Litter picking in Kilcullen tomorrow

Some KCA volunteers will be out picking litter tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am to 11am.

Anyone who would like to help is most welcome to come along.  

Litter pickers and black bags will be available — starting point is the Town Hall.

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'Thank you' for joining CPC Open Evening

Sincere thanks to everybody who took the time to join us in CPC yesterday for our Open Evening, writes Principal Joe Leonard. It was so pleasing to see such a large crowd and the enthusiasm and interest in the school is very much appreciated. 

Visitors had the opportunity to meet staff and students on the night and to have a look around some of the school. Also, as part of the evening, the application procedure was explained. 

A reminder to those who attended and especially for anybody who couldn't make it, that applications can only be accepted from 7th October. The deadline for accepting applications for 1st year 2023/2024 is 28th October 2022. Applications received after this date are treated as 'Late Applications'. 

The application form, admissions policy and admissions notice are available on www.cpckilcullen.com/information/enrolment.

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Professional bakery course in Kilcullen

A reminder that an Artisan Bakery Traineeship course is starting in Kilcullen on 10 October under the auspices of the Kildare and Wicklow ETB Training Services.

The 24-week course will offer successful applicants the chance to learn on the job and capture the basics of professional baking. The course is full-time.

The location is at the Bretzel Bakery production facility in the Link Business Park.

Full details are available here. 

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Cycle the Blueway at a casual pace

For anyone interested in cycling in a group at a casual pace, an event upcoming shortly might be a nice way of getting back on the rothar.

It's a cycle of the Barrow Blueway over four Thursday evenings, beginning on 6 October.

Bikes and helmets are provided for those who don't have their own, and the group will set off from the Athy Sports Hub at 4.30pm each day. Each cycle will total 10-14 km.

For information and registration of interest, email majella@countykildarelp.ie.

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Invitation to sell at Christmas Fair

Bookings are now open to stall holders for St Joseph’s NS Halverstown Indoor Christmas Fair, which will be held on Sunday 27 November 2022. A great selection of stalls is anticipated on the day. 

Bookings and enquiries can be made by email on HalverstownPA@gmail.com.

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Trees available for larger scale planting

KCA has been offered free tree whips for planting in the coming season. Any land owner or community group with some land available for planting is welcome to make contact if interested. 

The trees are being made available through the organisation Trees on the Land, a cross-border initiative working to establish young native trees across the 32 counties and the local initiative is part of KCA's Biodiversity Plan. Native plants suitable for hedging would also be available. 

The offer is for fairly large scale planting (at least 100 plants or more). Some smaller numbers of plants may be available later. Contact Noel Clare on 087 6497619 if interested.

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Calverstown meeting discussed walkway, fundraising ... and Christmas

A proposed walkway between Calverstown and Ballyshannon was a key item on the agenda at a public community meeting last evening organised by the Calverstown Action Network.

The meeting in Dowling's Bar was chaired by Pat Donnelly and was attended by Cllr Ivan Keatley along with committee members and people from the Calverstown community. Those present heard that CAN are awaiting a response from Kildare County Council about the walkway, following the submission of a petition requesting the facility.

The general aim of the meeting was to bring people together to share ideas of developing the Calverstown area and enhancing community spirit. The guest speaker was Bernard Higgins of Narraghmore Community Development who provided insight into how Narraghmore has improved and developed over the last few years. 

A number of possible initiatives to bring the community together and meet neighbours were discussed. An event to turn on the village Christmas lights has been arranged for Saturday 3 December 2022, with light refreshments and additional festive activities planned. A fundraising quiz night will also be held in mid-November — details to follow. 

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 19 October in Dowling's Bar. All welcome.

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CPC Open Evening tonight

A reminder that we are delighted to hold a traditional Open Evening this year in Cross and Passion College, writes Joe Leonard, Principal at CPC. I would like to invite you to join us on Thursday 29th September anytime between 6pm and 8pm. 

During the evening you will hear a little about the school and also the Admissions Policy and application procedure will be explained. The Principal's address will be at 6.15pm and again at 7.15pm in the Assembly Hall. 

There will be an opportunity to see some of the facilities and meet some staff and students. If you, or anyone you know, is considering applying to CPC for the school year 2023/2024 please come along or spread the word about the evening.

The Annual Admissions Notice 2023/2024, Admissions Policy and 1st Year Application Form 2023/2024 will be available on cpckilcullen.com soon but please note that no applications can be submitted before October 7th 2022.

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Fundraising Fun Run for Kilcullen AFC

A 5K Fun Run Race to gather funds for club development has been organised by Kilcullen AFC for Sunday 6 November.

The event will be managed by PopUp Races and entries can be made online here. 

On the day number pickup and local registration will start from 9.30am, with the race beginning at 11am.

There will be post-race refreshments in the clubhouse afterwards.

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Kilcullen Business Campus now full

Kildare councillors agreed on Monday to the leasing of the final three sites at the Kilcullen Business Campus, writes Brian Byrne.

The disposal of sites 9, 10 and 11 at the Knockbounce campus were agreed under Section 183 of the Local Government Act 2001.

The names of the companies locating on the sites have not been made public but they are expected to get their projects under way in the near term.

"It's great to see the business park finally reach its full potential with all sites being occupied," Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer said after the meeting.

The Kilcullen Business Campus was opened in 2005 at a cost of €3.5 million, after a five-year development project.

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Coffee Hatch joins food waste reduction programme

In a bid to reduce food waste, Kilcullen Community Centre's Coffee Hatch has teamed up with the Too Good To Go service, writes Brian Byrne.

Too Good To Go is an international movement established in 2016 with the aim of reducing the one-third of fresh food that gets wasted every day in food service businesses because it wasn't bought by the end of the day.

The initiative uses a smartphone app through which participating cafes, restaurants and hotels offer fresh food that would otherwise have been discarded, while consumers can buy 'Surprise Parcels' of the same food at very discounted prices.

The Irish operation was launched in Dublin last October and in Kildare during August.

More details on their website here. 

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Calverstown public meeting tonight

A reminder that a public Community Meeting has been arranged by the Calverstown Action Network for this evening, Wednesday 28 September, to generate ideas for development and improving the area.

The brainstorming session will take place in Dowling's Bar, Ballyshannon, starting at 8.30pm.

The group is seeking input from the many Calverstown residents of how to better the area and local community life.

All welcome.

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Parish Lotto results

The numbers drawn in the Kilcullen & Gormanstown Parish Lotto Draw held on 27 September 2022 were 2, 5, 11 and 22. There was no Jackpot winner and next week's main prize will again be €18,000. The value of the follow-up Draws stand at €18,000 and €4,600.

The winners of the €50 Open Draws were John Breen (Promoter Francesca Broughall), Agnes Stokes (Ger's Fruit & Veg), and Peter Mac Sully (Ann Sully).

The winners of the Promoters Draw were Vivienne Clifford and Ger's Fruit & Veg, and the winner of the Draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Christine Peackocke-Hogan.

The Parish thanks all who support the Lotto.

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Elle León with Brian Kennedy on Thursday

Delighted to announce that supporting Brian Kennedy this Thursday night in Fallons Backroom will be Kilcullen singer-songwriter Elle León, writes Ray Kelly of the Red Hot Music Club.

Elle began writing and performing original music upon moving to Barcelona as a young adult. The release of her debut EP 'Heart to Hearts' (Punto G Label, 2020) gave us a glimpse of her intimate, colourful world of jumpy melodies and soundscapes matched with witty lyrics. 

She returns to Ireland in light of her 2022 LP debut, 'The Musical' (Bankrobber/El Jardí Amagat, November 2022) — a punchy coming-of-self record with trademark sensitivity as its superpower. 

Elle's influences include artists ranging from the likes of Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks to contemporary artists such as The Lemon Twigs and Courtney Barnett.

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CPC Clothes Collection on Saturday

Cross and Passion Parents Association are holding a Clothes Collection on Saturday next, 1 October.

The fundraising event is in association with the Bag2School initiative and the proceeds will be divided between the LauraLynn Foundation and the CPC Parents Association.

The collection will run between 10am-4pm and bags will be collected at the bike shelter at the top of the avenue, in front of the school reception. 

Thank you for your support with this fundraiser.

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Kilcullen pair's business is eCommerce Website of the Year

James and Eoin.

Kilcullen business Faerly is the winner of the eCommerce Website of the Year, announced on Friday at an event in Dublin's Mansion House.

Founded by couple James Byrne and Eoin Houlihan, the sustainable products-focused business also won the category awards for Sustainability, B2C eCommerce Website of the Year (jointly with Schoolbooks.ie), and Beauty, Health & Wellbeing eCommerce Website of the Year.

"It was an amazing night, and it was so emotional," James Byrne wrote afterwards on the Faerly blog. "I can’t tell you how much of a boost of confidence for us it is to be in the running with so many Irish brands that we admire — like Meaghers, Kerrigans, Rily and Sampla Footwear. Let alone to be taking home awards. We were cautiously optimistic of bringing home an award, as we were finalists in three categories. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that we would win all THREE of our categories, and also take home the overall prize for Best eCommerce Website of the Year!"

James and Eoin became interested in eco home and body care products, and eventually launched Faerly in October 2020 from their Kilcullen home to market a wide and still-growing range from like-minded producers.

The enterprise quickly reached the stage that James left his e-commerce job with Glanbia to manage Faerly full time.

The awards are sponsored by AIB Merchant Services.

READ: Kilcullen company a finalist in 'Green Awards' 

READ: Faerly's James and Eoin win sustainable packaging award 

READ: Faerly in Kilcullen can sort Mother's Day 

READ: Local enterprise supporting BelongTo charity 

LISTEN: Podcast: Faerly.ie — making life better 

READ: A 'faerly' new local business name 

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