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Josef Locke dies, aged 82

CLANE, 15 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. The singer Josef Locke, who has spent the last number of years in quiet retirement in Clane, has died. Born Joseph McLaughlin in Derry in 1917, the singer was first a member of the Palestine police before coming home to join the RUC. At that time, his singing gigs earned him the sobriquet ‘The Singing Bobby’.

Later, when he went to London to seek a full entertainment career, his name was shortened to Josef Locke by an impresario who was having difficulty fitting the full name comfortably on posters.

Locke made many films in the course of his career, but perhaps the most recently remembered was one made about him, Hear My Song, which told the story of his life and the ongoing battles with the British Internal Revenue which resulted in his leaving Britain. The title came from his most popular recorded piece, Hear My Song, Violetta, which became his trademark song. He is pictured above with the late Princess Diana at the premiere of the film, which was a significant box-office success.

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Travellers served with court order

NAAS, 15 October 1999: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC served notice to quit this afternoon on a group of travellers who have been illegally parked at St Gabriel's Place for over two weeks. The council officials were backed up by gardai when they served a Circuit Court order implementing an interim injunction barring the travellers from the the property. An earlier injunction on the site was not applicable and the council had to begin tly procedure from scratch. An interlocutory injunction is to be sought at Wicklow Circuit Court on Wednesday next.

The travellers had been camped on the old Tennis Courts at Pairc na nOg much to the ire of local residents who complained bitterly that promised safeguards had not been put in place to keep such intruders out. This morning, three more caravans arrived and parked on a green area beside the courts.

The council is due back in the court next Wednesday to report on the situation as it stands then.

Cable Management Ireland criticised again over reception

NEWBRIDGE, 15 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. A claim by Cable Management Ireland that their service records did not indicate any serious reception problems in Newbridge was greeted with angry derision by Newbridge Town Commission. The claim was in response to a letter from the commission asking for service improvement. The company asked the commissioners to be ‘more specific’ with their complaints.

NOTE: The balance of this article has been temporarily removed pending legal clarification.

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Children's Book Week in Athy

ATHY, 15 October 1999: by Trish Whelan. Visits by top children’s authors, magic shows, and arts and crafts are all part of the events planned for Children’s Bookweek ’99, which tales place in Athy Community Library (above) between October 26-29. Among the authors will be London-based Patrick Ryan and ‘Matchless Mice’ writer Tony Hickey, coming on the Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

Magician Joe Spring will entertain on the afternoon of the Wednesday, and later that evening there will be the Pettits-sponsored annual Inter-Schools Table Quiz for 5th and 6th classes in the town schools.

The Arts and Crafts on the Friday afternoon will have a Hallow E’en theme and all materials will be provided. There are also competitions - a poster design one for 2/3/4th classes under the title ‘The Friendly Goose’, and a book design competition for 5/6th classes under the title ‘The Halloween Adventure’. Entries to be in by 8pm Tuesday 19 October. More details from 0507 31144 or athylib@eircom.net

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Newsletter editor wins award - again, again, and again ...

NEWBRIDGE, 15 October 1999: by Trish Whelan. Naas woman Lilian Webb has won her fourth award in six years for her work as editor of Link, the Church of Ireland newsletter for Naas, Kill and Rathmore. The award, for the March 1999 issue, was given by the Religious Press Association. Lilian had previously won awards in 1994, 1995 and 1996. This time it was in the Best Content section, the second time she has won this category.

The presentation of the awards was included in a workshop at the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, given by journalist Sean Egan. The competition is an ecumenical 32-county competition.

Lilian is a member of St David’s Church in Naas.

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'Realign Maynooth Road' ... call

CELBRIDGE, 15 October 1999: by Bill Trapman. The upgrading of the remainder of the Maynooth Road in Celbridge will remain on the agenda of the Celbridge Area Committee ‘until it is resolved’ Cllr Emmet Stagg told a recent meeting of the Celbridge Labour Party.

He noted that £400,000 is needed to to complete the work which would continue from that completed in 1990 between the Salesian College and Telemecanique. At the time a compulsory purchase order had been drawn up to acquire further lands, but when funding from the Department of the Environment had ended, the CPOs had not been proceeded with.

“It is imperative that the realignment be completed before the opening of the interchange with the motorway,” Deputy Stagg. The Area Committee has agreed to refer the required works to the county engineer with a view to identifying sources of funding.”

 

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Kildare Schoolboys League sponsorship for coach training

NEWBRIDGE, 14 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. A £7,000 sponsorship to the Kildare and District Schoolboys League will be used to provide a coaching programme for managers and potential coaches for the county’s underage leagues. The sponsorship was announced last night in Newbridge and was organised by Huntberry Homes Ltd.

Speaking at the event, Football Association of Ireland technical director Brian Kerr said the use planned for the money was ‘the right road’ for the league. “Too many clubs in this game have spent all their money on the teams themselves, bringing them on trips, when in many cases the players have moved on the next year,” he said. “This way, you can ensure that the basic skills will be taught properly and lead to a much more enjoyable game all round.”

He said that with the huge expansion happening in Kildare, there was great potential for for the game in the county and he expected to see a doubling of participation in a relatively short span of time. Kildare and District Schoolboys League president Mick Price (right) said they were going the manager and coach route because there’s no point in sending out coaches to coach children if they don’t know what they’re doing themselves.

Huntberry Homes principal Pat McGinn said he had no hesitation in providing the sponsorship when asked, as anything that encouraged young people in sport was positive. (Pictured above are Pat McGinn, Huntberry Homes; Kevin Dowling, Milltown; Brian Kerr, FAI; and Padraig Nicholson, regional development officer, FAI.)

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Removal of illegal travellers 'will take two weeks'

NAAS, 14 October 1999: by Trish Whelan. The removal of a group of travellers parked illegally on the Pairc Na nOg playground at St Gabriel’s Place could take at least two weeks, according to Naas town clerk Declan Kirrane. He said the council was hoping to get into the Circuit Court by the end of this week or early next week to ask for a Committal Order against the travellers, who are breaking a previously-granted injunction against parking on the site.

But Cllr Pat McCarthy (left) has told local residents he ‘can’t understand’ why the court order wasn’t sought last week, and claims the travellers are able to ‘run rings around the system’. He said the residents have had to put up with ‘misery’ unnecessarily, and he has put down a motion for next week’s monthly meeting of the council asking that the parking by ‘travelling merchants’ on the site be strongly condemned and that measures be taken to prevent a repetition. These include the erection of a secure fence, and a warning notice indicating the property is protected by a court injunction. He also wants civil and criminal proceedings to be instituted against all persons identified as having illegally occupied the site, and the implementation of the terms of a resolution passed by the council in July of this year regarding the development of the site.

“I now expect the present crisis to end very shortly, and I have no intention of letting matters rest if it is not,” he told residents yesterday. “My main concern now is to prevent a repetition.”

 

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Car park lining could increase capacity - commissioner

NEWBRIDGE, 14 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. Lining of the car park behind the Town Hall in Newbridge could significantly increase its capacity, according to local town commissioner Pat Black. At the monthly meeting of the commission he said that a costly report on the parking situation in the town had indicated that at least 25 more cars could be accommodated.

“I know we have to wait for the plan to be implemented in full, but a lot of its suggestions could be put in place immediately,” he said. “We also need to make access and exiting the car park one way, as this leads to cars often having to back up when they meet at the narrow south entrance.”

But according to Cmmr Spike Nolan there are difficulties in doing anything with the car park because there’s multiple ownership of the property. The owners include the GAA, the Training Workshop, and the local authority. He asked that information be established on the exact ownership situation.

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Train station situation an 'absolute scandal' - Dardis

MONASTEREVIN, 14 October 1999: by Bill Trapman. The fact that up to 40 trains a day pass through Monasterevin without stopping is an ‘absolute scandal’ according to Senator John Dardis who yesterday called for the reopening of the Monasterevin Railway Station to be part of the National Development Plan. “Monasterevin is less than 40 miles from Dublin and is serviced by the Cork to Dublin line and the reopening of the station would provide a huge relief to thousands of commuters from South Kildare, many of whom have no option but to take a car,” he said. “In addition, it would provide a massive financial boost to the town and to County Kildare.”

Noting that the Government had recently approved a £500 million programme to renew the entire national rail network, he said it was incumbent on Iarnrod Eireann to ‘inject imagination’ into the use of the existing infrastructure before spending hundreds of millions.

The reopening of the station, which was closed in 1976, has been the focus of a massive local campaign in recent years (above).

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Amusements owner denies allegations of 'potential danger'

NEWBRIDGE, 13 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. An amusement arcade owner in Newbridge has vehemently denied a claim that his premises is a ‘potentially dangerous place’ for young people and he says that allegations that people can illegally win money on his poker machines are completely false.

Jason Reilly of Newbridge Amusements in Eyre Street was responding to a discussion at last night’s meeting of Newbridge Town Commission, where Cmmr Pat Black made the ‘dangerous’ statement and said he had spent a considerable time yesterday evening ‘observing’ the premises. Newbridge Amusements has been open for just two weeks and has two sections - an outer room with a pool table and video game machines, and an inner room with poker machines.

“For a start, nobody under 18 is allowed in to where the poker machines are,” Mr Reilly told KNN when we visited there unannounced after the meeting (and indeed, while the front area was full of teenagers, there was nobody in the ‘poker’ room). “We’re very strict on behaviour - even loud voices are prohibited - and I’m completely anti-drug, so if I saw anything like that happening I’d have those involved out immediately.”

He said he gives prizes for every game on the pool table, and the youngsters there would just be walking around the streets otherwise. This seemed to be borne out by the comments of some of them - average age 14 - who said it was ‘great craic’. “We’d be standing out in the cold, otherwise,” said one, while another confirmed that their behaviour was strictly controlled.

In relation to payouts from playing poker machines, Mr Reilly said that only the amount of money put into a machine by a customer could be recovered. “If they change £5 with me, for instance, and they get a jackpot, I’ll pay them back their fiver. The only gamble is that they could have a session on the machines for free.”

However, at the commission meeting, there was strong criticism of the failure of gardai to respond to a letter from the commissioners about alleged infringements of the Gaming and Lotteries Act in the town (allegations made prior to the opening of Mr Reilly’s establishment). Chairman John O’Neill said that after three weeks their letter should have at least been acknowledged. He instructed the town clerk to write a further one, this time to the chief superintendent.

A number of years ago, Newbridge Town Commission received court permission for a recision of the Gaming and Lotteries Act in the town, allowing the commissioners to ban gaming in the town area.

 

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Residents fear Hallow E'en 'drunken thuggery'

NAAS, 13 October 1999: by Trish Whelan. The residents of St Gabriel’s Place have expressed fears of being subjected to ‘endangerment of persons and property’ to satisfy the demands of ‘offensive drunken thugs’ at Hallow E’en. The chairman of the local residents association has written to Naas UDC to ask for the removal of material already being gathered on the green for a bonfire, and the prosecution of people who have dumped the material.

“This material is being gathered by people from outside the locality,” says association chairman Victor Whelan. “While we respect peoples right to have a bonfire we feel it should be in an approved and properly supervised area where no risk is posed to people and property.” He added that their fears were grounded in experience, when they found the green being used as a venue for ‘drunken and abusive carry-on in the early hours of the morning’.

“Last year at the height of the fire, people’s property was put at risk by the wind blowing hot ashes, smoke, debris and burning material over practically every house in St Gabriels Place and environs. One householder had to hose down the roof such was his fear of it being set alight.”

Mr Whelan said that intervention on previous occasions by residents had only resulted in ‘foul verbal abuse’ and tormentation with fire crackers aimed at houses. “I personally have had an incident where two thugs have put a firecracker in my letter box which exploded when I answered the door. It could have resulted in very serious injuries. As law abiding people who only ask to live in peace we demand that some action be taken to prevent this kind of thuggery and harassment.”

 

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New houses signed up for Celbridge

CELBRIDGE, 13 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. Kildare County Council has signed a contract for 11 new family homes at Ballymakealy, Celbridge, and work will begin within the next few weeks. The houses, which were designed by the County Council’s architectural staff, will cost £680,850 and will be ready for occupation next autumn. The new homes are part of the County Council’s programme for the construction of 300 houses over a two-year period, which will help to reduce the rising waiting list for public sector accommodation. Pictured are Kildare county secretary Tommy Skehan, county manager Niall Bradley, council cathaoirleach P J Sheridan and (back) local area councillor Emmet Stagg TD, with representatives of the contractors.

The new homes in Celbridge will be built by Mealey Construction of Carlow, who are currently engaged in a 22-house project for the council on the adjacent site at Ballymakealy. Cllr Sheridan welcomed the continuation of the council’s housing construction in the area. "This is evidence of our continuing commitment to Celbridge and the growing towns of North Kildare," he said. "We are developing major initiatives in Celbridge including the link to the M4 motorway, and we look forward to the benefits which will accrue from this and also from the proposed relief road. We have also cleared the way for a very significant town renewal project which will enhance the attractiveness of Celbridge and will make the area more pedestrian- friendly. This is important in the context of sustainable development for a successful town centre."

County manager Niall Bradley said the County Council had a comprehensive approach to the social and economic needs of towns. "Our business is very much concerned with fostering community development in an integrated way, and we are anxious to give as much support as we possibly can to the people of Celbridge. We look forward to providing further services and development to help build up this important community."

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Money top-up only 'crumbs from the table'

LEIXLIP, 13 October 1999: by Bill Trapman. This week's announcement that Kildare County Council is to get a top up of £400,000 for 1999 is mere ‘crumbs from the table’ according to Leixlip-based Cllr Catherine Murphy. In a statement issued last night she also said the announcement that next years allocation will be £8.5m is proof positive that this Government does not intend to tackle ‘underlying discrimination’ in the local government system. “Kildare, like other counties surrounding Dublin continues to experience rapid population expansion with absolutely no compensation for that growth,” she said.

"The facts speak for themselves - counties such as Galway and Donegal, with slightly lower populations than Kildare, get £4m & £5m pounds more each year in rates support grant. This fund allows them to undertake necessary works which are either not being addressed in Kildare or are pitifully inadequate. The re-introduction of a Parks Department, a dramatically increased funding for footpath, car parking, traffic management, and leisure spending, are all necessary prerequisites for orderly urban development, and all are grossly out of line with needs in Kildare."

Cllr Murphy noted that news of this increase comes in the same week as Brian Hughes of DIT predicted the Government’s population growth rates in the Greater Dublin Area to the year 2011 are short by up to 300,000. He called for account to be taken of this in the Government's National Plan by way of a sizeable increased investment.

“Successive Governments have initiated studies into the equitable funding of local government, but none have been willing to bite the bullet,” she concluded. “It is all the more scandalous in the current economic environment that this wrong is set to continue into the future with predictable results of more housing development and little else.”

However, Kildare assistant county manager Terry O Niadh last night clarified the position of the 'top-up' money, saying that it was a share of £20 million which had been held back by the minister for the environment at the beginning of the year, pending the development of a 'needs and resources' programme. This programme had not in fact been completed, so the minister was simply redistributing monies which had been due to the rateable authorities anyway.

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DNA breakthrough may lead to conviction of Naas man's killer

NAAS & SAINT QUENTIN, FRANCE, 12 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. A DNA breakthrough in the 12-year-old case of murdered Naas man Trevor O’Keefe may at last mean that his killer could be convicted of the young man’s death. If so, it will finally bring some ease to his mother Eroline, who has ceaselessly campaigned for a former paratrooper long suspected of the killing to be brought to book. Speaking on Radio One's Morning Ireland today, she said that at last there is enough evidence to put the killer back behind bars.

Trevor disappeared in 1987 while on holiday in France. His body was found five days after he had hitched a ride on his way home, in a wood in near St Quentin in Northern France (above), but was not identified as his until four months later. In 1994 Pierre Chanal was charged with the murder along with those of five other men. He had been serving a sentence for rape since 1988.

However, evidence from hairs in Chanal’s van that were thought to have been Trevor’s was deemed to be inconclusive during the investigation. Now, better DNA procedures are thought to have led to the situation that now will have Chanal appearing in a French court next week on charges of murdering the Naas man and two others.

The French investigation system has consistently been criticised by Eroline O’Keefe since the murder. She says she got no help from police and it was only through the help of a France-Soir journalist that the case has progressed to this stage. In addition to the DNA evidence, from a single hair, clothing found in Chanal's possession and matching soil on a spade from where Trevor had been buried was evidence which the French police simply dismissed as 'coincidence'.

"They just didn't want to know - they didn't want to convict him because of his paratrooper background," she said today. "Of the six magistrates who have had the case in the time, one who had it for three years was from a military background himself. Now my lawyer tells me we have a magistrate who is honest."

It is the first time Chanal will have been charged by the French state for the murder, though Eroline brought a private prosecution herself. "He shouldn't be out," she said of the paratrooper, who was released after serving six years of the 10 imposed on the rape charge, despite several appeals from her that he shouldn't be.

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County Kildare to take up more Dublin area population?

KILDARE GENERAL, 12 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. Kildare is one of the counties which could save Dublin’s local authorities from a serious problem of overpopulation, following claims that the forecasts for the greater Dublin area have been seriously underestimated.

That’s the view of consultant chartered surveyer Brian Hughes, Urban Economics Lecturer in Dublin Institute of Technology, who says the the population basis for the £40bn national development plan has been understated by 300,000, which would mean that the population of the region could in fact reach two million by 2011.

Mr Hughes says Dublin’s population is increasing by 700 people a week. This morning he said that only counties like Kildare and Meath could provide the housing and infrastructure to cater for such an expansion. But he said it will mean the local authorities in these counties taking swift and definite action in planning and acquiring land for this. Otherwise the effects of infrastructural bottlenecks and a housing crisis will effect the region ‘far into the future’.

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Councillors to get summary of Planning Bill

NAAS, 12 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. A copy of a summary of the new Planning Bill is to be circulated to Naas UDC councillors so they can be aware of its implications for Naas. Town manager Terry O Niadh told the councillors that 'every aspect' of the proposed legislation will affect the town, and the officials had downloaded a summary from the Department of the Environment's internet site which would be made available.

"The whole bill has 280 sections, and if members want this they can have it," he added ... but there were no takers. Town clerk Declan Kirrane noted that criteria for allocating 'affordable housing' was not addressed in the Bill, and this prompted a discussion as to how Naas would deal with this. Terry O Niadh said officials would be bringing forward proposals for this at the next meeting.

Cllr Timmy Conway said he would prefer if the members came up with proposals of their own which could be forwarded to the manager for consideration. Cllr Evelyn Bracken made the point that such housing should be reserved for Naas 'young people' who can't afford houses at the current market rate. "And we should be aware that they may not necessarily be married, either, just living together," she said.

Cllr Charlie Byrne said it was 'frightening' what young people starting out were facing these days.

 

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Nuns leave after 121 years ... pressure for school expansion

KILCULLEN, 11 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. The growth of mid-Kildare is likely to increase pressure on the Cross and Passion College in Kilcullen to expand, as a little bit of local history ended last week with the departure of the remaining nuns from the premises. The order had been in the school since 1878 but all the nuns have now moved back to its mother house in Maryfield, Griffith Avenue, Dublin. The remains of a number of sisters who had been buried in the convent's graveyard were recently re-interred in a special plot at the new New Abbey Graveyard.

The section of the building which had been used as a convent (above) has been given for use by the College, which currently has 650 pupils and a teaching staff of 42, as well as ancillary employees numbering 18. KNN understands that 60% of the pupils currently come from outside Kilcullen.

The College has 30 acres of land, which is zoned amenity and which cannot be rezoned without the agreement of the order. Expansion of the school into the convent building would not be easy, as the rooms are not suitable for modern classrooms. The building also has a preservation order, so it cannot be knocked down for rebuilding modern school buildings.

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Contractor appointed to build pitches for new park

LEIXLIP, 11 October 1999: by Bill Trapman. A contractor is about to be appointed to commence developing pitches at the Leixlip end of Lucan Demesne. The land was purchased by the state in 1997 and is now in the ownership of Fingal, South Dublin & Kildare county councils, who have applied to the Government for more than £4 million to develop a regional park which they will jointly manage.

The move to begin work has been welcomed by Cllr Catherine Murphy, who says the news will be ‘music to the ears’ of clubs such as Confey Celtic who are homeless at present, with large numbers of youth teams and nowhere locally to play or train.

Now that work is close to commencement on a small portion of the lands, Cllr Murphy believes it is necessary for a joint meeting of the relevant authorities in order to tease out demands. "For example, demands are already emerging for both Cycle and skating facilities that need to be looked at ... it is also necessary to deal with access issues as a matter of urgency.”

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'No car park' on green area

NEWBRIDGE, 11 October 1999: by Trish Whelan. An assurance that a car park will not be built on the green area in front of Liffey Terrace on the Athgarvan Road has been received from Kildare County Council by Cllr John Dardis.

He said he sought the assurance after reading in a local newspaper that there were plans to solve Newbridge’s chronic parking problems by turning the green area into a car park. “It would be a short-sighted attempt to sort out the present chaotic situation,” he said, adding that the council must make it ‘absolutely clear’ that the last remaining green open spaces in the town will not be ‘sacrificed’.

He said he had been contacted by ‘outraged’ residents of the Athgarvan Road about the matter.

 

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More money for county, Naas, Athy

KILDARE GENERAL, 11 October 1999: by Brian Byrne. Kildare County Council is to get an extra £400,000 from the Government in a 'top-up' allocation for the remainder of this year, bringing to the allocation for general purposes spending to £8.4 million. Naas UDC is also to get a further £6,000 and Athy £4,000, bringing their combined funding to more than £685,000 for the year.

In the meantime, the council has been allocated £8.5 million for the year 2000, which represents a substantial increase on the allocations for the past three years - the allocations for 1997 and 1978 were £6.6m and £7.1m respectively.

Naas UDC has been allocated £418,366 for the year 2000, while Athy UDC is to get £270,000, representing increases of approximately a third over their 1997 allocations.

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Great Southern Hotels

Killarney Parknasilla Rosslare Galway Shannon Dublin

NEWS OR VIEWS? Something happening in your community that's bothering you? Or do you simply want to share the news from your village or town in County Kildare? You can, by emailing us at KNN
 

For Ireland's best motoring news and reviews, visit MotorWeb

GARDA PATROL ADVICE OF THE WEEK

Business people in Newbridge are being warned not to leave money on their premises overnight. This follows a spate of robberies of money in recent weeks. Sgt Con O’Sullivan of Newbridge Garda Station says that with the facilities now easily available for lodging money to banks after hours, there is no good reason why people need to keep large quantities of cash on their premises.

PREVIOUS STORIES: Earlier news of the week, and access to weekly archives, are available here

by Liam Cahill

The seminal account of the Limerick Soviet

Available here

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

NAAS BAPTIST BIBLE CENTRE

Everyone is invited to study God's Word, the Bible, with us, Sunday evenings 6.30, 45 Jigginstown Park. We are presently studying the life of Christ. Contact Rev Roger Parrow 045 894771. (Advt.)

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.

PREVIOUS STORIES: Earlier news of the week, and access to weekly archives, are available here

 

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