Kilcullen Diary

Clodie Duclos didn't grow up around animals in her native Normandy, apart from the family dog. And she's the only one in her family who has made a career working with animals. “But my grandfather was always interested in horses, in hunting and also going to the races,” she recalls. "He raised racing pigeons too. So maybe it came from there." She smiles at the memories. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

The opportunity for Cross and Passion College Kilcullen students to speak in French and German with counterparts was a key part of a recent visit by student groups from Caen in Normandy and Krefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was facilitated by the EU Erasmus student mobility programme, to which CPC signed up last year. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

It's a time of the year when reports of dogs worrying sheep make headlines, sometimes with very distressing photographs of animals which have been savaged. Behind such images is heartbreak for the farmers concerned, and a harrowing effect on up to 60 flocks in the Kildare West Wicklow area each year. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

Over the years, I have covered quite a few local authority meetings with deliberations on a wide variety of issues, but I never came across a discussion on what to do with a consignment of porter. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

When I came across a picture in a 44-years-old Image magazine, I was transported back in telephone time. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

The Bönickhausen Tower doesn't have the same ring to it as the Eiffel Tower, but the best known symbol of Paris could well have been just that, if its builder's family hadn't added the name of their local mountains to their surname when they emigrated from Germany. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

On This Day: The president of Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu, was overthrown on the 23rd of December 1989 after more than two decades as head of a state widely regarded as a dictatorship. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

This memoir is in my series In Those Days, written many years ago following the death of my mother, Monica Byrne. It's about a painting of her, created by the renowned Irish artist Sean O'Sullivan. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

To most of my generation, Julia Buckley was a somewhat forbidding figure, as we grew up in Kilcullen. To go in to buy a stamp, or a savings certificate, from 'Miss Buckley' was something of an adventure. As did most people in responsible positions appear to us children, she was a symbol of authority, just as much as were the teachers Miss Griffin and Paddy Byrne, or Guard Bradfield. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

Charity Muthani is the ‘face' of Maintain Hope, an Irish-based charity supporting disadvantaged children in Kenya. She is a living example to those who support the organisation of what can happen when their money or their time is invested in a child. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

'Mother' is one of my short stories. This was written while I contemplated the future of humankind as we push our planet inevitably to being uninhabitable. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

Sometimes, no matter how badly you think of yourself as a person, no matter how much guilt keeps you in nightmares, there's someone out there to bring you through to a second chance. This podcast is in my series of short fiction, which I have been writing over many years. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

This podcast is one of a series of my short stories. It was written some time after a visit to the Chateau Cloux in Amboise, in the Loire region of France. The chateau is where the artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci spent the last years of his life. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary. Image: Leonardo da Vinci by Francesco Melzi, public domain.

When The Book of Kildare was recently published as part of the celebrations of Brigid 1500, it marked the end of five years of work by artist and calligrapher Josephine Hardiman. It was also something which, after a lifetime of honing her art, had always been waiting for her to create. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

If you run the statistics, Kilcullen's canine pets are probably depositing over 74,000 kilos of poo every year, writes Brian Byrne. And if you walk around the town, actual empirical evidence shows not all of it is disposed of properly by some doggy owners.

Over the last three years Newbridge singer-songwriter Joan Healy has moved from her first public performances as a busker outside the Whitewater Shopping Centre to now arranging her own gigs. Some of her songs have been professionally recorded and can be heard on Spotify. And she is living two tandem lives, as a teacher and a singer, both of which she loves. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

Alex Konieczka is an Irish-based environmental activist and the founder of Understory, which uses workshops and talks in communities, schools and other groups to encourage others to make a positive impact on the environment, biodiversity and climate. In this podcast she talks about her background and how she came to this vocation. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary Podcasts.

Back in the mid-1970s, people still hitched in Ireland. And those of us fortunate to be in cars frequently gave people lifts. For both parties it was something of a gamble. Of easy conversation, or not. Of possible personality clashes. Of committing to a distance or destination together that might prove to have been a mistake in as little as a minute or two into the drive. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

Team Ireland for the 2023 UK Transplant & Dialysis Games taking place on the last weekend in July in Coventry, England, gathered in Kilcullen Community Centre for the official launch of their campaign. They were addressed by longtime transplant athlete and Kilcullen businessman James Nolan, who told them they were 'ambassadors for organ donation'. The Kilcullen Diary spoke with a number of team members about their lives as recipients of transplants and the importance of transplant sports. A Rough & Ready Production by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

A century and a half before the movie Jurassic Park brought dinosaurs into their trendy blockbuster modern space, a woman born in poor circumstances in Dorset, England, was to become one of the foremost experts on many originals of the species. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary. Image: Portrait of Mary Anning in the Natural History Museum, London (artist unknown).

Next time you get an injection, for flu prevention or Covid booster, remember Dr Francis Rynd. And remember Margaret Cox who triggered his inventiveness. Even as you wince. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary. Image of Francis Rynd courtesy of Wellcome Trust via Wikimedia Commons.

Anyone born before 1977 won't have had experience of being beaten by teachers in Ireland's schools when corporal punishment was still part of a child's education. It took 60 years after we gained our independence before a patently barbaric practice inflicted on the children of our nation was outlawed, but such punishment was finally banned in 1982. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

Dr John E Barker passed away at his home in Liffey Bank, Kilcullen, on 6 February 1927. Retired only a few years, he had had completed almost a half-century of public service when he left that position in 1924. According to his obituary, "he gave unstinted attention to his patients, rich and poor, and was forever remarkable for fidelity to duty, both in his public and private capacity as a doctor."

A singer songwriter from Kilcullen, Ireland, who is steadily forging a reputation in Spain credits much of her musical development to her music and drama teachers back here in her home town. Elle León Gallagher lives in Barcelona now, but was on a trip back to Ireland before Christmas to mark the launch of her first full album — 'Elle León, The Musical'. She was accompanied by her band, a group of friends from Barcelona with whom she has been making music for some time in venues around the Catalonian capital. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

The kindness of humans is at the core of a trek by Dunlavin, County Wicklow, native Andy Howard as he begins an attempt to raise suicide awareness by making his way from London to Australia, without any money. As he makes his way on what he calls The Great Life Project he hopes to raise €100,000 which will be divided amongst suicide-related charities in Ireland, the UK and Australia. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary. You can follow Andy's travels on his social media links: https://linktr.ee/andyhoward Andy https://youtube.com/@TheGreatLifeProject Andy https://www.gofundme.com/f/SeekingHumanKind-Suicide-Prevention/ Andy Andy Howard https://www.instagram.com/andyhoward213

Pisa in Italy is perhaps best known for its famous leaning tower, but it was also the birthplace of someone who leaned so far away from conventional wisdom in his day that he eventually was condemned by the Catholic Church to spend his last years under house arrest. A voice portrait of Galileo Galilei. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary. Images: Justus Sustermans - Portrait of Galileo Galilei, 1636; Galileo spacecraft: NASA.

When students of Drama Dynamics School of Speech & Drama in Kilcullen brought presents to the school's owner last week, it was something more than a Christmas present for teacher. After 17 years, it was the last Drama Dynamics class as Evelyn O'Sullivan brought the curtain down on an era during which she had helped many children in the area — and adults too — to 'find their voice'. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

A passion for good food and a pharmacy background of advising people on nutrition over 25 years were the ingredients that prompted Kilcullen woman Michelle Reddy to cook up her own nutrition and health consultancy. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

When several dozens of people joined in the recent inaugural Family Ramble organised by Two Mile House Biodiversity & Heritage Group, they were in very solid hands in terms of the speakers guiding them through their locality. Jesmond Harding of Butterfly Conservation Ireland provided an in-depth commentary of biodiversity in a landscape literally with its roots in the last Ice Age, and John O'Brien recounted the much more recent experience of the railway age in Harristown that began in the 1880s and ended in the 1950s. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

A sponsored climb up Lugnaquilla Mountain in Wicklow in November will help towards supporting more families and children to live and be educated in the community of Ngong in Kenya. The climb, on November 6th, is being organised by the Maintain Hope charity founded by Kilcullen resident Gerry O'Donoghue back in 2004. It's the inaugural of what he hopes will be a yearly event in the fundraising strategy of the charity. Produced by Brian Byrne.

Billy Schwer, of Luton, England, was three times Irish Juvenile Boxing Champion when he was still a schoolboy in the mid 1950s. When he came over to the recent Picnic on the Green organised by the Old Kilcullen Area Community Association, it was special because the event was being held just beside where he had been born 80 years ago. Produced by Brian Byrne.

Some time ago I was given a tape of a radio programme produced and presented in 1994 by Majella Duane for CKR Radio. The programme was one of a series, Home Front, produced by Majella where she talked with people in towns and villages in Carlow and Kildare to give a flavour of their communities. For the programme, Majella talked with my brother Des, Simon Doyle, Miriam's father Matt Dunlea, my Uncle Tom, and myself. Sadly I'm the only one of the five participants still around, but it has been a pleasure to hear those voices again. For having kept the tape and lending it to me, my sincere thanks to Miriam McDonnell, founder of Curragh Lawns Nursing Home. The picture is of the French team, outside the then Flanagan's Motor Bar. The team stayed in Bardon's Hotel. Kilcullen Diary Podcast produced by Brian Byrne.

One of the nature events in the Kilcullen area for National Heritage Week 2022 was a visit to Pollardstown Fen, a protected wetland area behind Newbridge in County Kildare. The event was hosted by the Kildare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland in association with the Irish Midlands Ringing Group. Produced by Brian Byrne.

An exhibition and heritage walk today in Ballyshannon was an eyeopener to many of the current residents of the village. Through photographs and words it traced back through a century and further the local happenings and places. One gem is a series of interviews with local people, on a short reel to reel tape made 40 years ago by the local branch of Macra na Thuaithe and kept by local woman Joan Dowling, who was one of the young people making the tape. Produced by Brian Byrne.

One of the early Kildare events for National Heritage Week 2022 was a presentation by conservation experts on the 15th century Tower House in the grounds of Moone Abbey House just outside the village of Moone. The Kilcullen Diary went along to find out more. Produced by Brian Byrne.

When the Covid lockdowns came, like many other catering-related businesses, Kalbarri Cookery School outside Kilcullen had to pivot to providing food for takeaway to keep things ticking over. They did this very successfully, working around a Saturday Bake Shop that operated every weekend. Now, founder and owner Siobhan Murphy is bringing the Kalbarri business back to school. Produced by Brian Byrne.

A new Cardiac Physiotherapy Clinic to be built at the Kilcullen Business Campus will allow owner Karen Cradock to increase staff and facilities for her existing operation there, and make services easier for clients to access from all over the country. Brian Byrne reports.

The inclusion of Dun Ailinne on the World Heritage Tentative List for Ireland is a step towards the ancient royal site gaining the world recognition it deserves, according to Dr Susan Johnston of George Washington University who has led archaeological investigations at Dun Ailinne since 2006. She has just returned to the US after the 2022 summer dig with archaeological students. Produced by Brian Byrne.

Paula Phelan had worked for 25 years in leadership and development with large organisations, but found that her career point had removed her from interaction with people. So she has established her own practice as a life coach. A People and Life podcast produced by Brian Byrne.

The song 'This Land is Your Land' was one of the anthems of the Civil Rights movement in the United States in the 1960s and is still today one of those compositions that never fails to lift the emotions. But the roots of the song, written and performed by musical legend Woody Guthrie, come from deep in the psyche and experiences of the composition's author, who through his life travelled the big highways and the dusty by-roads of his country during several turbulent periods in modern American history. Produced by Brian Byrne.

When Edward Flanagan was born in 1886 in Leabeg Co Roscommon — the eighth of eleven children — his parents John and Honoria would have had no idea that their new son would become known worldwide. But that's just what happened after his work as a priest with young troubled boys became an Oscar-winning movie, Boys Town, in 1938. Produced by Brian Byrne.

When National Bike Week came along recently it triggered some memories. Especially the bit about cycling to school. It reminded me of my first of many days cycling to school in Newbridge, from the tender age of eleven. For me, that first trip to the Patrician Brothers in Newbridge was freedom. Produced by Brian Byrne.

The Big C Choir in Newbridge, which is comprised of cancer survivors and friends, celebrates its 10th year of fundraising with a concert in the Killashee House Hotel on 12 June 2022. We talk to the founder, Christina O'Connell, and a number of the choir members, to find out what makes it sing. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary. WATCH: The Big C Choir in rehearsal. https://youtu.be/5iHb0fn4ffU

This is an episode in my series Persons of Interest. In these days when the electronic keyboard is ubiquitous for writing, whether on a computer or a a tablet or a phone, it seems strange to recall the days of the humble typewriter. But I recall it well. Produced by Brian Byrne. Image: George Blickensderfer's patent design.

This is the eighth and final episode in a series called The Accidental Pilgrim, recalling my thoughts during a Kilcullen Parish pilgrimage to The Holy Land, in 2007, led by Kilcullen's Parish Priest of the time, Fr Michael Murphy. In this episode, we attend the last mass of the pilgrimage, which rounded out a hectic four days in the Jerusalem area. Produced by Brian Byrne.

This is the seventh episode in a series called The Accidental Pilgrim, recalling my thoughts during a Kilcullen Parish pilgrimage to The Holy Land, in 2007. In this episode, I remember how we were introduced to the Children of the Holocaust. Produced by Brian Byrne. Photo of Children's Memorial at Yad Vashem by Joshua Paquin, licensed by Creative Commons on Wikimedia.

Episode six in the Accidental Pilgrim series, recalling my thoughts during a Kilcullen Parish pilgrimage to The Holy Land in 2007, led by our then Parish Priest, Fr Michael Murphy. In this episode, how we do our best to get around the places in Jerusalem where Jesus spent the latter days of his life. Produced by Brian Byrne.

The fifth episode in the Accidental Pilgrim series, recalling a Kilcullen Parish pilgrimage to The Holy Land, in 2007. In this episode, we move on to Jerusalem, taking a detour on the way into the desert where the bushes grew that were fashioned into punishing crowns of thorns. Produced by Brian Byrne for Kilcullen Diary.

This is the fourth episode in a series called The Accidental Pilgrim, recalling a Kilcullen Parish pilgrimage to The Holy Land, in 2007. In this episode, we consider a couple of miraculous events as we journey through the Fifth Gospel, the name given to the land where the Christian Gospel stories originated. Produced by Brian Byrne.

This is the third episode in a series called The Accidental Pilgrim, recalling my thoughts during a Kilcullen Parish pilgrimage to The Holy Land, in 2007. In this episode, I muse on 'The Jordan Effect', and then we move on to Mount Tabor, the place of the Transfiguration where Jesus is said to have revealed himself in his true Divinity to Peter, James and John. Produced by Brian Byrne.

The second episode in The Accidental Pilgrim series, recalling my thoughts during a Kilcullen Parish pilgrimage to The Holy Land in 2007. Sitting at a table on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, it was a scruffy kind of place really. A lot of litter. I had to wonder what kind of litter there was when Jesus walked these shores, looking for a fisher of men? Produced by Brian Byrne.