December Issue

Kildare Echo “The Best Free Read In Kildare”

December, 2012

COUNCIL CUTS PUBLIC

LIGHTING ON 85 ESTATES

Merry Christmas

6 Pages Of Sports

Christmas InKildare

www.KildareEcho.com

Fianna Fáil Area Representative for Naas,James Lawless, has uncovered figurespointing to a shocking disconnect betweenpublic services provided by Kildare CountyCouncil and those estates exempted fromthe household charge.

James pursued the issue when he becamefrustrated that requests for basic street light-ing maintenance were going unanswered. "Iwas aware of a number of estates experi-encing difficulty having street lighting serv-iced and I asked the council for answers"explained James. "I had anecdotal evidence of certain estates

being 'cut off' from the maintenance regime.In frustration I eventually submitted a free-dom of information request to get the fullfacts.

To my shock and great disappointment theresponse to my FOI requests confirm thatKildare County Council have given instruc-tions that 85 different estates across thecounty were now to have their public light-ing services terminated. These estates were quite literally left in the

dark, in terms of lighting but also in terms ofinformation. I find this completely unac-ceptable" James stated. "There are affectedestates from Caragh to Celbridge fromSallins to Suncroft. This is an issue rightacross the county".

"While Kildare County Council haveinstructed that these 85 estates be cutofffrom lighting services, meanwhile not evenhalf that number were granted exemptionstatus against the household charge tax.

The exemption is supposed to apply tounfinished estates - on the one hand we arebeing told the cutoff estates are not finishedand will no longer be serviced by the coun-cil - on the other hand we are being told theydo not qualify as unfinished as far as the taxis concerned and they are considered liableto pay the household charge.

Inside.....

Members of St. Brigid’s Choir, Milltown take time out from rehearsalsfor their upcoming concert with acclaimed acoustic group ‘HighlyStrung’

FREEEvery Month

"The decision is not even consistent - someestates not taken in charge continue toreceive service whilst others in the sameboat have been cutoff.

A handful of the cutoff estates havereceived exemptions but the vast majorityhave not. In most cases they are beingasked to pay their household charge butsimultaneously told as far as council main-tenance goes the estate is unfinished. It

makes no sense" claimed James."I have asked the council to justify their

decision and I appeal to them to reverse it,I have also spoken to my party colleagueSeán O'Fearghaill TD who is raising itdirectly with the Department".

"The council cannot have it both ways"James concluded - "They either considerthese estates unfinished in which case theygrant household charge exemptions.

02 Kildare Echo December 2012

Naas residents are urged to help those less fortunate thanthemselves this Christmas by supporting the annual NaasLions Club St Vincent de Paul food appeal. A familiar sightin the run-up to Christmas, Lions Club members and vol-unteers will again be collecting on the street around thetown for needy families in the local area.

The generosity of the local Naas and Sallins communitytowards this worthy cause has been nothing short of out-standing in recent years and an amazing €40,000 was col-lected last year. Every single cent donated was passed ontolocal families via the SVP.

Naas Lions Club President, Muiris Murphy, appealed toshoppers to give as generously as possible this time aroundand stated “Your little bit of help will go a long waytowards making Christmas a happier occasion for the moreneedy in your community. No donation is too small and itall goes back to your less fortunate neighbours.”

Collections this year will be mainly during the pre-Christmas weekend, Friday 21st December to Monday24th December. Marie O’Neill will be co-ordinating thisyear’s Christmas Food Appeal.

Marie asked us all to “Watch out for the Lions Club SVPcollectors who will be on the street outside Marks &Spencers, Barker & Jones, EuroSpar, Tesco, Burke’sPharmacy and of course, Supervalu in Sallins.”Naas Lions Club has been supporting worthy local causes

for many years. Apart from the SVP, recent beneficiariesincluded the local Samaritans branch, Naas Care of theAged, Hoped (depression and suicide support), NaasSpecial Olympics plus Debra Naas. Follow Naas LionsClub on Facebook.

Naas Lions &SVP ChristmasFood Appeal

Deputy Emmet Stagg haswelcomed the announce-ment by the Minister ofState for Tourism andSport of Sports CapitalGrants totalling €525,000for Clubs and schools inKildare North.

Deputy Stagg stated thefollowing will benefitfrom the Grants:

- Celbridge CommunitySports Centre, €22,000

- Clane United FootballClub, €20,000

- Clogherinkoe GAA,€4,000

- Confey CommunityCollege, €90,000

- Leixlip AmenitiesCentre (Tennis Club),€90,000

-NUI MaynoothBarnhall RFC, €129,000

- Scoil Dara SecondarySchool, €80,000

- The North Kildare Club€90,000

“This is the first round ofsports capital funding forfour years and demon-strates the Government’scommitment to encouragemore people to take part insport.

The Sports CapitalProgramme is the mainchannel of Government

support for developingsports facilities and pur-chasing sports equipmentfor sports clubs andorganisations acrossIreland” said DeputyStagg.

Whilst Deputy Staggexpressed disappointmentthat a number of Clubshad not received grants in2012 he expressed thehope that these clubswould benefit from theGrant Scheme in 2013.

€525,000 SportsCapital Grants toLocal Clubs

Independent TD for KildareNorth Catherine Murphytoday criticised the LabourParty for their about-turnon protecting Child Benefitrates.

The measures will comebefore the Dáil this weekfor debate.

"Labour have shownthemselves up yet again byfailing to deliver on theirvery specific and detailedcommitments made inadvance of the last generalelection on Child Benefit. If you make these kinds of

promises and then renegeon them so easily, andrepeatedly, you absolutelydestroy political trust -what faith can the citizenhave in the ability of ourpolitical system to solveour problems if our leaderscan't be trusted to campaignhonestly when seeking such

offices? It's very clearLabour are prepared to playhardball with parents on theissue of Child Benefit; butclearly are unable orunwilling to in the case ofthe Troika and Ireland's

patently unsustainable debt. 'Labour's way' was obvi-

ously more about conningpeople and irresponsiblyplaying the serious crisiswe are in for a few morevotes.

Murphy BlastsLabour Party Con-Jobon Social Welfare

Do You Have News For [email protected]

Everyone has a story, ahistory , or life experiencethat changes the directionwhich their life path takesforever.

Everyone has a dream , avision in which it onlytakes one person tobelieve for them to see itthrough to fruition.

For the Wednesdays , agroup of young, extremelytalented singer songwrit-ers from St ConlethsCommunity College, thishappened when they metLuka Bloom, who encour-aged the seven membersof the group to write theirown songs almost a yearago.

Inspired by Luka andwith the help of theirteacher Amanda Kelly,The Wednesdays firstsong Noreen's Song wascomposed in Decemberwhich tells the heartbreaking story of the trag-ic loss of their friendNoreen Murphy who losther fight for life inSeptember 2011.

Having watched the girlsgrow into confident per-former singer/ songwritersboth Luka and Amandabelieved that the girlsdeserved the opportunity torecord their songs.

Thus, on November 5ththey recorded their first CDA Song For You at Peter

Lee recording studios.The seven musicallyimpressive girls MichaelaHeavey, Michaela Morgan,Rachael Barbour, CaitlinNolan, Stacey Fitzpatrick,Nicole O Toole and AlanahKehoe have worked tire-lessly on their songs whichwill allow you a glimpse

into special moments oftheir life stories throughthis enchanting originalCD.

A Song For You will bereleased this month withthe help of Luka Bloom,Amanda Kelly, CultureFactory and Peter Leerecording.

St Conleths Students ToRelease Charity CD

Photo: Michael Donnelly

Kildare Echo December 2012 03

Newbridge Kildare Lions is sending a messageof HOPE to those feeling isolated and at risk ofsuicide. Statistics tell us that Ireland has one ofthe highest rates of suicide in Europe, with themajority of deaths occurring with young males inthe 15-25 year age bracket.

There are an estimated 500-600 suicides peryear, which is approximately double the numberof people killed by road traffic accidents.Recent trends show an increased risk to youngadolescents.The most likely reasons for suicide are marriage

breakdown, unemployment, recession, and unde-tected or untreated mental illness. The feeling ofisolation in any of these circumstances undoubt-edly increases the risk.

With this in mind and particularly as theChristmas and New Year periods approach, theNewbridge Kildare Lions Club are reaching outto the community, through an information cam-paign which aims to help people feel less isolat-ed.

Members of the Lions Club are distributingposters and pocketsized information cardsthrough the schools, community groups and localbusinesses.

The posters and cards list phone and internetdetails of a number of professional organisationssuch as The Suicide Helpline, Samaritans,Console, Rape Crisis Network and Teen-LineIreland.

The message is that “it’s good to talk” and thatthere is professional help at hand.

Newbridge Lions SendingMessage of HOPE

President of the Lions Club, Tom Broderick alongside Oliver

Murphy of the Lions Suicide Awareness committee.


www.KildareEcho.com

Bill Clinton PresentsAwards to KildareVEC StudentsFormer US President, Bill Clinton presented two KildareVEC students with All Ireland Scholarships at a ceremonyheld on Sat, 17th November at the University of Limerick.

Joel Akinola from Athy College, and Katie Curran fromMaynooth Post Primary School, were each awarded ascholarship valued at €6,750 per annum, which will contin-ue for the duration of their chosen undergraduate pro-grammes.

In addition, the scholarship holders qualify for participa-tion in the annual Washington Ireland ProgrammeInternship Scheme.

Joel Akinola obtained 570 points in his LeavingCertificate and is now studying Biomedical Health and LifeSciences in UCD, while Katie Curran obtained 580 pointsin her Leaving Cert and is now studying Teacher Trainingat Froebel College of Education in Blackrock

The Chairman of County Kildare VEC, Cllr. Mark Wall,joined with the VEC members in congratulating the stu-dents at last weeks VEC monthly meeting and said, "I amdelighted that two students attending County Kildare VECschools were recipients of these prestigious awards; con-gratulations to everyone associated with their education".

The Chairman further remarked, “it’s great to see a stu-dent from my home town of Athy being one of the recipi-ents of these awards". The VEC will honour these studentsat a ceremony to be held at a future meeting of the VEC.

The All Ireland Scholarships have been sponsored by J.P.McManus since 2008, and this year one hundred and twen-ty five students received scholarships. Mr. McManus hascontributed in excess of €30million to the scheme since itsinception, and over 1,300 students from the 32 countieshave already benefited from the programme.

Tel: 045 982884 Mob: 086 8484089Email: [email protected]

James Malone11 College Rd., Clane, Naas, Co. Kildare

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Kildare Credit Union ArtCompetition Winners

Winners of the Kildare Credit Union Limited Art Competition 'Celebrate Community Colour' with (Back Row) Ger Ryan (Kildare Credit Union Director), Carol Keenen (Scoil Na Mainstreach Teacher), Miss Bartley(Kildare Town Community School Teacher), Elaine Kennedy (Scoil Bhride Naofa Teacher), Michelle Kemmy (KildareCredit Union Manager) and Edwina Hanley (Kildare Credit Union Secretary). (Middle Row) Quiva Walshe (Kildare Town Community School), Katie Houlihan (Kildare Town Community School),Raygina Thompson (Scoil Bhride Naofa), Nicole O'Keeffe (Scoil Bhride Naofa) and Noelle Kelly (Kildare TownCommunity School). (Front Row) Mark Houlihan (Scoil Na Mainstreach), Timothy Lynch (Scoil Na Mainstreach), Lauren Foley (ScoilBhride Naofa) and Jack Kelly-Murphy (Scoil Na Mainstreach).Photo:Michael Donnelly.

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EFFECTIVE, FAST, PRACTICAL HELP

Musical TotsNaas Library has a Musical Tots Workshop taking place onWednesday 19th, December at 10.30AM. This freeWorkshop is for children up to the age of 5 years old.Children must be accompanied by an adult. Numbers arelimited, so please contact Naas Community Library toguarantee your place.

December Events atLeixlip LibraryTuesday 17th December 11am: Bah – Humbug AChristmas Tale! A hilarious Christmas Play presented byCarnation Theatre.Festive -song and laughter guaranteed –this parody of the Christmas classic, A Christmas Carolstars Philomena Scurge who owns Scurge Car Clamper’sLtd.

The show is packed to bursting with high jinks, craic andChristmas Carols and is suitable for people of all ages andall abilities. Everyone is welcome but pre-booking isrequired.

Wednesday 19th December: 3.15 – 4.30pm Christmas Crafts with Sheila Ages 8 – 12yrs Places arelimited and advance booking required. Friday 21st December 11am: – 12.30pm

Christmas Flower Arranging Workshop with Sheila Placesare limited and advance booking required.

Leixlip Library Knitting Club: – Purls of Wisdom The club meets every Tuesday morning at 11am –12.30pm. Knitters of all abilities including beginners arewelcome. Come and share your skills and patterns and stayfor a cuppa and a chat.

Have You Got News For Us?

Send your community news, pressreleases and pics to:

[email protected]

04 Kildare Echo December 2012 Kildare Echo December 2012 05


This year Naas will be alldressed up for Christmas,but not just with twinklinglights and the usual festivefare!

This year Naas TownCouncil unveiled the mostexciting Christmas pro-gramme ever staged in thetown.

Naas will sparkle amongthe top towns in Ireland thisyear bringing the magic ofChristmas and a winterwonderland for the festiveseason.

Taking off on November17th last with the Festivalof Lights, there will bemany things happening inthe town this festive sea-son.

The colourful and festiveChristmas Markets, theenchanting live crib in thegrounds of Our Lady's &St David's Church SallinsRoad on 22nd & 23rdDecember, live music onthe streets every weekendwith a guest performancefrom Boyband Level 5 onDecember 15th.

Extra trading hours, thebig Christmas draw and

exclusive in-store promo-tions take place in the shopswith special parkingarrangements, colourfulwindow displays and fes-tive cheer is sure to help thefestive spirits soar.

The town has been illumi-nated with the Festival ofLights from the mainChurch car park and theFair Green and make theirway up to the steps of theTown Hall.

The Naas ChristmasMarket is open for businesswith an eclectic mix of fes-tive fare at NaasCourthouse Plaza. The market opens at 10am

until 5.30pm everySaturday and offers a feastfor the festive senses withdelicious crêpes, can-dyfloss, homemade choco-lates, baked goods andgourmet delights to whetthe appetite whilst theChristmas crafts, candles,frames, lanterns, cashmereand pearls, flowers andgranite centrepieces makegreat Christmas gifts.

Music will fill the air

every Saturday from 4pmto 5pm with carols and per-formances from the manyexcellent groups.

On December 15th at2.30pm there will be a spe-cial guest performance inNaas from newest BoybandLevel 5 who have justreleased their ChristmasSingle with Mary Byrneand their performance atthe Childline concert at theO2. The Gospel Choir will per-

form also on December15th at the Town Hall from4pm to 5pm and finally onDecember 22nd there willbe a performance at theNaas Community Churchfrom 4pm to 5pm. A Live Crib in the grounds

of Our Lady's & St David'sChurch Sallins Road on22nd & 23rd Decemberwill be an extra special treatthis year for families andthe Church Choir will per-form on the Saturday after-noon at 4.00pm.

Naas has always beenknown nationwide as a des-tination town for shopping

and a centre of excellencefor retail, dining, entertain-ment and hospitality.

With 36 boutiques offer-ing unique pieces at greatprices, a wide variety ofcafes and restaurants withworldwide culinary influ-ences, award winning pubsand Hotels and a plethoraof all sorts of shops in andaround the town fromsuper-stores to small giftshops.

This year the Naas shopsare extending their openinghours and will open late onThursday and Friday until8pm and all day Sundayuntil 5.30pm throughoutDecember. On December23rd the big ChristmasDraw will take place with€4000 worth of vouchers.Exclusive in-store promo-tions in the shops withspecial parking arrange-ments, colourful windowdisplays and Christmascheer is sure to help the fes-tive spirit soar!

Naas Town All DressedUp For Christmas

James LawlessNaas Local Area Representative

Merry ChristmasFrom

email: [email protected]

www.jameslawless.ie



Letters & Emails

To the Editor Having been involved in the campaign against the household tax since the beginning of this year I have beenstruck by the absence of young people at meeting’s,demonstrations etc.I was in Dublin at the anti-austerity march and again

mostly old and middle aged men and women with a fewyoung people mostly with union’s or community group’sas far as I could see. I went along with my wife and webrought our 8-year-old son, as it was a chance for familiesfrom all over Ireland to show their opposition to the on-going austerity. I feel it is very important to show youngpeople that it is OK to oppose authority and stand up foryourself and your beliefs in a peaceful, respectful way. Ishudder to think what the future will hold for these youngpeople if they keep accepting what is thrown at them anddo not stand up for themselves or expect someone else todo it for them. The older generation like the pensioners who took to thestreets to force the repeal of the taking away of medicalcards have a lot to teach these young people and I hopemy son is one person who will not be afraid to make astand when it is needed. Declan Crowe, Kildare.

Continued Campaign AgainstHousehold ChargesDear Editor,I am a member of the campaign against the household taxin Kildare Town. More importantly I am a very concernedparent of two small children and I am frightened for theirfuture in this country at the hands of this government. I amhere because I want to protect the welfare of my family andto make a stand against all of the injustices, the corruption,the blatant cronyism and downright treachery inflicted onthe people of this country at the hands of the present andprevious governments.

I am an ordinary person just like most of you here. I havenever done anything like this before. I'm not a part of anypolitical party or organisation. I got involved in my localcampaign this year because I felt very let down by this gov-ernment, especially the Labour party, who I had voted for,and its inability to follow through on their promises forchange as what we got was more of the same, taking fromthe poor to appease the rich.

I take huge offence to be labelled a tax dodger by themedia and the government because that’s certainly notwhat this is about for us.We all want to live in a society where everyone contributesfairly, the people of this country have upheld their end ofthe bargain, it’s the government who are not upholdingtheirs, they are taking our hard earned money hand over fistand plugging it into a failed banking system that nobodyhas been held accountable for.

There has not yet been one person prosecuted for thebanking corruption yet this government are planning onbringing ordinary people in front of a court over €100. I’lladmit that I was nervous at the prospect of being broughtbefore a Judge as I’ve never even seen the inside of a court-house before, but at this point, I am more angry than afraidand I know that if this government are shameless enough todo that, then I will have the support of this campaign at myback with a network of supporters in every corner of thecountry who are ready to stand up with every ordinaryhomeowner to make sure we will not be facing that situa-tion alone.

Between the Property Tax and the Water Charges, the

ESRI have estimated that it could be over 1000 per year. Iwas worried about paying €100 a year. If we don’t try tostop this, it will be €100 per month for some of us, I don’tknow about anyone else but €100 per month will be devas-tating to my family. We have been hit with pay cuts but arevery lucky to both still be working, but unfortunately thatdoesn’t mean that we are not struggling.

According to the CSO, there are currently over 1 millionpeople living in deprivation or some form of poverty in thiscountry, 338,000 of which are children and with this house-hold charge and property tax, my family and many morelike me will be forced over the line into that bracket. I personally cannot accept that and no-one should. Phil

Hogan has made that decision without costing us a thought,as he is so far removed from the struggles of a workingclass family, he has no idea what it feels like to lie awakeat night worrying about how you are going to stretch whatlittle funds you have available to pay for the continuousincrease in the cost of living, a mortgage on a house in neg-ative equity and rising utility bills, never mind these unfairtaxes.

We have seen this government bullying people all yearinto paying an unfair household tax and next week theywill be introducing a property tax that will cripple ordi-nary families like yours and mine.

We have already endured the pinch of the UniversalSocial Charge, VAT increases, Increase in excise on petroland diesel, increased interest rates on banks owned by thestate. All of these combined to take from the ordinarypeople to line the pockets of bankers/bondholders/and topay for this government’s hefty salaries. And now theywant to add to the financial burden of every citizen in thiscountry by introducing a property tax in this 6th succes-sive austerity budget. I’m sure if we give the Bundestagin Germany a ring right now they might be able to give usthe heads up on what’s coming up in our future.

This household tax campaign has been the only opportu-nity ordinary people have been given to show this govern-ment that we have had enough and we are not going totake any more.

We the people of Ireland now have a decision to make.Do we continue to pay unsecured bondholders?Do we continue to pay exorbitantly high government min-ister salaries?Do we continue to pay over half a million in salaries forsenior bank staff?

Young Protesters

ADVERTISERS PLEASE NOTE: The Kildare Echo does not

accept liability for any loss or damage caused by any error or

inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement. We reserve the

right to refuse or amend any advertisement, notwithstanding

where, when or by whom accepted for publication, moreover

we reserve the right to discontinue with the publication of any

advertisement previously published. Please note further that

we cannot accept responsibility for one or more incorrect inser-

tion and that no re-publication will be granted in the case of

typographical or minor changes which do not detract from the

value of the advertisements.

KILDARE ECHO

Kildare Echo

Contact Us:

(046) 955 2467

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Do we continue to fund lavish expenses of TD’s?Do we continue to allow this government to cut essentialservices in education, health and social welfare?Or do we say enough is enough, we will not be bulliedand intimidated into paying for their mistakes. Demand anend to austerity and oppose these unfair home taxes toprovide the necessities for our families… This govern-ment has made this a very very easy decision for my fam-ily. NO WAY, WE WON’T PAY.

Regards,Joanne Pender, Kildare Town.

Protesters from Kildare taking part in the recent demonstration in Dublin against austerity


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Christmas is a feast of the interior light, a rekindling of the spiritual spark within us, amid

the bleak cold, damp and dark of winter.

This year, as every year, we shall hear the Christmas carols inviting us to ‘behold our

king’, not in a palace, but in an outhouse. Though the words sound well worn, let’s try to

set aside their familiarity and hear them anew! They are an invitation to travel back and

behold the birth of our Saviour with amazement and awe. What a wonder that a small

baby born in the backwater town of Bethlehem is in fact our King of Kings.

Our God comes to us as a tiny baby lying in a manger; but we know too, of course, that

the little child one day becomes the man hanging on the cross. From crib to cross, Jesus is

the vulnerable one who will stop at nothing to speak to us of God’s desire for our friend-

ship and our love. The season of Advent is therefore a time to let go of the year’s past

hurts, bitterness, and disappointments that tempt our hearts to stay closed and guarded.

Christmas, in turn, is the time to believe again that love is possible.

Christmas is love come down to Earth, a gift to the world of infinite worth! Now, perhaps

more than ever, living in times that are troubled, facing a future that is uncertain, we need

such hope. We need it for ourselves, and we need to give it to others. This Christmastide let

each of us strive to do just that.

Monsignor Hugh Connolly

President Maynooth College

A Christmas Message....



By David [email protected]

The Garda Commissioner,Martin Callinan, is expect-ed to announce plans forthe closure of a large num-ber of rural stations in thecoming year.

There have already been39 station closures this yearalone, out of a total of 704.The commissioners’ recom-mendations are expected toannounce the closure of afurther 80 Stations during2013 in an attempt by thegovernment to rationalisethe Garda station network.

The proposals have beencriticised by the GardaR e p r e s e n t a t i v e sAssociation. John Parker,president of the GRA,which represents 11,200 ofthe 13,500 strong force hascalled the cost saving meas-ures a “false economy” asthe cost of running a smallstation is already quite low.

It is estimated that it costsbetween €2,500 and €4,000a year to operate a smallrural station. John

Redmond, deputy generalsecretary of the Associationof Garda Sergeants andInspectors, has also criti-cised the proposed clo-sures, reduced numbers ofGardai and the amalgama-tion of Garda districts, say-ing that these measures willhave a “significant negativeimpact in the quality ofservice delivered to thepublic”.

There has been a substan-tial reduction in the numberof Gardai serving ruralcommunities this year.

Sixteen of the 26 countieshave experienced reduced

numbers, while 10 countieshave seen an increase andtwo remain unchanged.Kildare has seen the size ofthe force increase by18.4%, however it is alsothe county with the lowestnumber of gardai, with just319 for a population of210,000.

Co. Limerick by compari-son has almost double theamount of gardai, 610, for apopulation of 192,000 or32.8 for every 10,000 peo-ple in the county.

Speaking on the issueMinister for Justice, AlanShatter, said that the key

objective of the review was“to promote the more effi-cient deployment ofresources rather than securemodest cash savings so thatas many gardai as possibleare deployed on front lineoperational duty rather thanbased in garda stations”,however this view is notshared by all.

Catherine Murphy, localTD for North Kildare hashosted a series of meetingsaimed at facilitating a dis-cussion between local rep-resentatives and Kildareresidents on the lack ofpolicing resources in the

Aghaviller, Hugginstown, Co. KilkennyTel: (0032) 228 45782 (Brussels Office) Fax: (0032) 228 49782

Email: [email protected] Facebook: facebook.com/LiamAylwardMEPWebsite: www.liamaylward.com

As your representative in Europe I am proud to represent your views in the ongoing negotiations on the reform of Common Agriculture Policy, as well as on issues such as Food Security, Tackling Food Waste and Consumer Rights.

second and third level education, lifelong learning, sport & cultural heritage and the Youth

I would like to take this opportunity to wish friends, supporters and constituents a very Happy Christmas and every

good wish for the New Year.

Concerns About Garda NumbersAnd Station Closures In Kildare

county. She expressed herconcerns saying that “TheGarda presence mustincrease and it must be vis-ible.

People need to see thatthere are Gardai availableand that those Gardai willrespond in a timely mannerif called upon.

It is vital that people inKildare can have trust intheir policing service”.

At the meetings, whichwere held in Clane andLeixlip, local residentsexpressed a need for moreGardai and an improve-ment in response times to

incidents reported, particu-larly the rise in burglariesin the area.

Fifteen burglaries werereported to Leixlip Gardaiin the first week ofNovember with 36 reportedin Celbridge in October.

In recent days, furtherGarda station closures havebeen announced forKildare. Stations in Kill,Ballymore Eustace andBallitore are to be closed,much to the dismay of localresidents.

Independent Cllr PadraigMcEvoy, chairperson of theCounty Joint PolicingCommittee, echoed someof the residents’ concernssaying that “There are sub-stantial levels of fear incommunities about the lev-els of crime and the capaci-ty of the Gardaí to respondwith the expected levels ofservice.

Looking at other counties,we are envious of the levelsof resources made avail-able. Proper resourcingremains a priority concernfor the committee.”

Patrick Lynch ICIOB

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This is the first everCurragh Christmas marketand it is on a big scale; over50 stall-holders will be sell-ing everything you’d wantfrom a Christmas marketincluding gifts of all types,many of them handmadeand local, delicious home-baking, seasonal foods,Christmas decorations andof course hot food and goodcoffee for when hungerstrikes. St Brigid’s Hospicewill be selling Christmascards to raise money.

Some of the exceptionalcrafters present at the fairare: Splates – slate platesand food boards, Have EweAny Wool, HandcraftedWooden Children’s Toysand Furniture, Hand Knitsby Majella, Ecrafts – fabricboards, bunting and hand-made cards, CraftyHousewives – soaps, can-dles, tea-lights, CurraghCuties – handmade itemsfor the home and specialoccasions, ScentyseWickless Candles, CandyChicks sweet trees and JustBy Me arts and crafts, who

will also be running a craftsworkshop on the day.

Bikes, eyewear, water-proof coats and bags, locallandscape photography,festive floral arrangementsand wreathes and chicaccessories for the homewill also be on sale.

Brilliant caricaturist SteveMulreany will be there tocapture a friend or family

member – a great gift idea. On the edible side, therewill be artisan breads, deli-cious cakes and pastries,jams and chutneys, andgluten-free cakes by Karen.Secotto coffee, created by amaster blender inPortarlngton, will keepeveryone perked up andwarm.

Hot food will also be on

sale for when hungerstrikes. Santa Claus hasagreed to be there and hecan be visited in his igloofor €5 which will include apresent for the good chil-dren.

The Curragh Food andCraft Market is open thisSunday the 16th from 11amto 4pm and entry is free.

Christmas Market AtThe Curragh Racecourse


Labour MEP ForKildare Critical OfBudgetLeinster MEP Nessa Childers has slammed the recentbudget, saying it is “not a fair or equal budget and the cutswill affect the lower paid and women negatively and dis-proportionately.The Government have also missed an opportunity to intro-

duce more progressive taxation, through a FinancialTransaction Tax and Site Valuation Tax.

Speaking about women in Budget 2013, Nessa Chidersclaimed: “The cut in child benefit at €10 per child permonth; the 20% cut in respite care (€325 less a year); theback to school allowances cut from €150 to €100; and tax-ing maternity benefit will all impact on women dispropor-tionally to men. These cuts may seem like 'small change' to people on high

incomes, who most likely made these decisions, but willactually make life harder on a week to week basis forwomen carers and those with young families.

This budget proves yet again the need for equality proof-ing in budget decision making”, Nessa concluded.

Physiotherapy ServicesIn AthySouth Kildare Seán Ó Fearghaíl has asked the Minister forHealth when the HSE is going to restore physiotherapyservices to the community in Athy.

The Minister said that in recent months, one senior phys-iotherapist resigned from the Athy catchment area andanother commenced Maternity Leave. He assured DeputyÓ Fearghaíl that the HSE is making every effort to fill thevacancy left by the physiotherapist who resigned but due tothe current moratorium on recruitment this process couldtake some time.

NicolasBateau &Cyril BorleFrom Funky

Chocolates

Naas


The Athy Town PromotersGroup is urging everyonein Athy and surroundingareas to shop local thisChristmas.

Every Euro spent in Athyover the festive periodhelps to keep peopleemployed in Athy and tokeep shops open.

Athy ‘s unique range oflocal & boutique shops arepulling out all the stops toprovide both better choiceand value in Athy meaningyou don’t have to travel farto stock up on Christmasgifts.

There has been a hive offestive activities around thetown, with Santa and fes-tive friends turning up in aconvertible to help turn onthe Christmas lights andchildren posting their let-ters in Emily Square toSanta with all theirrequests.

A calendar of festival &events is now taking placeover the festive seasonplease check outwww.athy.ie for furtherdetails. Working togetherwith its partners, the AthyTown Promoters have adeveloped a ‘Shop Local’theme marketing incentive

scheme where shoppers getfree entry to a draw for oneof 30 local shopping vouch-ers (total prize fund €2,000sponsored by AthyChamber of Commerce andAthy Town Council) up forgrabs to encourage peopleto shop local for Christmas.

The Town Council haveagreed changes to pay park-ing leading up to Christmaswith FREE PARKINGfrom 10 am each day forthe month of December inall car parks and freethroughout the town eachSaturday, which will makeit even cheaper to shop inAthy.

Did you know shoppinglocal supports localemployment, with greatvalue, while you are help-ing your own communitytowards prosperity in thefuture. The Athy Town Promoters

Group was formed in 2009and is committed to proac-tively promoting the'Celebrate Athy' themethrough festivals and eventsin our town. The group is comprised of

representatives of AthyChamber, Shop Athy, AthyTown Council, Athy Tidy

Towns, Age Action, BrandAthy, Kildare County ShowCommittee and the AthyHeritage Centre-Museum.

Designated free car parkareas- Town Centre (EmilySquare/ Back Square/Barrow Quay); EdmundRice Car Park; CatherineMcCauley Car Park(Stanhope Street); MeetingLane Car Park; ChurchRoad Car Park; andConvent Lane Car Park.

Now open and running upto Sunday, 23rd DecemberSanta’s Magical Trail at theClanard Court - Return offestive wonderland themeevent to Athy running eachweekend and special daysuntil Sunday, 23rdDecember. Visit Mrs Claus in Santa'shouse where she may bebaking a cake, take a sneakglimpse of Santa’s bed-room, how big is his bed.

You can watch the Elveswhile they work in theirToy Workshop and thenhop onto Santa’s MagicalCarriage for a tour throughRudolph’s Secret Tunnel toSanta's Farm where youwill see Rudolph and all ofhis friends.

Challenge Mam and Dad

to a snowball fight in theNorth Pole Snow Room.

Lastly and most impor-tantly, visit with Santa athis grotto, take time to talkto Santa and he may have agift waiting for you! Onlinebooking www.santasmagi-caltrail.ie

Sunday, 16th DecemberAthy Christmas Crafts Fairat the Athy CommunityArts Centre (10am to 5pm)– Ideal selection ofChristmas gifts. Well wortha visit, with a surprise visitfrom Santa and friends.

Thursday, 20th December‘While ShepherdsWatched’ ChristmasConcert 2012 at 8pm in theDominican Church. This 20th anniversary con-

cert is presented by theAthy Musical and DramaticSociety and is a must visit.Facebook: athymusicaland-dramaticsociety Telephone:085 757 4347

‘Shop Local’ Draw 2012tonight - Make sure youhave your ticket in to win.Closing date: 12noon onThursday, 20th December.

30 chances to win!Thursday, 27th December

Jack L's new tribute show‘The 27 Club’ at 8pm in theClanard Court- tribute tosome of music's legends.

The 27 CLUB is the namegiven to the remarkablegroup of artists who passedaway at the age of 27.

It features the work ofIcons such as Janis Joplin,Jim Morrison, RobertJohnson, Jimi Hendrix,Kurt Cobain and AmyWinehouse to name but afew.

Christmas Treats for all in Athy

Santa'sMagicalTrail atTheClanardCourtHotel


David [email protected]

Athy, Leixlip, Naas andNewbridge town councilsare among the 80 towncouncils to be abolishedand replaced with new“municipal districts”,which will come into effectfor the local elections in2014.

The electoral boundariesare due to be re-drawnearly next year and it isexpected that the 114 town,city and county councilswill merge to create 31 newcouncils.

Following the proposedreforms there will be onecouncil in each of the 26counties, with the excep-tion of Dublin, which willhave one city council andthree county councils.Galway and Cork will eachhave one city council andone county council.

As a result of thesechanges an estimated 500council staff are to be maderedundant.

The government says thatthis measure will save€24m. Council staff have

already been reduced byalmost a quarter, or 8,500workers over the last 5years, resulting in savingsof €288m. The number of councillors

will also be reduced by677, from 1,627 presentlyserving, to 950 in 2014.Once the electoral map ofeach county is re-drawnthere will be between 18and 40 councillors servingin each authority, or 1 coun-cillor for every 5,000 peo-ple.

The proposals released byMinister for theEnvironment, Phil Hogan,entitled 'Putting PeopleFirst' also contain plans forthe funding of local author-ities through the controver-sial property tax, withstrengthened audit commit-tees.

Local authorities will beresponsible for the propertytax and the amount that willbe levied in each district. The Minister also said that

the government is commit-ted to the principle that the

money from the tax will bering-fenced for use by localauthorities. The reforms arealso supposed to make eachnew town council moreaccountable and efficient,although some observersclaim that it is just anotherin a long line of cost-cut-ting measures by the gov-ernment.

Responding to an enquiryfrom the Echo regardingthe closure of Leixlip towncouncil, local Labour coun-cillor, Kevin Byrne,expressed his views. “Iwould deeply regret theclosure of the TownCouncil.

However the other townshad no specific representa-tion and it would not be

practical to have 6 towncouncils in North Kildare.

The new municipal coun-cils will have budgets andthe powers therein will bewith the councillors and notun-elected officials.

While the town councilwill be a huge loss the newscheme will give Leixlip abetter deal”.

However, this view is notexpressed by all councillorsincluding Cllr Byrne'sLabour colleague andMayor of Athlone, JimHenson, who said that whatwas being introduced was aEuropean model system ofrepresentation that wouldbring elected representa-tives even further awayfrom the people.

Four Town Councils InKildare To Be Scrapped

[email protected]

Court House Must BeRetained In Kilcock Following a decision by the Courts Service to review allCourt venues which resulted in a recommendation to closeKilcock Court House, Deputy Emmet Stagg has made asubmission to the Courts Service calling for the retentionof the Court House in Kilcock. In his submission Deputy Stagg outlined the long battle to

secure a 24 hour Garda Station in North Kildare located inLeixlip which had led to the creation of a Sub-Divisionwithin the new Kildare Garda Division.

Deputy Stagg stated that it was essential that a CourtHouse be retained within that Sub-Division for the effec-tive operation of the Law in the North Kildare area.Effective enforcement of the Law needed to be seen to bedone and transferring the District Court to Naas or perhapsTrim in Co. Meath would be counterproductive in terms ofpublic perception.

Deputy Stagg further stated that scarce Garda resourceswould be lost should Kilcock Court House be closed. Ifcase’s were transferred to Naas or Trim, local Gardai giv-ing evidence would have further to travel taking them fromtheir duties in the Towns in North Kildare.

Garda resources are already stretched and such a movewould exacerbate the problem. A further difficulty identi-fied by Deputy Stagg was the fact that Kilcock is served byPublic Transport whilst there is no direct link betweenNorth Kildare and Naas. This affects not only those appearing before the courts but

also witnesses. Effectively people would have to travel intoDublin and then out to Naas if Kilcock was to close. In hissubmission Deputy Stagg also stated that KilcockCourthouse was not in an ideal condition and that withsome improvements it could continue to operate effectivelyas the District Court for North Kildare.


Newbridge Chamber isreminding everyone inthe locality to wrap upNewbridge’s bicentenaryyear at home!

Following a busy 2012for the town, the annualChristmas spend is vitalfor a buoyant economy,to keep jobs and facilitiesin the area.

The innovativeNewbridge 200 pro-gramme rolled out dur-ing the Festival inSeptember showed howproductive it can bewhen all sectors of thecommunity come togeth-er.

It also illustrated thespirit of volunteerism tobe alive and well in thelocality!

Keeping that beatingheart at the centre of thetown is top of theChristmas wish list forNewbridge Chamber.President ConMcNamara commented”It’s now possible to

complete your Christmaslist quickly and econom-ically right here on yourdoorstep.

Shopping in Newbridgewill spread seasonalgoodwill to local retail-ers and their employeesand contribute to keep-ing Newbridge a vibrantplace in which to liveand work.“

He added “We are alsofortunate in having won-derful artists & crafts-people in Newbridgeand throughout Co.Kildare.

Look to our own andfind unique presents forthose on your list. Let’swrap up 2012 and cele-brate our 200thChristmas with a bang!”Then he got his plug in –“Don’t forget to buyyour Newbridge 200 cal-endar from any of thelocal outlets throughoutthe town – great idea forChristmas presents &stocking fillers (€10) for

those home or abroad!”Con launched this

year’s seasonal ShopLocal campaignat Riverbank ArtsCentre, ably assisted bythe Centre’s HazelWilliams. Hazel wasvery excited about thecoming month’s pro-gramme!

She explained“Riverbank Arts Centre

Celebrate Newbridge’s 200thChristmas By Shopping Locally

IDEAL CHRISTMAS GIFTNEWBRIDGE 200 CALENDARS ON SALE NOW!

This nostalgic calendar was inspired by the Newbridge History Group after years of sourcing old photographs that chronicle the development of early Newbridge life. Helped by Newbridge 200, they produced this unique calendar containing rarely seen images, the only difficulty was choosing the final 16 photos!

Price €10, it is the perfect gift for anyone with Newbridge ancestry or an interest in Newbridge, at home or abroad.

The calendars are available from: Newbridge Chamber (The Avenue, Whitewater S.C.)Newbridge Silverware, Farrell & Nephew, McLoughlin’s, Yvonne’s, Eason’s, The Hallmark Shop, The Parish Centre & Riverbank Arts Centre.

Newbridge 200our past, our future

DINEWBRIDEAL CHR

E 200 CALEGSTMAS GIIDEAL CHR

DARS ONE 200 CALEISTMAS G

OW!N SALE NFT

OW!

only difficulty was choosing the final 16 photos! unique calendar containing rarely seen images, the life. Helped by Newbridge 200, they produced this that chronicle the development of early Newbridge History Group after years of sourcing old photographs This nostalgic calendar was inspired by the Newbridge




Newbridge Silverware, Farrell & NephewNewbridge Chamber (The AThe calendars ar

at home or abroad. Newbridge ancestry or an interest in Newbridge, Price €10

Newbridge Silverware, Farrell & NephewNewbridge Chamber (The A

e available frThe calendars ar

at home or abroad. Newbridge ancestry or an interest in Newbridge,

, it is the perfect gift for anyone with Price €10

only difficulty was choosing the final 16 photos!

Newbridge Silverware, Farrell & Nephewvenue, Whitewater S.C.)Newbridge Chamber (The A

om: e available fr

Newbridge ancestry or an interest in Newbridge, , it is the perfect gift for anyone with


, Newbridge Silverware, Farrell & Nephewvenue, Whitewater S.C.)

Newbridge ancestry or an interest in Newbridge, , it is the perfect gift for anyone with


The Parish Centre & Riverbank Arts Centre.McLoughlin’The Parish Centre & Riverbank Arts Centre.

vonne’s, YMcLoughlin’

our past, our futureNewbridge 20

The Parish Centre & Riverbank Arts Centre.s, The Hallmark Shop, s, Eason’vonne’

our past, our future0Newbridge 20

The Parish Centre & Riverbank Arts Centre.s, The Hallmark Shop,

is creating a winter won-derland this Christmas,with Maeve Clancy’sexhibition ‘HiddenPlaces’.

In a novel move forNewbridge, TheNutcracker will be show-ing live from Russia onSunday Dec. 16th, whileO’Brien’s off licencewill be providing a warm

drink to those who attendthe classic Aida (Verdi)screening live from TheMet, New York onSaturday Dec. 15th.

Bringing us backfrom New York & Russiato Newbridge with abang, Con remindedshoppers "Every centspent in Newbridge thisyear socialising or buy-

ing Christmas presentswill help support localemployers to remain inbusiness, and so in turnpay their staff and sup-pliers, while contributingto the tax and rates intakefor the area. It brings itall back home.”


Arts & Entertainment

Kilcock Musical &Dramatic SocietyAuditionsKilcock Musical & Dramatic Society (KMDS) announceAuditions for their forthcoming musical, Mack & Mabel.KMDS will stage the musical 'Mack & Mabel' fromWednesday 1st to Sunday 5th May 2013, in St. JosephsHall, Kilcock.

Auditions: Auditions will be held on Monday 10th andWednesday 12th December, 2012, in Scoil Dara, Kilcock.You can view the character pieces and download theAudition Form from the society website at www.kil-cockms.com (Mack & Mabel link) or through theirFacebook group page (see the auditions event).

Please register your interest in Auditioning by returningthe audition form to [email protected]. Specificaudition pieces will then be emailed. Audition times willalso be confirmed based on interest.

The Story: It is 1920’s Hollywood. A time when movieswere silent and cinema was magic. Mack Sennett, “King ofComedy” and creator of The Keystone Kops, discoversMabel Normand, a waitress from Brooklyn, casts her in histwo-reelers and turns her into a star.

So began one of Hollywood’s most tempestuous andheart-wrenching love stories. But life isn’t like the movies- ambition, dalliance and the impending but inevitablethreat of change put unbearable pressure on their relation-ship. Romance turns to jealousy as stardom invites scandaland heartbreak.

With a spectacular, soaring score including “Look WhatHappened To Mabel”, “I Won’t Send Roses” and “TimeHeals Everything” Mack & Mabel is a beautiful, touchingand ultimately heart-breaking story of two of Hollywood’sgreatest icons.

Production Team: Director: Philippa Alford, MusicalDirector: David McGauran, Choreographer: Julie DonnellyTake a magical step back in time with KMDS and jointhem for this exciting musical production for 2013.

David [email protected]

James lawless is a novelist,short story writer and poet.

Born in Dublin, he nowdivides his time betweenCo Kildare and West Cork.Having graduated fromDublin City Universitywith a Masters degree inCommunications, Jamesspent years as a teacher anda lecturer and also volun-teered for some time withthe Simon community, anexperience which he saysinforms the social concernsin his work.

He now writes full-timeand has a number of awardsincluding the ScintillaWelsh Open Poetry compe-tition and the Cecil DayLewis Play Award.

He recently released hisforth novel, FindingPenelope, published byIndigo dreams.

His latest offering, apartfrom casting a wry glanceat the phenomenon of chick

lit and treating of the role ofpatriarchy in a family, thenovel is essentially a lovestory marking a growth inself-realisation in the pro-tagonist Penelope Eames.

It delves into the drugsculture and its associatedcriminality in Spain (wherea lot of Celtic Tiger moneywound up laundered),Ireland and the UK.

The prompt for the novelwas from Cervantes and amotif may be interpreted asa sort of modern day paral-lel of Don Quijote's attackon the proliferation ofromance novels of thattime.

For this novel, Lawlesspicked the brains of womenin his acquaintance, includ-ing his two adult daughters.

He also researched con-temporary women writersand books likeEverywoman and re-readwith new female (or atleast, he claims, androgy-nous eyes) his “well-thumbed de Beauvoir, Anna

Karenina and Portrait of aLady”.

Simultaneously, he wasstudying the crime cultureon the Costa.

The result was the charac-ter Penelope Eames, a thir-ty three year old romancenovelist who moves toSpain to avoid her oppres-sive father and drug-addict-ed brother, Dermot. When she meets Ramón, a

young Spanish schoolteacher, she is immediatelyattracted to him and feelsthe happiness that eludedher all her life may at lastbe hers.

However, she receives adistress call from Dermotsaying he is at the mercy ofCharlie Eliot, a pimp anddrug dealer on the Costa.Ramón, whose mother waskilled by a drug addict, tellsher to have nothing to dowith Charlie Eliot.

Penelope must decide: isshe prepared to compro-mise herself with CharlieEliot and jeopardise her

chance of happiness withRamón for the sake of herdrug addicted brother?

To find out more about theauthor visit his website atjameslawless.net.

Exciting New NovelFrom Kildare Writer

ONE DIRECTION

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Arts & Entertainment

Legends of Irish music &song The FUREYS &DAVEY ARTHUR maketheir 5th concert appear-ance at The Moat Theatre,Naas on Saturday 29thDecember.

Renowned for their hitsongs I will love you, Whenyou were Sweet 16, TheGreen Fields of France,The Old Man, Red Rose

Cafe, From Clare to Here,‘Her Father didn’t like meAnyway, Leaving Nancy,Steal away etc,The Fureys& Davey Arthur have beenentertaining audiencesworldwide for 34 years.

They are responsible forsome of the most stirringmusic ever to capture thepublic imagination. Theirfolk / middle of the road

based songs and music hasreceived standing ovationsin some of the biggest con-cert halls in the world.Their emotive songs stirmany emotions….tears andlaughter, sadness and joy.A Fureys concert is alwaysa night to remember.

See moattheatre.com formore details.

The Fureys &Davey Arthur AtThe Moat Naas

The community ofMilltown is looking for-ward to seeing acclaimedfemale group ‘HighlyStrung’ join forces withthe local children’s choirin a concert entitled‘Winter Songs’ at 8p.m.on Friday 14th Decembernext.

Those who remembertheir last collaboration on asnowy night in 2010 will berushing back to MilltownChurch to hear more of themagic created that night.

The programme willinclude lots of festivefavourites – and the oddtwist as Highly Strung arewell known to add!

The concert is being heldin aid of two local organisa-tions, Jumping Jelly Beans(5 Kildare clubs for chil-dren with special needs)and Milltown Foroige(youth club).

The common thread thatlinks the two sets of per-formers is Mary Keenan,

who doubles up as theharpist with Highly Strungand is also the children’schoir leader which sings at9.30a.m. Milltown SundayMass every week.

Together they make apotent mix! Tickets are onsale from David’s Shop,Milltown or from RoisinMalone on 085 126 4811,priced €10 (or €5 conces-sions).

Tea, coffee (and rumoursof other hot beverages) willbe served at the interval innearby Scoil Bhride.

Doors open at 7.30p.m. sopatrons are advised to get inearly for the best seats!

With magnificentacoustics in the old Church,all those in attendance aresure to have a fabulous fes-tive evening while knowingthey are helping two greatlocal groups to thrive.

A Wonderful Winter’sTale for Milltown


Celine Byrne AtThe Riverbank

'World-renowned soprano Celine Byrne, who earlier thisyear made her Covent Garden début, returns to theRiverbank Arts Centre on December 21st.

'A Classical Christmas with Celine Byrne and Guests' willfeature familiar songs from the world of opera in additionto well known Christmas carols and songs such as 'O HolyNight' and 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.'

Fri 21st Dec / Sat 22nd Dec 8pm. €22/€20


Garden Angel

When using salt to deice paths and

patios, be careful that the runoff

doesn't go into your prized plants,

as it will kill them. Use as little as

possible and brush the salty sludge

away to a safe place.

Don’t water your indoor

plants too much as they

are resting now and may

become waterlogged

which could cause their

roots to rot and kill the

plant.

WILDLIFE CORNER

Irish Peatland Conservation Council30 years saving bogs and wildlife 1982-2012

This Christmas, think about Irish wildlife.

Why not support the work of the IPCC by

purchasing your cards, calendars for 2013

or good natured gifts from the IPCC.

Order today through their secure Paypal

account on line at

http://www.ipcc.ie/nature-shop/

Bog of Allen Nature Centre

Lullymore

Rathangan

Co. Kildare

Ireland

Tel: +353 (0)45 860 133

E-mail: [email protected]

www.ipcc.ie

I’d like to wish every-one a very HappyChristmas. Stay safeand warm and I’ll lookforward to sharingsome Hints and Tipswith you in the NewYear for your garden.And don’t forget tofeed the birds as theyare predicting a verycold winter this year!

TIPKeep a bag of Rock Salt handy near your front and/or back doors alongwith a trowel, so you can sprinkle it on your step before you step outonto it. That way you won’t get caught out on frosty mornings as youventure out.

If you have elderly neighbours or relatives this is a thoughtful gesture todo for them as they may find it heavy to carry from the shops. Reducingthe risk of slipping or falling proves that prevention really is the bestmedicine!

Don’t forget to take your forced Hyacinths out of their cool dark place andput them on your kitchen window sill. They will ” green up ”as the light getsthe chlorophyll going and reward you with fragrant blossoms of pink, blueor white.

When raking up fallenleaves in Autumn put theminto black plastic bags,poke a few holes in themand tuck them away out ofsight behind the shedwhere you can forget aboutthem over the winter.

In the Spring they willhave changed into Leafmold, a crumbly brownearthy material whichmakes an excellent Mulch(a ground cover whichretains moisture, killsweeds, and adds food tothe soil) around your treesand shrubs.

Helleborus niger orChristmas Rose is oneof the few plantswhich are in bloom atthis time of the year.


Echo Photo Gallery

Tina Gibbons of Urban Decay with her class at Debenhams, Whitewater ShoppingCentre, Newbridge. Photo:Michael Donnelly.

Pictured at Newbridge Chamber's 'Coping with Work-place Stress & Bullying' seminar lastweek were Sean Dunne, Catherine O'Reilly, Tony Kerins (speaker - Peninsula BusinessServices), Sinead Whitely, John Leddy & Corinna Hopkins. The evening successfully de-stressed attendees with regard to the Dos and Don'ts of Employment Law and lots of otherrelevant free advice.

Fidelma O'Neill, Winnie O'Neill and Christine O'Neill fromCarbury at the Urban Decay Gala Masterclass at Debenhams,Whitewater. Photo:Michael Donnelly.

Kildare Credit Union Limited Art Competition 'CelebrateCommunity Colour'; 8 to 10 years 2nd place winner LaurenFoley (Scoil Bhride Naofa). Photo:Michael Donnelly.

Danielle Fletcher and and Aoife Dunne fromNewbridge at the Urban Decay Gala Masterclass atDebenhams.Photo:Michael Donnelly

Cathy Hall and Bridget Delaney from Monasterevin.at Urban Decay Gala Masterclass at Debenhams inthe Whitewater Shopping Centre.Photo:Michael Donnelly.

Kildare Credit Union Limited Art Competition 8 to 10years joint 3rd place winners Jack Kelly-Murphy (ScoilNa Mainstreach) and Raygina Thompson (Scoil BhrideNaofa). Photo:Michael Donnelly.


North Kildare Chamberhas called for a minimumof a 10% rate reduction inCommercial rates for allBusinesses in Kildare. They have stated that rates

are a consistent burden forbusiness and the cost ofcommercial rates needs tobe cut in the forthcomingcouncil budgets for 2013.

Some members have saidthat they already faceincreased costs in waterrates and refuse chargesand that they simply cannotafford to pay the rates attheir existing levels.

Many businesses are cut-ting costs across the boardto survive, several by over40% but areas which areoutside their control, suchas commercial rates, con-tinue to crucify businessesin every sector, and stuntgrowth and job creation.The Chamber are demand-

ing that Kildare CountyCouncil must now cut theirown budgets to meet their

means for 2013 and deliveron a rate reduction of aminimum of 10% for busi-ness.

This, they say, will helpbolster businesses for 2013and would help aid compet-itiveness for inward invest-ment into the county in theforthcoming year.

Eilis Quinlan, Chamberpresident said, ”TheChamber is in constant con-tact with its members andbusinesses throughout thecounty.

We have seen reallyencouraging developmentswith new and existingenterprises this year, butconstantly we hear onemain problem from busi-ness owners – Rates!.

Kildare County Councilurgently needs to find a10% reduction in theirbudget for 2013 and pass itdirectly on to business. This will lead to maintain-

ing businesses and ulti-mately jobs in the forth-

coming year. A minimumof a 10% rate reduction willbe a very attractive offerwhen businesses look atKildare as a potential placeto set up.Areas where cost cutting is

out of the owners control,such as commercial rates,water and fuel charges,waste costs, are all detri-mental to the survival of abusiness, and to remaincompetitive and to competewith increased online tradeour rates simply need to belowered”, Quinlan conclud-ed.Commercial rates seem to

be a big issue nationally.Last week a Cork cheese-maker stated he is shuttingup shop after 15 years.

Owner Frank Shinnicksaid he is opposed to pay-ing rates on principal as thelocal authority do not pro-vide him with water, efflu-ent treatment, road mainte-nance, a footpath, or streetlighting.

Business

Businesses Call For UrgentReduction In Commercial Rates

Businesses are stuggeling to survive while trying to meet the everincreasing burden of commercial rates

Planning Your Advertising BudgetFor 2013 ?

Talk To Us First...........

t: (046) 955 2467e: [email protected]

www.Kildare Echo.com


BusinessKildare Echo December 2012 21

North Kildare Chamberwith the support of NaasTown Council are delightedto announce that a market-ing fund is now availablefor Naas Town, and thisproject has recently goneout to tender. The Chamber and Council

have jointly agreed to seekexpressions of interest fromexperienced marketing pro-fessionals to develop a planfor Naas.

The primary focus of thisplan is to identify a list ofachievable actions takingcognisance of all aspects oflife in the town of Naas, soas to increase visitation,spur economic develop-ment, improve shoppingexperience, offer a sense ofplace/community andenhance business success.

This marketing/brandingexercise will aim to raisethe local, regional, nationaland international profile ofthe town of Naas, so as toboost the local economywith increasing visitor foot-fall, and help make localbusinesses more sustain-able while enhancing the

internal social cohesion ofthe community in theprocess.The Chamber and Council

wish the exercise to identi-fy the key characteristicsand strengths of the townsuch as our market townheritage, our tourist, ourhigh street fashion , and toultimately create and devel-op a marketing/brand planfor Naas.

This process will alsoidentify and develop an on-line and social media mar-keting solutions.

The fund is accessed fromthe Innovation andBusiness Fund which theCouncil approved nearly 12

Marketing PlanFor Naas Town

Acknowledging the ongo-ing fiscal challenges facingGovernment as we enteredour sixth austerity Budget,North Kildare Chamberaccepted some tough deci-sions regardingGovernment expenditurewere unavoidable butexpressed disappointmentthat more was not done toincentivise and support fur-ther business growth,essential to stimulating jobcreation.

Assessing the overallimpact of the budget, NorthKildare Chamber EilisQuinlan stated “positively,we acknowledge the focusthat Government has placedon the vital role of SMEs inthe economy, the reinforce-ment of its commitment tothe 12.5% corporation taxrate, the absence of anyincreases to employer’sPRSI and that the muchfeared transfer of sick paycosts to employers did notmaterialise.

In addition, the R&D tax

credit expansion, fuelrebate for hauliers, seedand venture capital scheme,measures to improve liq-uidity as well as efforts toreduce bureaucracy impact-ing on SMEs are wel-come.”

However, the presidentcontinued “when it comesto introducing new initia-tives and incentives to sup-port business growth, themeasures withinGovernment’s ‘ten pointplan’ which specifically tar-gets SMEs falls far short ofthe scale of initiative andinnovation required to trulygrow the level of businessactivity that Ireland nowneeds.

This is compounded fur-ther by concerns around theimpact of wider budgetmeasures which will impacton consumer confidenceand purchasing power,resulting in continuingchallenges for particularaspects of the economy,most notably the struggling

New Initiatives Needed ToSupport Businesses

months ago and whichreceived councilor’sapproval this month.

Eilis Quinlan, NorthKildare Chamber Presidentsaid “At long last we arenow in a position to helpthe rate payers in Naas, byusing this fund to help busi-nesses prosper in the town.

The Chamber over thepast year has worked tire-lessly to obtain councilapproval to access thisfund, and we hope thatonce this marketing plan iscompleted, we will contin-ue to support projects thatwish to access the remain-der of the fund”.

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Enterprise SupportFrom Bord na Móna Bord na Móna has confirmed its commitment to the spon-sorship of an entrepreneur coaching programme targeted athighly motivated professionals who have unfortunately,recently become unemployed. The Enterprise Evolution Programme (EEP), which offers

these professionals the opportunity to develop their ownbusiness ideas into a viable commercial success, is jointlydelivered by IT Tallaght, Dun Laoghaire Institute of ArtDesign and Technology and Innovative Training andDevelopment, with the support of Bord na MónaAs part of their sponsorship of the EEP programme, Bord

na Móna award a prize to the most innovative business ideapresented by the students of the course. The winning busi-ness idea is then given start up funding from Bord na Mónato help turn their business concept into a viable reality. Inaddition, the winner is given access to vital technical andmarketing advice from experienced executives in thegroup.

Business Loans BeingRefusedMORE than half of all loans to small businesses are beingrefused – and the situation is getting worse. That is the ver-dict of the latest report into lending by industry lobbygroup ISME.

According to its latest 'Quarterly Bank Watch Survey',some 53pc of credit applications from small and mediumenterprises (SMEs) were refused in the three months to thestart of December, up from 49pc in September.

According to ISME, around 39pc of firms are seekingcredit, which is broadly in line with other reports on theindustry.

retail and hospitality sec-tor.” With the implementa-tion of the property tax nowplanned for mid 2013, EilisQuinlan re-echoed theChamber’s “acceptance ofthe need to broaden the taxbase to support local gov-ernment in delivering serv-ices in order to reduce thedisproportionate relianceon business funding forthese essential services.

All income generatedthrough a property tax,should be retained and re-invested within the localauthority in which it is gen-erated. A failure to do sowould represent a ‘doublehit’ for local citizens and

businesses who pay a taxwithout realising the bene-fits of it locally.”

The president concluded,“I very much welcome theGovernment’s recognitionof the need to stimulate pri-vate sector regeneration inour cities and the acknowl-edgement of the require-ment to support the devel-opment of high qualityoffice accommodation tomeet continually expandingFDI and indigenous indus-try needs.”


FRIDAY 07 DECEMBER 2012 LAOIS PRESS 23

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Motoring


Motoring

Renowned Kildare motordealers, Fitzpatrick GarageGroup, have been appoint-ed as authorised main deal-ers for the Mercedes-Benzrange of passenger cars.

The appointment, whichhas immediate effect, willsee Fitzpatrick begin opera-tion as main retail sales andafter-sales service dealersfor the luxury German car-maker. The business will be based

in new showrooms dedicat-ed to Mercedes-Benz locat-ed adjacent to their existingpremises at Dublin Road inKildare Town.

Established in 1951, theFitzpatrick Garage Grouphas grown to become oneof the largest and most suc-cessful motor retailingorganisations in Irelandwith dealerships situated inKildare, Naas, Carlow andTullamore.

Founded by JimmyFitzpatrick, the group isnow managed by hisnephew, managing directorAndy Fitzpatrick.

In becoming main dealersfor Mercedes-Benz, theappointment rekindles arelationship that existedbetween the two organisa-tions at a very early point inthe Fitzpatrick GarageGroup’s history as motordealers in Kildare when,along with a selection ofother brands, the companyhad the distinction of repre-senting the luxury carmaker.

In rejoining the Mercedes-Benz fold, the Kildare deal-ership takes on the fran-chise at a time that manymight argue is the mostexciting in the Stuttgartmanufacturer’s 126 yearshistory.

Evidence of this can befound in the success thatcars with the three-pointedstar are achieving in mar-kets, here and across theworld, and in the increasingnumber and pace at whichnew models are being intro-duced.Latest model introductions

that will feature strongly inthe dealership’s plans for2013 will be the much-pub-licised and eagerly awaitednew A-Class – a modeldesigned for what might betermed ‘the iPad genera-tion’ which Mercedes-Benzbelieves will help themaccess a new, younger gen-eration of motorists.

Another newcomer onFitzpatrick’s forecourt willbe the glamorous and ele-gant CLS Shooting Brake –a model that brings estatecar capacity and features totheir already iconic CLSCoupé – and their impres-sive new diesel-powered E-Class Hybrid.

To underline the signifi-cance of their appointmentand the role whichFitzpatricks hope to play inthe future success ofMercedes-Benz in Ireland,their managing directorAndy Fitzpatrick said that

‘joining the Mercedes-Benz network gives us thefeeling of coming homeagain to a franchise that wewere proud to representduring the first 25 years of

our history. Responding,Mercedes-Benz chief exec-utive in Ireland, StephenByrne said that ‘thanks toour rapidly expandingmodel range, Mercedes-

Benz has ambitious growthplans that we are confidentthe appointment ofFitzpatrick Garage Group,with their presence in thehighly populated and

affluent Kildare area, willhelp us to achieve.’

Kildare’s Fitzpatrick Garage GroupAppointed Mercedes-Benz Main Dealers

Pictured with the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sport at the signing of their dealer agreement were(left to right) Stephen Byrne, chief Executive, Mercedes-Benz in Ireland; Sean Lyons, chief executive,Fitzpatrick Garage Group; Andy Fitzpatrick, managing director, Fitzpatrick Garage Group and CiaranAllen, sales manager Mercedes-Benz passenger cars.

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Carmel’s Kitchen

PUFF PASTRY MINCE PIES

While there are lots of shortbread Mince Pies in the shops (Luxury, DeepFilled, Mini, to name a few) Puff Pastry ones are in short supply unlessyou are near a bakery and then they tend to be more expensive than theshortbread ones and only have a tiny amount of Mincemeat in them. Mysolution is to make your own!This is a lot easier than it sounds.....

Purchase 2 packs of premade Puff Pastry from your supermarket fridge.Prices vary from 1.29 to .95 (275g Belbake brand) so do shop around.I’ve used both and they seemed exactly the same! You will also need alarge jar of Mince Meat ( I used an 822g Belbake brand for 1.99).Following directions on the package I allowed the pastry to get to roomtemp. and then unrolled them flat onto the counter.

Each came with its own sheet of greaseproof paper which made it veryconvenient and mess free!Using an egg wash or some milk or plain waterpaint a grid of 12 squares on one of the sheets of pastry. Cut the other into12 squares. Spoon the Mincemeat onto the middle of each uncut squaregrid. Slightly stretch each cut square and place on top of the Mincemeatand seal the edges down onto the damp bottom pastry. Cut through bot-tom layer so you end up with 12 little square parcels. Paint over witheither milk or egg wash (this makes the tops shiny after they are baked)and poke a few holes into the top with a fork to let steam escape. I put 4into the oven to bake following times and Temps. on packet depending onyour oven. I put remaining 8 into the freezer for future use (uncooked) layered with

the greaseproof paper so they wouldn’t stick together. Well, they turned out absolutly delicious! One was plenty for a serving

with whipped cream or custard as they puffed up quite big and there waslots of filling (I used the full jar which was quite a lot). So for less than 4euro (and very little mess) I ended up with 12 large Mince pies. I willdefrost them in the fridge before I bake the rest of the frozen ones.

FOOD FOR FREE

Bogs in the Kitchen: Festive Recipes with Wild Cranberries from the

Bog. At this time of year we are thinking of Christmas and what better

way to enjoy your turkey dinner than by adding a spoonful of home-

made cranberry sauce. Or how about welcoming family and friends

with a real treat of cranberry muffins and cranberry shortbread.

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council want you to get cooking this

Christmas and enjoy the festive cranberries from the bog. You can

download recipes for making cranberry sauce, muffins and shortbread

from IPCC’s website at www.ipcc.ie or contact the IPCC at the Bog of

Allen Nature Centre on 045-860133 and they would be happy to send

you the cranberry recipes by post.

With Christmas just around the corner there are lots of goodies in the

shops at the moment. I think that there is also a bit of competition this

year between them too which is good for us as there are some great

bargains to be had! So shop around and happy hunting! I hope you

all have a lovely happy peaceful Christmas and that Santa is very

good to you too!

Carmel.

TIPSIf you are on a budget and trying to get the most value for your money, alwayslook at the price per kilo or kg. Sometimes the price shown for an item of foodmight seem less expensive when compared to a similar item in another shopbut check the weight and the easiest way to do this is by looking at the smallprinted price per kg.This will clearly show how much you are actually pay-ing and by law they must show it.

Look at their Weekly Specials leaflet to get the best deal possible and planyour weekly menu ahead based on whatever specials they are offering. Do thisin the comfort of your home where you won’t be tempted by impulse buying.Write out a list, and save your shoe leather, time and energy by planning. Don’t be afraid to buy extra if there is a really good deal and freeze it to usethe following week when it has gone back to its usual price.

Also, if you have a choice of buying (for example) a stuffed chicken or anunstuffed one you will find that the stuffed one is either much more expensiveper kg. than the unstuffed one and/or it is much smaller, so you are gettingmuch less meat for your money. Bread is cheap so save your stale bread in thefreezer and make your own stuffing. And whenever its possible, try to shopfor your meat at your local Butchers. Not only will you get better quality andservice but you will be supporting the local economy and jobs!Most goodButchers have great Weekly Specials too!


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Kids Puzzle


EchoSports

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www.KildareEcho.com

On a cold, wet Decemberafternoon Monasterevanand O’Connell’s of Louthline out to decide who willbe kings of Leinster.O’Connell’s take posses-sion from the throw in,make a run through theMonasterevan defence toget a shot off but put itwide.

From the kick outMonasterevan producesome good link up play byShane O’Loughlin andJimmy Gorry who ispushed in the back andawarded a free taken byWayne Fitzpatrick but goesnarrowly wide.

Soon after O’Connell’swith a shot from distanceand threaten for a goal,only for the safe hands ofMonasterevan’s keeperColin McCabe who clearsout to safety, and allowsMonasterevan to push for-ward through MarkCornish, Lenny Havens andChristy Dempsey.

Wayne Fitzpatrick is cyni-cally brought down, origi-nally building a run fromShane O’Loughlin, EoinStapleton, to earnO’Connell’s Salem Rifaie ayellow card. Monasterevanare the dominant force inthe first half patientlybuilding up and progressingthrough phases but eitherteam cannot seem to con-vert their chances to scoresin these mucky conditions.

O’Connell’s create oppor-tunities as well but thedogged work ofMonasterevan’s full backline Tristan Kennedy, JohnDempsey and DavidMaher, keep Monasterevanwith a clean sheet.

Just before the end of thefirst half Jimmy Gorry isbrought down and awardeda free that is converted byWayne Fitzpatrick to regis-ter the first score of thegame leaving the score atthe end of the first half:Monasterevan 0-1

O’Connell’s 0-0. From thestart of the second halfO’Connell’s show their gritand experience at this level,Monasterevan are playingthe better football butO’Connell’s are moredogged and with a poorfirst half make strides toregister some scores and doso with a converted freefrom their number 11 PaulMcKeever.

O’Connell’s dominate theopening period of the sec-ond half and creep aheadwith another converted freefrom Paul Mckeever.

Monasterevan counterfrom the kick out andAnthony Kavanagh has ashot on goal but is gatheredup by O’Connell’s cornerback Jason Carroll.Monasterevan’s CormacBrady comes on for GaryKelly.

Monasterevan badly needto get a score and with 8minutes of normal time leftAnthony Kavanagh easessome of the pressure with afine point from play.Shortly after, WayneFitzpatrick cleverly passesa free kick to LennyHavens who slots the ballover the bar under immensepressure to level the game.Monasterevan’s GavinHolligan replaces GaryKelly.

From here on inMonasterevan’s defenceplays a vital role in keepingout O’Connell’s attempts toedge forward. In the dying minutes of the

game Monasterevan areawarded a free and this jobis left to Wayne Fitzpatrickwho coolly slots the ballover the bar to seal victoryfor Monasterevan makingthem Intermediate LeinsterChampions.

Final score:Monasterevan 0-4O’Connell’s 0-3

Monasterevan Team:

1. Colin McCabe, 2. TristanKennedy, 3. John Dempsey,17. David Maher, 5. PaulKelly, 6. Mark Cornish, 7.James Gorry, 8.LeonardHavens, 9. Eoin Stapleton,10. Shane O’Loughlin, 11.Anthony Kavanagh, 12.Cormac Brady, 13. MarkKelly, 14. Gavin Holligan,15 Garry Kelly, 16. MartinConnolly, Aaron BannonWhelan, 18. Kevin Dunne,19. Shane Molloy, 20.David Connolly, 21. WayneFreeman, 22. ShaneKevins, 23. Darren Siney,24. Wayne Fitzpatrick, 25.Christy Dempsey.Management Team: Team Manager: PaschalKeelaghan, Selectors:Dennis Lawless, LazMolloy, Kitman: PaddyHavens Stats: StephenMcLoughlin

Report by: Shay Moran

Monasterevan Are IntermediateLeinster Champions


Ireland champions Donegalon Sunday, February 3rdand the March 10th meet-ing with Dublin are bothgoing to take place inDublin 3 as part of theSpring Series.

According to the report,intense negotiations havetaken place and an offerthat's too good to refuse has

Kildare are set to give uphome advantage for twohigh-profile league clash-es.

While the County Boardhas been adamant that allthe Lilywhites' homematches will be played atNewbridge, the LeinsterLeader is reporting thattheir opener against All-

been put to Kildare. Thisoffer - understood to bein the region of €60,000to €70,000 - will allowKildare County Board toupgrade St Conleth'sPark, which will still hostthe Lilywhites' other two2013 home league gamesagainst Tyrone andKerry.

Kildare to face Dublin andDonegal in Croke Park

Attention All Club PRO’s:The Kildare Echo are expanding our sports pages in the new year andwant to hear from you !! If your club is involved in boxing, judo,showjumping, golf or any other sport, send us your news and photo’s.We are a MONTHLY paper and want to know more about YOUR clubthan just the usual scores or results. Has your club got a story to tell??

Send to:

[email protected]


Sports Photo Gallery

U21A Hurling Champion's Naas

Photo: Michael Anderson

St Laurences Mark Whelan gets his hurl bent from St Columba's Ruairi Lynch.


Sarsfields Robbie Confrey B-Kickhams Enda Dolan


Owen lenahan coill dubh grabs under pressure from

Alan O'tool maynooth.


St Laurenes Billy Kiernan & St Kevins Jack Kenny


Alex Carroll Allenwood Celtic v Prosperous Utd U15's



Sports

Newbridge St Brigid'sCommunity Gamesreceived a ninth LeinsterArea award for their levelof participation during2012 at a gala Banquet inCarlton Shearwater PlazaHotel in Ballinasloe.

Each year volunteers fromevery corner of Ireland arerewarded for their hardwork throughout the year atthe HSE CommunityGames Area, Volunteer andYouth Awards Event.

The awards are a celebra-tion of the excellent workand dedication of volun-teers from those areas with-in HSE Community Gamesthat have achieved highlevels of participation bychildren in a wide range ofsports and cultural activi-ties throughout the year.

The awards were intro-duced in 1993 andNewbridge St Brigid's haverepresented Kildare annual-ly since 2002.

Teresa Harrison and LarryDonohue were proud toaccept the 9th successiveprovincial title on behalf ofSt Brigid's.

Margaret Sexton (Nurney)was presented with the2012 Volunteer award inrecognition of her years ofvolunteerism on behalf ofCommunity Games at Area, County and National lev-els .

Margaret has beeninvolved in CommunityGames for over thirtyyears. Children through the years

remember Margaret as theSecurity Manager duringthe last three decades at theNational Finals in Mosneyand more recently inAthlone.

At county level she gave110% into whatever roleshe took on.

As Development Officershe gave fantastic supportto areas whether they werenew areas or areas beingregenerated and as GamesDirector she made sure theprogram of Events werecompleted on schedule.Congratulations Margaret!

Ninth Leinster Honour For NewbridgeSt Brigid's Community Games

Provincial Award winners Newbridge St Brigid's

Back: Anne Donohue, Mick Donoghue, Pauline Egan, Adrienne Donnelly, Front:Teresa Harrison, Larry Donohue, Rita Timmons,

Kildare Group at Award Ceremony

Back: Martin Carley, Mick Donoghue, Ann Donohue, Rita Timmons, Pauline Egan,Adrienne Donnelly, Marcella Switzer, Ber Philips, Laurence KeaneFront: DonalO'Connell, Jude Feehan (Company Secretary), Larry Donohue, Tony Lee(Director) Teresa Harrison, Margaret Sexton, Kathleen Cross

Margaret Sexton (Nurney) KildareCommunity Games Volunteer Award recipientat Arwards ceremony in Ballinasloe

Kildare Echo November 2012 2928 Kildare Echo December 2012

Sports

Ross Bergin Naas tackled by Coill Dubh's Ryan

Casey

Carbury U13 B Team

Photo: Pat Cully

Billy Maher Prosperous Utd V Edenderry U12's


St Kevins Tom Barron been tackled by St Laurences Robbie Loughman


Luke Anderson Prosperous Utd


Connor Kenny Celbridge


Great Year For Carbury

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www.mathewandson.ie

What a year it has been for Carbury GAA Club. Giventheir recent success, the future looks very bright for thisclub.

There is no doubt we will be seeing many of these up andcoming players within the ranks of Kildare’s Senior squadin the years to come.

What a year, and something to be proud of by the players,the mentors, their families, the club and the parish. Welldone one and all..........

Under 13 League 6 winners Under 13 League 1 winners Under 14 Runners up Under 15 League winners (Pictured above)Under 16 Championship winners Minor Championship Winners Under 21 Championship semi-finalists Senior Championship Runners up

and many other winners at the "non-competitive" U7 -U12 age groups...


Kilcullen Canoe ClubWith the dark nights closed in, there are limited on thewater training opportunities for the club. However upcom-ing events include: --Ladies circuit training – every Tuesday evening from7.30pm-Pool sessions – every Saturday from 2 to 3pm in theCurragh-AGM – 3rd December at 8pm in the clubhouse-Kid’s Christmas Party – Friday, 14th DecemberCongratulations to all Kilcullen Canoe Club paddlers who

competed in recent races. Podium placings include: -Tay Descent (27th October) – Rob Murphy, 3rd inWavehopper Wild Water Slalomfest (4th November) –Donnacha Farrell, 1st in boy’s u8; Joe Brown, 1st in boy’su12; Ciara Farrell, 1st in girl’s u14; Liam Brown, 1st inboy’s u16; Oisin Farrell, 3rd in boy’s junior squad WildWater Slalom (11th November) – Donnacha Farrell, 2nd innovice boy’s u8; Aaron Thorpe and Joe Brown, 1st and 2ndin novice boy’s u12; Liam brown, 1st in novice boy’s u16;Ciara Farrell, 2nd in women’s;

Kilcullen Slalom (18th November) – Donnacha Farrell,2nd in novice boys u9s; Aaron Thorpe, 1st in novice boysu11s; Joe Brown, 2nd in novice boys u12; Liam Brown andLee Smyth, 1st and 2nd in novice boys u15; AnthonyWhitely, 3rd in novice boys u17; Ciara Farrell, 1st in girlsu13; Oisin Farrell, 2nd in men’s u16; Cade Ryan and OisinFarrell, 2nd in men C2. For more information on Kilcullen Canoe Club, check out

www.kilcullencanoeclub.com, Facebook and Flickr(Kilcullen Canoe Club) or contact Maria Wilmot by email:[email protected].

Kilcullen Canoe Club would like to take this opportunityto thank our members, friends and our sponsors, FallonsBar and Restaurant, Kilcullen for all their support duringthe year. Kilcullen Canoe Club would also like to take thisopportunity to wish all our members, friends and our spon-sors, Fallons Bar and Restaurant, Kilcullen a MerryChristmas and a Happy New Year.

EchoSports

Former Wexford Boss RyanJoins Kildare Coaching Set-Up

Kildare’s New Online Business Directory

www.KildareEcho.com

Christmas Toy Appeal for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin

For some families Christmas can be a very difficult time, especially when they have a sick child in hospital. That’s why Radio Nova wants to help brighten up the lives of children in the care of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital during Christmas time.

Please make a donation to our Christmas Toy Appeal by dropping a new toy in to Radio Nova. For more information and alternative drop-off points, tune in or visit www.nova.ie/toyappeal.

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Former Wexford manager Jason Ryan is to take up the role of selector with theKildare footballers. Ryan spent five years in charge of the Slaneysiders, duringwhich time he guided the county to three Leinster final appearances, and anAll-Ireland semi-final date with Tyrone in 2008.

Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney has already seen the departure of Niall Carewand John Rafferty from his management team, with the former taking over inWaterford. The addition of Ryan to the Lilywhite ticket, one would suspect,would be looked on favourably within the county.

McGeeney is about to embark on a sixth year in charge, with last year's AllianzLeague Division 2 title the only silverware he has brought home. Kildare hassuffered narrow defeats in the latter stages of the Championship in recent years,and it will be interesting to see whether the arrival of Ryan can inspire them towin tight contests when it matters most.


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December Issue