Sunday, October 12, 2008

Aside from one of the nicest men on the radio winning it, the highlight of “Failte Towers2 was the guest appearance of Tom and Jean Browne, from Ardenode.
Tom who brought years of hotel management to the programme is well versed at looking after demanding guests was able to reverse the process.

Two of the mentioned horses in the last issue have obliged again. Paddy Quinlans polo pony got up by two lengths in Cork in a maiden hurdle, the Breener’s Show Blessed triumphed by six in a handicap hurdle in Naas at a topping price of 7/1.

Grania Glancy tells me that St. John’s Church are having their Harvest Thanksgiving on Sunday October 5th at 8 p.m.
All are welcome and there will be refreshments afterwards in the Band Hall.

Mary Campbell’s talents will decorate the Church of the Immaculate Conception a fortnight later, October 18th and 19th for Harvest Thanksgiving. A coffee Weekend will run on these dates to provide new robes for the Altar servers.

Meeting of the Co. Wicklow Committee on Policing Avon Ri, Blessington Weds. 28th Sept. at 7 p.m.
Details from Lorraine Gallagher. 0404 20100.

Children’s Masses as part of the preparation for Holy Communion. All 11.30 Masses.
28th September. 19th October. 23rd November. 21st December.

Wonderful to see the street cleaning crew from Kildare County Council in full swing during the week, I had a rare day off so I saw lots of things I should and some I shouldn’t.

The Garda presence in the village has increase dramatically with two gardai working opposite shifts under the control of Naas Station. Next month we will have a piece on the lads and list out the opening hours etc.

The Lilywhites got a good run out of the Championship this year after a slow start. Not soo poor Kildare County who are languishing at the bottonm of the Eircom league Division One. A move to Friday night football has meant that I wasn’t there much this year. A defeat to John Gill’s Dundalk, their latest outing. Giller has even given up slagging me about their performances.

Wonderful to see Eddie & Mai Whelan celebrate a big Anniversary milestone recently. Eddie is one of nature’s gentlemen. Long and happy years to you both.

I got a brilliant reception in both the Darker and the Jeffers households when I called to let them know that they were prizewinners in our competitions. Conor has bragging rights over big brother Mark now while Trudie reckons that she has earned more per word than author husband, Dick, ever did.

It is so strange to see sand bags outside of Mick Murphy’s and The Thatch following the recent horrendous rains. As a fella in work says it’s easier to say when it’s not raining than when it is.

My sympathies to Anne, Chris, David, Paul and Catherine on the death of their Mam, May Dennison. May head great discussions and comparisons with my late uncle Kevin about her roses and other horticultural matters. Her funeral service was great, if there is such a thing as a great funeral. May she Rest in Peace.

The parish newsletter, The Bell, is three years in existence this month. The Breener, for a man of his years is a great driving force and ideas man, he is not too well at the moment but I am sure he will be back spinning around in his swish new-ish VW Golf soon.

Bill Delaney, whose manitas de plata have provided drawings to adorn the pages of The Bugle for many a year now, is taking a break for a little while. Bill, I hope that it will be little and that your drawings will grace the Bugle again soon.

Get well soon Noel, as the lads say, hope to see you back up the ladder soon!


It was ten years ago this month…..
A picture of Oonagh Deegan,with TWO remote controls, adorned the front page of the Bugle of Sept. 1998. See page three, some things never change! The headline was, of course, Kildare’s Victory in the Leinster Championship Final. The planning issue was in full swing with large signs appearing on approach roads to the village. Jeffers was talking about the makeup of the Taoiseach. No, the paint and powder make up.
Patricia Donnelly won a Dinner Service and June Grace a toaster in the Mace raffle. Mick O’Dwyer had the cup in Paddy Murphy’s ( all the young faces!)
Harry & Bill had two winners in Shelbourne, one after the other, one of them, Braveheart Hero, owned by the late Tommy Nolan. And finally, Sean & Margaret Fogarty started trading in the Square. It’s hard to believe that you have been in Ballymore ten years lads, Happy Anniversary.!!!
LULLYMORE EXPEDITION EXTRAORDINAIRE


Over the summer the Rocky totters, crawlers, wobblers and toddlers of the Ballymore Early Years toddler group became explorers of the world that is beyond our small but perfectly formed village. First to the Butterfly farm and more recently to Lullymore.

Arriving at Lulymore it’s hard to know what our little angels expectations were but mine were certainly surpassed. I had been before and without the tour had missed half the lovely attractions including the Fairy Village…. Which is definitely NOT to be missed. The tour was given by a very enthusiastic young student (Thanks Oisin!) and really was fab. He brought the whole place to life, entertaining the kiddies with stories about all about the fairies and even had them spotting flying ones as we stood hushed in their fairy sized village. In true Fairy tradition we danced around a Hawthorn bush making wishes. None for money, love, sweets or toys were allowed – I think the kids were confused as they couldn’t think of anything else – of course we wizened adults were wishing for health and happiness, post pregnancy weight loss, breast lifts…. Only joking we know we are fab mammies and daddies……
We visited the little thatched cottage and it was so funny to see the older children amused by the thought of 16 kids being reared in there with no bathroom etc. For me the highlight (I’m obviously more of a child than I thought) were the Wallabies with baby Joey in pouch….. A trip to Australia didn’t afford me that pleasure….. but here in Lullymore were very healthy Wallabies, pot belly pigs, (sometimes used as guard dogs… just some of Oisins really handy titbits of info) Llamas with long fringes you just wanted to get the scissors out for and small horses I can’t remember the name of. There’s more….. we went on a road trip… in the train, saw de bog and generally misbehaved. I think I speak for us all when I say it was a major hit. I haven’t even mentioned the crazy golf which I think the boys in particular have a penchant for… that took about an hour and the next thing we had spent almost four hours there, all subsidised by Early Years.. Yahoo. Tired but delighted with ourselves for making the trip we took ourselves home.

We have started again on Tuesday mornings in the Resource Centre 10.30am. All welcome.

Sian Keary
Committee MemberKildare County Council
Minutes of the Naas Area Committee Meeting
held at 2.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 17 June 2008,
in the Council Chamber, Aras Chill Dara.

Members Present: Councillor W. Callaghan (Cathaoirleach), Councillor M. Glennon, P. MacNamara, B. Hillis, JJ Power and P. Clear (Mayor of Naas Town Council).

Officials Present: C. Talbot, Meetings Administrator, R. Stokes, Committee Secretary, E. O’Sullivan, Director of Corporate and Cultural Affairs, D. Hall, Area Engineer, P. Whelan, Senior Executive Officer, D. Hodgins, Senior Executive Engineer, G. Perry, Senior Executive Engineer.
________________________


Allocation of funds from Community and Enterprise
The Community and Enterprise department informed members that the sum of €336,684 represented monies received and receipted by Kildare County Council by way of development contributions which were allocated under community environment enrichment projects for the Naas Area. The sum of €377,000 was allocated to the Community and Enterprise department under the supplementary budget. Members were advised that these monies were still available. Both Councillor Power and Councillor MacNamara requested to know if councillors would have any input into how this money could be spent.

NS08/0608
Any other business
Ballymore Eustace KTK funding
Following the proposal of the Cathaoirleach and Councillor Hillis it was agreed that the following grants;
· The Presbytery Ballymore Eustace - €500 for planting of shrubs
· Tidy Towns – Street Naming €2000
would be sent for approval at the June meeting of the full Council.

Possible non-compliance of planning permission in Ballymore Eustace
Councillor Glennon circulated a photograph of a house located directly across from the Thatch pup in Ballymore Eustace which does not seem to be in compliance with planning permission. The Councillor requested that someone from the planning department investigate the matter further.

15/0608
Planning and Development Act 2000
Planning and Development Regulations 2001 – Part VIII
To consider proposal for development of new Sewerage Scheme
for the village of Ballymore Eustace
The members noted the content of a report from the Deputy County Manager, dated 19 June 2008, in relation to the proposal for development of a new sewerage scheme for the village of Ballymore Eustace.

Resolved on the proposal of Councillor Hillis, seconded by Councillor Dalton, that in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 and Planning and Development Regulations 2001, that the Part VIII proposal for the development of a new sewerage scheme for the village of Ballymore Eustace be approved.





8/0708
Motion – Councillor McEvoy
Kildare County Council urges the Minister for the Environment to establish a Liffey Valley Authority, or similar body, which would have responsibility for the implementation of agreed policies in relation to the long term protection of the valley’s landscapes and the development of its potential for recreation and tourism. Such a body would have representation from the
four Local Authorities of Kildare, South Dublin, Fingal, Dublin City and other interested parties, including the O.P.W.
The meetings administrator read a report from the Community & Enterprise Department outlining the objectives of the Liffey Valley Strategy and indicating that in principle, the council would have no objection with the establishment of the proposed Authority/Body. It was agreed to circulate a copy of the report to all members. Councillor McEvoy confirmed that a similar Liffey Authority had been established years ago without any real powers and felt the same may happen again. Councillor Griffin expressed his concern that the proposed Authority may supercede decisions made by Kildare County Council and felt that the motion required more consideration. Councillor Hendy requested that this motion be referred to the members of the Mid-East Regional Authority for comment. The meetings administrator advised the members that the establishment of the proposed authority would have financial implications. It was also felt that the ESB would need to be involved due to legislative powers. Councillor McEvoy agreed to amend the wording of the motion from ‘establish’ to ‘propose’.


11/0708
Committee Reports and Recommendation
Naas Area

To approve the award of grants for environmental projects in Ballymore Eustace.
Report submitted recommending award of grants for environmental projects to The Presbytery Ballymore Eustace for the sum of €500 and the Tidy Towns for the sum of €2,000.
Resolved on the proposal of Councillor Callaghan, seconded by Councillor Hills the awards listed above are awarded.
Matt’s Memories – usual heading

Old Postcards

On Saturday July 19, James was cutting the hedge while I had just finished mowing the lawn. The hedge is located in what we call “Dolan’s Yard” as previously, Mrs. Dolan owned the house attached to it. Subsequently, my father converted part of the house into stables for his horses. Seeing James, Peter McKnight stopped his car and started talking to him. Later, I joined them and Peter showed us some postcards that he bought at a car-boot sale. These included photos of De Valera, Maureen Potter, the last train from Harcourt Street Station in 1958, the remains of Nelson’s Pillar after it had been partially blown up in March 1966 and Ronnie Delaney in action. In days gone by, Peter was a good athlete who was dedicated to his training.

Anne
James and I were tidying our graves when a lady joined us. While she looked familiar, initially I did not recognise her. She explained she was previously Anne Grace. Anne nowadays lives in Dunboyne and indicated that her brothers, Michael and Nicholas, were both in good form and Michael had been in the Ballymore Inn that day. Anne was paying her respects to her mother who died 12 years ago and her sister Mary who died in 1974. Both her mother and sister are buried in St Mary’s Cemetery while her father, Seamus, is buried in St John’s. The Grace family previously owned the shop at the Square, now the premises of Gallery and Gifts.

The Sister From Cobh
On Saturday July 26, James’s eldest daughter, Ann-Marie, kindly gave my sister Margaret Perry and myself a lift to Ballymore-Eustace. Margaret was paying me a visit. On the same occasion, we had lunch at The Thatch. While there we saw Jimmy Murphy who was also having lunch and met Kathleen Jordan who had not seen Margaret in a long-time.

Garryhill
On Thursday June 26, James and I were on our way down to Tramore for a few days. We decided to have dinner at The Lord Baganel Inn in Leighlinbridge, County Carlow and there, we met Pat Ryan of Garryhill. For many years, Pat was Secretary of the Garryhill Handball Club – a position he retired from recently. While Pat did not play intercounty handball himself, two of his brothers did. I had a good chat with Pat and he told me he was at Tommy O’Brien’s funeral but was not aware of Paddy Monaghan’s death.
Tramore
On Saturday June 28, James and I got Mass at Tramore Church. While there we met my old pal Tommy Brennan. Tommy was a good handball player and on many occasions he joined our family for a game in Talbot’s Inch, County Kilkenny. His family lived a few doors from the alley in Queen’s Street in Tramore. His father and brothers, Sean and Paddy, were also keen handball men. In 1953, Sean ran the first handball tournament I ever played in – it was a doubles tournament. The eventual winners beat Lew Kiely and me in the semi-finals. Dec Halligan and Tony Kelly were the winners. Tommy was a former teacher while Sean was a former guard. I believe Paddy now lives in Sydney. In days gone by, Paddy and I backed 5 of the 6 winners at the Tramore races. I supplied the brainpower while Paddy supplied the finance.

Racecource
I often went to the races in Tramore with my late parents and other members of the family. A few years ago, the racecourse there was revamped and I meant to go there for old time sake but never got around to it. At present, the Racing Authorities are busy preparing a new course at the Back Strand in Tramore, which I saw when James brought me on a trip to Dunmore East. Before the present course was built in the early 1920s, racing took place on a course on the Back Strand.

14th Anniversary
As I was doing my shopping in Churchtown on August 1, I met Patsy Feeney (nee Conway). Patsy told me she was going down to Ballymore-Eustace that day, as it was her late father’s 14th anniversary. At the end of June, my late father’s twentieth anniversary occurred.

Racing
Despite saying in my July article that he was placed in Leopardstown on July 18 rather than June 18, ‘Show Blessed’ did me two good turns at Naas on July 9 and again on August 4
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. In both instances, he was my main bet and won both on the flat and over hurdles. ‘Show Blessed’ is partial to left hand courses like Naas.

‘Dbes’t was down the field on the flat on July 21 at Down Royal and on July 31 at Galway. I gather ‘Dbest’ does not like the rain!

© Matt Purcell August 13, 2008.

POULAPHOUCA HOUSE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
“At Your Service”, RTE’s new hospitality programme featuring the Brennan Brothers, Francis and John of Park House Hotel Kenmare fame, took a visit recently to Poulaphouca House, “The Falls” as run by Rita and Frank Malone.

Established in 1983, the setting of the hotel is unique – lakeside views, rolling green fields and mature tree lines with the infamous “Puca” bridge only yards away. It oozes character – a positive feature which Francis Brennan immediately recognised and quickly saw the potential for the hotel as a wedding venue – “a photographer’s paradise’.

The bar too was praised for its character and old world charm and the function room got the ‘thumbs up’ albeit in need of a little décor enhancement. It looked like it was all plain sailing until the hotel guru entered the hall and saw the drawing room; his negativity continued on walking the bedrooms, critical on décor and ‘confused themes’ but once again, high in praise of the spaciousness and light.
Brennan saw huge potential in our local hostelry; the high ceilings and light were a plus; the drawing room was wasted, ‘fell between two stools’ with its living room furniture and a pool table and juke box contradicting one another. Out with the pool table and music player – the drawing room was clearly a room to ‘seduce’ potential wedding bookings, a room to invite couples into, to perceive the ambience of the hotel and create the perfect setting for their wedding day.

The restaurant Brennan liked but discounted Rita’s hopes of establishing it as a gourmet house - waste of time and money he felt creating fine foods, with only a handful of people likely to visit on a week night. That was disappointing for Rita but Brennan’s first impression never faltered – the key to success for Poulaphoua House was as a wedding venue, upgrade the function room, convert the drawing room into a tasteful reception area, upgrade accommodation, create a bridal suite, re-launch website and brochures with selective photographs and the business would follow……….

“Ok,” says Rita “I have €5,000 in the budget for décor……….” Aieeeeeee, even when she said it, I was thinking “Two chances”. I’ve never known a building job yet that didn’t double the price before completion.

There was no doubting though by the end of the programme that changes in décor made a huge difference. John Flynn drifted in and out of the picture as he painted and peeled and alas, for Rita and Frank, ‘minor’ jobs turned out to be major ones. Walls were stripped, floor boards up, plumbing and heating problems to be addressed……….Soon, Rita found her budget had quadrupled but the impact was immediate.

The Bridal Suite was transformed; timber furniture painted cream, patterned fabrics discarded and replaced with subtle warm colours, larger lampshades introduced with a few accessories and “Wow” – a whole new bedroom, from B & B décor to a hotel standard Bridal Suite.

Similarly, the drawing room was overhauled into a warm, welcoming and elegant reception room. But Rita saw the potential benefits and decided to upgrade all the bedrooms and to further enhance the function room with cream chair covers and gold bows. Sarah Kelly, Wedding Planner advised her on marketing strategy and doubted Rita’s estimated €2,000 budget would be enough. However, a viewing of the hotel’s new look website looked impressive and would certainly entice new business. John Brennan encouraged Rita to aim for three weddings a week although I think Rita seemed happy to secure 50 weddings plus.

What did the renovations and upgrade cost? At the time of screening, €30,000……….. a far cry from the original €5,000 allowance but boy, what a difference. Some of the work would have been needed anyway so I think the Malones have made a good investment; it may take time and additional marketing to source new enquiries but, as Brennan repeatedly said, the hotel is only an hour from Dublin, has a setting second to none and its old world charm makes it a very appealing wedding venue.

“Bar, Restaurant and Wedding Venue – that’s where your business comes from, forget the rest and concentrate on enhancing the house and securing at least one wedding a week, with the possibility of up to three weekly.”

I’m not sure Rita would want three weddings a week – less golfing time, Rita but let’s hope the airing of RTE’s programme will attract business via the website – it is a gem of a place and it’s still the best port of call for a tasty roast beef dinner – so says Gerry Kelly and he know his roast beef!

The same week Poulaphouca House was aired, local couple Triona and Kevin Phelan were featured in “Looking for a Miracle” when they visited Lourdes along with their two daughters. Triona was recovering from cervical cancer at the time and the programme gave a wonderful insight into their emotions and reactions to this holy place albeit over run with plastic commercialism.
Waste Water Discharge Authorisation
A system for the licensing or certification of waste water discharges (WWD) from areas served by local authority sewer networks was brought into effect by John Gormley, Minster for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on 27th September 2007. The licensing and certification authorisation process is being introduced on a phased basis commencing on 14th December 2007 in accordance with the requirements of the Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 684 of 2007).
AIM of Waste Water Discharge Authorisation
The licensing and certification process gives effect to a number of EU Directives by the imposition of strict restrictions or prohibitions on the discharge of dangerous substances and thus prevent or reduce the pollution of waters by waste water discharges.
All discharges to the aquatic environment from sewerage systems owned, managed and operated by water service authorities will require a waste water discharge licence or certificate of authorisation from the EPA. The authorities are required to apply to the Agency for a licence by set dates depending on the population equivalent of the area served by the sewer network
The authorisation process provides for the Agency to place stringent conditions on the operation of such discharges to ensure that potential effects on the receiving water bodies are strictly limited and controlled. In overall terms the aim is to achieve good surface water and ground water status in addition to complying with standards and objectives established for associated protected areas by 2015 at the latest.
Who needs a WWD Licence / Certificate?
All discharges to the aquatic environment from sewerage systems owned, managed and operated by water service authorities will require a waste water discharge licence or certificate of authorisation from the EPA. The authorities will be required to apply to the Agency for a licence or certificate of authorisation by set dates depending on the population equivalent of the area served by the sewer network.
The dates by which licence applications must be made to the Agency are set out in SCHEDULE 2 of the Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 684 of 2007). The schedule of dates are as follows:
Population Equivalent of Agglomeration
Prescribed Date
Discharges from agglomerations with a population equivalent of more than 10,000
14 December 2007
Discharges from agglomerations with a population equivalent of 2,001 to 10,000
i.e. The Discharge from Blessington into Golden falls UPSTREAM of Ballymore Eustace
22 September 2008
Discharges from agglomerations with a population equivalent of 1,001 to 2,000
i.e. Ballymore Eustace
28 February 2009
Discharges from agglomerations with a population equivalent of 500 to 1,000
22 June 2009

Ballymore Eustace Indoor Bowls Club
2008/2009
Annual Draw Results

1st Prize Travel Voucher to the value of 1000 euro, Kindly sponsored by The Thatch
Mick Kavanagh c/o Paddy Hudson.
2nd Prize 3 months Gym membership at Naas Health and Fitness kindly sponsored by Michael McGinn
Edward Lahart & Dwane O’Connor c/o The Thatch
3rd Prize 100 euro
Mickey Reid c/o Paddy Hudson.
4th Prize 50 euro
Chantelle Murray c/o Jack O’Neill

The Committee would like to thank all who sponsored prizes, sold tickets and helped out in any way to make the raffle a success.
Rebecca 'Becky' Keenan and Mark Godfrey Tie the Knot
On 21st August 2008, Becky Keenan finally married Mark Godfrey after 7years together in the Downhall Country House Hotel in Herts, UK. Thewedding was well attended by the "Ballymore Gang" with Kerrie and mealong with Mark's sister Michelle, Becky’s cousin Lynda and her friendSharon donning the beautiful Amanda Wakely bridesmaid dresses. Becky walked down the aisle looking absolutely stunning accompaniedby her dapper dad, Tommy Keenan. Seeing Becky walk down the aisleas such a beautiful bride drew a few sniffles and emotional tears fromthe crowd, especially from the Bride's side of the room... with a large representation of the "Irish Contingent"... Eoghan Kavanagh, Lesley Marshall,Ronan Kavanagh, Mick McLeod, Dora and Finola O'Brien, Sean Ryan,Pat McNamara, Jane Darragh & family, Suzanne Macdougald, Tim Macdougald,Nick Keenan plus the two Ballymore Bridesmaids, to name a few...During the ceremony, Nick read a lovely poem about marriage and Mark'smother Terri made a very emotional and heartfelt speech after theceremony (there was a box of tissues passed around the front rowagain!!)After the ceremony we all went outside for some celebratory champagneand the photos of the day. The wedding breakfast was absolutelybeautiful. The hotel pulled out all the stops to make sure everyone waslooked after well. It was so evident walking into the reception room, that Becky had really put her own "stamp" on the day. She made all thefavours on the table herself with a little bit of bow tying by Kerrie,Sean, Pat and I at 1am!! Not one went onto the tables without thequality control check from the bride herself. All the table names wereof her family pets both past and present. The flowers on the table were the most beautiful arrangements in 50different vases all collected by Becky herself over the year! She evenembellished the confetti holders so that they matched the chocolate brownof the bridesmaid dresses. The pre-dinner speeches were made by Becky’sfather Tommy, her aunt Suzanne, the Groom Mark, the best man Scott andyours truly. All who made speeches really re-iterated each other as howbeautiful Becky looked (and in fairness Mark too), how proud bothfamilies were of both the bride and groom and also how Becky's motherthe late Jennie Macdougald was most certainly with us on the day in Spirit.

We could imagine Jennie sitting with us at the top table, inthe most fantastic outfit, with the biggest hat or feather ensemble thatLiz Deegan could create, teaching all around her how to do the Jazzhands dance..... Jennie would have been the proudestmother ever to see her beautiful daughter walk down the aisle.Becky did manage to sneak in her speech in the guise of giving thebridesmaids and groomsmen gifts for the day. Each of us received lovely gifts which we will all cherish. The wedding band were excellent and quick to get everyone up to dance; I have to say besides the first dance which was 'The way you looktonight" by Frank Sinatra; the highlight of the night was Mark playing"mustang sally" on the guitar with his backing singers (his new wifeBecky, Kerrie and myself). Our years of vocal coaching were evident as webelted out the chorus into the one microphone much to the amusement ofeveryone watching. A huge effort was made at re-creating thecommitments version of "Mustang Sally" in our best "Dublin" accents. Thebacking singers were "surprisingly!" very much overshadowed by Mr. Godfreyplaying solo on the guitar much to the awe of the crowd. We do believethere is a "bootleg" version of the performance going around courtesyof a certain guest.... As Becky threw the Bouquet, there was a scramble to catch it but it wascaught by Becky’s cousin Linda.....The night ended late into the night after which the old reliables (guess who!!!) retired to the residents bar for a "drink for the road"... Andin true Ballymore style... There was one had for the right ditch, one forthe left ditch and to complete the night... One for the white line!!!Everyone went to bed full and happy to have been with Becky and Mark fortheir special day.Becky and Mark, from all your Ballymore friends, we wish you everyhappiness in your life together as a married couple.

Lorraine and friends
Scoil Mhuire news



Scoil Mhuire re-opened for the new school year on 1st September. 37 additional pupils brings the current enrolment to 249. The Parents Association welcomed the parents of new students and provided a comforting cuppa on the first day.The building got a great facelift over the holidays with the painting of most of the exterior, (a difficult job with all the wet weather), a new staffroom and some landscaping and coppicing of trees. The centrepiece of our new staffroom is a beautiful new white kitchen which has been very generously donated to the school by a past-pupil, Gerard O'Rourke of Country Kitchens.This is greatly appreciated by all staff working in the school and will provide a very pleasant meeting and planning room for staff and we thank Gerard most sincerely for his generosity, his expertise and his time involvement in this project.
Swimming for senior pupils starts back on September 26th. Under-11 Hurling team is straight into the action with their opening match on 11th September. Pupils were thrilled to see Mark McCarville back for the football coaching. Spanish classes commence shortly and the choir are getting started on a production for December.
Senior GAA

The Intermediate teamBallymore drew with Nurney in the first round of the championship. Ballymore where leadingat half time thanks to fine points from Eoin Kavanagh and a goal from Gareth Clarke. In the second half, Ballymore extended their lead to 8 points. However Nurney replied with two goals and led by a point.In the final minutes, a great point by Tommy Archibold levelled the game with two minutes remaining.Ballymores second game was a hard fought win over Grange in Athy. Ballymore where 4 points to 1 ahead at half time with the aid of a strongwind. Grange rallied back in the second half and missed a good scoring chance to draw level with the last kick of the game. The final score was Ballymore 0-7, Grange 0-6.In the final game of the round robin series, Ballymore needed a win to reach the quarter final of the championship.They were drawn against Ballyteague who also needed a win to progress. Ballymore had a poor first halfand were trailing at half time by a scoreline of 0-8 to 0-1. Ballymore needed a goal in the second halfto get back in contention but it never came. The final score was Ballyteague 0-11, Ballymore 0-8.The Intermediate 'B' teamThe Intermediate 'B' team played Kill on Monday last. They fought hard but lost on a scoreline of 1-10 to 1-06. Ballymore lost their second game of the championship to Monastervin. They were missing a number ofkey players and were defeated on a scoreline of 2-12 to 0-4. They have one game left in the round robingroup.The Oliver Plunketts minor teamThe minor team won 2 group championship matches. They needed a win in their final game in the group anddefeated Raheens to book their place in the quarter final. Congratulations to the Ballymore lads involved. They now face St. Kevins in the quarter final.General NotesThe club will have a race day in Punchestown on Saturday the 15th of November. More details will be available soon.The private members draw took place on Friday night last. Don Gibson won the 2 All-Ireland football tickets.Mossy Donovan was the winner of the 2 All-Ireland hurling tickets. Willie Clarke was the winner of the 100 euro prize. Thanks to all the people who bought the tickets. Juvenile training tops are available to purchase for €20.Adult Polo Shirts for €30 and Adult Rain Jackets for €35 are also available.


Ballymore Eustace GAA Club
Juvenile Football & Hurling
An Baile Mor
The News:
Since the last edition the Juveniles have been training away,
apart from a short break in early August.The U10 Hurlers have
played in two blitz's, the U10 football team finished out part
two of the South Board League and the U13 Football League
is in full swing. The U11 & U13 girls leagues are about to kick
off. We hope to start a Village League for all the younger
players and finish up the season with a Final / Family Day in
mid October.
Adult Training Shirts & Rain Jackets
Adult T-Shirts (Eur30) and Rain Jackets (Eur35) in the club
colours and with the club crest are available to purchase in
Janets Daybreak or from any committee member.
Juvenile training shirts are also available for Eur20.
U 10 Football League
The U-10 team played Rathangan, Monasterevin, Kilcullen, 2-
Mile-House, Castledermot, Ballykelly and Clonmore in the
U-10 South Board league. The team was made up of boys who
had played in the U-11 league earlier in the year and a number
of U-9 and U-8 boys who were making their debut.. It took the
lads a couple of matches to get used to playing with one
another but they were competitive in each game. There were a
few narrow losses but there were also wins over 2-Mile-House
and Castledermot. Well done to all the lads involved who tried
hard in each game, the improvement over the year was clear
for all to see and we are already now looking forward to next
year. Thanks to Steve Deegan, Johnny Murphy, Noel
Thompson and James Noone for looking after the team.
U13 Football League
The Under 13 Football team have played four matches
Division 3 A of the Board na NOg League. The first match
was at home v Caragh on the 17th August, an understrength
Caragh side saw the home side win 6-10 to 0-1. Scores for
Ballymore were Mark Slevin 1-2, Robbie Boland 3-2 , Dylan
Waters 1-0, Jake Meehan 0-1, Calum O'Doherty 1-0, Shane
Barrett 0-3 and Shane Murphy 0-2.
The second game away to Castledermot on the 21st August,
turned out to be a great contest with Castledermot winning 3-9
to 1-9. Scores: Dylan Waters 0-1, Mark Slevin 0-2, Robbie
Boland 1-4, Jake Meehan 0-1 and Michael Stewart Byrne 0-1.
On the 31st August we were away to Ellistown and a very
young Ellistown team lost out to Ballymore 3-12 to 2-0.
Scores: Robbie Boland 2-2, Dylan Waters 1-2, Stephen Doyle
0-2, Mark Slevin 0-1, Jake Meehan 0-3, Shane Barrett 0-1, and
Conor Davis 0-1.
In round 4 on the 7th September away to Grange, Ballymore
won 3-5 to 3-4. This was another very good contest with all
the team having to dig deep to come away with the victory.
Scores: Shane Murphy 2-1, Robbie Boland 1-2, Shane Barrett
0-1 and Mark Slevin 0-1.
Hurling News
Congratulations to Dylan Waters, Craig Byrne, Darragh
Kelleher and Tom Murphy for being picked to play for
the South Kildare U12 hurling team.
They will train and play challenge matches with the
team over the next 4 weeks. They will finish up with a
challenge match in Kilkenny. Hopefully they will get
a better result than Waterford. It is a great honour to play
for your County and we wish the lads the very best.
The U11 school hurling team will play Crookstown NS
on Thursday 11th September and Dunlavin NS on
Thursday 25th September. Best of luck to the team
especially the new players that are brave enough to give
the hurling a try. No doubt they will enjoy the experience.
U10 ‘s Ballymore Eustace
Back Row: Tommy Marsh, Robbie Noone, Adam Murphy,
Enda Stewart Byrne, Stephen Davis, Aaron Deegan,
Paschal Thompson, Evan Keogh.
Front Row: Mark Barrett, Niall Murphy, Conor Nolan,
Tom Carter, Conor Lipsett, Killian Barrett.
Under 11 Girls Football Fixtures
13/09/08 St. Laurences 2 v Ballymore Away
20/09/08 Ballymore v Suncroft Home
27/09/08 Athgarvan v Ballymore Away
04/10/08 Ballymore v Milltown Home
18/10/08 Ballymore v Athgarvan Home
08/11/08 Ballymore v St. Laurences 2 Home
15/11/08 Mlltown v Ballymore Away
Starting times for all matches at 11am. Good luck girls !
Under 13 Girls Football Fixtures
08/10/08 Carbury v Ballymore Away
15/10/08 Castledermot v Ballymore Away
02/11/0 Nurney - Kildangan v Ballymore Away
09/11/08 Ballymore v Ellistown Home
The match times for 8th and 15th Oct 18.30 pm.. and there will
be 11.00 am kick -off for the 2nd and 9th Nov.
St Oliver Plunketts:
The Minor Team played St,Coca's, Confey and Ratheens in the
Championship and are playing St. Kevins in the Quater Finals
on Saturday 13th September. Ballymore players are Brian
Murphy, Mark Murphy, Michael Tutty, Garrett Clarke, and
Keith Fennel
The Under 16 team has finished up for the year but the Under 15
league will be starting around the end of this month.
U14 Football: The U14 team finished up for the year after
loosing to Naas in the semi final of the shield stage of the
championship. They played two very tough games in Division
1 of the championship Round Towers and Leixlip and lost out
on both occasions.
Coaching motto: Children first, winning second
Ladies GAA


The League
Ballymore Ladies met Nurney in their most recent match of the league. The Ladies beat Nurney well in a 4-14 to 2-7 victory in Nurney.Top scorers on the night were Stephanie Hearney And Dawn Murray with Steph clocking up 2-7 and Dawn (c) tallying an impressive two goals and two points. Fran Burke, Aishling Hubbard and Lesley Tutty scored one point each.
Currently Ballymore Ladies are third in the Junior C league behind Rheban first and Balyna second. Ballymore will play second place Balyna in the semi-final with the date of this fixture yet to be confirmed.

The Championship
Ballymore’s 2008 championship got off to a disappointing start on Sunday 31st August, when Ballymore were beaten 6-11 to 4-9 in Johnstown-Bridge. Balyna opened the match with two goals and two points in the first few minutes and the first half was an uphill battle for the Ladies. After a strong pep talk from Simon and the lads, the girls went out in the second half fighting and were by far the superior team in the last 30 minutes. However, it wasn’t to be and Ballymore were defeated in the end. Dawn was top scorer on the night with 1-4 to her credit, Ashling Hubbard, Stephanie Hearney, Fran Burke and Ann-Marie Gorman also added to the scoreboard.
The second match of the Championship took place on Mon 8th September when Balyna won victory over Robert-Emmets by 14 points. With Castledermot unable to field a team, and Balyna with two wins under their belt, the last place in the Championship final will be decided on Sunday 14th September at 12 noon when Ballymore play Robert-Emmets in Sallins. All support is more than welcome.

Welcome Home
All of the Ladies would like to give a big welcome home to Sarah Malone who returned on Saturday 6th last after six months in Boston on a college work placement. We are delighted to have her back. She had a great time but missed the bones of us so flew home a week early for the crucial championship match next Sunday ;).

Get Well Soon
The team have been missing our star mid-fielder Sharon O’Donoghue who hasn’t been well the last few weeks. She’s one of our fastest and fittest players and we can’t wait to her have her back. Get well soon Sharon.
Leaving Certs
Well done to all the girls on the team who got their results in August. Best of luck in their futures. We wish them every success.
Until next month..................Louise & Jackie!!!!


Ballymore-Eustace’s Proud Handball Record (Part 4)

Tom O’Rourke

When he was only 14 years old, Tom O’Rourke was chosen as "the Clubman of the Year” for his achievements in the 1970 County Championships. Tom followed that up by winning the Tailteann U16 doubles with Pius Winder in 1972. Tom has accumulated a long list of "firsts". Writing about Tom in the 1972 Chronicle, I stated: "Better things appear to be in store in the years ahead” and Tom did not let my forecast down.

Tom's first love was softball but he was more than capable at hardball and 40 by 20 handball. In the years 1973 to 1978, Tom made steady progress winning minor, U 21 and junior All-Ireland titles. His success in the 1978 U 22 international trials proved to be the launching pad for his career at senior level. 1979 was a glorious year in Tom's career. It began with his success in the Gael-Linn Cup. This was followed by his historic win in handball's most prestigious competition, the All-Ireland senior soft singles championship, in which he defeated the highly regarded Pakie Ryan in straight games. For good measure, he confirmed that result in the corresponding provincial championship.

In 1980, Tom continued his run of successes by winning the Top Ace competition that was shown on RTE. His game against Gordy Pfeifer of the USA was arguably the best game ever played in the Top Ace series. His defense of his softball singles crown started well with a win over Kilkenny's Paddy Reilly which was followed by a win over four times champion Pat Kirby; Tom had to mount a big comeback after Pat opened an 11-1 lead in the third and final game. Tom eventually won by 21-11, a remarkable achievement against an opponent of Pat's calibre. His next opponent was Pakie Ryan; with Tom leading 15-3 in the second game, things went horribly wrong when Tom suffered a broken blood vessel in his foot and thereafter, could only offer token opposition as Pakie proceeded to win the second and third games.

He looked to be back to his best in 1981 when he qualified for three All-Ireland finals. In the soft singles final against Paddy Reilly, he again suffered an injury which not only lost him that final but was such that he was unable to compete in the other two finals. The extent of his misfortune can be gauged from the fact that his club mates who substituted for him proceeded to win both finals. In 1982, partnered by Michael Dowling he beat the up-and-coming Duxie Walsh and Mick Reade in the Open 40 by 20 club team championship. Tom did not play in the 1982 championship, as he had to undergo an operation for varicose veins. The following year he was still dogged by injury when he went under to Dan Kirby in the soft singles championship. The week of the game he sustained a bad hand cut while lending a helping hand to his elderly neighbours Stephen and Jane O'Connor and the handball authorities would not entertain a postponement of the match.

One suspects that his success in winning the Centenary Open 60 by 30 championship was his most satisfying success. In winning Tom comprehensively defeated the reigning All­ Ireland Coca-Cola and 40 by 20 singles champion Tony Ryan, by 21-10, 21-11. After a succession of mis­fortunes this success meant that Tom had re­-established himself as the top player in Ireland. On Saturday May 5, 1984 Tom proved himself the best in the world when he won the Open 60 by 30 World singles title, winning all four matches comfortably and displayed former confidence, which was a feature of his game when he swept the decks in 1979. The beautiful Waterford Glass trophy which adorns his sideboard was well merited.

Tom's good fortune continued throughout 1984 when he won the All-Ireland soft singles championship for a second time. In the final, he beat Tony Ryan 21-15, 21-17 at Thurles, the birthplace of the GAA. The RTE Top Ace competition also came Tom's way for a second time. These successes marked Tom as the outstanding player in Centenary Year guaranteeing that Tom's achievements will be remembered when the feats of other champions are forgotten. In the years that followed Tom won the All-Ireland senior hard singles in 1985, 1988, 1989, and 1990; for good measure, he won the corresponding doubles titles in 1988 with Padraig McCormack and in 1990 with Michael Dowling. In all, Tom won fourteen All-Ireland medals, nine of which were at senior level.

In the years 1979 to 1990 Tom O'Rourke established himself as our greatest all round player with All-Ireland successes at senior level in all three forms of handball and a World Title in 60 by 30 Softball. Tom was also successful in such prestigious competitions as the Gael-Linn Cup, the Top Ace and the Centenary Open 60 by 30 championship.

His game against Pakie Ryan in the 1979 All-Ireland soft singles final was Tom's finest performance. Tom put on a dazzling display of controlled, error free handball that was equal to the best handball I have seen before or since. His clashes with Duxie Walsh from 1985 to 1989, although unsuccessful, served to further enhance Tom's reputation.

Tom was competitive, had superb footwork and was agile around the alley. His anti­cipation was excellent as was his ability to improvise. A most impressive action photo of Tom is to be found in the introductory section of Tom McElligott's Book on Handball.

© Matt Purcell (August 13, 2008)
Henry VIII and All That…..
Hello? Hello? Who? Oh, its yerself. Where are yeh? Where? Italy? Italy! Where abouts in Italy. Florence who? Oh, Florence, where Wardie was. Listen I have a great idea to spark up business, he put me on to it. Can yeh get down to Rome? No, to Rome, in Italy, to see the Pope. He’s on his holidays in Castelgandongolfo, as usual. By their Luas, or by taxi – whatever. Give me a ring when yeh get there.

Hello? Hello? Is that yerself? Yeh sound very far away, speak louder. Right. Where are yeh now? Good. Did yeh meet him yet? Ok, wait and listen to me. Castelgandolfo is where the Vatican farm is and where they get all their meat from. No, we don’t want any of their food – they’re poor enough as it is. Just see if they’ll sell yeh some cattle, preferably bulls. No, cattle, as in moo moo – like Henry the Eight got from the Pope - by the cart load according to Wardie.
(Back home a week later.)
Well, how’d yeh get on with the Pope? What? Wouldn’t let yeh in! Why not? They called yeh a crazy Irishman? Why, I wonder? A present for me from the Pope himself? What is it? I can’t read this, its strange writing. What does it say? And what’s with the picture of a cow? Its not a cow? It’s a bull? Holy cow, a papal bull, just what we’re looking for! But sure what use is this to anyone if what yeh say is true, that there never was a farm at Castelgandolfo? Where’s Wardie gone?
Here’s me thinkin’ what a big blow this would be for Irish farming against those Brazilian beef barons, and thinkin’ too that we’d corner the market for those bulls, and be the first to get one up on the Irish bishops, selling them not by the cartload, by the kilo, less outlay. I was lead astray I tell yeh, I swear it. By heavens – by Castor and Pollux, where’s that fella Wardie?
Virgil.
Mixed Metaphors
I’m in a dreamy if impassionate phase at the present time, mooning I suppose, confused by the wretchedness of the Summer weather, the lack of sunshine and but for The Birds by Aristophanes, who provided some relief in Nephelococcygia (nefelo/cock/sigia– cloudcuckooland) for two Athenians and their followers seeking a new republic, Utopia, amongst the well-ordered lives of birds, where Wisdom, Love and Grace pervade - away from high taxes, ever extending fees and continuous court litigatioin of Athens. Of course they got planning permission straight away for their new settlement, with few restrictions.
Later, during the course of a heated argument with visiting politicians from Athens who were annoyed that they had vacated their city state in preference for a more harmonious life and sociable society in their new bird-land. The following lines from the play, written 2,500 years ago, show how so little man has progressed, but their ancient wisdom may just offer a solution to the Lisbon Treaty fiasco:
Citizen: Oh, there’s just one thing, I nearly forgot. Zeus can keep Hera, but the girl, Sovereignty, must obviously become my wife, so he’ll have to hand her over, I’m afraid.
Politician: You obviously don’t want a peace treaty. Come on lads, let’s go home.

Back to Service
Robert Service is back in vogue, at least in the memory of brothers Peter, Sean and Frank Salmon. Mention even the word service in any context and they’ll bring Dangerous Dan McGrew to living life, and the pub can have no other name than the Malamute Saloon.
Surely, Dangerous Dan was nothing but a ruffian and he treated the Lady that’s known as Lou in a disgraceful manner. He was a rotter. He had loose morals, he drank more than he should have, and if that was not bad enough, he actually played cards for money in the Malamute; but she got her own back on him in pure female fashion. While kissin’ him, she pinched his poke, just before he croaked, which is why I have now turned to a melancholy mood.
Women are far too much maligned and that’ll be attended to later. The list is long – Isabella de Medici, Helen, Electra, Queen Dido, Francesca de Rimini, Mary Magdalen, Lady Guinevere, Socrate’s wife (called the Shrew, and may be an exception), Circa etc., a whole host of them. Eliza Doolittle can thank G.B. Shaw for her elevation. To prove the point, here is a little poem by Robert Service. It is titled





My Madonna
I hailed me a woman from the street,
Shameless, but, oh, so fair!
I bade her sit in the model’s seat,
And I painted her sitting there.

I hid all trace of her heart unclean;
I painted a babe at her breast;
I painted her as she might have been
If the worst had been the best.

She laughed at my picture, and went away.
Then came, with a knowing nod,
A connoisseur, and I heard him say:
“’Tis Mary, the Mother of God.”

So I painted a halo round her hair,
And I sold her, and took my fee,
And she hangs in the church of St. Hilaire,
Where you and all may see.
Michael Ward.
Dear Rose,
Just a note to say a big thank you to yourself and all the people who make the Ballymore Bugle such a great success. I look forward to receiving it every month. My brother Tony’s wife, Maureen, buys two extra copies every month to send to myself and my brother Joe who lives in Cheltenham. We are both kept up to date with all the news from Ballymore. I hope you don’t mind me making a few comments.
Firstly, I enjoy reading ‘Matt’s Memories’ although I do wish he would jog those memories a little more before he writes some of them! I also enjoy reading Jeffers but wish he would write something about Ballymore an odd time.
Secondly, I see Pat Murphy is matchmaking again! I hope he has more luck this time. I am sure you remember Pat’s last attempt at matchmaking with Lilly and Sam in the van outside the pub. Pat tried his best to make it work with hot toddies at bedtime and tea with a ‘sup’ every morning. Sadly, Sam spoiled everything. Sam would not stop boasting about the number of times he had been to Kerry and the lovely people who lived there! Lilly could take no more so she told him to go up to the Golden Falls and jump off the dam. This upset Sam so much that he told Lilly that he did not want to see her any more and vowed that he would never set foot in Kildare again. Now you know why Cork beat Kildare a few weeks ago. If Kildare do not ever win an ‘All Ireland’, you know who to blame – Pat Murphy!!!!
Pat now has two ‘love birds’ out in the paddock at the back of the pub – the black and white horse called Tonto and the grey mare called Trigger. Pat, I am sure, is hoping to hit the jackpot this time! I would love to see him leading in the first Piebald, bred at the Garrison Hill Stud Farm in Ballymore, after winning a race at Cheltenham. Good luck Pat!!
I am hoping to see you all sometime soon, so Rose get your pen and pad ready as we have to finish ‘Liam in Ballymore’ part two – plus a few more things.
I have now said enough, maybe too much!!! God bless you all.
Liam Evans
Sheldon, Birmingham. England
Fond Welcome Extended to Rev Leonard Ruddock

The formal institution of Reverend Leonard Ruddock took place last month in the church of St Mary’s, Blessington at which over fifty robed members of the clergy attended. The service was officiated by Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough, Dr John Neill and was attended by Rev Paul Heuston (Rural Dean); Rev Ian Gallagher, rector of Stillorgan and Blackrock (former parish of Rev Ruddock’s); Arch Deacon, Edgar Swan; Fr Sean Breen, Fr Tim Murphy and Fr Lyons.

The church was packed to capacity with a strong contingent from Rev Ruddock’s former parish travelling for his institution and also, a notable number of friends from Roscrea, Co Tipperary where Leonard was well known in the business community and church circles. After the ceremony, the congregation joined Rev Ruddock at a reception in St Kevin’s Community Centre where Councillor Jim Ruttle extended a warm welcome to Rev Ruddock and his wife Hazel (daughter of politician, Alan Gillis) and the couple’s children, Amanda and Gary.

This was the first of several receptions planned for the new rector and his family with St John’s in Ballymore Eustace hosting theirs on Sunday 10th August when The Reverend gave his first service, assisted by Reverend Thea Boyle.

Paddy Cook, Rector’s Warden spoke warm words of welcome on behalf of the community at St John’s, followed by Cllr Billy Hillis on behalf of Kildare County Council with Billy himself being a member of the church for decades. Tim Hempenstall Ryan then followed, representing Fr Sean Breen and the Church of the Immaculate Conception; our Bugle Editor did of course,
pass on ‘The Breeners’ tips for the day and finally, myself to say a few words of goodwill on behalf of the local community. I did appeal to Rev Leonard to say a special intention for Kildare that day as they faced Cork in Croke Park as I felt it would take ‘divine intervention’ to keep the Lilywhites in front…………… Alas, the Lord had order plans.

As always, the service and reception at St John’s was planned meticulously by Paddy Cooke and the church committee, the alter and porch adorned with flora and greenery by Hilary and Grania, and the Bandhall laid out by Larry and Grania to accommodate teas and scones after church.

Whilst I abandoned the reception to cheer on the Lillies, there were lots of familiar faces there from Blessington and Manor Kilbride – members of the Eager and Beatty families, Muriel and Gilmore Hamilton, Bob and Marlene Allison, Jack and James Kane and many more whose faces alas, I didn’t recognise.

From Ballymore Eustace, I saw Rev. Robert McDermott and his wife, Janet; Hazel and Pat Foley; Margaret and Justin Hayes and family; Holly and Hillary Pallister; Josie and Billy Hillis; Rhoda from Brannockstown; Grania and Larry of course and Norma and Paddy; Maire and Chris Dennison; Liam Lawlor, Claire Doyle, Mary Campbell, Mary Deegan, Collette and Tim and yours truly.

It is heartening to see how the two churches in our village have worked together in recent years organising Ecumenical Services and of late, a choral fundraiser with The Baldonnell Singers which was both successful and enjoyable.

Reverend Ruddock’s duties entail the parishes of St Mary’s, Blessington; St John’s, Ballymore Eustace; St Kevin’s of Hollywood where Rev Ruddock performed his first service on Sunday, 31st August and St John’s of Cloughlea, which incorporates the parish of Manor Kilbride and neighbouring townslands. The Reverend has now given services at all the afore mentioned churches and was touched by the huge welcome extended him and his family.

A native of Rathangan, Co Kildare, Rev Ruddock’s wife Hazel hails from Grangecon, Co Wicklow – Paddy Cook proclaimed the family hopefully would not be divided in supporting their respective counties in the case of inter-county sporting fixtures!

Mmmh, unless Wicklow and Kildare improve dramatically next year, it shouldn’t be a frequent problem - then again, with the Power of Prayer……..

Rose B O Donoghue
on passing by- again
Its absolutely amazing how just one month away from the Bugle can turn your mind into mush. Normally, at this stage, I would be going through stuff I had noticed during the last month and would be trying to decide which items would make a good story and discarding the rest. And where am I now?. Well and truly up the proverbial creek and neither Lidl or Aldi doing special offers on paddles!
In light this I am just going to pick stuff off the top of my head and run with it.

So, another Summer passes and we find ourselves back in September. In all honesty I suppose we are close to breaking the terms of the Trades Descriptions Act by calling the last two months Summer. An almost daily deluge for some parts of the country and never a chance to make any sort of definite plans for anything that was weather dependant. We are told by the powers on high that this is going to be our normal class of summer from now on, and that it really is no ones fault but our own. If we had heeded all the warnings about global warming and climate change, and done our bit for the environment, we would not be enjoying the current “ soft days “. If you believe that then you will believe anything.
I am a lifelong environmentalist and for years championed the Green Party. As someone said a long time ago marry in haste and repent at leisure. The Green Party I supported so many years ago had its head well screwed on and only acted when it had what I would call definitive proof of something. Now we have the same green party in government and it is as if all the pent up frustration of all those years in the wilderness and in opposition has suddenly blinded them to any kind of rational thought.
Policy after policy sees the light of day only to be shot down by the cold hard use of commonsense.
Lets strike a blow for the environment and ban all the old style bulbs. Good on ye Gormley, make them all use the environmentally friendly ones, even though they cost a lot more. Ah but lads they last a lot longer so you will eventually recoup your investment. Sorry lads but its not convincing enough. When the light in the toilet goes before pay day and the emergency choice is the eighty cent one in the local shop or the drive to Naas for the friendly but dearer one, that’s hardly a choice. Cheap light now or dear light in half an hour?. As I said, hardly a choice.
You would think that this part of the equation would have been obvious to Minister Gormley , as it is to the rest of us. Apparently not, and the Minister is now so far removed from reality that it never even seemed to occur to him that it would be illegal to ban a light bulb which is legal in other EU states. This is the green Minister who has his finger on the pulse of the green movement in Europe and is yet not au fait with European legislation.
The same Minister decrees that we are all equally responsible for global warming so therefore equally responsible for paying for it. When green Ministers take airline flights they insist on buying carbon credits, at the taxpayers expense, to offset their flights. While this may be noble in the extreme, and kind to Ministers pockets, what does it really achieve?.
We are a small country stuck between a European mainland and an ocean. While our carbon emissions may have increased dramatically in the last decade this is mainly because of a very low starting point.
Surely it is naïve in the extreme to suggest that we should all have to suffer so much to reduce our emissions when countries like the U.S., China and India, the worlds largest emitters, have refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol as they see it as going against their national interests. They are of the opinion that carbon credits are a waste of money and resources and that we should instead be spending the billions suggested on investigating cleaner technologies to provide us with energy rather then penalising us for trying to better ourselves.
Maybe its time to take the environ out of the Greens and just leave the mental bit.

Isn’t it strange that after decades of the border, and all its attendant publicity. and despite what we are told is a relatively good standard of education on both sides of the same border we still have so many people who seem totally unaware of the geography of this island. Week after week media folk continue to refer to Northern Ireland as Ulster, or “the province”. While it is true that Ulster is a province the six counties are neither of these.Perhaps it is just a lack of knowledge, or is there another agenda at work.?

Aren’t political memories woefully short. Fine Gael TD Leo Varadker recently suggested examining the possibility of offering six months benefits to recent immigrants, now unemployed, if they returned to their own countries. This type of Voluntary Repatriation Scheme is being examined Europe wide and a similar scheme already operates in Spain. Lo and behold the heavens opened. Fianna Fail TD Conor Lenihan called the remarks” inflammatory” and said they could lead to negative reactions directed at immigrants. This from the same TD who not so very long ago called Turkish workers “kebabs” in the Dail. Kettles and pots definitely spring to mind.

I was one of the unfortunates who spent over ninety minutes getting from Newlands Cross to Naas last Friday. The cause of this was unusually heavy rainfall on Friday afternoon which had parts of the N7 looking like boating lakes and reduced in parts to one lane of traffic. What was particularly frustrating was the memories of the two year upgrade of this same piece of infrastructure which resulted in almost daily hold ups and traffic jams. We were told it would be all worth it in the end and indeed it did seem to be much improved. In the dry. Even normal rain can make some parts of the road treacherous, particularly the outside lane at Citywest.
What I find absolutely galling is that despite us , the taxpayers, shelling out over sixteen million euro per kilometre the designers apparently never expected it to rain. Surely a project of this scope and expense should be capable of handling rain, or am I just being silly?

All for now. Mike Edmonds.

Pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2008, Sydney.

Tuesday: After over 20 hours of travelling we finally arrived in Sydney a bit tired and disorientated. We eventually made our way to St. Patricks Parish in Bondi where we got a warm welcome from both the locals and the guys from Dublin’s CYC at registration. We only had time to drop our bags before heading to the opening ceremony at Barangaroo.

Wednesday: Following a well deserved sleep, we started the day with Catechesis. This is how we started each morning. Many priests and bishops from all around the world delivered the ceremonies and the CYC choir provided beautiful music and singing for all attendees from around the globe. We spent the afternoon in Darling harbour for the street events. Back in Bondi Beach the ‘Franciscans 4 Unity’ concert preparations were well under way. It was a huge success.

Thursday: The Catechesis was followed by a BBQ where we got to meet loads of fellow pilgrims. Thursday afternoon was the Papal arrival into the harbour. The atmosphere around the whole city was amazing. Everybody came out to see the Pope, not just the pilgrims. Many businesses closed early for the event. We as part of the 200 strong Irish group saw Pope Benedict arriving into the harbour. Pope Benedict then travelled through the streets of Sydney, via motorcade in the Pope Mobile, before arriving at Barangaroo for the Papal welcome.

Friday: We had a few free hours in the morning and spent our time climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Stations of the Cross took place around the City on Friday afternoon. This was one of the highlights of WYD. This live theatrical and devotional re-enactment of the last days of Jesus' life took place in Sydney's spectacular harbour backdrop. We attended the night prayer service in St. Patricks Parish afterwards.

Saturday: We made our way to Randwick Racecourse early in the afternoon to prepare for the evening vigil. We were among 250,000 pilgrims for the night. Pope Benedict gave an impressive homily and the ceremony was beautiful. It was a joyful and moving event which included a ceremony of candlelight.

Sunday: Today was World Youth Day. Pope Benedict presided over this celebration. It was the largest gathering of people in the history of Australia at Southern Cross Precinct. The Pope flew over the precinct in a helicopter at 9am and then drove through the precinct in the Pope-mobile.This was the final day of WYD and the final mass and closing ceremony took place at the racecourse. Due to the drought that Australia was experiencing, Pope Benedict was asked to pray for rain and after WYD ended, his prayers were answered and the rain started (Just in time for our week of sightseeing!).

We both had an amazing experience at WYD. We met some terrific friends who we look forward to seeing at the reunion next month. We would like to thank everybody who helped this become a reality, especially Fr. Breen, Tim and all of the parish committee as well as all who contributed to our fundraising. It was a truly memorable experience that will live on with us for the rest of our lives. We hope that others from the Parish will be able to attend the next WYD in Madrid in 2011. To all who supported and encouraged us, a sincere thank you.
Orlagh Deegan & Caroline Darby
Church Matters

You will have noticed some construction activity around the church in the last number of weeks.
Brendan and Michael Nolan have been working hard on a number of areas around the building.
Firstly fixing the gutters properly to granite façade, very short nails were used in the original fixing, but now they are in a safe state. The pointing on the “pyramids” at each side of the entrance door was in a much deteriorated state and this re-pointing has stopped a large part of the water ingress at the back of the confessional. The façade around the doors was filled and will be treated with a weatherproof coating. Vents have been drilled into the walls to aid air circulation. An area around the graves has been taken out and filled with “blackjack” sealant. The old sand and cement plaster ahs been hacked off the stairway walls of the gallery and this will be replaced with a lime mix plaster at a later date.
That’s all the good news, now the bad news is that the supports of the gallery stairway are in an extremely distressed state. This will result in the closure of the gallery in the near future to enable investigation and probably the replacement of the supports and the stairway.
If you can help in any way towards this costly but very necessary work we would be most grateful.

The Parish Board of Management.
A GOOD READ AND….. ANOTHER GOOD LISTEN…….

I was taken by the cover , the blurb and the first page (usually my gauge of whether I will read a novel) of James Bradley’s “The Ressurectionist” (Faber and Faber: paperback: 10.00 euro) It has a darkly gothic feel to it, set in the atmospheric landscape of eighteenth century London and revolving around an eminent pathologist and his team. The plot revolves around a junior member of the anatomical crew whose role as apprentice involves preparing bodies for study- yes I know it sounds gory, but as I said the sub-plot, sold in the blurb definitely hooked me in! Unfortunately, although the book started well in terms of plot and characterisation, it soon drifted away from being like Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” and became more like the Rocky Horror Show. The depictions of the autopsies and the procurement of cadavers for the work gradually took over the writing until they became repetitious and even gratuitous. I stopped reading just under half way through, and it’s a pity because Bradley is a good writer, but sadly he missed an opportunity with this particular novel.

In order to satisfy my need to read something gothic I actually went back to the bookcase and pulled out a novel I had first read about 25 years ago “The Woman in White “ by William Wilkie Collins (Paperback – World Classics, no idea how much it is now, but it’s more that £1.50!) I was not disappointed. The novel was originally published in serial form in the 1860’s, just as his contemporary, Charles Dickens’ work first came to public attention. Again set initially in London, the sinister tale tells the story of Anne Catherick, the enigmatic “Woman in White”, who was actually based on an encounter that Collins had with a woman who was later to become his partner. The story is told in an interesting way in that it is divided into a series of narratives, told from the perspective of different characters in the book. The plot twist an and turns and is a classic gothic mystery tale, peppered with a cast of quirky and larger than life characters, including a superbly hateful villain- Count Fosco. If Bradley’s novel was more style than substance then Collins’ superb storytelling skills deliver on every front. It’s quite a long book, so give yourself time to reads it- it took me most of the summer. His other novels are also recommended, again from readings many years ago. “The Moonstone” is particularly good- having the distinction of being one of the first ever detective novels.

On a completely different note I also read “Hateship, friendship,courtship, loveship, marriage” by Alice Munro (Paperback: Vintage:10.80 euro)I have been a fan of Munro’s since I read another of her collections of short stories “Runaway” a few years ago. She really has mastered the art of the short story genre. Her tales are like small worlds unto themselves, typically featuring a very normal, sometimes careworn heroine. They are stories that I’m sure most women find it easy to identify with and her brand of wisdom is engaging and touching. All of them have a very distinctive Canadian feel and she describes her homeland with a mixture of fondness and irony, which I liked. It is a super collection and the form of the short story is great for picking up and putting down if you are busy.

On the listening front I was back up at Russborough in August for the Celine Byrne concert- again in the fabulous surroundings of the saloon. As the evening grew darker the candlelight really lent itself to the many beautiful arias she sang for us. Accompanied by an excellent pianist and also by her male colleague Eugene Ginty, it really was a treat for the ears and eyes. The two singers performed lots of favourites such as “Oh! My beloved father” and “Nessun Dorma” as well as several songs from one of my favourite musicals – “West Side Story”. Rathangan born Celine has a magnificent voice as well as a lovely natural way with an audience, I would certainly go to see her again, especially if it was in the perfect setting of Russborough.


ANGIE THOMPSON

ANOTHER GREAT SUCCESS
FOR
BALLYMORE EUSTACE
IN THE
2008 TIDY TOWNS COMPETITION!

The results of the 2008 Tidy Towns competition were announced just as the Bugle was going to press. Ballymore Eustace achieved a massive nineteen point increase over last year’s score - an even larger increase than last year – and, again, putting us second in our category in Kildare.

A summary of the Adjudication Report appears below:

A big thank you to everybody who contributed to this success:
· The Tidy Towns Group (including Tommy Deegan, Gary Deegan, Catherine Fisher, Mary & Eric Firth, Maeve Cummins, and Mary Deegan. )
· Our marvellous FÁS Team - Frankie Burke and Ian Furlong – who are out in all weathers (including the summer that was in it) keeping the village and the River Walk pristine.
· Our faithful “Monday Night Clean‑Up Team” - members of the Tidy Towns Group, and Geraldine Lawlor - who collect the litter that other people so kindly donate.
· The many people who worked quietly, modestly and consistently behind the scenes – including Jimmy Pearse, and Martin Deegan.
· The KCC Street Cleaning Team - under the auspices of Joe Boland (Director of Services, Environment & Water Services, KCC), Dara Wyer (Environment Education Officer, KCC) and the supervision of John Fallon (Environmental Crew Leader, KCC) - who have worked so well. Thanks to them our drains and culverts are clean, clear, and rubbish free. Weeds have been eradicated from the walkways and pavements. In all our dealings with them we have received full, willing, and motivated cooperation.
· Last, but not least, all the householders who keep their homes and surrounds so beautiful, colourful, tidy, and clear of litter and weeds.

We hope to include a more detailed analysis, highlighting the good and bad points from the Adjudication Report, in next month’s Bugle. This year’s result will be a hard act to follow.
A GOOD READ AND….. ANOTHER GOOD LISTEN…….

I was taken by the cover , the blurb and the first page (usually my gauge of whether I will read a novel) of James Bradley’s “The Ressurectionist” (Faber and Faber: paperback: 10.00 euro) It has a darkly gothic feel to it, set in the atmospheric landscape of eighteenth century London and revolving around an eminent pathologist and his team. The plot revolves around a junior member of the anatomical crew whose role as apprentice involves preparing bodies for study- yes I know it sounds gory, but as I said the sub-plot, sold in the blurb definitely hooked me in! Unfortunately, although the book started well in terms of plot and characterisation, it soon drifted away from being like Defoe’s “Moll Flanders” and became more like the Rocky Horror Show. The depictions of the autopsies and the procurement of cadavers for the work gradually took over the writing until they became repetitious and even gratuitous. I stopped reading just under half way through, and it’s a pity because Bradley is a good writer, but sadly he missed an opportunity with this particular novel.

In order to satisfy my need to read something gothic I actually went back to the bookcase and pulled out a novel I had first read about 25 years ago “The Woman in White “ by William Wilkie Collins (Paperback – World Classics, no idea how much it is now, but it’s more that £1.50!) I was not disappointed. The novel was originally published in serial form in the 1860’s, just as his contemporary, Charles Dickens’ work first came to public attention. Again set initially in London, the sinister tale tells the story of Anne Catherick, the enigmatic “Woman in White”, who was actually based on an encounter that Collins had with a woman who was later to become his partner. The story is told in an interesting way in that it is divided into a series of narratives, told from the perspective of different characters in the book. The plot twist an and turns and is a classic gothic mystery tale, peppered with a cast of quirky and larger than life characters, including a superbly hateful villain- Count Fosco. If Bradley’s novel was more style than substance then Collins’ superb storytelling skills deliver on every front. It’s quite a long book, so give yourself time to reads it- it took me most of the summer. His other novels are also recommended, again from readings many years ago. “The Moonstone” is particularly good- having the distinction of being one of the first ever detective novels.

On a completely different note I also read “Hateship, friendship,courtship, loveship, marriage” by Alice Munro (Paperback: Vintage:10.80 euro)I have been a fan of Munro’s since I read another of her collections of short stories “Runaway” a few years ago. She really has mastered the art of the short story genre. Her tales are like small worlds unto themselves, typically featuring a very normal, sometimes careworn heroine. They are stories that I’m sure most women find it easy to identify with and her brand of wisdom is engaging and touching. All of them have a very distinctive Canadian feel and she describes her homeland with a mixture of fondness and irony, which I liked. It is a super collection and the form of the short story is great for picking up and putting down if you are busy.

On the listening front I was back up at Russborough in August for the Celine Byrne concert- again in the fabulous surroundings of the saloon. As the evening grew darker the candlelight really lent itself to the many beautiful arias she sang for us. Accompanied by an excellent pianist and also by her male colleague Eugene Ginty, it really was a treat for the ears and eyes. The two singers performed lots of favourites such as “Oh! My beloved father” and “Nessun Dorma” as well as several songs from one of my favourite musicals – “West Side Story”. Rathangan born Celine has a magnificent voice as well as a lovely natural way with an audience, I would certainly go to see her again, especially if it was in the perfect setting of Russborough.


ANGIE THOMPSON


ANOTHER GREAT SUCCESS
FOR
BALLYMORE EUSTACE
IN THE
2008 TIDY TOWNS COMPETITION!

The results of the 2008 Tidy Towns competition were announced just as the Bugle was going to press. Ballymore Eustace achieved a massive nineteen point increase over last year’s score - an even larger increase than last year – and, again, putting us second in our category in Kildare.

A summary of the Adjudication Report appears below:

A big thank you to everybody who contributed to this success:
· The Tidy Towns Group (including Tommy Deegan, Gary Deegan, Catherine Fisher, Mary & Eric Firth, Maeve Cummins, and Mary Deegan. )
· Our marvellous FÁS Team - Frankie Burke and Ian Furlong – who are out in all weathers (including the summer that was in it) keeping the village and the River Walk pristine.
· Our faithful “Monday Night Clean‑Up Team” - members of the Tidy Towns Group, and Geraldine Lawlor - who collect the litter that other people so kindly donate.
· The many people who worked quietly, modestly and consistently behind the scenes – including Jimmy Pearse, and Martin Deegan.
· The KCC Street Cleaning Team - under the auspices of Joe Boland (Director of Services, Environment & Water Services, KCC), Dara Wyer (Environment Education Officer, KCC) and the supervision of John Fallon (Environmental Crew Leader, KCC) - who have worked so well. Thanks to them our drains and culverts are clean, clear, and rubbish free. Weeds have been eradicated from the walkways and pavements. In all our dealings with them we have received full, willing, and motivated cooperation.
· Last, but not least, all the householders who keep their homes and surrounds so beautiful, colourful, tidy, and clear of litter and weeds.

We hope to include a more detailed analysis, highlighting the good and bad points from the Adjudication Report, in next month’s Bugle. This year’s result will be a hard act to follow.

Back to the Grind.
Its start-up time again, so here goes with some more rubbish. The wife has been giving me the gears about all the exotic places our friends have visited for their holidays; Mauritius, Barbados, the Rockies, the North Pole, you name it, they’ve been there. ‘More power to their elbows’ I say, but I am thinking more of a mid-week break in a B & B with two evening meals thrown in, somewheres in the auld sod. “In times of recession spend the money at home”, I loftily tell her. She is not impressed.

So at time of writing I have surrounded myself with brochures about Ireland, some of them forty years or more old, collected when exploring the heartlands of Ireland in more adventurous times; everywhere from the Cliffs of Moher to the Glens of Antrim. I don’t suppose the Cliffs or the Glens have changed over much since then, nevertheless wear and tear may have altered them somewhat, so a revisit mightn’t be such a bad idea. Keeping up with the ‘changing times’ as the ad goes and a hang sight easier than going for a second look at the Grand Canyon in Colorado. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” we’re told!

That’s the home front covered, so how are things nationwide? Well quiet enough. Boss man Biffo has been busy; opening a new opera house, new golf club and doing ballad sessions. I wonder did he give them a rendition of “Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore” when opening the opera house? I thought perhaps he should have kicked off, or should that be, driven off, the new Dail session with a few bars of “Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be”. In fact, I think he should adopt it as his signature tune! He’s not long back from Brussels. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Himself, and some others were over there telling Russia and Georgia to get their act together! I always said we punched above our weight. By the time you read this all will be settled, and now he is back home sorting out the social partnership mess, getting rid of quangos, agencies, and the devil an’ all, and telling us about the ‘sustainable path’ he has mapped out for us, ‘going forward’ of course. Dream on!!

I thought by now that the Lisbon Treaty would be well done an’ dusted. Not so, it is still making headlines in our daily papers with Letters to the Editor, and various articles keeping the pot boiling. I expressed my thoughts about it in the July issue of the Bugle so I don’t plan to repeat myself, but I did read a very insightful article about it no later than Wednesday Aug 27th. It was written by Mary Frances McKenna, director of Business Alliance for Europe, one of the groups that campaigned for a Yes vote in the referendum. The gist of her article was to ask us to think future and not present. “What is your vision for Ireland in five, ten, or twenty years’ time” she asks? “Time doesn’t stand still” she reminds us. Never a truer word spoken.

Euroscepticism is a game in which Ireland can only lose is the headline of her article, and she concludes by saying, I quote; “our future and the future of the next generation depend on Irelands ability to resolve the Lisbon Treaty impasse in a manner that enables Ireland to remain at the centre of Europe. Amen to that. But Mary isn’t the only one to get in on the act and express their thoughts and feelings about the Treaty. The Catholic Church has joined the fray by no less a personage than Cardinal Seán Brady. His worry is the loss of Christian values in European governing structures should Lisbon be implemented. You’re on thin ice there, Seán me boy.

A modicum of historical knowledge tells us that down through the ages when Mother Church regardless of denomination had a say in politics her rule was not always democratic rule. Think Inquisition, think Cromwell! A learned man such as yourself will well know that. But I take your point, we seem to have gone to the other extreme now, and maybe a bit of spirituality injected back into our governing bodies wouldn’t do a bit of harm. The trouble is that down through the ages and right up to present times we have nefarious deeds carried out by politicians claiming to have God on their side, so if in doubt leave it out!

And still they appear, -- more Lisbon letters in our daily papers, all of them passing comment on Cardinal Seán’s original letter. Most of these letters are signed by people with letters either before or after their names indicating a high quality of learning and knowledge, so it’s time for me to shut up before you readers put some initials after my name such as -- shut the f---up.

Yrs Jeffers.

Move over, “Bob the Builder”
Janet and Denise en route to South Africa!
(photo of Janet and Denise at the top right of page please)

Many thanks to all who have supported Niall Mellon Fundraisers as organised by Janet Carthy and Denise Kelly. The girls are joining Mellon’s building trip to South Africa next Spring – an annual event which has seen thousands of poverty stricken families secure permanent homes.

First event was the table quiz which went well and raised approximately €2000, a super total considering it was held during the holiday season.

Winners on the night were Gordon McCloud, Jim McDonald and friends. Runners-up Jacinta O’Rourke, Aoife Sammon, Rachael Rousse and Fiona Rigney.

Tom O’Rourke – profiled elsewhere in this edition of the Bugle for his handball prowess - was in flying form as MC and kept the things running smoothly.
The organisers would like to thank Tom for his help and to all who bought tables and raffle tickets, donated prizes and money. Thanks also to Steve and Lorraine on scoreboard with special thanks to Darren O’Reilly and the staff of the Thatch who were, as always, totally supportive and helpful.

The following are the winners of the raffle:-

1st Large Drinks Hamper John Buckley
2nd Bottle of Brandy John Rigney
3rd Jameson Gift Set & Glasses Fiona Breslin
4th Voucher for Sunday Lunch at Ardenode Hotel Patrick Pearse
5th Box Set of Wine Rachael Rousse
6th Brass Candle Stick Fiona Rigney
7th Cosmetic Set Maria Griffin

Further fundraisers planned included a Cake /Bric-a-Brac sale, a Music Night with Abhainn Dubh & DJ at Poulaphouca House on September 20th with our Angie doing a Parachute Jump on the same day – details in next month’s Bugle.

The Niall Mellon Initiative really is a superb project whereby people within the construction industry – tillers, blocklayers, plasterers, engineers etc give their time and services free of charge for 10 days, raise the necessary monies to fund the trip and building materials required and head to South Africa to literally build permanent houses in a week for people who have lived in shacks, galvanized huts and in some cases, cardboard houses for years………….. Without proper sanitation facilities, disease is rampant and Aids, sadly, an acceptable facet of everyday life. All houses built on the project are plumbed, wired and connected to an electrical supply.

Unskilled labour is also required, plus group scheme support and supply workers etc We’ve had reports before from Ken Barrett and Caroline (Crowe) Parker who have joined the project several times so we look forward to hearing of Denise and Janet’s experience.

The girls also have sponsorship cards should anyone like to contribute – see cards on display in Janet’s Daybreak Shop on Chapel Street or contact Denise on 087 6893403.

Great greats, great project – all donations welcome!

Rose B O Donoghue

Photos to run with this captions very small please:

Table Quiz Winners: Gordon McLoud and Jim McDonald (team mates missing from photo)

Runners-up: Jacinta O’Rourke, Aoife Sammon, Fiona Rigney and Rachael Rousse (The bottles did not participate in the Quiz and in no way contributed to the team’s success on the night….)

Maestro MC Tom O’Rourke running the show
BABY news!
Congrats to Wendy (Quinlan) and Tomaz on the birth of their second baby?
And to Theresa and Tom Kelly on the birth of their baby boy.

Birthdays galore!
Shockin’ lot of birthdays over the months and a lot of birthday girls shocked at reaching ‘mature’ milestone birthdays…….. I am probably going to be shortlisted on everyone’s Christmas card list but what the hell, here goes……. Last month, I refered to Mary H, Angela’s twin sister who was a tad sensitive about a recent birthday; for a woman who didn’t want her birthday recognised, she certainly got a lot of mileage out of the ‘non-existent’ birthday - a night out in the Ballymore Inn with several of De Perfectos, collected by Seanie Deegan in a classic MG, a trip to Barcelona and other nights out – “Hello”, remind me not to celebrate a birthday in the same fashion as yer woman from Boleybeg…………
Trish G wasn’t sensitive about reaching the Big 40, thank God and Tony Rooney picked her up in a Vintage Austin whilst Der Reilly collected Tony’s missus, Bridget up in a Red Mercedes; I don’t know whether Bridget is sensitive about her birthday so I will play it safe – it wasn’t either her 40th nor her 60th.
To Lisa Crowe (sister of the non celebrating twin) who also reached a milestone birthday.

Disclaimer: The Bugle wishes to advise Readers that the collection of the afore mentioned Ladies in Vintage Vehicles in no way insinuates the Ladies fall into the Vintage Category and is purely co-incidental.

To Holly Pallister, best pen pal in the world on celebrating a special birthday this year
To Jackie McNulty (Deegan to most of us) and to Esther (Reddy) Dooley on reaching their 40th – and still looking as glam as ever, sicken you they would………..
To Kathleen Toner from Scotland on celebrating her birthday, the one that falls between 40 and 60….
To Bernie Barrett on the celebration of a similar birthday – there goes my Christmas Day Dinner….
To Jim Kelly on celebrating his 70th Birthday recently with friends and family in The Thatch – see photo.
To Lillian M, who celebrated a milestone birthday during the summer and damn it, looks more like a school kid than a school principal.
To Michael H, keen head for figures, who reached a notable figure this year himself.
To Johnny Davis on celebrating his 80th birthday recently with friends in Mayo


Get well wishes are not needed for Seamus O Brien who recently underwent a hip transplant but has recovered quickly and is flying around like a young buck already!

Well done to all the Youth who recently received their exam results and to all who celebrated their debs night out.





Wedding bells Congrats to former Festival Queen, Orla Lennon and Lorcan O’Rourke on their recent marriage and to Dr Becky Keenan (daughter of the late Jennie Macdougald) on her marriage to Mark Godfrey in Hertsfordshire, an occasion shared by several friends from Ballymore who travelled over for the event


Congratulations to May and Eddie Whelan of Chapel Street, Ballymore and the UK on celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary at Avon Ri, Blessing ton with a special mass officiated by Fr Breen


In Reverse print, please:

Condolences to John Flynn on the death of his brother, Frank Flynn, late of Castledermot. Frank is survived by his wife, Mary and sons, David, Ray and John and extended family.

To Dora O’Brien and family on the sudden death of her brother John Creighton, late of Kill who is survived by his wife Anne, daughters Imelda and Mary; sons Peter, Alan and John Paul; sisters and brothers and extended members of the family.

To the McCarthy family on the sudden death of Geraldine McCarthy. Those of you who frequent The Elms Antique Furniture Showrooms at The Elms, Punches town will have met Geraldine, a strikingly tall, elegant woman. Formerly of Kill, her sudden passing was a shock to the family, husband Dennis, daughters Helga and Naomi; sons Fergal and Aubrey..
Condolences to Joe Evans, his son Billy and daughter Colette, grandaughters Miranda and Isobel on the tragic death of Anne Evans as a result of an accident on Sunday September 7th. Joe is a son of the later Molly and Billy Evans whose brother Liam we featured last year in The Bugle.
The Late May Dennison
The community was saddened to learn of the death of Mrs May Dennison (88), Liffey Bridge, Ballymore Eustace over the weekend.
An extraordinary woman, May ran a guest house at her home for over half a century, catering for Bed & Breakfast, Teas or Full Board. Long before The Ballymore Inn or The Thatch were established as reputable food houses, May’s reputation for fine hospitality saw her secure repeat bookings from families returning home for summer holidays or Punchestown Races – some for over three decades and more! Even last year, Paul Lambe and The King Snakes who were billed as the lead musical act during Carman Fair, chose to stay with May over local hotels and more upmarket facilities ‘because Mrs Dennison looked after us when we hadn’t a brass farthing….”
Even after the death of her late husband Christy, May continued to run the guest house aided by her family and was always the first to give a donation to the local Annual Festival Week in conjunction with National Hunt Week. Always interested in local events, May was quick to praise local enterprise and individual achievements. She will be remembered as a cheerful, good natured woman and she will be missed by the many annual guests who remained loyal to Dennison’s B & B over the decades. Predeceased by her husband Christy, May is survived by her daughters Anne and Catherine, sons Christy, David and Paul, sister Kathleen, grandchildren, daughters and son-in-law and extended family members. The late May Dennsion, an astute but generous hearted business woman – may she rest in peace, amen.

The Editors extend our deepest sympathy to the Flynn, Creighton, McCarthy and Dennison families . May they rest in peace.
___________________________________________________________________





6 OUT OF THE 9 PRESENT CDA COMMITTEE MEMBERS
ARE STANDING DOWN !!


Hi all,
I regret to inform you that at the most recent Ballymore Eustace Community Development Association (CDA) meeting, two thirds of the current 9 strong CDA committee, including myself, stated that we would be standing down at the end of our current term (end October ‘08). I would like to point out that in no way has there been any ‘falling out’ or disgruntled committee members, simply that some members have other strong commitments which they feel requires more of their time, whilst others simply felt that they had been on the committee long enough and believed that others should have an opportunity to be on the CDA committee for Ballymore Eustace. We now urgently need 5 or 6 new people to contact me to register their interest in becoming a committee member – even if you are not entirely sure that it is for you – please ring me and we can have a chat and maybe with some aspects clarified, it will be easier for you to make a decision.

To give you an idea of the range of activities the CDA is involved in, I will give you a run down of what we have been working on since I took over chairmanship at the end of last year.

Street signs for the village
Designing the new ‘Community Development Centre’and seeking planning permission for same at the site of the Old Council library (corner of Assumpta Terrace)
Liasing with Dublin City Council to create mapped walking routes around the village
Offering support to the CDA sub committees (Tidy towns, Punchestown festival, Community playgroup, Meals on wheels, Friendship club, Bingo/hall, Bugle, Community Alert), the youth club and Scoil Mhuire national school
Investigating options for sporting grounds/hall for the people of Ballymore Eustace
Obtaining grant funding for friendship club for flower arranging classes
Lobbying KTK Levies committee for community funding
Investigating options for a playground in Ballymore Eustace
Liasing with village Fás workers supervisor
Liasing with Fás to try and fill positions locally
Liasing with local Kildare County Council crew tasked with cleaning village
Meeting local area engineer re: footpaths, kerbs and bollards
Lobbying KCC on behalf of local people re: flooding and state of the roads
Working closely with the CDA’s Planning Advisory Sub Group (PASG) to put in submissions on the Water Treatment plant, Wastewater Treatment plant, various and numerous Residential and Commercial applications
Working with the PASG in trying to encourage property developers to consider appropriate developments for Ballymore Eustace and ensure maximum community gain.
Lobbying local politicians to try and reverse the decision to change the council electoral areas
Garda policing plan

The CDA is the owner of the River Walk and the Resource Centre and has a long term lease of the old council library site (and future building).

The CDA have made submissions on the County Development Plan and will take a primary role in the Local Area Plan and in doing so, along with other projects, works to ensure the village grows in a sustainable and attractive manner.

This is our community – your community, it is your Community Development Association and should be working in a way to develop the community in a way that you feel is beneficial and positive to the people who live in Ballymore Eustace.

If you were not aware of all the work that the CDA is involved in, you may not have been fully aware of how disturbing the news that two thirds of the committee are standing down truly is.

However, we are looking at this in a positive manner – hoping that this will be the opportunity for huge change in the CDA – a large change in the make up of the committee and indeed in the way the CDA is organized and operates. There is also the opportunity to perhaps change the focus and direction of the work of the CDA.

Perhaps you are looking at the list of activities above and thinking why isn’t ‘such and such’ on that list or I am not interested in the activities that are listed above. Perhaps you feel that the CDA should establish……. an active retirement group, host an annual field day for the people of Ballymore Eustace, host social occasions and English language classes for the foreign nationals who live in our village (to be more inclusive and give them the language skill to become more included in community life), hold ‘new to the area’ social occasions for people who just that, establish a local business chamber, create a teenagers ‘play’ area, set up a samba band …whatever!

If this is the case, then this is your chance to make something wonderful happen and improve the village of Ballymore Eustace and the quality of life for its inhabitants – become a committee member and put your ‘such and such’ on the list – the CDA is open to all new suggestions all of the time – the CDA works on YOUR behalf!

Last year at the AGM we felt it worked well not to put pressure on people during the AGM to publicly state in front of the large crowd that they would like to become committee members and simply asked that people came up at the end of the meeting to a committee member to register their interest.

This year we are hoping to do it differently again – always trying to improve the way we do things. What we want is to have 5 or 6 new committee members ready to be simply announced at the AGM. Anybody with an interest in Ballymore Eustace and it’s people are asked to volunteer to become committee members – there are no prerequisites of being of a certain age group, being from a local family who have lived here for generations, having previous community work experience, having been on local committees before (though of course, we would be more than delighted to have people who have been on the CDA committee in the past or indeed any other local committees) etc. Alternatively, if you know of someone you think may be interested in joining, you could suggest a name and we could contact them to see if they would in fact be interested.

If we do not get enough new committee members the CDA committee will not be able to function and this will have a detrimental effect on the village – just imagine for a moment if you will, if all the projects and issues the CDA has worked on since it was set up in 1996 were not – it’s not worth imagining!

Please take a chance and get involved – meetings only occur once a month and you only have to commit for one year.



Fiona Breslin
Chairperson
Ballymore Eustace CDA