Twenty years of KCA: Antoinette Buckley

Antoinette Buckley at the opening of the Valley Fairy Train in 2019.

Kilcullen Community Action was founded 21 years ago, on 9 May 2001. The Diary asked a number of people who have been involved with it during the last 20 years to give us some of their thoughts on the organisation. We will be publishing these as they come in, to mark the completion of two decades of KCA work.

I became involved with KCA over six years ago, writes Antoinette Buckley. Funds were tight and money was needed for Christmas lighting for the town. I love bright and fun displays and think every town should put its best foot forward for yearly events, especially Christmas. After discussing it with the group we decided to send out a letter to every business in the town asking them to contribute whatever they could to purchase Christmas lights for the town. The businesses were amazing. We raised over €7,000, and the Christmas lights display was special that year. Since then, I became involved in different projects after that, not just with KCA but with other groups in the town as well.

The first big project I became involved in with KCA was Kilcullen Market Square Redevelopment initiative late 2017 with Fiona O’Loughlin the then TD for Kildare South. We discussed it in detail and Fiona got KCC engineer David Reel to look at the space and it all started from there. I set up and chaired a KCA subcommittee with four of the Naas MD Councillors, Robert Power, Anne Breen, Fintan Brett and Sorcha O’Neill plus Noel Clare KCA, Eoin Houlihan KCA, Laura Bowen Architect, and Garrett Landy. This was a fantastic group of likeminded people with a passion for Kilcullen town and its future. 

We secured €200,000 from the Town and Village Scheme Grant with the help of Mairead Hunt and Joe Boland KCC. It is important to network with all your MD councillors and work together on projects and ask for advice. We were advised to talk to James Hennessy of Paul Hogarth Urban Architects, and he agreed to meet with us. With the help of KCC we were fortunate to have James Hennessy onboard. He designed a proposed plan for the square, and we held several public consultations and invited all stakeholders and residents to the consultations. One of the biggest consultations was held on the square where we asked people to fill out a survey asking them what they would like to see in the plan to redevelop the square. 

The reason I wanted to drive this project is a love for attractive public spaces and how a redeveloped square in Kilcullen would benefit the community and the businesses in the town. Public spaces have a great economic value, an impact on physical and mental health, offer benefits to ALL ages. These spaces create positive social environment and community culture, offer improved mobility between spaces, and a boost to biodiversity. Developing the square will bring the centre back to the town with the amazing unique amenity of the River Liffey flowing through our town. 

Removing 15 car parking spaces is the biggest challenge we faced, and we worked to resolve this. Thankfully, KCC along with the local KCC representatives are allocating 25 car parking spaces just metres away for public use. The square is too valuable a space to use as a car park and we are all beginning to realise the importance of our public spaces for people to use and enjoy, especially over the past two years, with the Covid pandemic and all the harsh restrictions. The development of Market Square is now gone to a Part 8 Planning stage which is a great achievement for the committee, KCA and the town. Having a local councillor in the area who will work with the group is vital in our town, in fact working with all the Newbridge MD councillors is key to the future of our town. 

I am involved in other projects for the town, but another big project was the launch of The Valley Fairy Trail which I spearheaded with Ger Doyle and KCA. Ger sponsored the project and put huge work into making the fairy houses and displays. It took weeks of work and a lot of help from KCA volunteers to complete the project. The Fairy Trail is a tremendous success, and the Valley is used by visitors and locals daily. KCA sponsored some fantastic seating in the Valley last year, KCC with the help of one of our local councillors sponsored six picnic benches made by Kevin O’Brien for the valley and other areas in the town.

For annual events like Easter, Halloween, Christmas displays, everyone in KCA works together on the projects. 

I don’t think I had any expectations when I first became involved, only to work with the group to enhance and improve the town through the numerous projects spearheaded by the group. Yes, I have certain ideas about projects, but we all discuss them and agree if it is a worthwhile project or not for the town. I would have to say it is a collective decision by the team. What I love about the group is that you can give as much or as little of your time, I would like to see some new members join the group with fresh ideas and help with existing projects.

I think KCA are a highly active group with a passion for the town and its future. A lot of projects to list, but these are a few of the visible ones — Kilcullen In Bloom summer flower displays, Christmas Lights and displays, the Valley Fairy Trail, Market Square Redevelopment, Town Design Plan, Pollinator Plan, Energy Plan, Signage, Litter picks, Library Garden, Polytunnel , yearly events. You only have to look around the town and see the wonderful work that the members get involved with. Years ago, people looked at Tidy Town as a litter picking group, but it is so much than that. I would like to thank the CE Scheme team who collaborate with the volunteers on many of the projects in the town.

KCA should continue the work that they are doing, network with other towns and build up a good relationship with all our elected MD Councillors. Working together with the businesses and the community to continue the work, and plan for the town’s future. The projects speak for themselves.

New members are vital to keep things fresh and up to date. Long time members have done such fantastic work over the years, I am in awe of the work that they do on a voluntary basis, but then we do live in a special town with amazing community spirit. We need to hold onto that community spirit into the future. KCA are a forward-thinking group, so I think the future for the town is positive.

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