Presentation to Fr Gary

On Saturday, 11 July, John Archbold presented a picture of a sunset at Kilcullen Bridge to Fr Gary Darby to mark his 28th year as a priest.

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Ballyshannon NS celebrates 125 years

Ballyshannon National School will mark a major milestone today as the school community gathers to celebrate its 125th anniversary, writes Brian Byrne. Founded in 1901, the school will host a special Mass at 11 am, celebrated by Bishop Denis Nulty. 

The Mass will be followed by a school celebration assembly on the school grounds.

The school is also marking Grandparents’ Day, with grandparents, former pupils, families, and local community members all invited to attend. The event will honour the school’s long history at the heart of the community and the generations of families who have passed through its doors.

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Tess Lambe elected to Royal Irish Academy

Prof Teresa Lambe speaking to CPC students in November 2024.

Kilcullen-born scientist Prof Teresa Lambe has been elected as an Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy, writes Sean Landers. The daughter of Mary and Tony Lambe of Nicholastown, her election is announced in the current newsletter of the RIA, among 29 new members.

People are admitted to the Academy, the highest academic honour in Ireland, for their exceptional contribution to the sciences, humanities and social sciences as well as to public service. Members are elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding scholarly achievement and their contribution to knowledge and society.

The citation reads: Teresa Lambe OBE FMedSci is Professor of Vaccinology and Immunology at the University of Oxford. An internationally recognised expert in translational vaccinology, she co-designed the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in 2020. Her research continues to shape responses to epidemic threats, with multiple vaccines from her group selected for WHO ring vaccination strategies. Her expertise readily combines discovery science with experimental medicine to enable translational impact.

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Shane Lawlor graduates Cadet School

Pictured are Joe and Suzanne Lawlor, with their son Shane (20), who graduated during the week with the 101st cadet class at the Curragh Camp.

Shane is a former Cross and Passion student and has been involved in the local boxing club and Kilcullen Soccer Club.  

"We are very proud of Shane as he went straight from school to a challenging 18 months of training," Suzanne told the Diary. "He will be based in Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines, Dublin, as a second lieutenant." 

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Mary Berney celebrates 80th

Mary and her three sisters, Ann Meehan, Breda Maguire and Helen Sheehan. (Photos by Pat Foley.)

Mary Berney would like to thank all the friends and family who shared in the recent celebration of her 80th birthday. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable day. 

The celebration was extra special for Mary, as her youngest daughter, Laura, and her grandsons, Finn and Rory, were home from Australia for a visit.

Laura (Berney) Gray and sons, Finn and Rory Gray.

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Benny Clifford retires after 51 years with Berney Bros

Today is rather special in Berney Bros Saddlery, when Brendan (Benny) Clifford retires after 51 years as a leather craftsman with the business, writes Brian Byrne. It's also another milestone in his family's involvement with the 145-year-old saddlery.

Benny recalls that there were already long-standing connections when he went straight into the workshop after leaving school in the early 1970s. "My mother's father and uncle worked here with the old boss, Thomas's grandfather," he told the Diary yesterday. "My brother Dec worked here, and my cousins Liam and Ger. People sometimes laughed and asked, Is it Berney Saddlers or Clifford Saddlers?"

In his half-century with the firm, Benny has recollections of many of the biggest names in the Irish racing industry coming through the workshop to discuss their needs, especially those from the 1970s. "There was TP Burns, Con Collins, Francis Flood, Mick Connolly and Mick O'Toole. Paddy Mullins, too, and John Oxx and his father. They'd all be coming through to talk to Jim Berney out the back, where he had a workshop doing blankets and collars."

Benny wouldn't have considered how long he might be with the Kilcullen shop when he started, but now he says the years have just flown by. "That happens when you're doing something you like, and with people you like. All the lads here have been brilliant, and I couldn't have worked for better bosses, Jim and Tom, and now the younger lads."

Benny has been easing his way into retirement, working three days a week for a while. He hasn't given much thought to how he'll spend his new spare time, but he and his wife Bernie like walking, and they do a lot of that in the Killarney area. 

Where, no doubt, if they encounter somebody on horseback, by force of habit, Benny looks to see the quality of the saddle and whether it is one of the tens of thousands that have come out of the famous Kilcullen workshop, that he has had a hand in making.

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A gold celebration night in The Spout

A very happy gathering of family and friends in The Spout last evening celebrated Jack Courtney's recently-awarded Darts World Cup gold medal, writes Brian Byrne. He won gold in the youth pairs competition with team-mate Aidan O'Hara.

Speaking on behalf of Jack and the family, Darren Keogh said it wasn't just about the contest five weeks ago in Seoul, but it was the last five years and the support the young player had received from the local community. "From businesses, companies, and individuals, there has been huge support all along the way," he said. "So a big thanks to all those people." Noting that Jack's parents, Derek and Marian, would have made it happen for him anyway, he said the support from everybody made it much easier. "I know they appreciate it very much, and while Jack has dragged Derek to places where he had to take out a map to see where they were, he has also given them memories of a lifetime, something they'll never forget."

Darren also noted the presence at the event of Kilcullen Tidy Towns group members, who had just that day been awarded the town's first gold medal in that competition, congratulating them on behalf of all in The Spout.

Among those celebrating with Jack were many of his friends from Cross and Passion College. The event finished with a raffle for a signed Ireland Team shirt, won by Hazel Spencer.

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Celebrating lives of friendship

Three local couples, all friends connected to the general Kilcullen area and all celebrating 50 years of marriage, recently visited the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, while Matt and Una Hughes were home from Australia.

Matt kindly sent in this picture from that day: Back - Oliver Delaney (Harristown Estate, Brannockstown), Matthew Hughes (lived in Old Kilcullen) and James Tracey (Lumville, The Curragh); and, front, Sheila Delaney (née Whyte of Newbridge), Ailis Tracey (née Fitzpatrick, Main Street, Kilcullen) and Una Hughes (née Doyle, Brannockstown). 

"We all had a wonderful time, and it is always good to catch up with good friends," Matt told the Diary. Amen to that.

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Father Ted Quiz at Kalbarri

A Father Ted Quiz birthday party event in Kalbarri last evening featured Joe Rooney as 'Fr Damo' doing the MC thing. According to our source (Ronan Murphy, but don't tell anyone), 'the whistle was found!'. (No, we don't know what that means.)

Pictured above are the winning team, St Clabbarts, aka Fergus and Natalie Ryan, Joe Dooley and Esther Reddy. Photos and captions provided by 'source'.

Kilcullen Drama Group with attitude!

Dreamy Snoozy winner Stuart.

Host Harry Murphy.

Luvly Girl winner Angel.

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