Mighty chat at Maintain Hope morning

On a Saturday morning Irish people love any excuse for a chat, but especially if there's a good cause attached, writes Brian Byrne. As there was this morning at the Maintain Hope Coffee Morning hosted by Esther Reddy and Joe Dooley at their home near Whitehall Cross. 

A steady stream of supporters of the Kenya charity established by Gerry O'Donoghue and a cohort of committed friends arrived through the event, quietly slipping their contributions into the donations box and then settling in for conversation, coffee and tea, and a wonderful assortment of cakes and similar tasty treats.

The breadth of subjects was probably endless, but we managed to sit in for such as the importance of oak trees, fox cubs playing in a field in Kilcullen, Donald Trump's 'I'm coming for YOU after I'm re-elected' mug shot, signs in the Valley of the reopening of schools, remembering those in the past who have helped make Kilcullen what it is today, and whether the same Kilcullen is still a village or a town? And what either designation might mean for our community ethos?

Throw in a bit of how some people made their money (and land) in the Civil War, and how long memories are over the same contested land, and it was an ever-changing recipe for one of the better ways to spend an hour on a weekend.

If you didn't make it, any of the Maintain Hope team will be very happy to accept late donations ...   

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