Return of the pump

After three years' absence, the old pump which has been a Kilcullen streetscape landmark for a century, maybe more, has been returned to its space near The Hideout, writes Brian Byrne.

The fixture was knocked down by a delivery truck in 2017, and has been held in storage by Kildare County Council ever since.

Despite many efforts to have it reinstated, particularly by Kilcullen Community Action, and with the broken base a clear and present danger to pedestrians, the pump languished in the darkness of some shed or other.

Earlier this year, KCA enlisted the support of County Kildare's Heritage Department in trying to have it restored. The coronavirus restrictions then arrived, and it seemed to have been forgotten again.

But this morning it was quietly replaced, the broken base fixed. The strange thing is, many people walked by and drove past not realising the cone and sandbags which had been covering the broken base were gone, and the green pump was in its rightful place.

This evening, KCA's Ray Kelly came down to see for himself, delighted. "The only thing missing now is a pint from the Hideout to celebrate," he said.

The pump still bears the scratches from its impact with the truck, and the burn marks where it was welded. But a coat of paint will fix that. And there are already plans being made to make it a floral element of Kilcullen In Bloom.

Just a point, it is purely decorative. The pump has not been operable for decades. But when it was a still regularly used source of well-water, Kildare County Council would lag it with straw every winter to stop it freezing, an overcoat which was from time to time set on fire by persons unknown, late at night.

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