visit her website or Facebook page.

Lip-Sync judges revealed - tickets on sale today

The GAA Lip-Sync Challenge night is almost here, and things are at fever pitch and getting competitive to the point of secrecy, according to the Diary’s sources.

And if you haven’t got a ticket yet for Sunday’s big gig in Killashee House Hotel, you can get one today at the Clubhouse between 12 noon to 1pm. Or you can call Debbie O’Brien on 087 2317181.

Meantime, our pictures above show the three judges for the competition. Yep, looks like they’re a bit young to be there for the late bar … but maybe you can put names on them?

MC for the night is Killian Whelan, so he’s not one of the bonny babies.

Work begins on church roof repairs

Work began yesterday on making safe the church roof, in advance of repairing the storm Ophelia damage, writes Brian Byrne.

The cherry-picker operatives were pictured yesterday by Fr Niall Mackey, removing the remaining loose slates, a number of them which had been caught by the gutters as they were blown off.