Congratulations to Ballykelly GFC on their momentous win on Saturday against Two Mile House in the final of the Junior A, County Chmpionship.  After a rocky start, Ballykelly imposed themselves on the game and quickly began to dominate proceedings.  A very well taken goal by Dean Dempsey in the first 15 minutes put Ballykelly into the lead and this was followed just before half time by another excellent goal by Derek McCormack to lead Ballykelly in at half time with a commanding 7 point lead. 

The second half began with both sides fighting to get the better restart.  A score for 'The House' would have been vital to get them back into the game and a score for Ballykelly would have reinforced their dominance.  They traded chances in the first 10 mins of the second half with Ballykelly in particular missing a few good chances, however, Paul Pender stepped in with an very well taken point, with his left foot, from an accute angle on the right hand side of the town end. Ballykelly were well on their way to taking this game.  They extended their lead to 10 points in the first quarter of the second half with some very well taken points. 

They then decided to concentrate on the defensive side having built up such a commanding lead.  The last quarter of the game saw Two Mile house get the upper hand slightly, with them reducing the deficit at the end, to a two goal margin, 2-11 to 0-11.  However at no stage did Ballykelly look like conceeding a goal, they were content to let the House get the occasional point from long range.   

The final whistle was met with a resounding cheer and the inevitable pitch invasion.  This was to be expected as Ballykelly have waited quite a long time for success at this level, in fact it was 33 years previously that they last won the A Chmpionship, with Brendan Brereton, captaining the side, they subsequently went on to win  3 Intermediate Championships in the years following this.  Maybe that is a sign of what might follow this victory. 

This is particularly satisfying for the mentors and officers of the club.  Certainly two or three generations of footballers have come and gone since the 70's with no major success until last Saturday.  The mentors and officers have in the main, continued unflagging in their support and dedication to the club in that time.  Well done to all concerned and lets hope for more success in the future.

Anyone who has photographs of Saturdays match or the post match celebrations might like to e-mail them to monasterevin@kildare.ie and we can put them on the website.  

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Anyone wishing to fill a shoebox with small gifts or contribute in any way to the poorest children in the world, please contact Nancy at 087 7720347 or 045 525610. Soft toys and good quality unwanted toys would also be much appreciated. All gifts to be organised
by 10 November.

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Thursday 18 October was International Credit Union Day and credit unions all over the world celebrated this day. This day affords the opportunity to remember our proud history and promote understanding and support for the credit union difference. This year’s theme, ‘Together We’re Better’, reflects the value of credit union co-operation on all levels for members from all walks of life. In celebrating this day, Monasterevin held free draws for members during the day. The highlight of the day was the members’ car draw which was won by Paul Brady.  Congratulations Paul..

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The local branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association are holding their annual draw for a Ford Focus Car. Tickets cost €2 each. If you would like to sell a card, please contact James Downey, Mary Vaughan, Mary Hoey or phone 087 2676636. Tickets are on sale in the Post Office. The association are holding their annual church gate collection on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October. Your generous support would be most appreciated.

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The Three Tenors performed a concert in St Peter & Paul’s Church on Friday night 19 October. They perfomred a wonderful repotoire of music, immensely enjoyed by the large crowd who attended.  They were joined on stage at the end by the choirs from both Scoil Eimhin Naofa and St Peter's, national schools.  The concert was ran to help raise funds for the continuing good work in the Parish.

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Do you have eight hours to spare between now and December 7th? The Residents Association of Kill, Ballyfarsoon, Gurteenoona, Athy Rd, Nurney Rd, Ard Evan and Cloneygath would be most grateful if you could offer a few hours of your time, which will result in a beautiful Christmas tree and Celebration for all the area. We need your support, please attend. Looking forward to seeing one member from each household at our A.G.M in the Day Care Centre on Tuesday October 23rd at 8.80pm.

Posted by KCN Administrator at 09:56 AM | Permalink

A recent look at the website statistics would suggest we are getting visitors from interesting parts of the world.  Maybe you would like to give some indication of where you are from and why you visit this website on our Forum page;

  http://kildare.ie/countycouncil/townsites/forum/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=7

This can be done anonymously, you just need to register on the site with the minimum amount of personal information.  Alternatively you can respond to this article by clicking on the link below it.  Your feedback would be most welcome.

Posted by Webmaster at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The planning appeals board granted outline planning permission for a development on the Togher Road in Monasterevin, overturning Kildare County Council's earlier decision to reject it. The proposed development includes a full size soccer pitch, two five-a-side pitches, tennis courts, an athletics track and clubhouse. The committee, which has been campaigning for these facilities for many years, appealed the council's decision to An Bord Pleanala.
The Bord's inspector said the development "would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or impact to an undue degree on the amenities of the surrounding property".

The report also said that the proposed development would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience, and would not give rise to undue noise. A spokesperson for the recreation committee said: "We are absolutely delighted with the decision. The whole town is talking about it. We have been together since 2001 and this is the first positive news we have had. These facilities are so badly needed in the town."

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Monasterevin was described as: “A handsome town with an important heritage in its built environment.” However, it was noted that many of the stone buildings of Monasterevin are vacant and have been for some years now, which has a visual impact on the town. The terraces of Georgian buildings along the Portarlington road were admired; and two buildings of particular merit were Gahans Tavern and The Manly Hopkins. However, there are still too many dated plastic signs in Monasterevin and the Luigi’s sign “is out of scale with its build-ing”. The report also said: “Both the crazy paving and the beer sign on the Nag’s Head Inn are dated and unattractive.”

Monasterevin’s stands of mature trees at several locations around the town and the Yew trees in the Church of Ireland grounds on the Portarlington Road were especially admired by the judges.The town’s beautiful Riverside Park was considered for the Waterside Award, and it was commended as an important amenity for the local community, along with the River Walk and the Grand Canal Walk. The bird feeder initiatives were described as excellent. As regards litter, there was a light scattering of litter throughout the town and on approach roads on the day of adjudication, but the Tidy Town’s committee’s moves to establish a litter patrol should strengthen litter control in the future. The town was congratulated on the plan to minimise waste production by composting organic waste to be collected and stored in private areas. However, there were some negative points to be made about the tidiness of the town, particularly the many commercial yards with open storage and poor roadside boundaries, and the vacant/derelict petrol station was described as ‘looking poor’.

The entrance to the town from the Athy Road: “Is significantly enhanced in visual terms by new residential developments and is a wonderful introduction to the town.” The large green open space with mature trees was particularly admired.

For Monasterevin, the Tidy Towns judges said the most important project to be undertaken in the near future relates to the presentation of street furniture, most of which needed to be cleaned, painted or repaired. They also said the entrance to Ballykelly sports grounds would benefit from resurfacing. The plan to erect bilingual street signs and name places with heritage style cast iron was described as ‘laudable’.

The weigh bridge at the canal is another interesting feature in need of attention and hopefully you will achieve your target of refurbishing this by 2009.

In all, the judges decided that; “On first acquaintance Monasterevin doesn’t appear to have much to offer the travelling public or indeed the local community. It is only when one leaves the side streets and sees your rich architectural and other heritage together with your Riverside Park that this disappointing first impression is corrected.”

For the record Monasterevin received 190 points out of a possible 400 the second lowest in County Kildare.

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