Call for medical records to be made available NAAS, 24 March 2000: by Trish Whelan. A proposal that would see every resident of the State being given a copy of their medical records as a matter of right, has been unanimously agreed by members of Naas UDC. Councillor Charlie Byrne asked the Council to circulate his motion to all local authorities in the country for support in asking the Minister for Health to pass the necessary legislation to allow people access to their records. “There are 101 reasons for me to have put down this motion,” he said. Of paramount importance, he said, was the fact that towns around the county rely heavily on the weekend doctor service. “Doctors coming out from Dublin to see patients at weekends are strangers to the area, and to the patients. If patients have their medical record at hand, it would save time ... and lives,” he said. “And would make access to hospitals that much easier, with doctors unable to take on more patients at present while you need a doctor’s letter to be admitted. “The most important record you have is your medical record,” he told the meeting. Councillor Willie Callaghan suggested a swipe card system containing the relevant information which people could carry around with them. 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.

Car of the Week Hyundai Accent

County waste plan 'dumped' by EPA COUNTY HALL, 23 March 2000: EXCLUSIVE by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. Kildare County Council officials will face the wrath of members at Monday’s council meeting when they will reveal that the Waste Management Plan passed at the end of last year will have to go back to the draft stage. Officials say that, on legal advice, this is essential to ensure that the plan ‘is not challenged’ in the future, but in fact KNN has learned that the Environmental Protection Agency was not consulted during the preparation of the plan, as required by legislation and this is what has triggered the unexpected review. It was the council’s responsibility to submit the draft plan to the EPA, but officials have admitted that there is only ‘partial documentation’ about which ‘prescribed bodies’ received copies of the draft plan, produced last April by consultants Fehily Timoney & Company. During the debates on the plan, an amendment that all references to ‘thermal waste treatment’ be deleted from the document was passed by councillors, reacting to the local ‘heat’ being generated by the Kilcock incinerator issue. This issue is likely to be revisited during the review forced by the EPA. Given that the waste management plans of most other local authorities DO leave thermal treatment options open, and that incineration IS part of Government policy for the treatment of municipal waste, it is probable the EPA submission will ask that this element be strongly reconsidered. Asked by KNN to comment on the latest revelation, Cllr Catherine Murphy of Leixlip said the situation was ‘quite unbelievable’ and ‘absolutely ridiculous’ and she said it all reflected incompetency and inefficiency. This was all the more so because the council had previously been ‘caught napping’ in relation to the County Development Plan, for which an extension of time had to be sought. “Given our experience there, you’d think they would have learned a lesson,” she said last evening. “The councillors and the public are entitled to an explanation as to what has happened here. It is quite clear that procedures were rushed, and it will undoubtedly be financially costly, time consuming and does nothing for the Council’s credibility.” Cllr Murphy said consultants had been commissioned by the council to develop the plan in part because of low staffing levels within the council itself. She wants senior officials to give ‘a full account’ of how the problem arose, including commenting on staffing levels if they believe they are a contributing factor to this latest debacle. The matter is unlikely to help the currently strained relations between the top officials and the councillors in Kildare County Council. In recent months officials have been forced to back down on a number of management proposals, including a proposed charge for waivers and an increase in differential rents. A spokesman for Kildare County Council said today that they 'have no comment to make' in advance of next Monday's meeting, when the matter will be put before the councillors.

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. We recommend that you do so with the date of your birth and initials, and then fill in a record card at your local garda station. Markings can be made in many ways, including u/v pens, electric engravers, indelible markers, etching tools and metal punches.

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

Local Government Auditor 'should investigate' car park plan NAAS, 23 March 2000: by Brian Byrne. The Local Government Auditor should be made aware of Naas UDC’s plans to sell off its Corban’s Lane Car Park to private developers who will then get the lion’s share of parking income from their development. That’s the view of Cllr Mary Glennon, who says that figures published by KNN recently highlight a situation that should be investigated by the LGA. The calculations suggest Naas UDC may have forfeited up to £466,000 a year in potential revenue, by agreeing to sell its car park to developers planning to build a 400-plus multistorey car park, shops and a hotel. The developers stand to clear that amount each year, after paying the council just £25,000 from the parking revenue. “I’ve been dead set against this sale from when I became a councillor,” Cllr Glennon says. “The Local Government Auditor should be made aware of the proposals now, because in the normal course of examination of local authority accounts it will be a fait accompli before it comes to scrutiny. We’re selling it off very cheaply.” Cllrs Glennon, Anthony Egan and Pat McCarthy have all spoken out against the car park development for reasons that include the proximity of a related road development to Naas schools. Cllr Glennon says she was particularly infuriated by a remark from town clerk Declan Kirrane that ‘the school could move out of its present location’. “At one fell swoop you could relocate 800 children in order to facilitate a developer,” she says. Meanwhile, she also warns that people ‘could be made homeless’ in the adjoining Cill Corban housing development, which was built by one of the developers involved in the car park scheme. She told KNN that there are fears among many tenants in the houses that the houses are being bought back for demolition related to the car park development. “They’re leases are not being renewed, and if they are made homeless they will have to get priority on the UDC’s already-strained housing list,” she says.

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

Snooker providing top entertainment KILL, 23 March 2000: by Trish Whelan. The Benson & Hedges Irish Irish Masters which is taking place in Goff’s in Kill this week, continues to prove a top attraction for Irish snooker fans, with the top eight players in the world competing. However there was some disappointment last night when Dubliner Ken Doherty lost to Matthew Stevens by 6-4. Stevens was making his first appearance in the tournament. Doherty, who had the highest break of the match with 108 in the fifth frame, later said he was disappointed not to have performed better in front of his home fans. In yesterday’s afternoon match, Jimmy White knocked out Stephen Lee 6-4 to reach the quarter finals and now faces World No 1 John Higgins on Friday night. White has rated Goff’s as the third best venue in the world. In the first match of the tournament on Tuesday, Irishman Fergal O’Brien went down 6-4 to Scotsman Alan McManus who had the biggest break of the match with 122. In the evening match John Parrott easily defeated Steve Davis 5-1. It was the first time for Davis ever to go out in the first round. Today sees World No 3 Mark Williams in action against John Parrott and World No 2 Stephen Hendry taking on Alan McManus.

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

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Bridge proposal 'airy fairy' - claim CELBRIDGE, 23 March 2000: by Brian Byrne. A suggestion to spend £500,000 on expanding the bridge over the Liffey at Celbridge could well be another ‘airy fairy’ notion that should have a proper feasibility study done before it is attempted, according to local councillor Geraldine Conway. “This ludicrous suggestion will result in greater disruption, hardship and longer queues while the community waits for its completion,” she said yesterday, suggesting that residents of Celbridge are being ‘victimised’ by planners, engineers, and ‘those who aided and abetted’ the recent and controversial erection of traffic lights in the town. The lights were recently put into operation, and Cllr Conway says they have resulted in ‘unprecedented hardship’. “Bullying and refusal to listen to public opinion last September has led to this disaster,” she says. “One has to question the ‘experts’ and those who agreed with them, stating traffic time would be reduced to two minutes from one end of Celbridge to the other by the lights. Where is the 17% reduction in traffic flow now, and where are these individuals who made these claims?” Cllr Conway says there are ‘fundamental lessons to be learned from this fiasco’. “One is to listen to the public and persons living with the problem daily, not necessarily the so-called experts,” she concluded.

ONE OF THE KILDARE WILD GEESE? Are you involved with any Irish organisations or groups abroad? Let us know where you are and what you're at by emailing KNN. And find out about your fellow wild geese.

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

Go green in your garden! NAAS, 23 March 2000: Dear Editor, If anybody is ‘fuelled to be green’ and save money by the report on composting (ED: KNN's lead story yesterday), people should note that compost bins can be bought from Kildare County Council. Last time I was out at the dump on the Kilcullen Road, they were available for sale from there. Now that people and residents associations are about to start gardening in force they might think of these. I've just dug last year’s garden tidyings into the ground ... an excellent cheap source of food for the plants in my veg patch. John Kavanagh, Kingsfurze, Naas.

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

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

Display of business ideas EDENDERRY, 23 March 2000: by Bill Trapman. Twelve entrepreneurs in the North West Kildare and North Offaly area will display their business ideas next Monday in Larkins GAbles, Edenderry. They are all trainees in the OAK Partnership’s Business Development Programme and have spend the last six months developing their ideas. Some 38 people have participated in the programme to date and according to enterprise support worker Eamonn Henry, the presentation planned for Monday will be ‘the most professional to date’. The programme has been funded by FAS. The next group will begin on 3 April and anyone wishing to participate should phone 0405 33027.

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

Composting a cost effective way to reduce landfill NEWBRIDGE, 22 March 2000: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. The use of composting by local authorities to help reduce waste going into landfill was the subject of a seminar in Newbridge yesterday at which various aspects of composting were discussed. More than 50 people attended the event, from local authorities, consultancies, the EPA and waste management practitioners. Delegates from County Kildare included Mary Harney from Athy UDC Waste Water Treatment Plant, Aoife O’Malley and Dara Wyer from Kildare County Council, and Mary Foley from Leixlip Town Commission. The event was organised by the Institute of Wastes Management (Irish Branch) and was hosted by Bord na Mona Environmental Ltd at its headquarters. Presentations were made by Paul van der Werf of ERM, Dr Munoo Prasad (left) chief scientist at BNM; Dr John Reilly, laboratory manager BNM Environmental (right); and Diarmaid Reilly of Kerry County Council. It was coordinated by Sheena Glynn, business development executive with BNM Environmental (pictured below receiving her IWM membership parchment from Harry Connolly, chairman of the Irish branch). Highlight of the day was a presentation on a pilot composting scheme initiated by Kerry County Council in Tralee, which was inaugurated last April and involved the provision of special brown wheelie bins and kitchen caddies to 2,000 households in the UDC area. The project was funded by DoE grants for recycling co-financed by the European Development Fund. The set-up costs for the project totalled £165,881 and operating costs for the period to date have been £83,368. The scheme was readily accepted by local people, with an up to 70% participation rate, and their compostable waste came back to them recently when the local authority returned 150 tonnes of compost which was tested and passed for use as both soil improver and a growing medium. “It will not always be free,” Diarmaid Reilly (right), engineer in charge of the Tralee composting scheme, told KNN (RealAudio interview). “There will be a cost, but when people realise the quality of the product, there is definitely a market.” From the local authority’s point of view, the scheme - low cost and natural technology - is a cost-effective way towards reducing the amount of waste going into landfill. While total costs of collection and composting 300 tonnes of suitable material worked out at £140/tonne in the pilot scheme, building the throughput to 800 tonnes would bring the cost down to below that of landfill. “The seminar was a great success, both from the number of participants and the serious questions which were asked,” Sheena Glynn told KNN last evening. “It shows that there is now a positive aspect to the whole waste issue, instead of the pain in the back that it is mostly portrayed as being.” 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.

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. We recommend that you do so with the date of your birth and initials, and then fill in a record card at your local garda station. Markings can be made in many ways, including u/v pens, electric engravers, indelible markers, etching tools and metal punches. 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.

Car of the Week Hyundai Accent

Caragh Road residents concerned about new development NAAS, 22 March 2000: by Brian Byrne. Residents of Caragh Court, Caragh Green and Caragh Meadows have written to Naas UDC expressing their concerns about the proposed Caragh Fields (above) development. In their letter they say their primary concern is about the lack of infrastructure in the area. They have copied their letter to all local representatives in the Naas area Alan V Hore, chairman of the combined residents’ associations, has asked for clarification on the provision of a connecting road from the development to the Newbridge Road, as originally proposed in the Naas UDC Development Plan. “We feel this road is crucial in order to avoid an increased volume of traffic on a very narrow busy Caragh Road,” he says, adding that the proposed road could ideally lead to the pedestrianisation of the Ploopluck Bridge, which is not coping with present traffic levels. Among nine other concerns, the residents are worried about the ‘ordinariness’ of the houses proposed and the density. They have asked for a report under the 1994 Planning Act detailing the nature, extent and principal features of the proposed development; an evaluation of the implications, if any, of that development for the proper planning and development of where it will be located; a list of persons and bodies who have made submissions or observations in accordance with Part 10 of the 1994 Regulations; a summary of the planning issues raised in the consultation procedure and of the local authority’s response to them; and an indication of whether it is proposed to proceed with it as varied or modified, or whether it is proposed not to proceed with it. “The regulations stipulate that the report must be submitted to the elected members of the local authority,” Mr Hore says in the letter. “The elected members have power under section 3 of the City and County Management (Amendment) Act 1995, subject to limitations in that section, to direct that the works comprising the proposed development are not to proceed or should be delayed until planning issues are resolved. We trust you will make a sensible decision on this development and ensure that suitable infrastructure measures are taken into account with committed finance, before this development goes ahead.”

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

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

Play marked resurgence of amateur drama MAYNOOTH, 22 March 2000: by Trish Whelan. The recent very successful production of ‘Say Cheese’ in Maynooth marked a revival of amateur drama in the town after 30 years. The presentation of the Bernard Farrell comedy was put on by An Nuadh Players in association with the Maynooth Arts Forum and was performed in the former oratory in SMA House on the Maynooth university campus. It was directed by Ann Kelly. The group is six months in existence and was drawn together by Roberta Carey (pictured here with Paul Croughan of Maynooth Action Strategy, which identified the arts as a key factor in the development of the town’s future). They take their name from Nuada of the Silver Arm, a hero in Celtic mythology, for whom Maynooth is named (Maigh Nuada - the plain of Nuada). “We want to say a special word for those who helped us get the show on the boards,” says Roberta. “They include NUI Maynooth, Maynooth Action Strategy and sponsors John Dolan, Intel Ireland, Nuzstop, and Movie World.” The oratory comfortably fits 60 people, but the group hopes a larger venue will eventually be available. “A theatre is in everyone’s plans,” says Paul Croughan. “And the college also intends to build a full size musical venue.”

ONE OF THE KILDARE WILD GEESE? Are you involved with any Irish organisations or groups abroad? Let us know where you are and what you're at by emailing KNN. And find out about your fellow wild geese.

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

Denies 'lavish' label for lunch NAAS, 22 March 2000: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC's centenary celebration lunch on 3 April 'will not be a lavish affair' and 'wine will not be flowing'. So says chairman of the UDC's Protocol Committee Cllr Pat O'Reilly, reacting to reports suggesting that the £10,000 budget for the celebrations is being 'blown' on a bash for councillors and businesspeople. "Only around 60% of our budget is being used for the lunch, guests at which will include the minister for the environment & local government, Noel Dempsey TD, the president of the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland, Aileen Pine, councillors and their spouses, a representative from each of the previous councils where possible, UDC indoor and outdoor staff, the two Freemen of the town - Gerry Ward and Michael Osbourne - and their spouses, and officials of Kildare County Council," Cllr O'Reilly said yesterday. "Principals of schools in the area are also invited, and form chairman of the council and local historian Paddy Behan will give a short resume of the council since its foundation." About 125 people will be treated to the lunch after the special Centenary Meeting of the UDC, planned for 12am on the day. Mr O'Reilly said they are also hoping to unveil a plaque with the names of all chairpersons who had served on the council to date. Cllr O'Reilly said the balance of the budget will be spent on assisting with the republication of Naas Local History Group's history of the town, and in providing some momentoes for the occasion. "Small little trinkets ... no fireworks." Other members of the Protocal Committee are Cllrs Evelyn Bracken, Mary Glennon and Willie Callaghan.

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.

Row in council over rent increase proposal COUNTY HALL, 22 March 2000: by Trish Whelan. Kildare county councillors have rejected a proposed increase in the minimum differential rent for council tenants of approximately 25%. However they agreed an increase on the higher rate, up £7 on £43. After heated debate and much confusion over what exactly was the minimum rate, it emerged that incorrect information had been included in a circular sent to councillors detailing the proposed increases. Councillor Sean O Fearghail (left) said it was accepted there is a major disparity between levels of rents paid in the private sector and those charged by the Council. He said ‘a move upward towards £50 is not majorly problematic’ but the Council has traditionally applied a rent of £5 a week on old age pensioners and it was important not to do anything that would substantially erode any benefits which they receive. “We’re talking about widows on a lesser income, and people on family assistance as well as OAPs and if they were in private rented accommodation the State would pay a subsidy to bring their rent down to £6,” Deputy Emmet Stagg (right) told the meeting. Assistant county manager Terry O Niadh said the rents were an executive function of the manager and not of elected members. Deputy Stagg objected in loud fashion saying the assistant manager had insulted the members of the Council by such a statement. Chairman P J Sheridan then adjourned the meeting for calm to return. Later, Deputy Stagg said it WAS a policy issue and was similar to the recently proposed £20 hike on domestic refuse charges which the councillors had objected to. He said the loss to the council over the year ‘wouldn’t be even noticed.’ He said the officials responsible should bring it back to the drawing board and should bring those on the lower rate category down to a minimum rent of £5. Councillor O Fearghail said the officials should take a look at the disparities to have genuine equity throughout the system. Councillor Catherine Murphy said they should take account of peoples’ actual incomes rather than putting them into categories and should take a look at the formula used by the Health Board in this regard. Mr O Niadh said the officials will take on board what the members had suggested.

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

Schools benefit from popular programme KILDARE GENERAL, 22 March 2000: by Bill Trapman. A display of ceramics by young artist Helen Barbara van Duinn will be launched at 8.00 pm on Tuesday 28 March, and will be open free-of-charge to members of the public. Helen Barbara van Duinn is recognised as a very skilled artist, and her achievement is all the greater because she cannot speak or hear and has no understanding of either the spoken or written word. Her communication skills are based on a combination of Makaton signs, British Sign language signs and her own signs. Much of Helen Barbara’s education has been in the Camphill Communities throughout Britain and Ireland. In her last three years she has been an apprentice in ceramics at the Pinewood Pottery in Crawfordsburn, Co Down. The work on display from 28 March will include domestic tableware and small sculptural pieces, and is well worth seeing. Visitors to the exhibition will have an opportunity to purchase pieces if they wish.

Check in with Farm.ie for Brendan Burke's top farming news and views

Many objections to proposed Naas town centre development NAAS, 21 March 2000: by Trish Whelan. There have been strong objections from local residents to a proposal by Baba Exports Ltd to build a multistorey car park together with retail, office and residential buildings in Naas town centre. A decision on the application has been deferred until April 12. The development, which includes the existing Naas UDC Sallins Road car park, proposes 396 car parking spaces, 159 of which will be for the proposed retail units within the development with the remainder for general parking. The developers say this will provide significant increased parking over and above the capacity currently provided on the site. They claim that the link road between the Dublin and Sallins Roads, to be built as part of the development, will divert a proportion of existing traffic away from the Poplar Square junction and alleviate some of the traffic congestion in the town centre. Objectors say that the sanctioning of any measure which would further increase traffic in Naas is ‘incomprehensible’, and the construction of a large car park would certainly have this result. “It runs counter to best practice in contemporary town planning whether park and ride facilities are being increasingly introduced,” say Tom and Margaret Stapleton in their objection. “This would see out of town customers opting to shop in Newbridge rather than Naas and would lead eventually to paralysis of the town centre.” Sally and Janey McArdle of The Sycamores said that it is a major breach of the UDC’s civic responsibility to local tax paying citizens to agree to this ‘absurd plan’ to take away the UDC car park and put it into private hands. The Morrison family in The Sycamores, in a comprehensive objection, say that the elimination of the current free car park and the introduction of a pay-by-hour system will ‘as clear as night follows day’ mean that their estate will become a substitute car park with huge inconvenience and privacy intrusion for all residents. The residents of Nos 13-16 inclusive in The Sycamores have lodged six reasons for objection including the effects of traffic on the proposed ‘link road’ on their houses in terms of noise, street lighting, and vibration. “The boundary walls of our houses are not retaining walls and are not designed to withstand the volume of heavy traffic which will use the road", they say. The Herlihy family, giving 15 reasons for their objection, include the fact that the car park will overlook their home, invade their privacy, and that the skyline and the present floodlit view of the Church steeple will be cut off for ever more. The secretary of The Sycamores Residents Association, P Brosnan, objecting on behalf of the association, says the residents frequently encounter difficulty in exiting from the estate because of the traffic build-up on the Sallins Road. He says that the increased volume and direction of the traffic directed towards the Sallins Road by the development will result in even greater chaos and danger. “Are we to become prisoners in our own estate?” he asks. Abbeycourt Management Ltd have also objected, saying that the height of the car park and the proximity to the rear of their buildings will completely block out light and they have asked for the portion of the car park which effects them in this way to be moved. Anne Brady and Seamus Curran of the Dublin Road have objected on behalf of a group of residents saying that the scale of the proposal is intrusive and would interfere seriously with the day-to-day lives of the residents, most of whom have lived in the area for several decades and are now in the ‘twilight of their years’. They also objected to an original proposal last August. Michael and Bernadette Judge of Abbey Court apartments, Sallins Road, say people will be looking into the back bedrooms of the apartments from the multistory car park and add that the height of the development will also restrict their light. 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.

Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email 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. We recommend that you do so with the date of your birth and initials, and then fill in a record card at your local garda station. Markings can be made in many ways, including u/v pens, electric engravers, indelible markers, etching tools and metal punches. 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.

Car of the Week Hyundai Accent

Marie goes to Strasbourg NEWBRIDGE, 21 March 2000: by Brian Byrne. Newbridge College student Marie Gleeson will be travelling with a group of 32 Irish students to Strasbourg next Friday to participate in a Euroscola Day at the European Parliament. The students took part in a Youth Development Leadership Competition organised by Rotary International in Ireland, sponsored by Marks & Spencer Ireland. It was conducted by way of interviews. “The competition and the participation in the Euroscola Day gives the students the opportunity to develop skills, broaden their outlook and create friendships which will help prepare them for life in a global Europe,” the president of Newbridge Rotary, senator John Dardis (above), said.

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

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

Seeking support for new sports and recreation facilities MAYNOOTH, 21 March 2000: by Bill Trapman. The Students Union at NUI Maynooth (left) are seeking support from the town’s GAA and soccer clubs for the development of student sporting and recreational facilities at the university. This is because they want National Lottery funding to help with the plan, which requires them to make the facilities available to the wider public. The situation is complicated by the fact that both the clubs have been promised land under the Maynooth Development Plan, and may prefer to keep their independence from the college facilities. Students who enrolled this year paid a £40 levy with their registration, as part of a 12-year fundraising programme for the facilities. They will include six outdoor playing pitches, for soccer, rugby and GAA, as well as an all-weather synthetic surface pitch. An extension to the college’s Social Centre is also part of the plan, which will facilitate the moving of the Students Union offices to that building. And a 350-seat multipurpose conference room/auditorium is also proposed. The plan also includes an extension to the sports hall, a gym, storage area and dressing rooms. Students agreed to the levy last March in a referendum in the college. A major expansion of the campus over the next five years will see a doubling of the size of the university.

ONE OF THE KILDARE WILD GEESE? Are you involved with any Irish organisations or groups abroad? Let us know where you are and what you're at by emailing KNN. And find out about your fellow wild geese.

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Liam produces discussion document on 'county mayors' NATIONAL & NAAS, 21 March 2000: by Brian Byrne. In advance of legislative proposals for directly-elected ‘mayors’ of county and city councils, Naas man Liam Kenny (right) has produced a short discussion document outlining the pros and cons of such a move. Liam, a former journalist with the Leinster Leader, is Director of the General Council of County Councils, and last year edited a book on the 1999 local elections, 'From Ballot Box to Council Chamber' (below). The background to the proposal is that the chair of city and county councils will be elected by direct vote of the people for the life of the council, as announced by the minister for the environment & local government, Noel Dempsey, last December. The GCCC has suggested the title ‘county mayor’ as one which would truly represent the status of the ‘first citizen’ of the premier unit of Irish local government, the county. Among the points raised against the proposal are the dangers of electing people with no experience of the workings of local government, the undermining of the current ‘consensus’ approach to local government, the possibility of celebrity or single-issue candidates being in charge for five years, and the additional expense of a salaried mayor in addition to county officials. Those in favour of the proposal cite the possibility of raising public interest in local government, the restoration of a balance between local and national representatives, and a permanent ‘mark’ of the county managers on behalf of the councillors. Liam Kenny suggests that the innovation is so radical that there is a strong case for piloting it in two or three counties and gauging its impact before making it widespread. “Remember that some of the most fundamental innovations in Irish local government, including the PR electoral system and the county managers, were piloted in a small number of counties before their wider introduction,” he says.

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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Wants ministerial commitment on Donadea Forest Park DONADEA, 21 March 2000: by Brian Byrne. The future ownership of Donadea Forest Park may be determined in a report due out soon on whether its owners, Coillte, should be privatised. But deputy Emmet Stagg (right) has expressed concern that the park may not remain open to the public after any privatisation. In recent months he has asked both the minister for the marine & natural resources, Dr Michael Woods, and the minister for the Arts, Heritage, Culture, Gaeltacht & the Islands, Sile De Valera (below), for commitments that the park be retained in public ownership. He has suggested ownership be transferred either to Duchas or Kildare County Council. He has not, however, received any such assurances. “The minister states that the issue is one which falls to be considered in the context of the consultants’ report,” deputy Stagg said. “I find it astonishing that he cannot simply say the Forest Park will not be hived off under any circumstances and that it is his intention to protect the public interest in relation to the park.” Deputy Stagg has also accused minister De Valera of ‘indifference’ over the park’s future, after she refused to express her views as to the best option.

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

Schools benefit from popular programme KILDARE GENERAL, 21 March 2000: by Bill Trapman. Ann Egan as been appointed as Writer-in-Schools for County Kildare, in an extension of the programme for another term. This service is available to both primary and post-primary schools at a subsidised rate and the project has proved very successful. It is an important element in the Arts-in-Education Programme devised and sponsored by Kildare County Council’s Arts Service. To date, the Dance-in-Education element of the programme has reached over one thousand children. The 1999 – 2000 project expanded the existing work by offering a performance–based programme to schools on a county-wide basis. The Children’s Performance Tour which finished recently provided a unique dance experience for children aged between seven and twelve years. The performance consisted of a variety of colourful and exciting dance pieces, including curriculum-based dances and work introducing abstraction and rhythm. The Arts Service’s Dancer–in-Residence, Cathy O’Kennedy (pictured below on right with County Kildare Arts Officer Mary Lenihan and a group of Newbridge schoolchildren) is currently devising a weekend of dance-based activity to take place in April in the Holy Family Secondary School, Newbridge. The Arts-in-Education Programme also has a strong dramatic focus. Crooked House Theatre has been commissioned to produce a Theatre-in-Education programme which has already visited twenty-five schools. This includes a workshop entitled "Clowns in the Curriculum". It explores creative learning, bringing subjects to life through the medium of mime and clowning. Currently in the middle of a very successful run, "Clowns in the Curriculum" is proving very popular with primary school children all over the County. Schools wishing to participate in any aspects of the arts projects should contact Mary Lenihan at Kildare County Library, Newbridge.

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'No concern' for drystone wall craftsmanship NAAS, 20 March 2000: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. The demolition of a stone wall around the Naas Canal Harbour during the current pedestrianisation works has been sharply criticised by local historian Ger McCarthy. He says the dry stone wall was an increasingly-rare example of its type in the town and should have been preserved. The matter of a wall or safety railing around the harbour has been a matter of strong controversy in the area in recent months. “There won’t be a dry stone wall left in town, the way development is going,” says Mr McCarthy, a leading light in the Naas Local History Group, pictured above at the only remaining piece of such a wall in the area. “Everything is being pushed in front of the bulldozer these days ... there’s no concern left for the craftsmanship.” He also notes that a lot of the stone walls which have disappeared had historical Ordnance Board benchmarks on them, which have also been destroyed. Meanwhile, some of the £10,000 which Naas UDC plans to spend on celebrating its centenary should be used to provide a decorative safety railing around the Harbour, instead of the dinner for business people and other dignatories planned to take place at Naas Race Course on 3 April. That’s the view of UDC councillor Evelyn Bracken who says that a day out for the ordinary people of the town, including entertainments like bouncing castles for their children, would be much more in order. It is understood that the UDC originally thought of organising a celebration concert but this fell through because it was felt it would eat up all of the budget for the celebrations. A dinner for the upperclass people of the town, she said, will ‘just be feeding those who eat well every day already’. “Anyway, I would rather see the money spent on a proper railing to safeguard those who will be using the newly pedestrianised Harbour,” she said. “It could include a commemorative plaque to mark the centenary, and I reckon the money available would just about cover the cost.” Councillor Bracken has also expressed her concerns about the danger the work (left) has posed to pedestrians already, and noted that a number of people have already fallen and hurt themselves while trying to negotiate what she says is in reality an open building site. “It should actually have been closed off completely while the work was in progress,” she said. 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.

THE LEINSTER PRINTMAKING STUDIO THE OLD CONVENT, CLANE Artists' resource, Training, Gallery sales. Phone Margaret Becker 045 868168 or 087 2310114   Specialist travel operators to Cheltenham, Aintree, and other major international racing venues. Phone 01 2958901; Fax 01 2958902; Email 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. We recommend that you do so with the date of your birth and initials, and then fill in a record card at your local garda station. Markings can be made in many ways, including u/v pens, electric engravers, indelible markers, etching tools and metal punches.

Car of the Week Hyundai Accent

Pro-Life condemns unauthorised use of Dardis name NEWBRIDGE, 20 March 2000: by Brian Byrne. The Pro-Life campaign has condemned the actions of an unnamed organisation which put the name of Senator John Dardis (right) on a poster in Newbridge seeking support for a pro-life referendum. The secretary of Pro-Life, John O’Reilly, said it is ‘totally opposed’ to such actions. In a statement, Senator Dardis said that his name had been put on the poster entirely without his permission. Noting that he is a member of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, which is considering the Green Paper on Abortion, he said he can only assume that the organisation responsible wishes to use this type of ‘propaganda’ to intimidate the committee members into meeting their demands. “Activity like this does not contribute to the debate,” he said. “The poster should be taken down. The committee has more than 100,000 submissions to consider before making any recommendations. All views merit careful and detailed consideration and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further until these deliberations have concluded.” Senator Dardis added that the Progressive Democrats party allows a free vote on all matters of conscience.

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

Objection fees would be a 'tax on democracy' LEIXLIP, 20 March 2000: by Bill Trapman. Cllr Catherine Murphy has strongly criticised a proposal to introduce a charge for making an objection or submission to a planning application. The proposal is contained in the new Planning & Development Bill which is due to be debated in the Dail within weeks. The charge is aimed at reducing delays in the planning process by charging for all objections/submissions. "If this is implemented, it will take away an automatic right of the public to make views known,” Cllr Murphy says. “Currently views both positive and negative are welcome without cost. This Bill is simply blaming those who have voiced objections or views for the shortage of affordable housing, or delays in major infrastructural projects and is therefore a cynical exercise that further debases politics.” Cllr Murphy says there is nothing in the bill to deal with the issue of ‘greed by landowners and developers’ such as those hoarding development land to create market shortages. Nor does it deal with ‘outrageous’ planning applications such as the Kilcock Incinerator, the three-storey apartment blocks off the Clane Road in Celbridge within a traditional housing estate, or the proposal to construct two apartment blocks on housing estate green space on the Rye Bank in Leixlip. “All these rightly attracted a large number of objections, all of which would be ‘taxed’ in the future despite the fact that none of the proposals got the go-ahead and the public’s role had a huge part to play in the decisions. All of the examples created delays in the planning system at both Council and Bord Pleanála level ... delays for other worthwhile and necessary developments.” Cllr Murphy suggests one significant reason why the public involve themselves by objecting is because they can see from evidence at the tribunals the relationship between big business and some politicians/parties. She says if the public is to regain trust in both business and politics, the core reasons for large-scale objections have to be dealt with. “That means moving from an almost exclusively market-driven approach to development, and creating a much broader planned approach which is much more than lashing up houses - rather we should be building integrated communities. The so-called ‘brown envelope’ is a mere symptom of the market-led approach to development with an over-cosy relationship by some of those exclusively espousing this approach.” Cllr Murphy cites recent comments reported from a Fianna Fail breakfast fundraiser in Maynooth by the minister for finance, Charlie McCreevy TD (left), that development objectors are ‘holding us back donkey’s years’. She says such remarks are further evidence of the political direction of Fianna Fail on the issue of development. “It is a course that must be challenged if we are to learn from any of the mistakes of the past.”

THE LEINSTER PRINTMAKING STUDIO THE OLD CONVENT, CLANE Artists' resource, Training, Gallery sales. Phone Margaret Becker 045 868168 or 087 2310114 ONE OF THE KILDARE WILD GEESE? Are you involved with any Irish organisations or groups abroad? Let us know where you are and what you're at by emailing KNN. And find out about your fellow wild geese.

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Goffs 'graduates' did well at Cheltenham KILL, 20 March 2000: by Bill Trapman. Goffs enjoyed a wonderful Cheltenham, with four graduates of their sales winning Grade 1 races. The first of these was the Sun Alliance winner Lord Noelie, who was bought at the first Land Rover Sale in 1996 by Louis Archdeacon for 6,000 gns. Later in the day the Weatherbys Champion Bumper went to Joe Cullen, who passed through Goffs for 1,500 gns as a yearling in 1996. Thursday's Triumph Hurdle winner Snow Drop was bought at the Goffs France Summer Sale in 1996 by Eric Puerari. The Stayers Hurdle winner, Bacchanal, owned by Lady Lloyd Webber, cost Charlie Gordon Watson 12,500 gns as a yearling, He was bred at Martin McEnery's Rossenarra Stud in Co Kilkenny, famous for former great Goffs winners Red Rum and Remittance Man.

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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Open Day for Kildare LESN KILDARE, 20 March 2000: by Brian Byrne. The County Kildare Local Employment Service (LESN) is holding an Open Day in the Garden Room of the Hazel Hotel, Monasterevin, on Wednesday. The event will take place from 10am-3.30pm and will have available staff from the organisation to discuss any queries. People should bring CVs if they have any. Further information is available from Kildare LESN, c/o Cill Dara Resource Centre for the Unemployed, Bride Street, Kildare Town. Phone 521950 or email lesnnaas@iol.ie

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

Strong interest in Christian archaeological exhibition NAAS, 20 March 2000: by Trish Whelan. There was strong interest in the recent exhibition, ‘From the Land to the Peoples’ held in Naas Town Hall. It was promoted by the Catholic Movement of Communion & Liberation in association with the Naas Parish Jubilee Group. Some 30 local guides took a six-week training course in preparation for the exhibition, including presentation skills. Half of them were from the Church of Ireland community. Pictured above are Joan Shirran, Monica Blaney, Esther Swift, Nicky Gardiner, all from Naas, and (below) Ruth Moloney, Kathleen McPoland, Martin Condron, Carmel Murran, and Caroline Crone.

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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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