It Says in The Bridge: September 2023
After the short summer break, the September issue of The Bridge front-pages a number of significant stories of the area since early July, leading to fuller accounts inside, writes Brian Byrne.
The fiftieth anniversary since the land for the Valley Park was bought for the community is the main story in the magazine, recalled in a well-researched account by Noel Clare. For many of Kilcullen's current residents, it gives a full background to a facility they only know about through their use of it today, and which only exists because of the vision, determination, and perseverance of a previous generation.
The 'coming of age' of the Mac and Norman Vintage Rally is also referenced on the front page, marking another major milestone in an event which has down the years raised over half a million euro for the Irish Cancer Society. "A 21st to remember," according to the organisers, and the date is already set for next year.
The parish bidding farewell to Fr Martin Harte is also prominent among the reported summer Kilcullen events, and the Bridge records in words and pictures the event that officially ended a dozen years of Fr Martin's service to Kilcullen. A celebration of Fr Gary Darby's Silver Jubilee is also given prominence in the magazine.
Other news items include a record of the Maintain Hope Coffee Morning, an event of 'mighty chat'. There's a report on Kilcullen woman Lavina McGahon (Maloney) leading a programme in Dundalk IT that's going to represent Ireland at European level. The Red Hot Music Club autumn-winter lineup is noted, as also is the upcoming return of cinema to Kilcullen Town Hall, courtesy of the Lions Club. The Picnic on the Green at Old Kilcullen, the relaunch of the Fairy Trail in the Valley, and awards for The Hideout are all reported.
With the schools not yet back at the time of printing, there aren't their regular pages this month, but there are plenty of other matters covered. These include reports on Heritage Week events — the Gordon Bennett Cup race documentary screened in Kilcullen, and talks on the real St Brigid and on Iron Age archaeology. A piece based on the memory notes of a young woman who worked in 'The Thatch' pub in Athgarvan during the 1950s is an unexpected time capsule of those days and that place. There are 'summer letters' in the Creative Writers Group page that spark their own memories, while columnist Sean Landers offers an intriguing contemporaneous perspective on Irish poverty before the Famine. Billy Redmond ponders on the under-appreciated Irish defence forces and the Curragh Camp.
From other regulars, Out and Away crosses the Borris Viaduct, Mary Orford looks at shops in Kilcullen from the 1930s to the 1950s, and Julie Felsbergs muses on the value of doing nothing.
And if you do nothing else this weekend, be sure to get your copy of the September Bridge, still an inflation-buster at only €2, from the usual outlets.
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