Wildlife reduction due to sulphur dioxide levels? LEIXLIP, 14 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. A call to see whether an ‘alarming’ reduction in birds and wildlife in the Leixlip area could be linked to high sulphur dioxide levels has been made by local councillor Catherine Murphy. She and other councillors are asking for appropriate experts to discuss the matter at their next area meeting. A recent report from the EPA showed Leixlip to have the highest levels of sulphur dioxide recorded at 19 monitoring points around the country. The annual median daily average of 67 µg/m3 at Leixlip was four times the average for all other stations, and concentrations exceeded 125 µg/m3 on a total of 30 days during 1998/99. The EU guide values for SO2 are 40 to 60 µg/m3 in respect of the annual mean and 100 to 150 µg/m3 in respect of the maximum daily mean, but these values are to be drastically reduced in a forthcoming amendment. “There were other issues such as damage to trees and shrubs evident in parts of the town,” Cllr Murphy noted, “and an alarming reduction in birds and wildlife which could be linked to the sulphur dioxide levels. There is also a problem in a local farm with livestock deaths and deformities. I want to know whether these are linked and I want the issue confronted the source or sources identified.” Arrangements are being made to have an appropriate person from either the Health Board or the EPA to attend the next area meeting. Equivalent levels of SO2 in other Kildare towns as detailed in the report were 12 µg/m3 for Naas and Newbridge, and 13 µg/m3 for Celbridge. Figures ranged from 13-21 µg/m3 in the combined Dublin Corporation/Councils area. Main Rover, Land Rover and Volvo dealers, Kildare town. Phone 045 521203; Fax 045 521785. See our selection here. And read Brian Byrne's review of the new Rover 75.

Kildare has many authors of both fiction and non-fiction. We have a special page available to promote their work, which you can access here. Please support those of your county people who travel the long and often lonely road of the pen and typewriter to tell you stories.

Corporate Magazine Publishing - Business Writing - Journalism & Broadcasting Training - Internet Marketing Consultants - Web Site Design - Book Writing Telling Tales Ltd, PO Box 106, Naas, Co Kildare. Phone 045 481090, 086 8267104; Fax 045 481091; Email tellingtales@yahoo.com

Motoring News, Views and Reviews here

Car of the Week Xsara Coupe HDi

Naas author's latest book NAAS, 14 April 2000: by Trish Whelan. Over 80 people attended the launch of Naas author Janet E Sahafi’s latest book ‘Healing the Spirit’ with RTE’s Gareth O’Callaghan in the Red House this week. And Janet was delighted to hear him say it should be required reading for Leaving Certificate students as it answered so many questions he has had about life. Gareth was introduced by Joan Keogh of Nas Na Ríogh Book Shop in Naas, which organised the launch. “The book, in an easy-to-read-style, is a journey in itself and a spiritual autobiography," US-born Janet says. "I’m hoping people will use it to explore their own journey and focus in on their own beliefs and struggles and how those might be healed.” A reading from the book included a passage on the Holocaust Museum outside Jerusalem, visited by the Pope on his recent trip to the Holy Land. Janet had spent some time working there after ending up penniless with no ticket home. She’d also been caught up in street riots between rival factions. ‘Healing the Spirit’ is Janet’s third book to be published. It’s a sequel to ‘Healing the Past’ which is now in its second print run. A novel entitled ‘Jigsaw’ had received the blessing of Poolbeg ommissioning editor Kate Cruise O’Brien before her unexpected death. Apart from her writing, Janet holds regular workshops in Tallaght, in the Augustinian Centre in Old Bawn. The book is available from Nas Na Ríogh Bookshop in Naas and from Porter’s in Newbridge.

PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie

KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

Ramps suggestion for 'speed' road TORONTO & NEWBRIDGE, 14 April 2000: Dear Editor I have been reading KNN News for some time now. In particular I have recently been reading the problems in Newbrige with regards to speeding in the College Park area. I was wondering if a suggestion could be made to KCC to put in "Speed Ramps". I have noticed in the area I live in, in Toronto, Canada, the speeding problems, especially at rush hour, have been solved in this way. Trasa Bracken.

Horse head 'not Shergar' NAAS, 14 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. The head of a shot horse found in Kerry this week is not Shergar, according to a veterinary surgeon who examined it in Naas. The head had been brought to Naas Garda Station for forensic and DNA examination after speculation that it is was the head of the famous racehorse Shergar, related to a reputed Kerry connection to the kidnapping of the horse 17 years ago by the IRA. The head was found by Cllr Tommy Foley during a clean-up of a wood near Tralee. It has two clear bullet holes in its skull, not in the place normally used by ‘humane killers’ used to put down injured horses. According to Cllr Mr Foley, the remains of the head were wrapped in a coal sack and a farmer's boy with him identified the skull as that of a racehorse or a hunter. If the remains are ever found, DNA matching may be possible from two hairs taken from the horse by two veterinary students during a visit to its stables, and genetic evidence has also been gathered from the 35 horses sired by Shergar Tralee is the birthplace of Sean O'Callaghan, the IRA 'supergrass' who wrote on the abduction in his book, The Informer. Shergar won the Derby in Britain and Ireland, and his abduction was part an attempt to extort a £5m ransom from the Aga Khan and a syndicate of owners.

Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email

Notes ... Notes ... Notes ... ATHY: Athy UDC hac cleared the way for an inner relief road for the town, ending 30 years of bitter argument. The 5-4 vote adopted the Town Development Plan, which includes the inner relief road. KILDARE: A public meeting in Kildare town heard fears from local people about proposals to bring 400 asylum seekers to the town. Threats to picket the former Magee Barracks where there are already 230 Kosovar refugees. MOONE: Burial sites dating back to 1800 BC are included in a number of archeological discoveries made during excavations for the Moone-Timolin by-pass. KILDARE: Kildare County Council has temporarily closed 1,000 metres of Local Road from Rathbride Cross to Kildare Town Railway Station. The closure will last from 10th April 2000 to 29th April 2000 inclusive and is required to facilitate work on the Blackmillershill Water Improvement Scheme. Alternative Route: Divert via left at Rathbride Cross to Pollardstown Bridge and on to Melitta Road. NAAS: Minister Noel Dempsey has approved the contract documents for a new fire station in Naas.The town has been waiting for a modern station for a number of years, and had previously lost out on the priority list to Kildare town. Firemen have long claimed that their present firestation in the old Water Tower on the Fair Green in Naas is unsuitable for such use. The new station will be built on the small green area beside Naas Care of the Aged on the Newbridge Road. LEIXLIP: £5,000 has been allocated each to the general Oaklawn area and Ryevale Lawns for estate road repairs, particularly in some of the cul-de-sacs which are in very poor condition.

THE LEINSTER PRINTMAKING STUDIO THE OLD CONVENT, CLANE Artists' resource, Training, Gallery sales. Phone Margaret Becker 045 868168 or 087 2310114

LISTEN TO the weekly roundup of Irish views and stories presented by Brian Byrne and Trish Whelan and broadcast from Vancouver on the Celtic Voices programme carried by Canada's largest independent radio network. You can stream it at 56k, or download to listen to later. Changed every Sunday.

'Admit failure on lights', Council told CELBRIDGE, 13 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. It is time to ‘end experimentation and admit failure’ on the issue of the traffic lights at the Liffey Bridge in Celbridge, according to local councillor Geraldine Conway. In a statement this week, she said the time for adjustment, regulation and ‘teething problems’ with the controversial installation has ended, and the lights must be turned off. “The current situation of long queues and ineffective management of traffic flow through the town has to end,” Cllr Conway says. “From the onset of the introduction of the lights independent of other traffic control measures, it was clear that it was not going to work, particularly based on an outdated report using traffic figures from 1996.” Traffic problems that existed in Celbridge before the introduction of the lights have ‘been compounded’ by the lights, and the problem will only be solved when there are proper roads in and out of the town, namely the construction of access to the motorway, and the ring road. “These, along with proper off-street parking and public transport measures, will allow traffic alternative routes around the town centre and give Celbridge back to the community,” she says. Meanwhile, Deputy Emmett Stagg is to propose an alternative traffic control system at tomorrow’s Celbridge Area meeting of councillors which will involves the provision of a flat mini-roundabout on either side of the bridge, and pedestrian-controlled traffic lights at AIB on Main Street and the Mucky Duck on English Row. These proposals follow consultation with the town’s Chamber of Commerce, and Deputy Stagg says that the provision of further pedestrian-controlled lights will also be considered, based on pedestrian counts. “It is regrettable that the original proposal failed in that it had readressed the lack of priority to traffic along Main Street over the traffic coming from the Clane Road,” he says. “The roundabout provision should assist in correcting this.” Deputy Stagg also says Kildare County Council should seek the recovery of the money spent on the failed lights system from consultants Ove Arup. Main Rover, Land Rover and Volvo dealers, Kildare town. Phone 045 521203; Fax 045 521785. See our selection here. And read Brian Byrne's review of the new Rover 75.

Kildare has many authors of both fiction and non-fiction. We have a special page available to promote their work, which you can access here. Please support those of your county people who travel the long and often lonely road of the pen and typewriter to tell you stories.

Corporate Magazine Publishing - Business Writing - Journalism & Broadcasting Training - Internet Marketing Consultants - Web Site Design - Book Writing Telling Tales Ltd, PO Box 106, Naas, Co Kildare. Phone 045 481090, 086 8267104; Fax 045 481091; Email tellingtales@yahoo.com

Motoring News, Views and Reviews here

Car of the Week Xsara Coupe HDi

KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

Spelling error red faces... CLANE, 13 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. We've heard of people dropping 'h's in their speaking and spelling, but it seems that Glongowes Wood College has dropped it's 'w'. Or at least, the people responsible for the new road signs that have sprouted around the county in the last couple of months have done so. Go to the back of the class, please ...

Corporate Magazine Publishing - Business Writing - Journalism & Broadcasting Training - Internet Marketing Consultants - Web Site Design - Book Writing Telling Tales Ltd, PO Box 106, Naas, Co Kildare. Phone 045 481090, 086 8267104; Fax 045 481091; Email tellingtales@yahoo.com

Controversial compound 'may be moved' NAAS, 13 April 2000: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC is to investigate the possibility of moving the builder’s compound at Pairc na nOg in Naas. Town clerk Declan Kirrane said it was hoped to begin work on demolishing and reconstructing the eight houses in Sarto Park which are deemed beyond repair. But the land on which the compound operates may in fact be owned by the ESB, according to Cllr Pat McCarthy(left), in which case he said the compound should never have been situated there and should be moved. Chairman Seamie Moore said if this is the case, ‘it then boils down as a matter between the ESB and Naas UDC.’ It is necessary under the terms of the builder’s contract, that a compound be provided for equipment used during improvements to houses under a Remedial Works Scheme in the area. Residents of St Gabriel’s Place and the Sarto area have campaigned over the past year to have the compound, on a children’s playground, moved to a more suitable location.

PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie

To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

Olympic hopeful's fundraiser NEWBRIDGE, 13 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. The Karen Shinkins Sydney 2000 Campaign is being launched on Friday night in Newbridge Credit Union, as the kick-off to a fundraising campaign for this young Newbridge athlete. Karen is off to Poland this weekend for a three-week intensive training programme prior to going to Sydney. The event is being sponsored by Newbridge Town Commission in association with Newbridge Community Games and Newbridge Credit Union. The launch is at 8pm. Cmmr Pat Black (left) has appealed for a full tournout to show the town's support for their Olympic contender.

Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email

Scouts in cemetery cleanup NAAS, 13 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. Cub Scouts in the 4th Kildare Scout Unit will spend next Monday evening cleaning up the Workhouse Cemetery Graveyard beside Kildare County Council offices. The initiative is part of April Spring Clean Week. The Workhouse was set up in 1839 with a capacity for 550 ‘paupers’ and had to be enlarged from 1846 onwards to a point where it accommodated almost 1,400 people. The Workhouse Cemetery was opened in January 1848 and in the months up to August of that year, 127 people died in the workhouse, one in three of which were infants and children. By August 1853, 814 people had died. Burials continued up to the 1950s.

Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email

Notes ... Notes ... Notes ... ATHY: Athy UDC hac cleared the way for an inner relief road for the town, ending 30 years of bitter argument. The 5-4 vote adopted the Town Development Plan, which includes the inner relief road. KILDARE: A public meeting in Kildare town heard fears from local people about proposals to bring 400 asylum seekers to the town. Threats to picket the former Magee Barracks where there are already 230 Kosovar refugees. MOONE: Burial sites dating back to 1800 BC are included in a number of archeological discoveries made during excavations for the Moone-Timolin by-pass. KILDARE: Kildare County Council has temporarily closed 1,000 metres of Local Road from Rathbride Cross to Kildare Town Railway Station. The closure will last from 10th April 2000 to 29th April 2000 inclusive and is required to facilitate work on the Blackmillershill Water Improvement Scheme. Alternative Route: Divert via left at Rathbride Cross to Pollardstown Bridge and on to Melitta Road. NAAS: Minister Noel Dempsey has approved the contract documents for a new fire station in Naas.The town has been waiting for a modern station for a number of years, and had previously lost out on the priority list to Kildare town. Firemen have long claimed that their present firestation in the old Water Tower on the Fair Green in Naas is unsuitable for such use. The new station will be built on the small green area beside Naas Care of the Aged on the Newbridge Road. LEIXLIP: £5,000 has been allocated each to the general Oaklawn area and Ryevale Lawns for estate road repairs, particularly in some of the cul-de-sacs which are in very poor condition.

THE LEINSTER PRINTMAKING STUDIO THE OLD CONVENT, CLANE Artists' resource, Training, Gallery sales. Phone Margaret Becker 045 868168 or 087 2310114

LISTEN TO the weekly roundup of Irish views and stories presented by Brian Byrne and Trish Whelan and broadcast from Vancouver on the Celtic Voices programme carried by Canada's largest independent radio network. You can stream it at 56k, or download to listen to later. Changed every Sunday.

Residents are threatening to block 'speed' road NEWBRIDGE, 12 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. Residents of College Park in Newbridge are threatening to block the road with their own cars if nothing is done soon about traffic calming in the road. Last night’s monthly meeting of the Town Commission heard that the speeding situation is ‘lethal’ despite the introduction last year of speed limit repeater signs. Local resident and commissioner Spike Nolan (right) also told the meeting that when there was a football match in Newbridge, cars lined ‘both sides of the road and parked on the footpaths as well’. “People living on the road are entitled to some form of respect,” Cmmr Nolan said, suggesting that if nothing else could be done, then bollards should be put at one and and the road turned into a cul-de-sac. The cathaoirleach, Cllr John O’Neill, sympathised with the situation, which Cmmr Nolan ‘had been fighting to redress for years’. He said that provision had recently been made by Kildare County Council for traffic calming on the road at some unspecified time ‘before the end of this year’, but it was a problem for many places in the county. Cmmr Colm Feeney said that if it was a case of council funding shortfalls, then they should apply directly to the Department of the Environment for special grants for traffic calming. He also noted that College Park was not the only area suffering in Newbridge. “The speeding situation is chaotic in this town,” he said. Cllr O’Neill said they should ask the gardai to do spot speed checks on College Park. Cmmr Nolan said they’d ‘make a fortune’. Main Rover, Land Rover and Volvo dealers, Kildare town. Phone 045 521203; Fax 045 521785. See our selection here. And read Brian Byrne's review of the new Rover 75.

Kildare has many authors of both fiction and non-fiction. We have a special page available to promote their work, which you can access here. Please support those of your county people who travel the long and often lonely road of the pen and typewriter to tell you stories.

Corporate Magazine Publishing - Business Writing - Journalism & Broadcasting Training - Internet Marketing Consultants - Web Site Design - Book Writing Telling Tales Ltd, PO Box 106, Naas, Co Kildare. Phone 045 481090, 086 8267104; Fax 045 481091; Email tellingtales@yahoo.com

Motoring News, Views and Reviews here

Car of the Week Xsara Coupe HDi

KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

'Need coordinator' for parking plan - councillors LEIXLIP, 12 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. Leixlip area councillors have asked Kildare County Council to provide a person to coordinate the implementation of the coming new traffic bye-laws for the town. This follows the recent area meeting where they noted that there are three different sections of the council dealing with the issue, but no coordinator. During the discussion, councillors agreed on the hours of parking restrictions - 8.30-6.30, Mon-Sat - and that residents in restricted areas would have annual parking discs at a cost of £5. The bye-laws are to be on the agenda for the council’s monthly meeting next Monday. Meanwhile Cllr Catherine Murphy (right) has put down a marker that she ‘will have nothing to do with’ the parking scheme unless there is a parking warden in position ‘from Day One’. “I asked officials what they had done about recruitment, and I got a very foggy answer,” she says. “They just told us what it would cost, and a pile of waffle after that. There is no doubt there is a serious problem with staff shortages in the council, and it has reached crisis point when they can’t even implement a few bye laws.” The councillors were also told that a proposal to provide a car park at the rear of Xtravision in Leixlip ‘would be very expensive’ to implement at around £20,0000 per car space. Local engineer Charlie O’Sullivan is to establish the details of ownership of the site for the next area meeting and provide councillors with sight of the feasibility study carried out on the site.

PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie

To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

Seeks one of designated school sites NAAS, 12 April 2000: by Trish Whelan. The Board of Management of St David’s School in Naas (above) has applied to the Department of Education to be allocated one of the sites in the town which are designated for new schools under the Naas Town Development Plan. Reverend Michael Wooderson says the school urgently needs larger accommodation to be able to take on enough pupils to be allocated a fourth teacher, and also to provide space for the other facilities required by the Department, and for which money is available. St David’s, currently located opposite The Crossings on the Dublin Road, already has 70 pupils, and has a waiting list of families wishing to send their children to the school. It is a mixed-denomination school, and Rev Wooderson says they would have no difficulty getting the numbers to have four teachers. “We just wouldn’t have anywhere to put either pupils or teacher,” he says. “We just have the three classrooms, and we need ancillary rooms, a staff room, library, and extra science facilities.” Naas UDC has promised a letter of support for the application, which is for any of the designated sites on the Craddockstown Road and Newbridge Road. “Either would do us,” Rev Wooderson says. “Ideally, I would like to think that it could be ready by September of 2001, but ...” A successful application would mean that the current premises could be made available for some other use, depending on negotiations between the UDC and the trustees.

Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie

To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

Notes ... Notes ... Notes ... KILDARE: Kildare County Council has temporarily closed 1,000 metres of Local Road from Rathbride Cross to Kildare Town Railway Station. The closure will last from 10th April 2000 to 29th April 2000 inclusive and is required to facilitate work on the Blackmillershill Water Improvement Scheme. Alternative Route: Divert via left at Rathbride Cross to Pollardstown Bridge and on to Melitta Road. NAAS: Minister Noel Dempsey has approved the contract documents for a new fire station in Naas.The town has been waiting for a modern station for a number of years, and had previously lost out on the priority list to Kildare town. Firemen have long claimed that their present firestation in the old Water Tower on the Fair Green in Naas is unsuitable for such use. The new station will be built on the small green area beside Naas Care of the Aged on the Newbridge Road. LEIXLIP: £5,000 has been allocated each to the general Oaklawn area and Ryevale Lawns for estate road repairs, particularly in some of the cul-de-sacs which are in very poor condition. NAAS: Naas Branch of Concern acknowledges the amount of £3,050 collected in Naas on March 8/9 for its Mozambique Disaster Appeal. Third World agencies work in Mozambique will be needed for an indefinite period yet and support would be appreciated on an ongoing basis, the Naas branch says. People can help in many ways by fundraising in work places or in the community. Naas Concern Group will help with collection boxes, posters, ideas for fundraising and can be contacted at tel (045) 876634 / 879399/897156. £200 raised can build a house for a family of 5! £1,000 raised can provide food and blankets for 500 children!

THE LEINSTER PRINTMAKING STUDIO THE OLD CONVENT, CLANE Artists' resource, Training, Gallery sales. Phone Margaret Becker 045 868168 or 087 2310114

LISTEN TO the weekly roundup of Irish views and stories presented by Brian Byrne and Trish Whelan and broadcast from Vancouver on the Celtic Voices programme carried by Canada's largest independent radio network. You can stream it at 56k, or download to listen to later. Changed every Sunday.

Big interest in Millennium from workers, companies NAAS, 11 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. People living in the Naas area and currently working in high tech jobs in Dublin have been sending CVs to the management office for Naas’s Millennium Park with a view to being considered for employment by new industries which are expected to locate there over the next few years. According to the business park’s Michael Mullally, this is a clear indication that there is already a significant number of highly-skilled people in the area just waiting for the chance to work locally and avoid the slow commute to Dublin. “At the other end of this matter, we have also had some very strong expressions of interest from global companies who plan to set up operations in Ireland over the next two years,” he told KNN. “Both these indicators reinforce our conviction that Millennium Park is the right kind of operation in the right place at the right time.” The Millennium Park management offices at the former Odlums Mill on the canalside were officially opened by the tanaiste, Mary Harney TD (pictured above with Millennium developer Jerry Conlan) earlier this year. Main Rover, Land Rover and Volvo dealers, Kildare town. Phone 045 521203; Fax 045 521785. See our selection here. And read Brian Byrne's review of the new Rover 75.

Kildare has many authors of both fiction and non-fiction. We have a special page available to promote their work, which you can access here. Please support those of your county people who travel the long and often lonely road of the pen and typewriter to tell you stories.

Corporate Magazine Publishing - Business Writing - Journalism & Broadcasting Training - Internet Marketing Consultants - Web Site Design - Book Writing Telling Tales Ltd, PO Box 106, Naas, Co Kildare. Phone 045 481090, 086 8267104; Fax 045 481091; Email tellingtales@yahoo.com

Motoring News, Views and Reviews here

First Drive Nissan Maxima

KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

Big 'Broomsday' cleanup LEIXLIP, 11 April 2000: by Bill Trapman. Over 30 people turned up for Leixlip’s ‘Broomsday’, held last Saturday in Silleacháin Lane which runs from Glendale Meadows to the Fire Station. the event was organised by the local Town Commission committee formed to promote the Leixlip Waste Initiative and in the space of two hours, two large skips were filled with litter. "We decided on the Silleacháin Lane because it is such a beautiful walkway which has become spoiled by litter over the years,” says Cllr Paul Kelly(right), convener of the committee. “We were delighted that so many people from Glendale, Glendale Meadows and St Mary’s Park came out to help. But frankly, we were shocked by what we found - beer cans, litter, bikes, wheelbarrows, traffic cones, carpets, even a shopping trolley were all dumped in the laneway or the stream itself. We could have filled several more skips but we felt the effort we made this week was a good start". Joe Nally of SuperValu, River Forest, sponsored part of the cost of the tee-shirts given out to everyone who helped on Saturday. There was also a free draw for a £50 voucher for a Leixlip restaurant, won by Tony Dennehy of Glendale. “I think Tony had his entire family with him on Saturday,” says Paul Kelly, “even the baby in the buggy, so we hope they all enjoy their meal out". Meanwhile, residents associations can get skips, gloves and bags free of charge this month from Kildare County Council if they want to clean up their areas. This is part of National Spring Clean Month.

PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie

To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

Notes ... Notes ... Notes ... NAAS: Nas Na Roigh Bookshop in Naas is hosting the Launch of Janet E Sahafi's new book "Healing the Spirit" on Tuesday evening, 11 April at The Red House at 8:30pm. Garreth O'Callaghan of RTE will be on hand to do the honors and Ms Sahafi will read from her work. Tickets are £4 and include a wine reception. Proceeds will go to CONCERN's Mozambique effort. Tickets are available at Nas Na Roigh Bookshop in Naas or the Parish Centre in Newbridge. KILDARE: Kildare County Council has temporarily closed 1,000 metres of Local Road from Rathbride Cross to Kildare Town Railway Station. The closure will last from 10th April 2000 to 29th April 2000 inclusive and is required to facilitate work on the Blackmillershill Water Improvement Scheme. Alternative Route: Divert via left at Rathbride Cross to Pollardstown Bridge and on to Melitta Road. NAAS: Minister Noel Dempsey has approved the contract documents for a new fire station in Naas.The town has been waiting for a modern station for a number of years, and had previously lost out on the priority list to Kildare town. Firemen have long claimed that their present firestation in the old Water Tower on the Fair Green in Naas is unsuitable for such use. The new station will be built on the small green area beside Naas Care of the Aged on the Newbridge Road. LEIXLIP: £5,000 has been allocated each to the general Oaklawn area and Ryevale Lawns for estate road repairs, particularly in some of the cul-de-sacs which are in very poor condition. NAAS: Naas Branch of Concern acknowledges the amount of £3,050 collected in Naas on March 8/9 for its Mozambique Disaster Appeal. Third World agencies work in Mozambique will be needed for an indefinite period yet and support would be appreciated on an ongoing basis, the Naas branch says. People can help in many ways by fundraising in work places or in the community. Naas Concern Group will help with collection boxes, posters, ideas for fundraising and can be contacted at tel (045) 876634 / 879399/897156. £200 raised can build a house for a family of 5! £1,000 raised can provide food and blankets for 500 children!

THE LEINSTER PRINTMAKING STUDIO THE OLD CONVENT, CLANE Artists' resource, Training, Gallery sales. Phone Margaret Becker 045 868168 or 087 2310114

To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

Concerns on tolls plan LEIXLIP, 11 April 2000: Dear Editor, I was reading your recent article on tolls. The Consultants who are doing the design of the M4 from Kilcock to Enfield have included looking at the effect of avoiding the motorway and using what will then be the old road. I raised the matter when they gave a presentation a couple of months ago. The experience is not uniquely Irish. French towns/villages report that kind of avoidance of tolls also. There’s also our own experience of the M50 and the roads around it - Captains Hill in Leixlip Tinkers Hill in Lucan have weight restrictions simply because we had convoys of trucks avoiding paying tolls. Cllr Catherine Murphy.

Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email

Naas car park 'sell-off' thoughts COLCHESTER, 11 April 2000: Dear Editor, I noticed the recent discussions on the proposals for the new car parks in Naas. Where I now live - Colchester in Essex - the local borough council has a mix of Council and Privately run parks (NCP). The Borough own the land on which the private car multi-story car parks have been built and charges an annual ground rent. It also takes a share of the profits once the developers have recouped their development costs. All profits are then put back into transport subsidies for the borough transport - again a mix of public and private enterprise. Needless to say the car parks make a healthy profit and the rent received by the council ensure that the boroughs rates are some of the lowest in the country. Mr Lemon - the Car Parks manager tel: Colchester 282 708 - would not divulge how much the council charges the developers but he did hint it was considerably more than £25k per annum. Perhaps other exiles, who read your web site could tell you how things are run where they live. Regards to all who make your web-site a must for "The Wild Geese". John McAllister

Toll to use footpaths? NAAS, 11 April 2000: Dear Editor, Selling off public car parks (Naas), selling off swimming pools. Resources that we as taxpayers have paid for, what's next, having to pay a toll to use the foothpath? Or a toll to breath the air in the county? Privatization of the view of the curragh? In regard to private take over, Monread Leisure Centre the only local model of a private pool I have to go on. Excellent facilities, so I hear, but how many of the ordinary families of Kildare would be able to pay out almost £500 per year individual membership and £5 for guest swimmers (your kids if you pay the individual sub) as it is in Monread. The brown envelope men might be able to afford it, but not many of the users of the pools in Naas and Athy If I ever get the UDC in Naas or Kildare County Council to provide much-needed play grounds in the town/county, it seems that I can expect a charge to use these ammenities too. Time the people of Naas, Athy and Kildare stood up to be counted. John Kavanagh, Kingsfurze.

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Papillion cleans up for tidy Kill KILL, 10 April 2000: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. English Grand National winner Papillion was paraded home in triumph yesterday when trainer Ted Walsh brought the champion horse back to Kill, to a piper salute and a rapturous welcome (audio here). The horse, which started Saturday morning at 33/1 and tumbled to 10/1 before the off, is reputed to have cost Irish bookmakers £10 million. But as far as the people of Kill were concerned last evening, it wasn't the money that they doubtless had all shared in that counted, but the hero performance of 'their' horse. 'Welcome Home', they sang along with the band perched on a truck outside the Dew Drop Inn as Ted, his wife Helen and winning jockey son Ruby, and the rest of his family proudly walked Papillion up and down the many times Tidy Town winner village's street, between the Dew Drop and Lawlor's famous Old House pub. Both pubs were crammed with celebrating well-wishers, who spilled out onto the roadway themselves when the horse arrived. Equally happy was owner Betty Moran (left), who spent the occasion snapping pictures of the homecoming, apparently just as pleased here as she was in the winner's enclosure on Saturday. "Papillion is going to rest until the start of the next chase season," she told KNN's Trish Whelan as she snapped and smiled broadly and proudly. Ted Walsh himself sprayed the cheering crowds with bubbly, Formula 1-style, after speaking proudly of the achievement, and thanking all his friends and supporters through his life. "It's great to see such a community coming out on such a great occasion," he said. The children of Kill seemed particularly taken with the horse, which itself was a model of patience during the whole event. "He's a gentle Christian," Ted noted, while at the same time asking people to stay back from Papilion's rear legs, just in case of an unexpected kick. But the horse was a star, and Kill became an international star itself for another time, as TV crews relayed the homecoming to the world via TV3, RTE, Sky News and dozens of national and international photographers. "It's not the first horse to be paraded down the street here," one onlooker reminded us, recalling that locally-trained champion show-jumper Cruising once got the same hero's welcome. Main Rover, Land Rover and Volvo dealers, Kildare town. Phone 045 521203; Fax 045 521785. See our selection here. And read Brian Byrne's review of the new Rover 75.

Kildare has many authors of both fiction and non-fiction. We have a special page available to promote their work, which you can access here. Please support those of your county people who travel the long and often lonely road of the pen and typewriter to tell you stories.   Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email  THE LEINSTER PRINTMAKING STUDIO THE OLD CONVENT, CLANE Artists' resource, Training, Gallery sales. Phone Margaret Becker 045 868168 or 087 2310114 PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie Kildare has many authors of both fiction and non-fiction. We have a special page available to promote their work, which you can access here. Please support those of your county people who travel the long and often lonely road of the pen and typewriter to tell you stories.

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First Oldtown development applied for NAAS, 10 April 2000: by Trish Whelan. A 310-unit home development at Oldtown Demesne, for which a planning application has just been lodged, is the first phase of an overall development of the property (above) acquired by Lehmex International Ltd. The application is by Quando Ltd, representing a joint venture by UK-based Morrisson Homes and the Naas developers. The development on 38.5 acres north of Oldtown House, the home of Major John de Burgh, consists of 22 five-bedroom detached houses, 111 four-bedroom detached houses, 65 three-bedroom terrace houses, six three-bedroom apartments and 106 two-bedroom apartments. The internal road network will be serviced by a new signal-controlled access point off the Sallins Road. The overall development of Oldtown includes provision of a dedicated site for a new primary school, a nursing home, leisure facilities, and conservation and improved access to the natural amenities of the Oldtown estate, gardens and woodland, as well as an improved public parkland corridor adjoining the canal. The proposal outlines a variety of house types to be provided, set in 'intimate cul de sacs' and adjoining smaller pockets of open space. Two courtyards of terraced housing and apartments will reflect a traditional stable yard concept. Landscaping of the canalside apartments will involve a planted atrium design appropriate to the location. The project is expected to begin in the summer 2000 and there will be three phases before its final completion in 2004. In an Environmental Impact Statement, the company says the development 'will improve the urban environment in the area', which adjoins lands zoned for retail/commercial use and for community/educational use (GAA grounds). The promotors estimate that after completion of Phase One the development will result in a total of £2.07m per annum to be spent locally by the residents and that this figure will increase as the development progresses. Architects O'Mahony Pike say that the overall density of the development is 96 bed spaces per hectare, or 20 units per hectare in line with the Naas Development Plan's stated maximum density of 120 bed spaces, as well as the Residental Density Guidelines recommendations.

PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie

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School safety measures to be introduced CELBRIDGE, 10 April 2000: by Brian Byrne. Scoil Na Mainstracht in Celbridge is finally getting a School Traffic Warden along with other safety measures. The move has been welcomed by Cllr Geraldine Conway, who says the appointment ‘will be invaluable’ in this area, that has in recent times seen an increase in traffic volume ‘posing greater danger’ to the children attending this school. “These measures will include, as well as a "Lolly Pop Lady", road markings, road signs and traffic control measures,” she said, and expressed the hope also that all schools in the area will receive proper signage and road markings to increase safety standards in the near future. “Increasing traffic volume and speed are one of the main causes of accidents on our roads and proper measures have to be put in place to counteract them.”

County farmers urged to 'take action' on agriculture plan PUNCHESTOWN, 7 April 2000: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. A report that gathers dust on a shelf is one that ‘might as well not have been done at all’, Dr Jim Phelan (left) of UCD’s Faculty of Agriculture told Kildare farmers and agri-business representatives at the launch last night of a report on the future of agriculture in the county. Dr Phelan had led a research team from the university’s Department of Agribusiness, Extension and Rural Development in the production of Kildare Farming 2000 - Change, Challenge and Opportunity. He urged those who had commissioned the report to make sure action was taken as a result of it. The report is the first comprehensive study of farming and farm families in County Kildare and was undertaken by the Kildare Agricultural Task Group (KATG). It was launched at Punchestown Racecourse by the minister for agriculture, Joe Walsh TD, and sets out strategies and actions that will underpin the positive development of agriculture, and the viability of farm families, into the future. Key recommendations of the report include facilitating the establishment of farmer discussion groups, to be developed into producer groups; supporting rural women, whose contribution is ‘almost totally unrecognised’ according to Dr Phelan; undertaking an audit of the training and education needs of the farming community, rural women, horticulture and the equine sectors; and the investigation of labour needs. “The report is geared to providing us with an awareness of where we’re going,” KATG chairman Michael Cullen (left) told KNN last night. “We’ve already got the implementation of the recommended actions in motion through the focus groups set up for the survey, and they’re looking forward to putting the recommendations in place.” But he warned that the decline in farmer numbers in the county between 1971 and 1996, by 46%, is still a continuing trend and that many farmers are considering their ‘asset rich, cash poor’ situations and wondering if they should get out of the business (audio here). IFA president Tom Parlon (above) noted that there is a ‘weakness’ in the whole support structure for farming, with ‘massive pressure’ from the Celtic Tiger, from developers, and from ‘Dublin encroaching on all sides’ in the counties around the capital. He said Kildare farmers should use all their political influence ‘to the full’ in working to implement the recommendations of the report. Dr Phelan (audio here) said there was a particular difficulty in providing farms for new entrants to the sector, to which UCD graduates 230 students each year. The inheritance system and a decline in land availability highlighted that ‘new ways’ must be found for those who wanted to get into farming on a professional basis. Micheal Behan of Athy, with Senator John Dardis, at the launch. The members of KATG include development bodies in the county - KELT, OAK, and ASK - Kildare County Council, Kildare County Enterprise Board, Teagasc, Kildare IFA, Kildare ICMSA, Kildare Macra na Feirme, Kildare ICA, Kildare Horse Development Company Ltd and Kildare Nursery Stock 2000 Group. The study pinpoints the equine sector as hugely important to the county, directly employing 5,500 people – compared to 4,000 jobs in farming. It also highlights the contrasts that exist within the agricultural sector in the county, pointing out that ‘deprivation is real and prevalent’ in several parts of Kildare. Kildare IFA chairman Michael Dempsey from Castledermot, with his wife Carole. In all, 290 farmers were surveyed, 91% of which were male and 75% were married. The average area of land owned was 111 acres and the average area of land farmed was 130 acres. Some 40% of the farmers and 85% of their spouses had no formal agricultural education while 74% identified successors who were sons, 6% were daughters. Of those who responded, 47% expect their successors to farm part-time. Beef was listed as their most important enterprise by 41% of those involved in the survey. Other figures were: dairying 18.3%; tillage (17.9%) and sheep (13%). Rural women are also addressed in the study with the report noting that the significant role of farm women in Irish farming has not been sufficiently recognised. It states women and families are 'key pillars in rural and farming society'. Against a backdrop where the relative earning power of farm incomes is set to continue to decline, the study shows 19% of the farmers surveyed intended to start or increase off-farm employment in the next five years. Almost 15% intend to sell a site while 12% are considering the sale of land for development. A third of all farmers surveyed said they would consider an alternative enterprise, with the report noting many farmers do not realise the seriousness of their situation and are surviving by asset stripping. Despite the rapid growth of County Kildare’s population over the last 20 years, the agricultural population has fallen by 44%. The total number of farms in Kildare dropped from 5,600 in 1975 to 3,300 in 1991 and the consolidation of holdings into larger farms has been more pronounced in County Kildare than elsewhere. Small holdings showed the greatest decline. But, while Kildare has a higher proportion of holdings under 15 acres than the national average, it also has the highest percentage of farms of more than 100 acres. The average sized holding in County Kildare was 93 acres, nearly half as big again as the national average and also higher than the Leinster average. Main Rover, Land Rover and Volvo dealers, Kildare town. Phone 045 521203; Fax 045 521785. See our selection here. And read Brian Byrne's review of the new Rover 75.

Kildare has many authors of both fiction and non-fiction. We have a special page available to promote their work, which you can access here. Please support those of your county people who travel the long and often lonely road of the pen and typewriter to tell you stories.   Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email  THE LEINSTER PRINTMAKING STUDIO THE OLD CONVENT, CLANE Artists' resource, Training, Gallery sales. Phone Margaret Becker 045 868168 or 087 2310114 PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie Kildare has many authors of both fiction and non-fiction. We have a special page available to promote their work, which you can access here. Please support those of your county people who travel the long and often lonely road of the pen and typewriter to tell you stories.

Corporate Magazine Publishing - Business Writing - Journalism & Broadcasting Training - Internet Marketing Consultants - Web Site Design - Book Writing Telling Tales Ltd, PO Box 106, Naas, Co Kildare. Phone 045 481090, 086 8267104; Fax 045 481091; Email tellingtales@yahoo.com

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New development board inaugurated NAAS & KILDARE GENERAL, 7 April 2000: by Trish Whelan. The chairman of the new Kildare County Development Board, Cllr Timmy Conway, says ‘it is the most exciting job I’ve ever got and is a blueprint for the future development of the county’. The Board, which held its inaugural meeting on March 28, was the first County Development Board to be established in the Mid East Region. It is part of a Government programme to ‘mainstream’ local development initiatives and the Board will be responsible for the design and implementation of a long-term county strategy for economic, social & cultural development. The 27-member Kildare Board is drawn from four sectors: local government, local development, state agencies and social partners. Cllr Conway is chairperson of Kildare County Council’s Economic Development & Planning Strategic Policy Committee and is a former chairperson of Kildare County Council. He said: “There is a genuine commitment to this new process which over the next five years should be most beneficial to the development of this county and its people.” The job of the new Board will be to map out the way ahead using the expertise of all the sectors on the Board. The outcome will be an integrated ‘Shared Vision’ for the economic, social and cultural development of the county. Clane man Willie Carroll, the director of Community and Enterprise in Kildare County Council, is director of the new Board. Also representing local government on the Board are Cllrs PJ Sheridan, Catherine Murphy, Sean O Fearghail, Senan Griffin and county manager Niall Bradley. Cllr Mary Glennon (Naas UDC) has been selected to represent the county’s four urban authorities on the new Board - Naas, Athy, Newbridge and Leixlip. She says she will be looking for guidance as to their respective needs. Other members include Donal Dalton and Paddy Brennan of the Kildare County Enterprise Board Ltd; Justin Larkin and Ciaran Duggan of Leader 2 Company Ltd; Karl Duffy of Action South Kildare Ltd; and Sheila O’Meara of OAK Partnership in Edenderry. Statutory Bodies are represented by: Eddie Prendergast of FAS; Colm O’Ceannabhain, VEC: Kevin McCarthy, IDA Ireland Ltd; Vincent Colman, Enterprise Ireland; Harry Lynch, MERTO; Con Feighery, Teagasc, Kevin Ward, South Western Area Health Board; Maureen Waldron, Dept of Social, Community & Family Affairs; Chief Supt Sean Feely, Naas. Social Partners are represented by Michael Mullally of Bandenberry Ltd, with trade unions represented by John Delmer of the County Kildare Centre for the Unemployed in Newbridge; Agriculture/Farming representative is Ger Smith from Lewistown in Newbridgbe. Community/Voluntary organisations’ representatives are Gail Maher fromTimahoe West, Coill-Dubh and Aidan Keane, from Ballycahan, Kilcock. The Kildare Development Board will be formally launched by finance minister Charlie McCreevy on 14 April.

PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING Noreen McCabe, MNAPCP Anxiety, depression, loss, phobias, childhood trauma, eating disorders, relationships, personal growth, coaching for work-related stress. Strictly confidential. Moorefield Clinic, Newbridge. Phone (045) 432111 or call Noreen at (045) 431936; mobile 086 2496823; email dmccabe@tinet.ie

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Athy UDC celebrates centenary ATHY, 7 April 2000: by Trish Whelan. Athy UDC celebrated its 100th Birthday on Saturday April 2 with a special meeting in the council chamber at midday, with minister for the environment & local government Noel Dempsey as special guest. The present nine councillors and ex-members, together with spouses of deceased members were each presented with a pewter dish to mark the occasion. A plaque showing the names of chairpersons who served on Athy UDC since 1900 was also unveiled.

LISTEN TO the weekly roundup of Irish views and stories presented by Brian Byrne and Trish Whelan and broadcast from Vancouver on the Celtic Voices programme carried by Canada's largest independent radio network. You can stream it at 56k, or download to listen to later. Changed every Sunday.

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