So that was 2018

During 2018, we posted some 1,415 stories on the Diary, which attracted around 3.4 million page views from our readers, writes Brian Byrne. But those are just statistics, the really important thing is that they were for and about the community of Kilcullen whose people were the subjects or the generators of the activity that made those stories. And in case you might have missed, or forgotten them, here's a reminder of some highlights.

JANUARY

The year kicked off with the first of what will be an annual event in Kilcullen, a Gala Night on New Year's Eve which in addition to providing a local place to see in the next year will also raise funds for local charities. This time it was the Teach na nDaoine project.

Claire Crawford took over as the new Manager of Kilcullen Community Centre. Claire grew up in Kilgowan, now lives in Gilltown and was educated in CPC. She has a HNDip in Leisure Management and business studies. She has over 20 years experience in the leisure industry.

The first Sarah Swaine Memorial Run in Kilcullen raised in excess of €5,350, supported by individuals, school pupils, and businesses across mid- and south Kildare and Carlow. The proceeds went to the CanTeen charity that helped Kilcullen teenager Sarah Swaine while she was dealing with the cancer to which she finally succumbed.

The Maintain Hope New Year Concert featured the first and only performance of the 'Camptown Singers' who set the pace of an evening which continued in an eclectic mix from harpist Leah O'Sullivan, singer-songwriter Roy Thompson, the Leahy Family and friends, the inimitable Bernard Berney with Dick Dunphy and Vivian Clarke at the bar, and a finale of unique interpretations of varied old songs from Noel O'Grady.

Building site work began at Cross and Passion College on Temporary Accommodation of two classrooms, an additional Art Room and a second ASD Classroom. The project was anticipated to take eight weeks to complete, with the new facilities in operation after Easter.

The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund was delighted to be invited to Temple Street Children’s Hospital where kidney donor Catherine Doyle, opened the brand new Nurses’ Station at the new Renal Ward at Temple Street Children’s Hospital which was sponsored by the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund (PKRF). James Nolan is the founder of the Fund.

The second meeting of the Kilcullen Co Housing Group, formed last November, brought a number of new faces. Founding member James Brennan said it was a very encouraging turnout for the Group, which was set up to acquire land in the Kilcullen area to establish an affordable housing community initiative. Those present were addressed by John Moore of the Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance, based in Bray, Co Wicklow, an Approved Housing Body which already has a major co-housing initiative under way in Dublin.


FEBRUARY

The winner of the Best Christmas Window Display for the recent festive season was Berneys Chemists. The prize of a round of golf at Palmerstown House in Naas was provided by Comer Properties Ltd. Eoin Houlihan of Kilcullen Community Action presented the prize to John Berney and Michelle Barker.

Two display boards were installed in the Kilcullen Heritage Centre to mark the plays performed by the Kilcullen Drama Group since it was founded in 1930. In all, some 146 productions are recorded, of which 15 were performed in the 'Carlow Stables', a former coach and horses stopping point where Nicholastown Green is now.

The annual CPC walk to Old Kilcullen was blessed with a beautifully bright, if freezing day. On arrival, Sr Máire, Sr Carmel and students led a short service of music and story, celebrating the history and heritage of Kilcullen, the legacy of the Cross and Passion Sisters and the link between ourselves in CPC and Lima in Peru.

No less than the rest of the country, Kilcullen had to endure the worst snow since 2010, which resulted in closed shops and schools, essential travel only warnings ... and that now well documented shortage of sliced pans.

MARCH

A pair of CPC Transition Year students, Izzy Reid and Jennifer Pearson, took part in the SEAI’s One Good Idea competition. Their project was to encourage people to buy less from fast fashion companies and more from ethically sourced and second hand shops, and to buy higher quality clothes and take care of them properly.

Kilcullen Photography Club held its first exhibition, located in in An Tearmann with the work of 11 photographers on display. More than 30 photographs were on display and for sale, with the Bridge Camphill Community receiving a commission on each purchased.

Everybody involved in Woodbine Books were over the moon with winning the title of Irish Indie Bookshop of the Year 2018. The award was made by the Booksellers Association, and Woodbine won the Irish Region title.

Cross and Passion College Transition Year students provided another excellent entertainment with their annual musical, this time 'Chicago'. It was equal to anything from a professional musical presentation.

It was below freezing for the Equinox effect at the Dun Ailinne spear sculpture created by local artist Noel Scullion ten years ago. In the window of several days opportunity, the effect was recorded, though the annual early morning gathering at the weekend didn't get to see it in glory.

Kilcullen's first Easter Market was helped by a sunny day to make the most of the many craft and food stalls which were part of the event. It was organised by Antoinette Buckley and a group of other like-minded community people.

The youngest garda ever to patrol in Kilcullen spent time on the beat for a day of highlighting the fight against cancer. Ceejay McArdle from Castleblayney, aged six, was visiting Naas, Kilcullen and The Curragh. He has been battling leukaemia since he was three.

Pupils from Scoil Bhride planted 20 new trees in the Valley Park, with the help of Des Travers and Noel Clare of Kilcullen Community Action. The planting 'more than replaces' the six poplars which were cut down for safety reasons.


APRIL

The first official tidy towns cleanup day of the year began a series of rubbish and litter clearance days planned through April. It followed a recent clean-up by the GAA in the area around its training pitch

The Archbishop of Dublin decided to close Brannoxtown National School permanently. Following a dramatic drop in attendance over recent years, and despite a campaign to save the school by a committee of local residents and parents, the school had not been operational since Christmas.

Dan Bell was presented with the Kilcullen GAA Club Person of the Year award at the Club's annual Social & Awards Night in the Hideout. The award was presented by Christy Howard who said the Bell family have been dedicated to the Club for many years.

A set of Stations of the Cross acquired from a closed-down convent in Dublin were installed in Gormanstown Church. They came from the Sisters of Charity Convent and Chapel in Gardiner Street, which dated back to Victorian times and was put up for sale in 2016.

Breda O'Sullivan celebrated her 80th birthday with family and friends. Breda, whose husband was the late and much loved Danny O'Sullivan of Gormanstown, had her party in Fallons with her daughter Trish Byrne and son-in-law Enda as well as grandchildren Colm and Enda Jnr, and her nephews Raymond and Nigel.

Development works were completed on the GAA Training Pitch, a direct result of the LipSync fundraiser activities. The improvements include dressing rooms with heaters and lights, toilet cubicles with new water and sewer connections, old containers removed which allowed extra parking, the provision of an external drinking water tap, and a First Aid station and more.


MAY

There was a real Kilcullen buzz in The Hideout when the Kilcullen in Bloom 2018 programme was launched. In the unavoidable absence of planned celebrities, Eoin O'Houlihan did the honours himself for the rebranded Summer Flowers Programme.

Kilcullen Lions presented Kilcullen Bowls Club with a cheque for €500 to help with the purchase of new mats. The presentation was made by Lions Daragh Fitzgerald and Conor Williams to the Club, which has been in existence for some 18 years.

The Agatha Christie whodunnit, 'A Murder is Announced', was performed by the adult students of Evelyn O'Sullivan's Drama Dynamics. It was a really good presentation by a group whose members were in many cases only the second time on stage in public, and now form the nucleus of a new layer of amateur drama in Kilcullen.

Members of the Brannockstown community unanimously decided that they wanted the future patronage of their closed-down school to be from the Kildare Wicklow Education & Training Board.

Eleven CES workers completed an ornamental flowers project in the garden of Cross & Passion College, under the supervision of instructor Sean Feeney. They designed the project, and with more than 100 plants put down, the area will be a haven for pollinators like bees, ladybirds and wasps.

Two events in Kilcullen for the Kildare Biodiversity Week attracted a lot of fascinated attention. They included the now-annual 'Life in the Liffey' demonstrations organised by local resident Dr Jan Baars, and a walk-and-talk about swifts by Wild Kildare.

Cross and Passion Business Class students went to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where they experienced the day to day activities of an MEP. They won the trip in the Euroscol animated film competition.

An information evening and launch of the Kilcullen Sustainable Energy Community found that a lot of small things make the big differences in saving energy. The event made clear that it is best that individuals and communities take control of their environment to achieve these small improvements which will later allow them to take on bigger ones.


JUNE

There was widespread sadness across the community with news of the death of Jim Collins, at the age of 80. Jim always played a strong part in Kilcullen's social and business life, and was a key member of the Community Council which operated to the great benefit of Kilcullen people during the 1970s. Among other things, he was the prime mover in the development of 'The Valley' as a park for the people of Kilcullen.

Home Instead Senior Care moved its offices from Kilcullen to Newbridge, to cope with an expanded business in Kildare, Laois, Carlow and Kilkenny. The business originally set up in Kilcullen in 2009, on Main Street, and then moved down to the Market Square building as its staffing requirements outgrew the original premises.

Kilcullen heard that the town will be moved from the Naas Municipal District to Newbridge MD in the next local elections if the recommendations of the Local Electoral Boundary Committee are carried through. The recommendation would mean that there would be six councillors representing Carnalway, Carragh, Droichead Nua Rural, Droichead Nua Urban, Gilltown, Kilcullen, Ladytown, Morristown Biller and Old Connell.

Kilcullen Tennis Club held its first Summer BBQ, at which former founder and chairman of the club Pat Lynch was presented with his original tennis racket in a frame by current chairman Eamonn O’Toole.

The plan to make 2019 a year of celebration to mark the 700th anniversary of the building of the first bridge across the Liffey at Kilcullen gained momentum. A coordinating committee was established with Nessa Dunlea (Chair), Lorna Brophy (Secretary) and Derek Phelan (Treasurer).

Geraldine School of Dancing youngsters raised €929 when they took part in the Riverdanceathon in aid of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

With judging for the National Tidy Towns competition imminent, pupils from Scoil Bhride helped KCA volunteers to pick litter in the environs of the school.

After much community effort in trying to get it fixed, Irish Water finally got down to repairing a persistent leak at the entrance to the Back Lane. Just days before the same organisation announced nationwide water use restrictions due to the very dry month.

Painted bicycles were placed in two locations to be decorated with flowers as part of the Kilcullen in Bloom 2018 effort. They would later in the year be relocated to the bridge, for the Christmas Lights initiative.


JULY
Cross and Passion College were given details of the level of extra accommodation which will be provided in the next round of secondary school extension builds from the Department of Education, and which will provide capacity to bring the number of students to over 1,000.

Tommy Dignam threw a party for his 40th birthday, and celebrated with family — wife Jenny, children Cian and Leanne, father and mother Jimmy and Ann, among others — and friends at a swinging full house

Up to 150 people turned out on Dun Ailinne outside Kilcullen to hear those on the archeological 'dig' explain the background and what they were finding. Dr Susan Johnston of George Washington University, and Professor Pam Crabtree of New York University had spent the last month working on the Kilcullen site with a group of trainee archaeological students from the United States.

The Twilight Chorus concert in the market square, in aid of Pieta House, had two featured acts, the Kilcullen Gospel Choir and Mundy. It was a full-house success, and in conjunction with the Dawn Walk earlier in the day raised almost €22,000.

Outdoor gym equipment which had been commissioned by Kildare County Council for the Community Centre grounds was officially launched by international rugby star Jenny Murphy, in the presence of Mayor of Naas MD Cllr Rob Power and members of Kilcullen Lions and the management of Kilcullen Community Centre.

Work got under way on making good the roof of Kilcullen Parish Church, which had been patched with plastic since being damaged by Storm Ophelia last November.

A record turnout to the Cycle for Crumlin event hosted by Murphy Surveys Ltd in association with Kilcullen Cycling Club raised in excess of €20,000 for the charity.

Presentations were made to Kieran and Joan Forde to mark their retirement from Kilcullen Community Action and also 31 years of involvement in the group.

The Drama Dynamics summer stage show was performed in the CPC Assembly Hall to a large audience of parents, grandparents, and her summer stage performers' siblings The theme was Bugsy Malone, and there were lots of water gun showerings.

A special visitor to CPC was Sr Monica Byrne, a Cross and Passion sister since she left school back in the 1940s. She was shown through the school by Noel Clare, who retired as Deputy Principal in 2016, and Mary Orford.

Patricia Talt retired from the Kilcullen branch of Kildare Credit Union. She is pictured on her final day in the branch with work colleagues Pat Clarke and Maureen Barker.


AUGUST

The victorious Kildare team who became All Ireland U20 GAA football champions visited McTernans of Kilcullen. The team was captained by Aaron Masterson, son of McTernans owners Mick and Mary Masterson, and beat Mayo 1-18 to 1-16 in the final of the Championship.

Local playwright Damien Aulsberry's 'A Memoir of a Docket' won best screenplay at this years Wexford Film Festival. A more recent work, 'Sons and Broken Noses', which also won in the prestigious Humphrey Bogart Film Festival in Florida, has since been made into a short film

A large groups of friends from the Camphill community as well as her family and many friends from across Kilcullen and the wider region turned out to help celebrate Margaret O'Shea's retirement as a volunteer at The Bridge Camphill Community for the past 25 years.

The Kilcullen Relay for Life Team came up with an innovative idea to raise funds, selling specially-commissioned water bottles for the event, which raises funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

CPC students celebrated their 2018 Leaving Certificate results, described as 'very good indeed' by Principal Catherine Moynihan. Among them were Ben Newman, Avril Glendon, Ellie O'Toole, Lisa Aspell, Niamh Garrett, Fiachra Healy and Adam Walsh.

The annual Mac and Norman Vintage Rally rumbled through town again, this time led by the biggest convoy yet of more than 120 modern trucks. And included, of course, some great examples of old tractors.

The Kilcullen input into National Heritage Week was based on the theme of 'Share a story. Make a connection', with a Meitheal of Memories event in the Heritage centre, organised by Mary Orford and Julie O'Donoghue. It was such a success that it had to be repeated several times. Woodbine Books featured a window display of Billy Redmond's own collection of memorabilia.

Kilcullen Community Action volunteers removed a large number of Himalayan Balsam plants from the banks of the Liffey below the bridge. The plant has a very pretty flower, but is regarded as highly invasive, spreading widely wherever it occurs and preventing other plants from growing.

Kilcullen’s Paddy Taylor threw a 38.45 to take the silver medal for Kildare in the Boys U14 Javelin competition in the Community Games National Finals at the University of Limerick.

Work got under way on the resurfacing of the all-weather pitch at Kilcullen Community Centre. The total cost would be in the region of €200,000.

O'Connell's was the scene for Esther Reddy's surprise 50th birthday party and just down the street McTernans was packed out as it hosted a country music night in aid of the Kilcullen Relay for Life team. There was a strong overlap between the two events as many people were in town to support both.

A number of parishioners chose the bus that was offered to take them to the Pope Francis Mass in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. They were led by Fr Martin Harte.


SEPTEMBER

After a very shaky 12 months, during which Brannoxtown NS was officially closed, the school reopened this month under the patronage of the Kildare Wicklow ETB. The principal, Dr Sarah Fitzpatrick welcomed the first children to the school.

Kilcullen canoeist Ronan Foley won a silver medal in the Junior K1 at the canoe marathon World Championships in Vila de Prado in Portugal. It was the latest in a string of international successes for Ronan, coached by Jon Simmons. Ronan has his eyes set on the next Olympics.

Local author Hazel Gaynor had a Kilcullen launch of her latest historical novel, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter, in Woodbine Books. The sixth book from the New York Times and Irish Times best-selling writer, it immediately reached the top ten of the Irish Times.

A cheque for €20,750 was presented to the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation (CMRF) at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, by Murphy Surveys. The money represented the proceeds from the summer's 2018 Cycle for Crumlin organised by the company in association with Kilcullen Cycling Club.

Presentations were made to Freddie Mitchell and Ray Kelly for Lifetime Commitment to Kilcullen AFC at the function in O'Connell's Bar that rounded off the club's 50th anniversary celebrations.

Former CPC student and member of Kilcullen Scouts Emma Birchall was the 'voice and face' of safety on the farm during the National Ploughing Championships. She featured on the 'Nationwide' programme on RTE1.

The Kilcullen contribution to Culture Night 2018 was held around the Rebellion of 1798, with presentations which included history, song and stories from the time, illustrated with contemporary drawings and paintings. Pupils of Scoil Bhride provided a large 1798 poster which they had made.

A cheque for almost €22,000 was presented to representatives of Pieta House, raised by the Dawn Walk and Twilight Chorus concert held during the summer.

Around 30 girls from the Class of 85 met up in CPC and later in Fallons at a reunion. They included Julie Tutty, Suzanne Logan, Margaret Conroy, Ann Ledgwidge, Tina Davis and Ilona Delargy.

The announcement of the 2018 National Tidy Towns results saw Kilcullen improve its position by nine points, with 305 marks from a possible 450. The town came second in its D category in the county, behind Kill which won 329 marks.

Anna Harrington, the American woman who is walking around the world to highlight a critical shortage of water for a billion people, returned to Kilcullen on the next leg of her Irish walk. She visited pupils in CPC, who escorted her as she left town the next day.

Awards were presented to participants on the Kilcullen Area Community Employment Scheme. The event was organised by the area CES Supervisor Theresa Whelan, and the certificates were presented by Anne Bolger of the Department of Social Protection and the Mayor of Kildare, Cllr Sean Power.

Parents of current and former students, teachers and former teachers, present and past pupils all contributed to a very enjoyable celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Kildare Steiner School. The day featured music and dancing, food, and a tree-planting.

An exhibition of artworks by students in Cross and Passion College went on show in An Tearmann. They included lino prints, pencil and coloured drawings, and photographs by students in Lesley Kelly's art classes.


OCTOBER

Kilcullen's Market Square redevelopment project heard it had been successful in getting a €200,000 grant from the Town & Village Renewal Scheme 2018. The project will cost €500,000 for phase one, with a further €100,000 needed for a phase two element involving the construction of a footbridge across the Liffey near the Canoe Club.

A total of €4,660 was raised by the Kilcullen Team in the Relay for Life 2018, despite the event at Punchestown having to be abandoned halfway through because of dangerous weather conditions.

Local bees enthusiast Paul Leighton completed his first exam with the South Kildare Beekeepers Association, and was presented with his certificate of membership of the Irish Beekeepers Association CLG. Paul is planning a major community beekeeping initiative for 2019.

The latest Ray Ryan painting to be donated to the Vincent de Paul in Kilcullen was presented to raffle winner Brenda Murray-Kavanagh. In the fourth year of the artist's initiative, the raffle raised €1,280.

Kilcullen gym owner Mariusz Olejniczak completed a remarkable double when he managed to finish the gruelling 2018 Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, coming in under both the Irish and Polish World Championship record times for what is considered the ultimate Ironman competition.

Local woman Tanya Flanagan was presented with the Ordre des Palmes Académiques for her work in promoting modern languages in the Irish school system, by the French Ambassador to Ireland, M Stéphane Crouzat, in the French Embassy in Dublin.

The proceeds of the latest annual Mac and Norman's Vintage Drive fundraiser reached €26,650, which was presented to the Irish Cancer Society. This brought the total raised in 16 years to more than €461,000.

An Old Kilcullen Community Association was formed to allow the area access grants and also to bring together newer and established families in several adjacent townlands.

A planning application to extend the Kaymed factory in Kilcullen was withdrawn because of concerns about Brexit. Instead, the company is proposing to sell unused land on the site to generate funds for investment in the existing premises 'footprint'.

Local fashion guru Gail Murphy scored a bronze medal in the The Blog Awards Ireland 2018. The founder of Gail's Rails came third in the Best Business Fashion Blog category, in an event which attracted over 2,000 nominations.

A suitably chilling presentation of 'The Black Eyes' by the Kilcullen Drama Group Youth Theatre 'celebrated' Halloween. It was directed by Wayne Donohoe and Eilis Phillips.

One of several events organised by Woodbine Books for Irish Book Week was a panel discussion with six local authors, which was revealing, sometimes surprising, always interesting. They were Amy Gaffney, Lissa Oliver, Hazel Gaynor, Maria McDonald, Orla McAlinden, and Jo Doyle, pictured with Dawn Behan of Woodbine Books.


NOVEMBER

All the pupils in Scoil Bhride became performers on the recording day for the school's first Christmas CD, organised by the school's Miriam Nolan.

There was a packed audience for the annual Kilcullen Community and Tidy Towns Awards in the Town Hall Theatre, where no less than 15 awards were presented to individuals, groups and local organisations. Among them Seamus McCoy, who at the age of 84 is a familiar sight picking up litter around the town. He got Ray Kelly's Chairman's Ward.

The latest event in another winning year for Nolans Butchers was the achievement of no less than four Fins Goustiers awards, which James Nolan picked up in Paris on behalf of the whole Nolans Team. Earlier in the month, one of that team, Noel Lambe, brought back the trophy for the Best New Innovation Product — 'Noel’s Irish Breakfast Roll' — at the National Sausage and Pudding Competition organised by the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland.

You'll be seeing more of this logo through 2019, as it is the official one for the Kilcullen 700 celebrations. It was designed by Gareth Landy, a member of Kilcullen Community Action, who also designed and built the KilcullenTown.Com website launched during the Kilcullen Community Awards.

Volunteers who helped Kilcullen Community Action in putting up the Christmas Lights included Joe Winder, Ray De Courcy, Martin Sheridan, Paul Burdis and Wayne Aspell.

Leah O'Sullivan from Kilcullen, a 6th Year student at CPC and very accomplished harpist, was invited to play at the inauguration last week of Michael D Higgins for his second term as President of Ireland, at St Patricks Hall in Dublin Castle.

The latest move in a saga of 'do nothing and it might go away' about a potentially lethal situation at Kilcullen's traffic lights was a statement by Kildare County Council that 'a junction analysis' will be required. The matter has been highlighted locally for more than a decade.

The contract for the running of Kilcullen Post Office was awarded to the owner of the Eurospar business where it is located, Derek Walsh, following the decision by Noeleen O'Neill to retire in January after 12 years operating the service.

Kilcullen GAA Juveniles celebrated an incredible year for the club with a special event to mark the achievements of the U16-U12 teams. The special guest on the night was three time All Ireland winner and two-time All-Star, Cork Camogie Player Ashling Thompson.

One of what is a merry-go-round of Christmas parties for Kilcullen's Seniors was organised by the local Scouts troop and held at the Curragh Camp.


DECEMBER

Kilcullen Photography Club launched its own Calendar 2019, becoming the first Kilcullen group to actually produce something for Kilcullen 700. It very quickly sold out after the launch event in Woodbine Books.

Pulses of sometimes torrential rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm for the second Kilcullen Christmas Market in market square ... although, sadly, storm Deirdre later in the month did cause the cancellation of the Live Nativity in Brannockstown.

A memorial plaque commemorating the work of Gerry Tyrell in building the stonework around the Spout in the Valley Park in the year 2000 was one of the final events organised by Jim Collins prior to his own death in June. The Spout was one of the main sources of Kilcullen's water for centuries.

In one of the regular fundraising events which are responded to with generosity, the Miscellany on Sunday event in the Bermingham family home this year raised some €4,000 for the work of Frs John Bermingham and Derek Ryan in Mozambique. As always, a vast array of local talent provided the entertainment.

Kilcullen's Community Library, always a place where the unexpected might happen, was the venue for a Magic Show for local children, which enthralled both them and the adults accompanying them. Niall, aka The Mad Professor, featured, but the real entertainment — as he planned — were his audience.

And among the many seasonal events, sights and sounds of Christmas 2018, the annual Santa Sleigh foray from the Bridge Camphill Community stopped traffic, albeit providing many smiles among the motorists briefly affected.

Thanks for those memories to all concerned in making them. Here's to an equally busy and successful 2019.

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy