Council told 'immediate action is needed' on OPW Curragh dumping THE CURRAGH, 21 July 2000: 8.30am by Trish Whelan & Brian Byrne. Kildare County Council has been told to take immediate action over what residents and environmentalists say is ‘illegal’ dumping of clay close to Donnelly’s Hollow on The Curragh, a proposed National Heritage Area. And they expressed their anger directly yesterday to council officials for being ‘ignored’ since last month when they first tried to make contact with the local authority on the matter. The material is from works at Magee Barracks in Kildare, where facilities for asylum seekers are being developed. KNN estimates that 30,000 cubic metres of material has already been dumped at the Donnelly’s Hollow site alone by a contractor working for the Office of Public Works. Another Curragh site at Knocknagarm is also being used. Assistant county manager Tommy Skehan, who was invited to Donnelly’s Hollow yesterday where members of the news media were shown what is described as the ‘destruction’ of part of a national monument, declined to give any assurances that action would be taken, saying he was ‘only there to listen’. “We will go back, review what we’ve seen, and see what our position is,” he told a large group of local concerned people. That position didn’t go down very well. He was shown copies of letters to the local authority written both by the Curragh Golf Club and local resident Tom Snell, informing them of the dumping, and to which neither had received acknowledgement or reply. Tom Snell said he had also called the emergency phone number at Kildare County Council ‘a hundred times’ without getting any response. Kildare environmentalist Dr Ann Behan (pictured on left with Tom Snell), whose services have been retained by Mr Snell, said the dumped clay had to be removed immediately because it was rich top soil alien to the local landscape where ‘sand and gravel are natural’. “There has been a smell from what was dumped here and there is a possibility of ground water pollution and pollution from nutrients,” she told Mr Skehan and county information officer Charlie Talbot. “There is also no possibility of monitoring what actually goes into a dump of this kind, and it poses a threat to the Curragh Aquifer underneath.” Dr Behan said what has already been dumped should be removed very carefully down to the grass without breaking the original sod. She added that she believes it is the intention of the contractors to fill in the entire area right up to the back of Donnelly’s Hollow. Residents had observed a huge volume of clay being dumped, with three lorries continually drawing to the site for two weeks. (At last Monday’s meeting of Kildare County Council, Cllr Fionnulla Dukes asked if council officials were aware of dumping of clay and sand at Donnelly’s Hollow. In reply, county engineer Jimmy Lynch said the dumping ‘was causing no environmental damage’ to the area, and it was authorised by emergency legislation in connection with the housing of asylum seekers.) Dr Behan said bodies such as Duchas and the Wild Life Trust had not been given a required two months’ notice prior to dumping taking place and she wanted to know who had authorised the dumping. She said work at Magee Barracks to provide for asylum seekers was local to the barracks and should not involve the Curragh and ‘the degradation of a national monument’. “The material should have been disposed of in a facility where it posed no environmental threat, or it could have been used for landscaping within the former barracks area,” she said. Tom Snell said bulldozing the Curragh to make room for rubble was a ‘terrible destruction’. Dr Behan said the whole matter was contrary to the proposals for sustainable development of the Curragh as outlined in the Curragh Task Force Report. It is also against the terms of a public notice issued by the Department of Defence last year which prohibited dumping of litter or rubbish of any nature ‘in the interests of and for the protection and conservation of the Curragh lands’. “This is an issue of national significance, because it is indicative of how we treat our national monuments,” Dr Behan said yesterday. “People are concerned that an important part of their landscape could be filled in like this. They are not happy with it and they don’t accept it.” 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.

Concerned at changes to street plan CELBRIDGE, 21 July 2000: by Bill Trapman. Concerns at changes made in the plans for Main Street in Celbridge, compared to the original plan produced by Patrick Shaffrey and Associates, were raised at this week's Celbridge Area Committee meeting of Kildare County Council. Deputy Emmet Stagg pointed out that materials other than those prescribed in the plan had been used, and that the actual design and proportion of the new footpaths had been changed substantially from the original plan as agreed by the area committee and the full council when it passed the Part X planning permission stage. He also pointed out that the only bicycle bay to be provided in Celbridge had been converted into three car parking spaces. Senior executive engineer Tony Collins said he would attend to the points raised, and undertook to provide the required engineer's interpretation of the Shaffrey Plan to the members of the Committee.

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Maynooth draft plan is agreed MAYNOOTH, 21 July 2000: by Brian Byrne. The Maynooth Draft Development Plan has been agreed by Leixlip Area councillors and will be put before the full Kildare County Council next Monday for approval. It will then go on public display for three months. In the draft, the amount of new residential-zoned land has been reduced from 280 acres to 150 acres. The plan also includes the provision of a number of traffic relief roads, two new public parks, playing pitches for schools and local football clubs, a site for the Gaelscoil, and action plans for the Harbour and Carton Avenue areas. A children’s playground is also proposed. Environmental proposals in the plan include the provision of a Civic Amenity site on the Dublin Road which will cater for Maynooth and Leixlip, the organisation of a door-to-door collection of separated waste, and seven-day street cleaning. The plan also proposes the securing of the ownership of the Harbour Field and its development as a recreational facility for the people of Maynooth. This will involve consultation with representatives of the local community and leasing it to locally-agreed trustees. A special development levy will be placed on all planning permissions granted in Maynooth to assist the council in implementing the policies and objectives of the plan. The draft plan has been welcomed by Cllr John McGinley (above), who says he believes it will be ‘broadly acceptable’ to the people of Maynooth. To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

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Centre gets £5,000 grant LEIXLIP, 21 July 2000: by Brian Byrne. Kildare County Council has recommended the granting of £5,000 towards the upgrading of the dressing rooms at Leixlip Amenities Centre. The cost of the proposal is £10,000. The centre is run by Leixlip Amenities Group Ltd, set up in 1991, and the local community has raised over £250,000 for its development over the years. It employs 16 people under a FAS Communnity Employment Scheme.  KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

24 June 2000: Intel launches $2 million expansion ... Kildare artist uses personal tragedy for inspiration ... the fight against Dunstown ... Seamie Moore on the new Railway Walkway ... 'Cullen of the Arctic' on his latest trip. This is a KNN broadcast production in RealAudio. Earlier programmes here. (©2000trishwhelanbrianbyrne.)

Around and About the County... STRAFFAN: A tender in excess of £600,000 for improving the Barberstown to Maynooth Road has been submitted to Kildare’s county manager for approval . The tender will cover just under a kilometre of carriageway, from Wingates Lodge to near the turnoff for Newtownmacabe. Work is expected to begin in August. NAAS: Naas UDC is to investigate the possibility of bus shelters on the Naas side of the Fishery Lane and on the opposite side of the Dublin Road. Cllr Timmy Conway asked the UDC to write to the bus services as many people who work in the nearby industrial estates have to stand in the rain while waiting for a bus. However town clerk Declan Kirrane said the situation will have to be looked at as a whole, including the exit of Fishery Lane, the junction of the Monread Road/Dublin Road interchange, and The Gallops estate. He also noted that other planning permissions along that stretch of road will have to be taken into account. ****Earlier News from this week available here**** MONASTEREVIN: The minister for the environment, Noel Dempsey TD, has approved a Kildare County Council request for the provision of an extension to Monasterevin Fire Station. The news has been welcomed by Deputy Sean Power. CELBRIDGE: Celbridge Area County Councillors have unanimously agreed that traffic-calming measures be introduced for St Patricks Park in Celbridge. Cllr Geraldine Conway proposed the measure and said yesterday that the support of fellow Councillors would ensure that this road receives the attention so badly needed to make it safe for the residents. Councillors contributed their grant of £14,500 for the work at St Patrick’s Park to be completed. NEWBRIDGE: The public car park in front of the GAA grounds in Newbridge (above) will be 'lined and signed' inside the next couple of weeks. Or, that's what acting town clerk Charlie Talbot told the Town Commission last week, following a query from Cmmr Pat Black. "I'm kind of afraid to say it, but I'm hopeful that it will be done within three weeks," he said. MAYNOOTH: Kildare County Council intends to proceed with the implementation of traffic calming in Parklands. It is anticipated that the statutory process will be completed by September and work will commence in October/November. LEIXLIP: A report recommending the employment of consultants to investigate the matter of surface water drainage on Captain’s Hill, which will include its impact on Dun Carraig, has been prepared and is awaiting approval. NEWBRIDGE: The section of road from Kilbelin to the Graveyard (above) is finally going to a Part X procedure preparatory to being brought up to a decent standard. The move has been welcomed by Senator John Dardis, who has been making representations on the situation for some time. ****Earlier News from this week available here****

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.

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.

Councillor refutes 'free trip' implication DUNSTOWN & FINLAND, 20 July 2000: 2.45pm by Brian Byrne. A councillor who is part of a fact-finding trip about gas-fired power stations has strongly refuted an impression that he and his colleagues are on the trip sponsored by the Bord na Mona consortium which wants to build a similar station in Dunstown Wood. Earlier this week it was reported that the councillors were going to Finland 'at the invitation of the consortium'. Cllr Sean O Fearghail (left) said it would be 'entirely inappropriate' for the councillors to go to Finland at the consortium's expense, and Kildare County Council was paying for the visit. With Cllr O'Fearghaill on the three-day trip are council chairman Rainsford Hendy and Cllrs Michael Fitzpatrick, P J Sheridan, Paul Kelly, Fiona O'Loughlin and Billy Hillis. County secretary Seamus Stokes and county engineer Jimmy Lynch are also travelling. As well as visiting a power station in Finland, the group are looking at one in Norfolk in the UK today. "We are being fully briefed on the kind of power station proposed for Dunstown," Cllr O Fearghail said. (A model of the proposed station is shown below.) Meanwhile, there's to be a demonstration through Naas on Saturday morning against the Dunstown plant, which comes up for a material contravention vote in Kildare County Council on Monday week. The protest parade will begin at Kilashee at 11.30am. 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.

Green areas proposed for parking in bid to ease Naas crisis NAAS, 20 July 2000: 9.30am by Brian Byrne. Six public green areas are among 13 identified possible car parking locations which were presented to Naas UDC councillors at their monthly meeting this week. The list was prepared in an effort to ease the parking situation in Naas while construction gets underway for multi-storey car parks on the two main UDC car parks. It provoked mixed reactions with claims expressed it could change the face of Naas. A total of 13 locations have been identified by town engineer Tom Cuddy who said financial costings given with each were based on permanent structures. He said he had considered all possible sites which are not currently built on, regardless of the development process. Some would require material contravention of the Town Development Plan. “It’s going to change the landscape and the face of Naas if any of the areas listed come on stream,” UDC chairman Cllr Pat O’Reilly said while Cllr Charlie Byrne felt it would take every inch of breathing space out of Naas. He was astounded to see one potential location as being on the green area in front of the parish church. He said barriers would have to be erected on any car parking sites to keep out travellers and this would not improve the image of the town. “I would have nothing to do with it,” he said. The proposed car parks include Hederman’s Yard (above), Ballymore Road green area, swimming pool field, New Row, the Monastery Garden at Friary Road (which is zoned commercial), an extension to the Church car park on the Sallins Road and at the front of the Church; the front of St Mary’s College, the green space at the front of Our Lady’s Place (below); green space at the front of Rathasker Heights (which could fit 140 cars and which is on offer to the UDC), the field on Corban’s Lane beside Naas CBS Secondary School as well as land at Devoy Barracks. Cllr Seamie Moore said he could not see any further expansion of the convent car park at the church and he would be ‘loathe’ to discuss the front of St Mary’s College being used as a car park. “Our Lady’s Place residents would be harbouring a major grudge if they thought we were looking at putting a car park there.” Cllr Pat McCarthy said it was a ‘depressing’ document but it was an effort to outline options open to the Council. He said now was the time to take another look at Council policy to restrict commercial development to the town centre. Cllr Willie Callaghan said some of the locations could be ideal for temporary use - but not at the suggested costings on the list. Cllr Anthony Egan said he had been against the selling off of the Council’s car parks without an Environmental Impact Study being undertaken. He said underground car parking should be part of any future developments in the town. Cllr Pat O’Reilly stood over his original motion some months ago that the UDC should seek the swimming pool field (above) for a car park. (The motion was subsequently amended, substituting 'community use' for 'a car park'). This, he said, would give 600 car parking spaces. He would have difficulty with the other areas mentioned on the list. The engineer will report back to the September meeting of the Council. 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.

Centre making good progress NEWBRIDGE, 20 July 2000: by Brian Byrne. The County Arts Centre being built at Newbridge is running well to schedule, and the opening should take place towards the end of November. KNN ran into county librarian Breda Gleeson and Cmmr Spike Nolan the other day and Breda said she was very pleased with the way things were going. It's turning out to be a very big facility. "I know ... we're organising the fitting out at the moment, and the number of chairs alone is staggering," she said. "But it's great to see it reaching this stage." She said the original idea for the centre to be located beside the County Library headquarters had come from Spike Nolan and Joe Kearns, while both had been serving as town commissioners. The centre is a Kildare County Council flagship Millennium Project. To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

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'Incineration will happen' - Power COUNTY HALL, 20 July 2000: by Trish Whelan. Kildare County Council should accept now that substitutes must be found to landfill facilities and at some stage in the future incineration ‘has to happen’. Stressing this view, Deputy Sean Power criticised the Waste Management Plan put forward for adoption for not including this option. “We’re not dealing with it in any meaningful way,” he said. Cllr Tony Lawlor said incineration ‘is a viable outlet we will have to look at as no one knows what will happen to landfill sites 20-30 years from now'. “If there are leakages ... “ Cllr Catherine Murphy said she was pleased that incineration did not feature in any of the submissions. Cllr Paul Kelly said thermal treatment should be absolutely a ‘last resort’ for very small amounts of waste that cannot be disposed of in any way. In response, council engineer Jimmy Lynch said the facility at Arthurstown is being operated in ‘a very efficient manner and is environmental friendly' because it is baled waste and because the ground water has been protected through plastic membranes.  KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

Manager's failure to tender for Devoy raises ire at UDC NAAS, 19 July 2000: 1.00pm by Brian Byrne. A Naas UDC councillor is seriously concerned over the failure of the town's management to put in a tender for Devoy Barracks (above), a property that could be used for affordable housing, despite the fact that the manager had been instructed to do so by the passing of a motion in council. Cllr Pat McCarthy (left) told KNN last evening that he 'was at a loss to know' why his motion, which had been unanimously agreed by the council at last month's meeting, had not been acted on. "I feel really frustrated," he said. "I didn't even know a tender hadn't gone in." Town manager Tommy Skehan told KNN that the town management had received the tender documents, but had decided not to tender because of the scale of the money which was perceived to be the minister for defence's expectation from the sale. "It was £7 million, or it could have been more," he said. "We couldn't tender that kind of money, we had to be prudent." In the event, only one tender was received for Devoy Barracks, NOT from Naas UDC, and a spokesman for the department told KNN last week that it was 'nowhere near' the guide figure of £7 million. He said it will probably now go to private treaty sale. Earlier last night, there was a lively discussion on the matter during the monthly meeting of Naas UDC, with Cllr McCarthy saying that a tender 'should be put in immediately' even at this stage. Chairman Pat O'Reilly (right) said he fully agreed with Cllr McCarthy, and said his own attitude had 'hardened' since he read that the minister had sold a barracks in Fermoy 'for economic development' to the local authority for just £750,000. "It seems ludicrous that the Department of Defence has property that would be ideal for development for affordable housing, and if we want to bid for it at a high price, whatever we pay would be eventually refunded to us by the Department of the Environment." Cllr Willie Callaghan said the councillors were in 'cloud cuckoo land' if they thought they could achieve anything new by 'snapping their fingers' at the minister. "We should be buying unzoned land for affordable housing," he said. Cllr Seamie Moore also said the council should be looking at unzoned land for their needs, and said they had created 'unreasonable expectations' for themselves in the Devoy matter. Cllr Anthony Egan suggested they go back and look at the zoning again. Cllr Charlie Byrne reminded his colleagues that if the council hadn't rezoned the land, it could have bought at a much better price. Cllr O'Reilly said he felt they should appeal to the minister again and ask him to give the land to the council, but added that they wouldn't want to jeopardise in any way the deal already struck with the minister on their acquisition of seven acres for a new county council HQ and UDC offices. And he noted that if they went for unzoned land, they would be moving out of town. On a query from Cllr Timmy Conway (right) as to whether that land had yet been signed over to the council, town manager Tommy Skehan said that was still in progress with the legal documents 'being drawn up', but he was adamant the deal 'would go through' and that building would hopefully commence next year. Cllr Pat McCarthy said he was 'very disappointed' at what he was hearing. "I put down a motion that we put in a tender and it was carried unanimously. We have a housing crisis here and this land is in public ownership. We should be trying to get it. And I have to ask, was the motion that was passed just ignored?" 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.

'Litter is county's biggest waste problem' - councillor COUNTY HALL, 19 July 2000: 9.00am by Trish Whelan. Litter is the biggest problem when it comes to waste and the way it is being managed by Kildare County Council is ‘appalling’ according to Celbridge Area Cllr John McGinley. “Unless we can solve the litter problem we are going nowhere,” he said at Monday’s meeting on the Waste Management Plan. He believed there should be 6-10 full time litter wardens employed throughout the county. Cllr McGinley also highlighted how Maynooth, a town with two universities, had been left for two weeks without any form of street cleaning. “It appears that ‘Maintenance and Roads’ are a priority and bins are being left full up. New litter bins purchased nine months ago by the authority can’t be used as the Council’s engineer feels if they put them up, they will be obliged to empty them.” A number of the bins have gone AWOL from the Council’s yard, he said. Clane Area Cllr Jim Reilly said litter and pollution and the lack of responsibility, is not confined to larger towns. “It’s also a major problem in rural areas,” he said. He said the plan lacked foresight for a county such as Kildare experiencing a population explosion. “Litter is a plague and a scourge and is not addressed in this plan, which is mainly aspirational. Such a plan needs adequate finance,” he said. County engineer Jimmy Lynch admitted improvements are necessary regarding street cleaning and the provision of litter bins. He said officials would be bringing forward proposals in this regard at Estimates time in November. In answer to a query he said there are cost implications regarding the charge for waste and it is not intended in the immediate future to consider charging by weight for waste. The council are considering charging for waste by differences of bin sizes and are considering the possibility of introducing a pilot scheme. Mr Lynch said a new company is in the process of being appointed in the Dublin Region to collect recyclable waste following the closure of the Kerbside company. 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.

Call for involvement in IrishFest next year NEWBRIDGE, 19 July 2000: by Brian Byrne. Newbridge organisations who are interested in the twinning of the town with Badlippspringe in Germany should now be making preparations to take part in an IrishFest planned in the German town next year. Cmmr Murty Aspell told the recent monthly meeting of the Town Commission that he had recently been to Baddlippspringe and that he had been told the organisers were looking forward to a strong representation from their County Kildare twin town in the event, which each year concentrates on the cultural and social aspects of a different country. To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

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Ambitious plans for Naas elderly NAAS, 19 July 2000: by Trish Whelan. Nas Na Riogh Housing Association, set up in January 2000 to provide housing units for the elderly in Naas, have ambitious plans to make the vision a reality. And association chairperson, Marguerita Solon (Kingsfurze) says it WILL happen. “The units will be somewhere older folk can go each day to socialise and be cared for, with an inter-generation facility because our modern society is separating old and young. The secret is integration where we all can learn from each other and grow together.” A nurse, Marguerita has a deep love for the elderly who she says have so much to offer and to pass on to younger people - but many are left sitting in a chair all day. Last year Marguerita lobbied Naas UDC to have part of Devoy Barracks, made available for the local community. She says it should have been turned into a living community, for both young and old. Many local groups and clubs had also sought a base in the Barracks. “Everyone reading this article will be old one day. Do they want to be isolated in their old age, or be an integral part of a living community?” she asks. “People now in middle age will be 70 or 80 in twenty years’ time. Now is the time for us to look to the future. If we become incapacitated and our families are unable to cope ... where are we going to go?” Apart from the Barracks, the Association have other plans which are, for now, under wraps. But Marguerita says she is very excited about the alternative plan. Other committee members include Maura Spring, Mary Casey, Sean Bagnall, Dr Brendan O’Donnell, Dr John O’Connor, Tom Cowper, student Eilish Hayden representing the younger generation, and Fr Doyle who has since left Naas.  KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

GARDA PATROL Marking your property is one of the best ways of making sure that it is quickly returned to you if recovered by the gardai.

Kilcock racer takes third at Mondello MONDELLO, 19 July 2000: by Linda Keen. Outstanding Kilcock-based rookie, Erik Holstein added to his tally of wins by taking his third victory in the Yokohama Italian Saloon Car Championship at Mondello Park on Sunday, while Dunboyne's Bob Copeland took his second successive win of the year in the Yokohama Uno Cup series. Although Reynolds-sponsored Holstein qualified on pole for the eighth round of the championship, it was David Maguire who charged into the lead on the Intermediate circuit. The Rathfarnham driver seemed to have things very mich under control as he inched away from Holstein, Joey Freeburn, Karl Leonard and Gordon Kellett and it wasn't until the penultimate lap that suddenly the renowned Irish team show jumper was sitting on his exhaust and looking for a way by. Finally Holstein was rewarded, Maguire running wide on the last lap and allowing Erik and the closely-following Freeburn through to first and second in a gripping finalé. Maguire had to settle for third from Leonard, Kellett, Andrew McKinney and Michelle Graham. It finished off a super weekend for 26-year old Holstein, who took an inaugural win in the Stryker Sportscar series the previous day. Brendan Travers had things very much his own way in the Yokohama Uno Cup qualification race but only after the Clane driver had got by early leader, Stephen Kellett (Cavan), on the eighth lap. Ken Byrne, Tommy Byrne, Michael Conway and Michael Fitzgerald finished next across the line. In the final, Copeland got away smartly in the seventh round of the Yokohama Uno Cup, the coppersmith leading away championship leader, Quentin Smith (Terenure) in the Smiths Building Group car, who in turn led Clane's Alan Byrne and teenager, Eoin Murray (Firhouse). Murray dived past Byrne, who was then further demoted by Seamus McArdle. This quintet set the pace and although the leading pair were fairly close, Copeland managed to get some breathing space over Smith by the end of the 10-lap race. Murray's A&D Motor Factors car took a sound third ahead of Byrne who regained fourth from McArdle, Travers and Tommy Byrne.

24 June 2000: Intel launches $2 million expansion ... Kildare artist uses personal tragedy for inspiration ... the fight against Dunstown ... Seamie Moore on the new Railway Walkway ... 'Cullen of the Arctic' on his latest trip. This is a KNN broadcast production in RealAudio. Earlier programmes here. (©2000trishwhelanbrianbyrne.)

Free deal for school's battery collection KILDARE TOWN, 19 July 2000: by Trish Whelan. Pupils of Scoil Bride Naomh in Kildare Town who have set up a recycling operation as part of a recycling project for Green Flag recognition were told they had to pay for a battery collection service. Rebat, which collects batteries countrywide, said they had to seek a freight charge as the batteries are shipped on to France. Local Cllr Fionula Dukes said the freight charge is ‘a terrible disincentive to schools involved in recycling programmes'. She said Kildare County Council should expand its battery collection to schools involved in such recycling. The three bins used at present are sent to various schools in the county and when full are collected by the authority before being sent on to a different school. She said a deal has since been struck with the company and batteries will now be collected free of charge.

Flash! Monasterevin Station to be reopened MONASTEREVIN, 18 July 2000: NEWSFLASH! 11.30am by Brian Byrne. Monasterevin Railway Station is to reopen next year. This follows a major campaign by the Monasterevin Railway Action Committee and local people (right). Deputy Sean Power has just revealed that the managing director of Iarnród Eireann has been instructed to draw up plans for the reopening of the station, and to include a provision for the opening in next year's budget. "This will give a tremendous boost to the town of Monasterevin," Deputy Power said a short time ago.

Waste plan adopted ... for second time COUNTY HALL, 18 July 2000: 8.30am by Trish Whelan. Kildare County Council yesterday adopted the Waste Management Plan for the county in principle after a two-hour discussion which included a presentation from consultants Fehily Timoney and Company. It will be further considered at a meeting next Monday. The plan had previously already been adopted by the council, but because proper procedures relating to the EPA had not been followed during its passage through the council, it had to be publically displayed, considered and formally adopted again, in case it was left open to legal challenge. There were a number of changes to the original draft plan, not least among them the revelation that the County Kildare landfill facility at Silliott Hill (top) now has a longer lifespan than previously thought. Previous estimates of the life of the facility were to the end of May this year, but now it is expected that it will be used until late 2001. The discussion prompted Cllr Sean O Fearghaill (left) to ask how long is it envisaged that the council would ‘inflict’ on the people of Kilcullen a ‘waste transfer facility’ (as revealed on KNN last week). “And what in God’s name IS a waste transfer facility?” he asked. Cllr Tony Lawlor said he was disappointed to hear that the life of the dump was to be extended by 15-18 months, and he hoped that when the council did finish with Silliott Hill, it would be looked after in the years ahead. Cllr Timmy Conway also said he was sorry to see it would be going on for another year and a half. Cllr O Fearghaill also asked whether the landfill gases from the dump could be used to generate power, or sold to a power generator? County Engineer Jimmy Lynch (right) said that a company had obtained planning permission from Kildare County Council to use the landfill gases for electricity generation. He said the council is hoping that the company will be in a position to do so. In the event of it not being able to use the gases, the council will have to continue to manage it in ‘an environmentally-friendly way’ through flaring. Mr Lynch also said the council is considering putting a composting operation at Silliott Hill, but no decisions have been made so far. 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.

GAA is top Celtic Tiger in latest lottery cash payout KILDARE GENERAL, 18 July 2000: by Brian Byrne. GAA clubs in County Kildare got a whopping 55% of the almost £2 million which will be announced today out of National Lottery funds for 25 sport and recreational projects in the county. Of the £1,995,000, the GAA receives £1.11 million for clubs in Allenwood, Castlemitchell, Clane, Eadestown, Johnstownbridge, Moorefield, Rathangan, Kildare, Newbridge, Leixlip and Narraghmore. The biggest winner is Sarsfields in Newbridge (above), which receives £250,000. By comparison, soccer clubs in Athy and Leixlip receive a total of £75,000 between them, or 3.8% of the total allocation. Other sports organisations receiving grants include Naas Sports Group Ltd, which receives £200,000 towards its new facilities (pictured being built below) and St Brigid’s CYMS Community and Sports Centre which gets £30,000. Naas Rugby Club has been granted £100,000. Tennis clubs in Celbridge and Clane benefit between them to a total of £55,000. Community organisations in Naas, Crookstown, Kilcullen and Kill get themselves £225,000 between them, or 11.3% of the total, while Kildare County Council is receiving £200,000. The allocations have been welcomed by Deputy Sean Power and the minister for finance, Charlie McCreevy TD. To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

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No Fines Office - no implementation of public drink laws NEWBRIDGE, 18 July 2000: by Brian Byrne. The absence of a county council Fines Office in Newbridge has been given as one reason for the failure of gardai to fully implement the alcohol consumption bye-laws in Newbridge. Acting town clerk Charlie Talbot, in response to a query from Cmmr Seamie Finn, said that garda authorities feel 'fines are unlikely to stick' because the absence of a Fines Office in the town can often be a reason for a judge dismissing prosecutions taken for non-payment. "They feel it is better not to prosecute rather than that the legislation be brought into disrepute," he said, noting that the previous Fines Office had burned down and there had been no replacement. Cmmr Finn said that the Market Square (below) was a particularly difficult area in this respect. "People can't walk by the square without being chatted up by people looking for money for drink," he said.  KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

GARDA PATROL Marking your property is one of the best ways of making sure that it is quickly returned to you if recovered by the gardai.

Garda students get the security word out NAAS, 18 July 2000: by Trish Whelan. Naas-based garda students Mark Holden, Mark Bolger and Aidan O'Shaughnessy pictured outside Naas Town Hall during Crime Prevention Week. They said they had been 'inundated' with enquiries from the public, for information on home safety, vandalism, car crime and drugs awareness.

24 June 2000: Intel launches $2 million expansion ... Kildare artist uses personal tragedy for inspiration ... the fight against Dunstown ... Seamie Moore on the new Railway Walkway ... 'Cullen of the Arctic' on his latest trip. This is a KNN broadcast production in RealAudio. Earlier programmes here. (©2000trishwhelanbrianbyrne.)

First water scheme of the 21st century STRAFFAN, 18 July 2000: by Martin Ashe. The first Community Water Scheme of the twenty first century was recently switched on in Turnings, Straffan, Co Kildare. The Turnings Group Water Scheme is a joint venture between the local community and Kildare County Council. Water schemes of this nature are unique as they are the only types of scheme that Kildare County Council undertakes with local community participation. The Turnings Water scheme was originally investigated by local resident Pat Keane two years ago. Following a number of meetings between Pat Keane and PJ Sheridan (left), local Council Councillor, a decision was made to proceed. A Committee was formed and three Trustees were nominated:- Chris Farrell, Martin Ashe and Joe McKenna. PJ Sheridan arranged introductory meetings between Adrian King, Executive Engineer-County Liaison Officer of Kildare County Council and his team with the local Turnings Committee. The scheme was successfully completed and launched recently at a reception in Turnings attended by dignitaries including PJ Sheridan and Adrian King. The Contractor appointed was James McHale and the scheme was designed by James Hunt. The Trustees would like, on behalf of the local residents, to express their gratitude to all concerned and in particular to PJ Sheridan and Adrian King whose support enabled the scheme to be completed so successfully.

Asks UDC to help future Kildare teams NAAS, 18 July 2000: Dear Editor, This is yet another month where the issue of playgrounds is left off the agenda of the UDC meeting. As this is the last meeting of the summer (UDC holidays next month) it is probable that we will not see a playground in the town this summer or this year. Yet again the children of Naas are disregarded by the people who are supposed to look after their needs. But should we be surprised? Look at all the speeding cars that go through the town’s estates and nothing is done. Oh, there is one set of ramps in the town, but it took 30 years of campaigning to get them put in. No sign of them going in in areas where they are needed on the Sallins Road, Dublin Road, Monread, and now with all the new estates the Kilcullen Road. A few dirty repeater signs on the Dublin road but that's about it. Does the UDC care about the children of the town? It seems not. (They have done a lovely job on the Town Hall, though.) Look at the Monread Park. At the AGM of the UDC the outgoing chairman said the park was complete. What happened to the playground, tennis and basketball courts and safety lighting that was on the original plan drawn up for the UDC by South Dublin CoCo. (Not that these were extras to the town just replacing ones removed from Parc na nOg) Look at the new social housing in the town - few open areas, open ranges in the flats with no protection around them, fire extinguishers too heavy for the mothers and children to lift in case of fire. That is, if you can get a flat. In defence of the UDC people might say we have pedestrian lights to cross the road. But have you timed the length of time that the beeper sounds for the one at the Crossings Garage? If you are walking across the Blessington road junction, you aren't fully across the road before the beeper stops, and as for a child or a mother pushing a double buggy or an older person, you are at the mercy of the good nature of the drivers (which ain't that good - I have made several complaints to the gardai on people jumping the pedestrian lights). At the Paddocks, you can make it if you move fast, but don't hang around. At the UDC meeting on Tuesday night we will probably hear congratulations for the Kildare team (deserved), but what is the UDC doing for the future teams? Nothing it seems. It is not taking action to ensure the current children's survival to being part of a team and is doing little to encourage an attitude of exercise in the children by putting in play facilities. Oh sure, they have said that they are investigating the matter. But I have been hearing that since the playground was taken out at the Lakes and Parc na nOg 15 years ago. They say they have committed money to it. Yeah, £10,000. Have you seen the simple Carlow playground? That cost £18,000 for the equipment. They say insurance was a problem, but when we went checking we found the insurance for such was included in the premium that the UDC already pays. Also, if insurance was an issue, why were playgrounds put in from Carlow to Cork and from New Ross to Dublin Corporation parks (34 at last count)? Kildare score 0 for play grounds. In that league, surrounding counties do better. Dublin beats us hands down. £10,000 for playgrounds with hundreds of thousands of pounds (in the future a million, courtesy Devoy barracks) coming in from the sale of public assets. Recently the current UDC chairman said ‘there wouldn’t be much change out of £10,000’ on a twinning trip to Italy for which £2,000 was approved out of council funds. (ED: for clarification, the current UDC chairman is also chairman of the Twinning Committee.) This angers me. They will rush to go to these twinnings, but what benefit is it to the ordinary people of Naas? The UDC are slow at spending over £10,000 on a playground but see no harm in making the above suggestion. I hope the current income won't get swallowed up in this sort of foreign folly? What's this got to do with producing the next Kildare team? Well, I am sure you have heard the expression ‘start them young and win them over’. The same applies to exercise. Playgrounds will get the future members of the Kildare teams out into the air and appreciating the benefits of open air as opposed to being huddled in front of a screen. Play is essential to the healthy growth and normal development of children. The opportunity to play in a safe outdoor environment such as playground is vital for developing motor skills and co-ordination and is essential for their mental health, intellectual development and acquisition of social skills. The seeds of heart disease are sown in childhood, says Dr Vincent Martin, Medical Director of the Irish Heart Foundation. The more exercise that children take, the quicker excess fat is cleared from the circulation, and if children don’t exercise, they are storing up problems for later in life. Adult habits are learned in childhood. Children need to learn how to play and to enjoy themselves by being physically active. So tonight, when the councillors are talking about the wonderful Kildare team, will they spare a thought for the future team and work with people who want to work with the UDC to produce facilities for the future and start them on the track to healthy safe young lives? John Kavanagh (ED: since this letter went up this morning, Mr Kavanagh has already received a number of emails supporting his position. Do YOU have a view? Let him know.)

Residents fear refuse depot by default SILLIOTT HILL, 17 July 2000: 8.30am by Bill Trapman. Residents in the Silliott Hill area of Kilcullen are seriously concerned over the failure of the county council to enforce a Cessation Order against a waste disposal operator who has illegally set up a storage depot for his trucks and bins. Wheel Bins Limited, based in Dundalk, are the contractors for domestic waste disposal in Naas, and they are now storing empty bins and trucks on agriculturally-zoned land close to the county landfill facility at Silliott Hill. Kildare County Council served a Cessation Order last October but the operator has ignored it and gradually increased the site’s use as a vehicle depot. The council found it difficult to serve the order at the company's headquarters in Dundalk. Unofficially, Kildare County Council planning department staff say they are physically unable to police such orders, because of chronic understaffing. One of the vehicles stored on the site this weekend has the Oxigen logo, and a Dublin Corporation coat of arms. In the light of revelations last week that Kildare County Council are to use the almost-full Silliott Hill landfill as a 'transfer facility' for refuse from all over the county, to be baled elsewhere, local people now fear that the Wheel Bins Limited site is being set up to become a baling station. "We've lived with the dump for too long," one resident told KNN. "We were too quiet. Now, when we thought our problems were soon to be over, we're lumbered with this 'transfer facility' and maybe a baling station as well. It'll happen over our dead bodies." 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.

Call for unmarked garda patrol in estate NEWBRIDGE, 17 July 2000: by Brian Byrne. Gardai have been asked to patrol in unmarked cars a housing estate which is currently troubled by 'unsocial behaviour' and littering from young people driving cars around the area. Last week's meeting of Newbridge Town Commission was told that residents of the Oaks have taken the numbers of cars of offending people and the 'owners have been identified'. The problem of teenagers congregating on the green areas of the estate was also raised. Cmmr Seamie Finn said the situation was sometimes 'mayhem' and that part of the problem may be due to the existence of a right of way in the estate. Cmmr Fiona O'Loughlin said that perhaps the Litter Warden could be brought in to help deal with the litter part of the problem. Cmmr Murty Aspell suggested that one of the town's garda sergeants should be asked before a meeting of the commission to explain what they're doing about the problem. To Advertise on KNN, call 086 8267104, fax 045 481091, or email tellingtales@yahoo.com Advertising rates here

End of a shopping era in Naas NAAS, 17 July 2000: by Trish Whelan. An 88-year-old Naas tradition came to an end last Friday when Mairead Dillon Slattery closed the doors to her shop on Main Street that had been run by her family since 1912. The difficulties of managing a business while looking after her young family Mairead says is the reason behind her decision to retire from the shop she has operated for the past 14 years. She now plans to lease the premises. She is pictured above serving long-time customer Pete Maguire. The Dillon family, which has its roots in County Clare, first started trading in Naas in 1912. “Naas people will remember my Aunt Mary who took up the business in the 1940s selling newspapers, cards, sweets and toys. When she passed away in 1986, I took over,” Mairead recalls. She admits severing the link with her regular customers will be difficult, and she will miss her regulars who have stayed loyal since her Aunt Mary’s time. “While I live in Blessington, I’m more a Naas person than anything else. I also went to school here,” she says. “I’ll always be more a lily white.”  KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

GARDA PATROL Marking your property is one of the best ways of making sure that it is quickly returned to you if recovered by the gardai.

Failure to sell barracks 'is not longterm problem' - councillor NAAS, 14 July 2000: 10pm by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. The failure of the public tender procedure to sell Devoy Barracks in Naas should not cause any longterm problems to the development of the site, according to one of the councillors who negotiated its disposal with the minister for defence. Only one submission was received by the closure date for the public tender procedure on Tuesday 11 July. According to a spokesman for the department, that offer was ‘not anything near’ the guide price of £7 million. Now the department will have to try another route to sell the property, probably by private treaty. Cllr Willie Callaghan said tonight that he expects the site will be disposed of in the not too distant future. "You often see properties failing to sell at auction but deals are done shortly afterwards between the parties," he said. He added that there was no threat to grants made by the council to sports and cultural bodies by the non-sale, because such grants were made from a development levies fund. A £1 million sum expected for the UDC after the sale was completed would be coming from Kildare County Council, as their payment for locating a new County Council HQ on part of seven acres being given to the UDC by the minister in return for rezoning of the site. He said no grant promises had been made in respect of this money, and he expected that the amount would stand regardless of what price the minister eventually got. A month ago, Cllr Pat McCarthy called on the minister to withdraw the invitation to tender, saying it was a ‘calculated insult’ to the 350 people on the Naas UDC waiting list for houses if the property was sold to a private developer, and equally insulting to the thousands of other couples in the area who ‘don’t have a hope’ of buying a house in Naas at today’s inflated prices. 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.

24 June 2000: Intel launches $2 million expansion ... Kildare artist uses personal tragedy for inspiration ... the fight against Dunstown ... Seamie Moore on the new Railway Walkway ... 'Cullen of the Arctic' on his latest trip. This is a KNN broadcast production in RealAudio. Earlier programmes here. (©2000trishwhelanbrianbyrne.)

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