Race Night for scouts: save the date

A Race Night to raise funds for Kilcullen Scouts is planned for 26 May, writes Brian Byrne.

It will be held in McTernans Pub with a start time of 9pm.

The event is organised by the Fundraising Events Group, and further information is available from racenightservices.ie.

All welcome.

Kilsaran seeks to restore pit to original ground level

Kilsaran Concrete has registered a planning application with Kildare County Council to import 1.2m tonnes of natural inert waste materials in order to backfill a pit at Halverstown, writes Brian Byrne.

The materials will include excess soil, stone and broken rock. A section of the concrete block curing shed on site will be used for inspection and quarantine of waste prior to its use to restore the site to its original level on land currently in agricultural use.

The application also seeks permission to temporarily stockpile topsoil pending its re-use as a cover material for the final restoration of the site.

An Environmental Impact Statement Report is required with this application and the company says it will be submitting this.

The file number is 18308 and any submissions should be made by 26 April 2018.

Scoil Bhride pupils plant trees

Pic: Facebook Kilcullen Community Action.

Pupils from Scoil Bhride planted 20 new trees in the Valley Park last week, writes Brian Byrne.

They're pictured here with Des Travers and Noel Clare of Kilcullen Community Action.

Noel says the planting 'more than replaces' the six poplars which were cut down last week for safety reasons.

Taking out the old trees also improved the views of and from the Valley. One more remains to be cut down, but requires some specialist action.

Funding for removing the trees came from donations and through a raffle at the recent Easter Market. The raffle was run by Steve Kinneavy and Jim Collins.

Easter Water Blessing

At the Easter Vigil each year holy water is blessed. It is a tradition in Ireland that families bring this Easter water home with them to bless themselves, their homes, vehicles and also the graves of loved ones. Families are encouraged to pray together and bless their homes with the Easter water when they return from Mass on Holy Saturday night or Easter Sunday, or at some other time during the Easter season.

This initiative seeks to recover a traditional religious practice that meant a lot to Irish families. The faithful have always been encouraged to take holy water home and to use it as part of their daily lives. They have also been encouraged to regularly seek God’s blessing on themselves, their families and on their homes, vehicles, religious objects and other items. In Ireland the great affection that people have for deceased loved ones has been shown by the tradition of blessing graves

In Kilcullen and Gormanstown Church, water will be blessed and each family will be invited to take a small bottle of Holy water and the Prayer for the Blessing of Homes with Easter Water. You may bring your own bottle to fill with Holy Water if you so wish.


House Blessing
May God bless this house from top to bottom,
May He bless each lintel, each stone and beam of wood,
May He bless the household and the table on which we place food
May He bless each bed room in which we seek a peaceful sleep,
May He bless the door we open generously to the stranger and the meek – as well as to our relatives and friends.
May He bless the windows through which come the bright beams, of sunlight, moon and stars.
May He bless the rafters above our head and each strong wall surrounding us, May peace love and affection dwell herein and flow towards our neighbours.
May God bless this gathering and keep us from danger,
And May He guide us all together to his Heavenly sanctuary. Amen.

Clinic for Kildare farmers applying for BPS online - Heydon

Pic Matthew Henry.

A clinic will be held to help Kildare farmers with their online applications for the Basic Payment Scheme, according to Kildare South Fine Gael TD Martin Heydon. The online clinic will be held at the West Grove Hotel, Clane, on Friday 6 April from 9am to 12:30pm

Further to existing supports available, such as telephone help-lines, how-to guides and instructional videos, staff from the Department of Agriculture will be available to meet with farmers on a one-to-one basis to assist them in making their applications.

“These clinics have proven successful in the past and farmers can sit down with an official from the Department and make their online BPS or Transfer of Entitlements applications on the spot," Deputy Heydon says.

“Online applications offer a range of benefits for farmers and also help the Department to issue these vital payments more efficiently.

“The recent growth in the number of online BPS applications shows more and more farmers are finding that the best way to apply for vital schemes such as BPS and ANC is online. From 2018 all the elements of the Direct Payments Schemes (BPS, Greening, Young Farmers Scheme, National Reserve, and Transferring of Entitlements) will be online. This will help to ensure that the Department can process all applications under these schemes as efficiently as possible.”

Should farmers wish to contact the Department in relation to their online application they can do so at 076 1064424 in relation to queries on registering for www.agfood.ie – for example queries on lost passwords, how to register etc, or at 076 1064420 in relation to queries on actually completing the BPS application once registered on www.agfood.ie or to enquire about the one-to-one clinics.

Dawn Walk 2018 date set

The Dawn Walk in aid of Pieta House will take place on 14 July, writes Lorna Brophy.

An open air concert will also take place that evening for the same cause. Thanks for all the support over the last number of years.

Sponsorship cards are available from Lorna Brophy and Richie Kelly on request.

An Tearmann's next story night

The next storytelling event in An Tearmann is on Wednesday 11 April, with the return of Fiona Dowling as the featured storyteller, writes Brian Byrne.

Beginning as usual at 7.30pm, the evening is hosted by the Triple Spiral Storytellers.

It is suitable for all ages, and the €5 donation taken at the door also gets tea and cakes from An Tearmann's Jo and her staff.

Community Games swimming

Kilcullen Community Games recently held their annual swimming gala in the Curragh swimming pool, writes Papillon Rabbitte.

This was another successfully run event by the Community Games team with a full gallery of parents and friends treated to some great swimming over the course of the evening.

The committee would like to extend their appreciation and thanks to Alma Donnelly and Tara Bradley who, in the months leading up to this gala, held coaching/training session for all our swimmers every Friday evening.

Well done to all those who participated on the night. All our medalists now go forward to the swimming county finals which will be taking place over two days in K Leisure, Athy. The girls competition is being held on Saturday the 7th of April, while the boys competition is on Sunday the 8th of April. Registration for this event is at 1.30pm. Best of luck to all competitors.

Kilcullen area swim results

U8 Girls Freestyle: (1st) Ella-Louise Donnelly, (2nd) Maya Tyrrell, (3rd) Lena Dunne, (4th) Emma Sandall; U10 Girls Freestyle: (1st) Milly Matthews, (2nd) Mae Cowper Gray, (3rd) Lauren McLaunan; U10 Girls Backstroke: (1st) Aedin Godon, (2nd) Eva Sandall, (3rd) Jessica Sandall; U12 Girls Freestyle: (1st joint) Sarah Kelly and Della Cowper Gray, (2nd) Sinead Gordan, (3rd) Alannah Stone; U12 Girls Breaststroke: (1st) Ella Cole, (2nd) Olivia Lambert; U12 Girls Backstroke: (1st) Anna Sandall, (2nd) Erica Brunkard; U14 Girls Freestyle: (1st) Alex Connors; U14 Girls Butterfly: (1st) Nadya Dunne.

U8 Boys Freestyle: (1st) Ryan McLarnon, (2nd) Bobby Lambe, (3rd) Conall Hoey, (4th) Felix Mahon, (5th) Aodhán Talbot; U10 Boys Freestyle: (1st) Sean Hoey, (2nd) Tiernan Donnelly, (3rd) Max Williamson; U10 Boys Backstroke: (1st) Jack Bradley, (2nd) Xavier Mahon, (3rd) Sam Devenney; U12 Boys Freestyle: (1st) Jamie Hargaden, (2nd) Daniel Morgan; U12 Boys Breastsroke: (1st) Sean Dunne, (2nd) Noah Mahon; U12 Boys Backstroke: (1st) Turlough Donnelly; U14 Boys Breaststroke: (1st) Leo Williamson.

James Nolan for 'Nationwide' next week

It's been a busy couple of weeks in TV filming terms in Kilcullen, writes Brian Byrne.

First there was the Woodbine Books piece on RTE last week subsequent to their winning the Indie Bookseller of the Year 2018 in Ireland, and on Monday it was the 'Nationwide' team who were down in Nolans Butchers.

Mary Fanning interviewed James Nolan (above) and his sister Catherine for a piece on organ donation, which will be screened on Wednesday evening of next week.

It's all part of Organ Donor Awareness Week which begins this Saturday 31 March. As many know, James was provided with a kidney by Catherine some 30 years ago.

He has since been a tireless fundraiser for organ donation and for the care of people with kidney problems. His story featured also in a special supplement in yesterday's Irish Times on organ donation.

More Daffodil Day generosity

The Coffee Morning held in Ger Dooley's Kildare Bathroom Company in aid of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day raised €726, writes Brian Byrne.

Ger, Sophie and the team thank all who came along and supported the cause.

This is in addition to the €4,752 donated to the usual Kilcullen collection for Daffodil Day, organised by Trish Dowling and Ann Brennan.

Meanwhile, another event in aid of the ICS will be held in The Spout Bar next Monday, the bank holiday on 2 April. This is the Memorial Music Night for the late and much-loved Jimmy Aspell, who helped raise substantial funds over the last decade for cancer patient support.

The evening will feature many of Jimmy's musician friends.

Parish Lotto Draw results

The numbers drawn in the Kilcullen & Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw held on Tuesday 27 March 2018 were 1, 3, 23 and 30. There was no Jackpot winner and next week's main prize will be €16,200.

The winners of the €50 Open Draws were Eugene Hall (Promoter Miriam McDonnell), Matt Lambe (Valerie McTernan), and Siobhan Thompson (Ethna Dempsey). The winners of the Promoters Draw were New Abbey Bridge Club and Berneys Chemist and the winner of the Draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Sheila Peacock.

The Parish thanks all who support the Lotto.

Thanks for Daffodil Day support

Once again a big thank you to everyone who supported our local Daffodil Day Collection, write Trish Dowling and Ann Brennan.

Your kind generosity helped raised €4,752 which will be greatly appreciated by the Irish Cancer Society.

Thank you so much to our regular volunteers and to the new volunteers who came on board this year your time and help on the day is so important to the success of the day.

Also a kind thank you for the fresh daffodils which were donated last minute on the day. They were a big help!

Kilcullen solicitor nominated as judge

Kilcullen solicitor Geraldine Carthy has been nominated by the Government as a District Court judge.

Geraldine is a partner in Reidy Stafford, Market Square, Kilcullen and has worked alongside her partners Pat Reidy and Eva O’Brien for many years.

Geraldine is the head of the Family Law department in Reidy Stafford, which also has offices in Newbridge, and practises primarily in family law, but also looks after medical negligence, personal injuries and employment law cases.

Geraldine lives in County Laois and is married to Noel Daly, the Principal of Portlaoise College.

Still all to play for Kilcullen Badminton Club

Grade 3 Knock Out Cup Runners Up.

Kilcullen Badminton Club’s teams have been giving it their all in both the Dublin League and South West Leinster Knock Out Cup as the club comes to the latter end of their competitive season, writes Tara O'Neill. Some teams played their final games in the past fortnight while others have been pushing on to secure places in play offs and other final stages.
Dublin League

The Division 4 Men’s team will play their final game of the league tonight at Home to Mount Pleasant. It will be their second match in a row this week as they were unlucky to be beaten 3-1 by a strong Eire Friends team Away last night.
Division 3 Ladies played their final fixture of the season last night playing Eire Friends Away. While they came away with a loss in what was an undoubtedly strong league for them, they will see it as experience going forward.

Division 3 Mixed have had a bumpy fortnight, beginning with their 2-2 draw with Boyne last week. The team played Away to Ailesbury on Friday and were hoping to get a good result. Alas luck was not on their side and they came away with a 3-1 loss. The pressure was on going into their last fixture two days later, needing to secure a 4-0 win to bag themselves a place in the playoffs. The team did well under pressure and came away from Mount Pleasant with a 4-0 win.

Another team who have made it into the latter stages of the Dublin League are the Division 6 Mixed team who have won almost all of their games. This has placed the team second in their group and has secured them a place in the quarter finals.

Division 4 Mixed have finished out their Dublin League season also coming third in their group.

Division 2 Mixed are still busy fulfilling their Dublin League fixtures, with three matches fixed for this week and all still to play for.

Division 6 Men will play their last game of the Dublin League tonight in what appears to have been a tough and unlucky season for them coming out on the wrong side of a number of three setters.

Division 2 Ladies saw their last fixture out this week and are looking like they will be joining some of our other teams in the play offs also.

Division 5 Men played their last group match against Titans. In a tough group they finished third. The team’s defeats were close matches and their placing in their group weren’t reflective of their games with most games going to the wire.

South West Knock Out Cup
It was a case of deja-vu as the two teams that made it through to the SW League final also took their place in the SW Cup final.

Grade 7 Knock Out Cup Runners Up.

The Grade 7 Mixed team were up first playing Portlaoise BC in what was always going to be a tricky game with Kilcullen being allocated a 4 point handicap. The team fought hard but were unfortunate to come away with a 3-1 loss.

The Grade 3 Mixed Team played an all too familiar final against a Baltinglass team that had already nipped them on points in the League final. As always, tensions were high between the two well acquainted teams but it was just not to be yet again as Kilcullen came away with an unlucky 5-3 result.

Well done to both teams on reaching both the South West League and Cup finals and best of luck to them as they represent their club in the Inter-League competition taking place next month.

Ireland's youngest garda visits Kilcullen

The youngest garda ever to patrol in Kilcullen spent time on the beat in the town yesterday, writes Brian Byrne.

Ceejay McArdle from Castleblayney, aged six, was visiting Naas, Kilcullen and The Curragh in a round of events to highlight the fight against cancer.

Ceejay is a walking example of that fight, as he has been battling leukaemia since he was three.

As he had always wanted to be a garda when he grows up, he was made an honorary member of the force in 2016, joining the graduating class of that year at the Garda Training College in Templemore.

Since then Ceejay has arguably become the busiest garda in Ireland, regularly travelling around the country to attend events related to fighting cancer.

He even has his own Facebook page where those who want to follow his story can be a part of Team Ceejay.

Kilcullen's Gda Joanne O'Sullivan and her colleagues Gda Jon Brien and Gda Jim Lacey hosted Gda Ceejay on his Kilcullen visit, which began with a meeting in the Heritage Centre with members of Two Mile House ICA who showed some of the 'Bravery Blanky' blankets they make and provide to Crumlin Children's Hospital. The hand knitted and crocheted blankets, along with hats, Hickman line bags and vests, and other essential items are given to children in Ireland diagnosed with cancer.

While there, Gda Ceejay was also presented with a signed Kildare jersey and his mum Susan was presented with a bouquet of flowers.

Afterwards he joined Joanne, Jon and Jim in a patrol around town where he checked out the Bridge Nature Trail, and met with local business owners and residents.

He finished up in the Kilcullen Garda Station to do some paperwork, the bane of every Garda's working life!

(Pictures by Noel Clare.)