Atmospheric poetry and music session helped Vincent de Paul

Jamie Darcy, Aine Budd, Tara McNally, Sean Corrigan, Ian O'Toole, Clodagh Wilson, Ben Reidy and Kathy Shah.

Some €450 was raised for the local St Vincent de Paul conference last evening with a poetry and song session organised in Kilcullen Heritage Centre, writes Brian Byrne. The event was arranged by Sean Corrigan and friends and was well attended.

"There are regular poetry events held in Dublin and I wanted something like that here in Kilcullen," says Sean, who lives in Lui na Greine and works with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. "I'm really pleased with how it turned out."

The occasion was a very atmospheric one with a seasonal feel amplified by the reflections from the local Christmas lights through the Heritage Centre windows. "This is a beautiful place to have something like this," Sean said. "I wanted to have it somewhere that was different, and while you can have poetry in pubs like in other places, that's not always a comfortable space for everyone. People coming here know they are coming to an event." 

Among those who helped Sean organise the session was Kilcullen's Ray Kelly, a seasoned promoter of local entertainment events including the very successful Red Hot Music Club.

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Notice from St Vincent de Paul, Kilcullen

During these unprecedented times, life has changed in many ways. There is uncertainty about the economic situation of the country when this is all over, and that uncertainty causes concern. But the challenges of living with coronavirus in our country have again and again been balanced by the generosity of people in giving their time, their talents and their donations to help in whatever way necessary.

Kilcullen is a great town and community in which to live and has a reputation for lending a hand wherever it is needed. Kilcullen people have always been very good to the local branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society. Indeed, the staff of Cross & Passion recently set up an online fundraiser for Kilcullen St Vincent de Paul, and the local branch thanks them sincerely for this. All money and support given to Kilcullen St Vincent de Paul goes in turn to assist individuals and families in the Kilcullen area.

Unfortunately, one of the main sources of income for the local St Vincent de Paul society, has dried up as it was the monthly church door collection at weekend mass. However there are many ways to still contribute. There is a collection box on the main counter in Eurospar, and sincere thanks to Derek in Eurospar in Kilcullen for permitting collection in that way. Donations can be posted to Kilcullen St Vincent de Paul, c/o Mary Kelly, St Brigid’s Avenue, Kilcullen. Contributions can be transferred directly to the bank account of Kilcullen St Vincent de Paul at Bank of Ireland, Kilcullen, BIC: bofiie2d, IBAN: iS IE10 BOFI 90114012323210.

Donations made to the national society of St Vincent de Paul will only be directed to the Kilcullen branch if it is specified at the time of donation.

All donations made to Kilcullen St Vincent de Paul will be gratefully accepted and will be used at a local level.



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CPC appeal on behalf of local Vincent de Paul

This is a difficult time for many people and for some more difficult than others with added financial worries, writes Joe Leonard, Principal of Cross and Passion College. The CPC community has always given generously to various causes and would like at this time to support the work of our local SVP.

The idea is the brainchild of CPC teacher Ms Mills, who ran the idea by me and then got in contact with the SVP east region fundraising coordinator. They were delighted and hugely thankful that we would think of them and support their work at this time.

We set a target to raise €500 for SVP which will help out many families at this time. However, as I write to you we have already raised an amazing €830. We would be grateful if anybody from the wider CPC community or the local area could support this in any small way. If you can, please click the link here and donate whatever amount you can.

Beat the Virus: Stay At Home. 

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Ray Ryan painting for VdeP raffle

Local Artist Ray Ryan has produced another of his paintings that record the seasons and landscapes of Brewel, and he has donated it to the Kilcullen branch of the Vincent de Paul Society to raffle.

It’s a cheering image that would brighten any hall, office, sitting room or waiting room; and the Vincents will raffle it to help warm cold houses and cold people

Tickets will be on sale from 9am-3pm this Saturday (12th) in Berneys Chemists and outside Nolans, Eurospar and Centra — they cost just just €2 each, €5 for three and €10 for six.

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CPC students at SVP Youth Day

Students from the Cross and Passion College in Kilcullen were among over 300 young people recently gathered in Dublin for the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Young SVP East Region Youth Day 2019.

‘United in Head and Heart' was the theme of the day in which participants created displays of their work, gave presentations, and networked with other young volunteers.

During the school year, students involved in the Young SVP programme carry out a range of actions to give back to their communities, including projects and actions on food poverty, climate justice, homelessness, loneliness and isolation, kindness, equality and mental health.

Also in attendance were representatives from the Gaisce Award and the Society of African Missions.

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Winner of Ray Ryan painting for Vincent de Paul

The latest Ray Ryan painting to be donated to the Vincent de Paul in Kilcullen was presented to raffle winner Brenda Murray-Kavanagh, writes Brian Byrne.

It is the fourth year that a Ray Ryan-donated painting has been raffled for the benefit of the organisation, and this year the raffle raised €1,280.

Pictured at the presentation in Berney Chemists this morning are Charlie Talbot, Kilcullen Vincent de Paul; John Berney; Brenda Murray-Kavanagh; and Josephine Larkin, Kilcullen Vincent de Paul.

Charlie thanked all those who supported the raffle, saying that as usual, 'Kilcullen people are very generous'. He also expressed his appreciation to Ray Ryan for donating his paintings to the cause.

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A big change at the Vincents shop

Kilcullen's Main Street will be a bit different next week, and a little more sad for many with the news that the manager of Vincents, Maureen Middleton, is moving on, writes Brian Byrne.

After more than eight years — she has managed the charity shop since it was set up here in 2010 — she has been transferred to look after the Vincents shop in Blessington.

Pat Brennan, who has worked with Maureen in Kilcullen for more than five years, is also transferring to the Blessington operation. Pat will finish on Friday, while Saturday is Maureen's last day here.

"It's like leaving family," she told the Diary this afternoon, as lots of messages came streaming in on the shop's Facebook page. "There's something special about Kilcullen, and I've really loved it here."

The present shop is two doors down from where the original was, and that move in 2015 is one of the highlight memories that both Maureen and Pat will be taking with them in the move.

"I remember Bill Cullen came down to officially open the new shop, and he donated a Louis Copeland suit that he'd worn in 'The Apprentice'," Pat says. "Yes, we've had the pictures on the wall ever since," Maureen adds.

Other highlights are represented by the range of Kilcullen Community and Tidy Towns awards, and from the Vincents organisation, which cling on to their tiny shelf among the vast range of stock which is moved through the relatively small space every day.

"We were also TV stars at one stage," Pat reminds us of the shop featuring in an episode of 'Nationwide' some years ago. That short appearance had an amazing effect. "People came from all over the country to see us, even from as far away as Donegal," Maureen says.

But it's the local people both of them will miss. And the volunteers. "We've had just wonderful volunteers down the years," Maureen notes, and when asked what the volunteer turnover was like, said it was very small. Which tells its own story.

"Where else would volunteers get up at five in the morning to head up to work at the Hollywood Fair, which we've done for several years?" They also got great receptions when they participated in Kilcullen St Patrick's Day Parades in recent years.

The customers too will miss Maureen and Pat. As we were speaking, one man came in and wondered, only half in jest, who would remember his taste in books and put the right ones aside for him?

And the wide range of other people who'd regularly stop by, just for a chat? "It has been as much a drop-in centre for people who might be feeling a little lonely, as it has been a shop," Maureen says. "It has also been a favourite stop for people from KARE, and the Bridge Community."

Originally from Clare, and living in Poulaphuca, she moved to the Kilcullen shop from the one in Ballymore, managing both for a time before going full time in Kilcullen. She has had a long-time association with the St Vincent de Paul Society, beginning as a volunteer in 2002.

Moving on to a new phase, she and Pat wish all the best for the new manager, Louise, who starts in Kilcullen on Monday.

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Tomorrow morning will be your last chance ...

... to win an original watercolour featuring a local landscape for just €2 — yes, €2! The painting, by local artist Ray Ryan is being raffled by Kilcullen St Vincent de Paul; and tomorrow morning (Saturday) will be the last opportunity to get in with a chance to win.

The painting, Seasons Passage, captures land, trees and mood as Autumn gives way to Winter on the high ground at Brewel Hill just four miles south of Kilcullen. It would make a welcome addition to a sitting room, office, foyer or waiting room. It is valued at €250, and the tickets are just €2 each. How could you pass up a chance like that?

Tickets will be on sale outside Nolans, Eurospar and Centra from 9am. to 1pm. tomorrow (Saturday). In the meantime, the painting is on display in Berneys Chemist.


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Bursaries for third level

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides a limited number of bursaries to help low-income families meet the cost of third-level education.

The bursaries are provided by the society’s east-region office, and they are usually awarded for under-graduate courses only, although some aid is given for post-graduate studies in a very limited number of cases. The bursaries are generally not awarded to students whose parents’ income is more than the qualifying limits for SUSI grants, although there may be some exceptions.

The local branch of the society does not provide bursaries, but it does act as a “post-box” for applications. There is a closing date for applications, so if you think you might qualify for a bursary, or if you want more information, contact the local branch, no later than 20 September, at 087 1506 099.

The number is manned on a volunteer basis, so it may not be feasible to answer all queries immediately, but calls are usually returned on a same-day basis.




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Painting presented to raffle winner

The winner of the painting donated by artist Ray Ryan to the Kilcullen Vincent de Paul this year was Dr L De Witt of the Kilcullen Family Practice, writes Brian Byrne.

The raffle raised €1,842, which will help to make a difference to people's lives, and the Conference thanks all who supported the raffle for their generosity.

The painting, an original watercolour of the old bridge at Jigginstown in Naas, was presented to Dr De Witt yesterday morning in Berneys Chemists, where it had been on display before the raffle.

Pictured at the presentation are Mary Kelly (SVP), Dr De Witt, Henk Van Zegveld (SVP), John Berney (Berneys Chemists), Ray Ryan (artist) and Bernadette Ryan.

BTW: If you haven't already voted for Kilcullen's Market Square project in the Kildare Business Awards, do so by clicking the image below. Voting ends 20 October and the winner will be announced on the day.

Reminder: Painting raffle for local Vincent de Paul

The Kilcullen branch of the Vincent de Paul Society has received another painting to raffle. Tickets have been on sale over the last two weeks and the society will be grateful for any support received before the draw takes place.

The raffle will be held next Wednesday.

The painting, a watercolour of the old canal bridge at Jigginstown, is a compact work, with a sense of old-world calm and an appreciation of the how the engineering achievement of the canal blends almost naturally with its pastoral setting. It would make a welcome addition to a sitting-room, a hall, a reception area or office. The photo above doesn't do it justice, but the real thing can be seen in Berneys Chemists.

Tickets in the raffle are very modestly priced at €2 each, (3 for €5 and 6 for €10) and represent an opportunity to get extraordinary value while helping a local charity.

Tickets for the raffle will be sold tomorrow, Saturday 30 September, outside Nolans, Eurospar and Centra, and will also be available during opening hours in Berneys, and the local Vincents Shop.

Thoughts for each hour of the day

This interesting ‘clock’ in the window of the Vincents shop highlights various ways and reasons for people to help others who need it, writes Brian Byrne.

It’s worth a few minutes to see what thoughts you might entertain at each hour of the day, that might trigger a moment of goodwill which could lift someone else’s situation.

For example, at 8 o’clock, you might consider paying someone’s bill who can’t meet it. Or there’s the midday (or midnight) thought that ‘Enough is Plenty’.

Pause a moment as you wander down town. One hour of the day’s suggestion might just suit what you could do.

Thanks from Vincent de Paul

The raffle in aid of Kilcullen St. Vincent de Paul Society was won by Frank Heavey of Hillcrest. The prize, an original watercolour landscape at Brewel, was presented by the artist and donor Ray Ryan on Saturday morning.

Pictured at the presentation are John Berney (Berneys Chemists), Ray and Bernadette Ryan, Zach, Harry and Frank Heavey and Mary Kelly (Kilcullen V de P).

The raffle raised €1,209 which will help the Vincent de Paul work in the community. Many thanks to those who bought tickets and made donations, and to Ray who made it all possible.

Painting raffle for Vincent de Paul

Kilcullen St. Vincent de Paul Society has received a gift of an original watercolour painting and will raffle it this month, writes Charlie Talbot. The painting, Pasture at Brewel, was kindly donated by local artist Ray Ryan, and is on display in Berneys Chemists.

Tickets will be sold on two Saturday mornings (17 and 24 September) at €2 each or three for €5, and the draw will take place in the Parish Centre on Wednesday 28 September, at 7:30 p.m.

The painting would make a welcome addition to a sitting room, office, foyer or waiting room, and would be a handsome return for a €2 ticket.

Bill Cullen and the Kilcullen connection

When Bill Cullen officially opened the relocated Vincent's Shop this morning, he revealed his connections with the Vincent de Paul Society and Kilcullen, which are linked in an intriguing way, writes Brian Byrne.

"I was one of 14 children in Dublin, living in the tenements in 1948, and the St Vincent de Paul often gave us stuff," he told the packed event after he had cut the ribbon. "One day there was a knock on the door, and a young man, a big guy with red hair, handed me load of things. That was a man that you all know around here. He was a pupil at Belvedere College and the boys were encouraged to spend a night a week helping the Vincents with their work."

That conversation led to a lifelong friendship between Bill and that schoolboy ... who was one Tony O'Reilly. So Bill was a regular visitor to Castlemartin when the O'Reillys were at home there.

In relation to the work which is helped by the funds raised in the Vincent's shops, he said 'this what help is, giving things to people who need it'. "I'm really impressed with what's happening here, and all the volunteers who help. I used to help out with the St Vincent de Paul in Mountjoy Square, and I even did the books for them for a while."

For the Kilcullen event, Bill donated a Louis Copeland suit that he wore during the 'Apprentice' TV series. "I think I wore it five times," he said. "I've put a little note on it to say where it came from."

So, there could be a stream of men of a certain build making their way to the Vincent's Shop over the next few days.

More pictures here.

(Bill's partner Jackie Lavin was supposed to be there this morning too, but had to cancel out for family reasons.)