Mischa Fekete - the gentle giant of Bridge Camphill

Mischa prior to the completion of the Nature Trail.

When Mischa Fekete first came in 1992 to what could be the Bridge Camphill Community home, it was just an empty field, writes Brian Byrne. Two decades later the former Nugent's Field had houses for the co-workers and those they cared for. Also a weavery. A community hall. An organic produce store. A coffee shop and resource centre. And lots of small farm animals — chickens, geese, pigs, turkeys, all part of an almost self-sufficient operation that become an important part of the heart of Kilcullen. 

The idea of setting up in Kilcullen itself was formed by members of the earlier Camphill Community at Dunshane, including Mischa's colleague the late Chris Hart. "We had a sort of vision that we'd like to do something in the town, interacting with the general public and becoming part of the wider community," Mischa told the Diary in one of his numerous interactions with us. "There was also the thought that with a small, less policy driven project, we could pioneer something, and that was very exciting." Exciting, and scary. Mischa recalled the early days of the An Tearmann cafe: "There were days when we might have maybe five customers, and we had to wonder was this making any sense?" But it did in the end.

At the launch of Brendan Reid's book with the author, along with Pauline Fagan and John Martin.

The core of his interest was to help the people for whom Camphill was established, especially those in the Bridge community, achieve their potential and their ambitions. One example, in 2010 he helped publish Living Communities - A Biography Of Sorts, written by Bridge Community member Brendan Reid. The same year he and the community had helped make come true the dream of an autistic resident, Colm, to spend six weeks in New York.

At the Difference Day in 2012 with Margaret O'Shea, Gabrielle Berney, John Martin, and Terri O'Sullivan.

In 2011, the Bridge Community was building a Nature Trail for the people of Kilcullen to enjoy. The project was completed the following year with the help of 250 volunteers, some 220 of whom were employees from financial services company Liberty Investments taking part in a voluntary Difference Day at the site. Officially opened on 28 August 2012, the trail was hailed by locals as 'a gift to the community'.

In 2013 Mischa was the point of contact for the Bridge Community's 21st anniversary event bringing back former co-workers from Israel, Germany, Spain, and a number of other European countries. At the time he reckoned some 400 volunteers had come through the Bridge down the 21 years. Among them was Amit Sha'al, an Israeli whose photographs documenting an 18-months stint in Kilcullen later became an internationally acclaimed exhibition.

As part of his leadership role in Bridge Camphill, Mischa promoted the community's involvement in the Patrick's Day parades of 2013 and 2014, where their St Patrick and the Snake was a popular component and won the Best Float Award in 2013. He was also the person-in-charge of the Bridge Community when they passed with flying colours their first inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) in 2016. 

With Kevin Prendergast when accepting his Community Award in 2015.

The community celebrated their 25th anniversary in August 2017, and as director he thanked the people of Kilcullen for welcoming the group all those years ago. Two years before that, the 2015 presentation to Mischa of a Kilcullen Community Award had been a recognition for someone who had made 'a huge contribution' to Kilcullen over the previous two decades and more. Apart from his Camphill work, which had helped break down barriers between those with special needs and the other residents of Kilcullen, Mischa had been involved with many other aspects of the town and was 'a man of many talents and always willing to share those talents', as the Community Award citation noted.

Those talents were shared particularly in terms of his love of music and theatre. In 1997 he was the set designer for a youth drama group, Together Productions, presentation of Guys and Dolls. He turned the Kilcullen town hall stage into New York underworld with a casino, the hot box cabaret, and the sewers of the city against the skyline of skyscrapers and neon lights. Inventiveness was called for, using revolving flats for those different areas. The show, directed by the late Paddy Melia, ran for eight nights. Mischa also produced the one act fairy play written by David Crampton, Singing in the Wilderness (2005) performed by the Bridge Camphill Community. 

Mischa's involvement with Kilcullen Drama Group included directing many productions, among them A Christmas Carol (2005), the Christmas Cracker entertainment show (2008), Theft (2009), a December Variety Concert (2010) co-directed with the late Bernard Berney, Les Miserables (2012) — perhaps his crowning achievement managing more than 30 people on the stage, The Plough and the Stars (2017), and The Seafarer (2019), co-directed with Eilis Philips. He had also designed and led the building of the set for Dancing at Lughnasa in 2011.

Working on the set of A Christmas Carol.

A whiz with a computer, Mischa set up a blog in 2007 for the two Camphill communities at Dunshane and Kilcullen. His skills were also used by Kilcullen Drama Group in the design of highly-professional posters for their productions, such as that for A Life in 2009. Even though not well recently, he produced a brilliant poster for the November 2024 presentation of Calendar Girls.

Mischa's participation in Kilcullen life also included membership of Kilcullen Community Action, for which he served as treasurer in the mid-'naughties'. In 2012 he was an active member of the Steering Group developing the Kilcullen participation in the national Gathering 2013 initiative.

But most of all he was a loving family man to Gese, Emer and Tara. And, as comments from Kilcullen people on the sad news of his passing have indicated, he was regarded by many as a kind and gentle, beautiful gentleman, a gentle giant. Never a man to be concerned with legacy, he nevertheless has left a massive mark on the whole community of Kilcullen.

Rest in peace.

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Jim Berney — memories of 'The Brad'

Jim working the vintage Pearson stitching machine.

The recent passing of Jim Berney was yet another of those end-of-era moments in the long history of the community of Kilcullen, writes Brian Byrne. A much loved member of the Berney family which still runs the internationally famous Berney Bros saddlery set up by Jim's great-grandfather Peter in 1880, his own life represents a timeline of the development of modern Kilcullen through crucial decades.

As a young man just out of school Jim left Ireland in the mid-1950s, and for a time he was part of a crew building a bridge in the Yukon Territory. From there he wrote to his friend Donal St Leger, then another Kilcullen emigrant in New York, that "they pay you $50 an hour if you go high enough." Donal wrote back that the doorstep outside his house was high enough for him. 

While in Calgary in Alberta, Jim first came across an industrial stitching machine called the Pearson No 6, which can sew leather up to half an inch thick. The machines were made in the very early 1900s, and when Jim came back in 1959 to work in the family business, he bought a secondhand one. Over succeeding years he bought nine of them in all. Still operating one of the rare machines a decade ago (top picture), he noted that four of them were in daily use, with the others still available for spare parts.

With Pat Lynch at the demolishing of Brennan's loft.

Jim was always interested in boxing, and as a youngster he and the late Pat Lynch were among a group of local lads, including Ger Coleman and Myles Fenelon, who trained in Frank Snell's back yard. The club grew and developed in various premises, including Dan Brennan's loft on Hillside, demolished in 2006. Other bases were a house back down on the other side of the hill, subsequently Alice Coleman's boarding house, and from the late 1940s through to the 1960s in the loft behind what is today The Hideout. 

Trainers whom Jim remembered included a Corporal Guilfoyle from the Curragh military camp, when his fellow boxers were among others Fr Ned Connors, Jack Brennan, Paddy Aspell, Dick Jeffers and Paddy Bathe. When the club moved to Byrne's loft, Captain Cyril Russell was the trainer. Jim was also one of the trustees of the JFK Hall built by the boxing club in the 1960s, along with the late Paddy Aspell and the recently deceased Pat Lynch. The club moved into a brand-new space at Kilcullen Community Centre in 2011 — in 1979, Jim Berney had been among the trustees of the Ball Alley, with Thomas Berney Snr, Pat Lynch, Andrew Maloney, and Tommy Wallace, who donated £10,000 from the sale of the former alley site towards the cost of the Centre.

As Dan Donnelly at the re-enactment of the Donnelly-Cooper fight.

For the two An Tostal re-enactments of the 1815 Donnelly and Cooper fight held at Donnelly's Hollow in the early 1950s, run to raise funds for the Boxing Club, Jim played the part of Dan Donnelly. In 2009, he was one of those interviewed in a TG4 documentary about Donnelly, recalling his involvement in the pageants.

Jim and his brother Bernard, on the TG4 programme.

In the 1981 'Hands' programme.

In 1981, Jim and his brother Tom and their father Tom featured in the Hands series of TV programmes made by David Shaw-Smith about craft businesses in Ireland. In 2006 the Berney Bros story was explored in an RTE TV Nationwide programme devoted to the Irish bloodstock industry. 

In 2010, as part of a wider contribution to Heritage Week in the Town Hall, Jim told the story from the harness-making beginnings that turned into saddle making, with the family name becoming the most respected in their craft in this country today.

A revisit of the original Hands programme was made in 2013 as part of a series In Good Hands, this time with Tom and Jim and their sons Thomas and Jamie. By that time, the business had produced more than 40,000 hand-made saddles, many of them for customers in Britain, Germany, America, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, China, France, Denmark, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

Eamon Heavey, Louise Conway, Tom Berney, Jim Berney, Paschal Behan, and Thomas Berney, after being presented with Arts Council awards in 2012.

Though spending most of his working life at a very worn bench in the saddlery, Jim was also very much out front when it came to meeting customers, building a very strong and personal relationship with people in Ireland's horse industry. At the annual RDS Dublin Horse Show, where the business had exhibited since 1951, he had never missed a year at the event when the Diary caught up with him there in 2006. At the age of 74 he was selling as energetically as any of the younger members of staff, always skilfully converting even the simplest enquiry into a deal.

Jim was known to sing a song with little persuasion, and his favourite party piece was My Mammy, one of entertainer Al Jolson's best known songs. During the 1970s he performed When I'm Sixty-Four in a Kilcullen Capers sketch with Vivian Clarke, Anthony Meaney and Kevin Keogh, and he was also among a group who helped entertain at visits to St Vincent's Hospital in Athy organised by the late Josie Connolly. He was a singer and supporter too at the pre-Christmas Miscellany on Sunday fundraisers organised at the Bermingham home in Mooretown (below).

A man of deep faith, Jim was always quietly involved in parish matters, and was instrumental in having the inaugural €5,000 prize for the Parish Lotto Draw in 2012 sponsored by Berney Bros. The Lotto has since become a mainstay contributor to parish funds.

Jim with Liam McDonnell at the launch of the Parish Lotto in 2012.

End of an era, yes. End of important memories of Kilcullen before it became a village grown bigger? Definitely no. They live on in the recollections of those who knew him and the family that loved him.

Rest in peace.

Early days: Tom Berney Jr, Bernard Berney, and Jim Berney with the oil can, and Jimmy Hogan who worked as a gardener at Sunnyside, the Berney home.

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'His ability to make people happy was immense'

"He gave his all, made people laugh, and created great memories for us all."

In an emotional recollection of the life of Fergal Sloan at his funeral service this morning, his friend from as far back as the 1970s Ray Kelly provided word pictures of someone who'd had an impact on the Kilcullen community, 'near and far'. "His wit and his ability to make people happy was immense," Ray said, "whether being a quizmaster, a Santa Claus, an MC for the Duck Race, an auctioneer for charity events, a club committee member, or a drag artist."

He noted how songs and singing had played a big part in Fergal's life, from years ago performing with the Kilcullen Folk Group on the church altar, in the Capers, the sessions in McTernans on Sunday nights, and most recently with the Kilcullen Gospel Choir. "And he loved The Sound of Music, his and Eilis's favourite musical."

Ray brought up memories of Fergal's membership of a folk band in the early 1980s, Third Spirit — "the group played some high-profile gigs — Kilcullen Town Hall, Ryston Social Club opening for Christy Moore, they were very unlucky not to be signed up at the time" — and he recalled the loss of their 'acclaimed' demo tape, stolen from Fergal's yellow Ford Escort outside the National Stadium where they had gone to see Moving Hearts. 

Fergal was not only a singer, though — Ray reminded those present of his abilities as an orator and an actor, having trod the boards with Kilcullen Drama Group for many years, his personality shining out through many of the characters he played. "One of my favourites was A Wake in the West, where Fergal was the central character, spent the whole play in bed, with no lines, and was splashed on many occasions with holy water — on some occasions excessively. It was one of the most spectacular performances seen on Kilcullen’s stage in a long long time."

In his soccer-playing days, Fergal acquired one of a litany of nicknames. "When coming on as what is known now as an impact sub, but back then it was ‘we don’t have anyone else’, Fergal arrived on the pitch wearing a pair of scarlet red football socks. We were playing against a very witty Dublin team — 'Hey, will ye look at the bull comin’ on!' — and there was a fair bit of laughter. But that ended when the 'Bull' started homing his goals, and we won the game. Among that team he is still known as The Bull."

Ray commented that Fergal's first business venture, The Meeting Place cafe, summed up what made him tick. "Meeting people, talking to people, making people happy, a fantastic gift he had when with us. Fergal is gone, but only physically. Close your eyes, open your ears, and you will hear him — laughing, joking, reciting, singing, acting. 

"He is still doing what he does best, impacting people, only in this case, he’s making us cry. But tomorrow, and the day after, we should all make an effort to remember the good times, the fun times, the great times we all shared. We will support Eilis, Fiona, Ciarán and each other in the days and weeks ahead. This is what Fergal would want, and would expect, so don’t let him down."

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Remembering Joe McTernan and the Canoe Club — an Appreciation

My memories of Joe McTernan are inextricably linked with the young Kilcullen Canoe Club, writes Kilcullen's Olympic canoeist Brendan O'Connell.

The second eldest in a family of six, Joe grew up in a house in Kilcullen's market square, beside the famous and very successful pub and restaurant ('Hack On to McTernan's') operated by his late father Joe McTernan Snr.

When the Canoe Club was relocated from O'Connell's Bakery at Mill Race in the early 60s it went to a small site which was owned by young Joe's father, at the end of what was known as Gertie Bardon's Lane. The Club was at the time able to purchase an old hut from the Army on the Curragh. This hut had been used to imprison IRA anti-treaty prisoners during the Civil War, and German Luftwaffe pilots and crew who survived crash-landing in Ireland during WW2. My first memory of Joe getting involved with the Club was during the erection of the hut on the site when he spent all his spare time there helping people like Jock Kelly, Fr Cathal Price, and Harry McCarney with the work. Thereafter Joe began canoeing with the Club and it became his lifelong passion.

After national school Joe went to Newbridge College and I can recall on one occasion his mother coming down to Jock Kelly, who was coaching Joe and the other youngsters, and begging him to try and encourage Joe to study for his exams. Jock decided the best thing to do was ban Joe off the water for two weeks. I can still remember all the other youngsters, including myself and Jock doing our training, and there was Joe sitting with his elbows on his knees watching us. He spent all the time shouting to Jock 'only 12 days left' and so on with a 'count down' that continued until he was allowed back on the water. So much for the study!

When he finished school Joe went to work in the family business and as soon as his shift would finish he'd always head straight to the Club. He travelled the country to all of the canoe races and really got to know so many people. Though his illness prevented him from excelling in the sport, his dedication and enthusiasm were remarkable. He was always a brilliant Club man and served on various committees down through the years.

It is fair to say that both Joe and his father were great benefactors to the Canoe Club. Joe Snr gave the original site at no initial cost and allowed the Club pay for it on extremely generous terms over many years.

Unfortunately as Joe's illness progressed he was unable to come to the Club so he retired from active participation. I recall on one of my visits to him whilst the new clubhouse was being built circa 2007, enquiring whether he had any old photos or memorabilia? I can still see that little knowing grin as he said 'I might have'. He went upstairs and arrived back with an apple box full of old photos and memorabilia including results, training schedules, race announcements, old canoeing magazines — he even had the postcards I had sent him from my own canoeing trips abroad. He had thrown out nothing and kept everything and had clear memories of events long forgotten by myself.

It is ironic that Maureen Barker and I were due to visit Joe last week to record some of those memories. We are very sad that we missed that visit.

Rest in Peace, Joe.

A man before his time: Robert Dunlop

This Appreciation of the late Robert Dunlop was published in The Baptist Times on 4/4/2014.

Pastor Robert Frederick Dunlop: 1938-2014

A man before his time: former President of the Baptist Union of Ireland who was widely respected for his theological and analytical skills and had a passion to see a peace process in Northern Ireland

Pastor Robert Dunlop, who was best known as a local Baptist Pastor in Co Kildare for almost 50 years, died peacefully at his home in Brannockstown on Saturday 15 February 2014. His Funeral and Thanksgiving Service was held on Tuesday 18 February when over 400 people crowded into St Bridget’s Cathedral in Kildare to give thanks for his life and ministry both as a preacher of the gospel and a friend to all. Everyone who spoke in the service shared rich testimonies to Robert’s unshakeable confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ and of his willingness to go wherever he had opportunity to share the good news of Christ. Robert won the hearts and minds of many people irrespective of their class or creed.

Robert was born in Emyvale, Co Monaghan. His early years were spent in the border counties of Monaghan, Tyrone and Down where his father farmed. Life was uncomplicated with plenty to eat, adequate clothing and abundant exercise. In July 1954 on a lonely mountain road in Tyrone Robert had a “spiritual awakening” on his way home from an evangelistic service in a tent. He described it as a sort of Damascus Road experience when, like John Wesley “I felt my heart strangely warmed”. He went on to study at Belfast Bible College. As a mature student he later went to Trinity College Dublin and researched religious conflict in 19th century Ireland.

As a young man, he was appointed as a Baptist Home Mission worker in Athlone and was placed there for three years.

In 1964 Robert was invited to become Pastor of the Baptist Church in Brannockstown, where he served for 42 years. He had a desire to proclaim the “good news” of the gospel far beyond the boundaries of his small local community. He was energetic and creative. Robert and a small group of other Baptist Pastors, mainly from the Republic, regularly headed to different towns, villages and fairs in many parts of Ireland to preach the redeeming love of God in Christ. They preached in all kinds of public places; in those days their passion to share Christ was sometimes met with misunderstanding and often they faced considerable hostility from some of their audiences. This did not deter Robert who then devised a unique approach to take the message to the people. The idea of the ‘Churchmobile’ was born. A bus was acquired and adapted as a small “church on wheels”. With Robert in the driving seat for 12 years it was taken to many places for regular services as Robert endeavoured to reach out to those who had lost touch with the regular Church because of distance or lack of interest.

He became President of the Baptist Union of Ireland in 1982 - an indication of the wide respect in which he was held by his fellow Baptists in Ireland, both north and south.

Robert’s voice became familiar to RTE listeners as he was given the opportunity to broadcast and preach on his favourite subject of God’s great salvation. His writings became important as he commented on faith as it affected every part of life. His passion to see a peace process in Northern Ireland took him to events and activities that many evangelical leaders might have hesitated in attending, but for Robert this was a practical outworking of the gospel of peace and reconciliation.

Robert was widely respected for his theological and analytical skills. Over the years many people sought his advice both personally and as an evangelical pastor who wanted the voice of evangelicals to be heard beyond their own congregations. He provided leadership, encouragement and training for others who worked for collaboration among evangelicals. He was the editor and inspiration behind the book Evangelicals in Ireland that sought to explain evangelicals to those beyond their own circle. He was also a persistent voice in challenging his fellow evangelicals to look beyond their own immediate circle and to be involved more widely and more deeply in Irish society. This meant that at times he was misunderstood and challenged by those who disagreed with his willingness to be a ‘cautious ecumenist’.

He was a man of many parts; he was a wordsmith and an avid reader of theological and other writings. Yet his central belief in handling the Word of God is that the gospel is profoundly simple.

Spending a lifetime in a rural community gave him a great interest in the history of the Brannockstown area, especially of the Baptist Church and its connection with the La Touche family of Harristown. Robert became widely respected as a local historian, and as a writer. His poetry was a means of inspiration to many. But his interests were much wider through Christian Endeavour, Notre Dame University, Glenstall Ecumenical Community, Mennonite and Aughrim Summer Schools and were global as well as local. As the dynamic and highly dedicated Chair of the Board of World Vision Ireland, he had a passion for the wider world. In a personal tribute he was recently described as…“a man of magnanimous heart who crossed all kinds of borders with courage and imagination”.

After his retirement in 2006 Robert’s health deteriorated and he had to come to terms with a severe visual, impairment and reduced mobility. When he could no longer read he had a regular arrangement for friends to come and read to him. One of the most moving tributes to the life and influence of Robert occurred when in April 2007 the Brannockstown Community Committee organised a Service of Thanksgiving for his Ministry and prayed for his healing. This unique service celebrated his sterling contribution to the community over more than 40 years.

It was back in his beloved Brannockstown, in a small graveyard beside the Baptist Church where his mortal remains were laid to rest. Well over 200 people from all sections of the community gathered around the graveside. With sun shining through the trees and a small male voice choir singing a stirring gospel song about Heaven, everyone was reminded of the amazing eternal hope because of all that Jesus has done - a message which Robert knew and shared with everyone.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved wife Olive who cared for him through his declining years and his daughter Julie and son Jeremy.

In a personal reflection written some years ago Robert said he would like to be remembered as “….someone who tried to be fair minded.” Those who knew him in every walk of life can heartily agree with that sentiment.

The memory of the righteous is a blessing: Proverbs 10 v 7a

The passing of Paddy Brangan

The Diary records the death of Paddy Brangan, late of Conroy Park, Kilcullen.

In the years 1976-1978 Paddy built 500 ft of the slope-retaining limestone wall in The Valley. The amount of stone used was 400 tons. He also built the St Brigid's Grotto and the Pond with the Valley opening plaque at the town end of the park.



The work was a tremendous feat of skill and strength as he lifted and pushed the heavy stones into position before setting them into cement. Paddy also lowered the roadside wall bordering the valley from the church to the Jockey Stile to half its original height.

What you see and enjoy today in the Valley Park in Kilcullen 30 years later is the result of Paddy Brangan's skill and hard work.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Jim Collins.

Carmel Kennedy, an Appreciation

When I heard that Carmel Kennedy had died, the news brought back a flood of memories. All of them relating to Carmel and the Hideout. For many people Carmel was the Hideout. At the very least, an integral part of it in its heyday.

For me growing up as the eldest son of the Byrne house in my early teens, it seemed that she had been there forever. While a day student in Newbridge College, I'd cycle home after class and get a quick mid-afternoon lunch before pedalling the five miles back to early study -- a matter that reflected both my antipathy to playing sports and to the quality of the food in the college itself.

Carmel was most of the time the person who cooked that food. Looking back, I realised I was a very fortunate person indeed to be raised on Nolans steaks, but even more fortunate that there was somebody to cook them for me!

For many years beyond those days, Carmel was the person in charge of the kitchen in the Hideout. She was the one to whom regulars would make their case if they arrived in after the food service was ended. Mostly they were from the racing fraternity, because that was an era when the Hideout was Mecca for that group, a place to unwind after a long day at the horses, whether as owner, trainer or punter.

It helped their cause that Carmel had an interest in the horses herself, and even if the griddle and deep fryer had been turned off, she could be persuaded to switch them on again if she was in good form. Though that form might well be dependent on whether the pre-races advice from those same people had been productive ...

For years the cooking area in the Hideout was wide open in the front bar, and there were many who liked to sit at the counter and chat with Carmel, some even preferring to eat there instead of the restaurant on the other side of the wall. The food itself was an attraction, but equally so was Carmel's banter and chat about ... well, mostly horses.

The front bar wasn't always the easiest place for a woman to be. Language could be robust, and tempers might not always be held in check. But my recollections of Carmel, quite apart from the obvious soft spot she'd had for me since I was a youngster, include her ability to absorb uncouthness with unfailing good humour, and to calm the obstreperous with a skill equalled only later by Ireland's UN peacekeepers.

She wasn't just a passive member of staff -- Carmel got involved in everything that was going on at the edges. Such as playing darts with the lads in the front bar when things quietened down, and even being a member of the bar team when it travelled to other pubs around the county like Nolans of Kilteel. She threw a mean dart, and when she was on form the only one to equal her was horse trainer Con Collins.

Con was one of her favourites in the racing game. More, he was one of her best buddies. There were others, like the late Tom McCallion, who was a perpetual punter and the only one for whom we kept Johnnie Walker Black Label. Neither of those gentlemen ever had to plead for a late meal.

In matters of who might be accommodated with late food, my father was the owner of the Hideout but never the boss. He could suggest, but Carmel decided. On nights that she wasn't on duty he had a better chance to go beyond the boundaries, usually by getting myself to do the cooking.

Carmel didn't marry, but she had her admirers and she had her admired. The confluence of both didn't happen, but that's life. In her own life in the Hideout she touched very many people, in formative ways to some, and she was never less than a lovely person.

When I left the family business I had known Carmel for two decades. It is probably true to say that she knew me better than I knew myself, and her wisdom as somebody a decade older was on a number of occasions something that put me back on track when I might have been in danger of slipping off. As far as I know she had never worked anywhere else than the Hideout, but I was no longer involved when she finally retired.

I went in my own directions when I left. And it is only my own fault that I didn't keep in touch. That she had been ill and I didn't know it is a reflection of the gap that I allowed to happen.

It is a strange thing that on the day before I heard Carmel had died, she came into my mind for no reason, and made me wonder how she was?

How she was, over the years that I did know her, was a warm and caring woman of great humour and humanity.

May she rest in peace.

Brian Byrne.

Jim Dempsey, an appreciation

Before the day of the developer, the local community arguably had much more connections with their local builders than is the case today. Whether for the provision of a new home, or renovation and maintenance of older ones, we knew who to go to. Not a company. Not a consortium. A person.

For many of my generation, Jim Dempsey was one of the cohort of such local builders in this part of County Kildare. And when a piper played 'Amazing Grace' as he was brought on his last visit to Kilcullen Parish Church, most of us in attendance would have had some interaction with Jim, whether as a friend, or because he worked on our homes, or most likely both.

This writer's home is just one example of Jim's work, and his passing adds to the list of those who toiled with him to build it four decades ago and who are no longer with us. Willy Baxter, electrician, Tony Dempsey, plasterer, Noel Hegarty, foreman, and so on.

In the chill outside the church on Saturday, there were remembrances too many to retell. "Jim always did good work, and he always had good work," it was noted, as was the fact that midday dinner was sacrosant. "No sandwiches would do Jim," someone mentioned. "He always had to have a proper dinner, usually in McTernan's along with a couple of bottles of Guinness."

McTernan's was Jims 'local', and much of that building today has his work in it. Walls knocked, others built, and girders raised. All part of the job for a big man in what was then a small town. Jim, and Tony, were big men, with big hands. "They knew work, they were building before there were hydraulic hoists and mixing cement with shovels before the bulk deliveries came along."

Fr Supple celebrated the Requiem Mass, recalling the image he had of Jim regularly at Sunday Mass, his preferred place beside where the Baptismal Font is. "He was always faithful to this church, always faithful to the Sacraments," he told the congregation. "In his life he gave testimony to the Christian family, and through his hard work and industry he was an unfailing provider for his family."

Fr Supple noted how two and a half years ago, Jim's life took on what he termed 'a new apostolate, the apostolate of suffering', following his incapacitation by a stroke. "Jim bore the frustration of his illness with Christian courage and fortitude," he said. "And that suffering became redemptive, not only for himself, but for others too. His suffering, like that of Christ, became a source of blessing, for his family and for the whole community."

Jim is survived by his wife Ethna, and their children Seamus, Michael, David, Mary, Suzanne, William, Paul, Dermot and Annie, along with their grandchildren and extended family.

From soon after he was stricken, Ethna had Jim brought home to Old Kilcullen, where she nursed him herself, giving him twenty-four/seven care through his remaining time in this life. It wasn't easy, and it made her almost reclusive in a town where she had always been visible, cycling each day to the shops, being involved in every charity and fundraising event that was happening.

"I loved him, that was all," she shrugged when somebody complimented her as we all listened to the piper and watched the preparations to bring Jim into the church that last time.

And that's what it is all about, isn't it? We could talk for as long as we like of the physical or intellectual 'monuments' left after a person's life's work, or the 'redemptive' value of his suffering. But Ethna's comment is the most important story in the life and death of the late Jim Dempsey.

To be loved is the best reason to live.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Brian Byrne.