NAAS, 31 October: by Trish Whelan. Naas Community Library is celebrating the Children’s Book Festival 2001 all this week with lots of events for children to enjoy.

Today, Wednesday 31 October. 11am-12.30pm. Author and wildlife artist Don Conroy (above) visits. Everyone is welcome. 2.30-4pm. Dance performance workshop: ‘The Magic of Dance’ with Cathy O’Kennedy. Ages 6-12 years. No booking required. Full Story.

KILCULLEN, 31 October: by Brian Byrne. The closing date for the receipt of submissions on the Waste Licence Application by Kildare County Council for its Silliot Hill Landfill is 24 November, and anyone wishing to make such a submission should write to Administration, Waste Management Licensing, EPA Headquarters, Wexford. Full Story.

KILDARE NORTH, 31 October: by Brian Byrne. The proposed National Spatial Strategy ‘must take account of reality’, according to the Kildare North Labour Party, which has made a written submission on the draft strategy.

The submission has been endorsed by Deputy Emmet Stagg, Cllr Catherine Murphy (left), Cllr John McGinley, Cllr Pat McCarthy (right), Commr Colm Purcell and Commr Sean Purcell, and says that national recognition of the needs of rapidly developing areas is ‘absolutely necessary’ if the ‘mistakes made by developers stretching back to the 60s’ are not to be repeated.

“A strategy for the physical development on its own will result in compounding and repeating the same problems,” the authors say, “with large tracts of Irish cities/counties being turned into housing estates which, whether private or local authority, were left bereft of essential facilities.” Full Story.

NAAS, 30 October: by Brian Byrne. Naas UDC could pay up to 15.6% of the estimated £24 million cost of the new combined UDC/Kildare County Council headquarters on the Devoy Barracks site, but will be allocated only 4.5% of the office space in return. Full Story.

Labour councillors hit back at 'lies'

KILDARE NORTH, 26 October: by Brian Byrne. Two Labour members of Kildare County Council have strongly attacked Fianna Fail member Paul Kelly (right) and FG member Senan Griffin (left), one saying the two had 'shamefully misrepresented' how business was conducted at an Area Committee Meeting.

The ripostes, from Cllr Catherine Murphy and Deputy Emmet Stagg, came in response to an Opinion from Cllr Kelly published on KNN earlier this week. Cllr Kelly’s letter related to the unexpected adjournment of the Council’s monthly meeting during discussions on the Maynooth Development Plan. Full Story.

Enjoying the 'bale of hay' exhibit at the flower demonstration by Emily McDonald in St Mary's College, Naas were Eileen Corry and Monica Corry from Naas; Marie Coonan (Clane) and Phil Coonan (Sallins). The event, held in St Mary's College, was organised by Naas Flower and Garden Club and raised £1,000 for St Brigid's Hospice.

NAAS, 24 October: by Trish Whelan. Besides knowing an Aspidistra from a Birginia, members of Naas Flower and Garden Club also know a thing or two when it comes to fundraising. Full Story.

Former county manager Gerry Ward (third from left) with members of the Gallops & Woodlands Residents Association.

NAAS, 24 October: by Brian Byrne. The Exocet was the infamous missile to fear in the Falklands War. The Scud was the one worried about in the Gulf War ... though it ended up a bit of a damp squib. The Tomahawk cruise missile was the weapon of choice for the start of the Afghan War. Smart, stealthy and lethal.

Gerry Ward is the 'smart bomb' launched by residents of The Gallops and Woodlands in Naas who last night 'nuked' Kildare County Council's road planners. No better weapon, because being a former Kildare County Manager, there's nobody knows better just where its weaknesses are. Full Story.

COUNTY HALL, 23 October: by Bill Trapman. A claim that ‘legal payments’ to the two main political parties had ‘influenced planning decisions’ in County Kildare and elsewhere caused the adjournment of the monthly meeting of Kildare County Council this week. Full Story.

NAAS, 22 October: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC has agreed draft Pay Parking Bye-Laws for the town. They are due to come into effect on 1 February 2002. The plans cover pay parking on Main Street, side streets and in Council car parks. They will now go on public display for a six-week period.

The draft Bye-Laws were drawn up by town engineer John McGowan, and were adopted last week by Naas councillors. The reason for the new Bye-Laws is to crack down on illegal parking. Full Story.

LEIXLIP, 22 October: by Trish Whelan. Deputy Emmet Stagg has lodged a strong objection to what he terms the Barracks-like structure planned by a developer on Captain’s Hill in Leixlip. He said it would ‘destroy Leixlip Village Centre’. Full Story.

NAAS, 17 October: by Brian Byrne. "Do the US and Britain want to be known as 'the Terrorists of the West'?"

It's not your usual topic at a meeting of an Urban District Council. Not exactly a local issue.

But from the Oval Table that is the centre of the ruling power of Naas, Pat O'Reilly spoke almost directly to President George Bush in his Oval Office, in a motion last night calling on America to 'cease its bombardment of an impoverished country' and use 'other means' to apprehend terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Full Story.

ATHY, 17 October: by Trish Whelan. Athy Community Library is hosting a number of exciting and fun activities and competitions for National Children’s Bookweek 2001. These activities will run from Tuesday 30 October to Friday 2 November and all are free of charge. Full Story.

Peter O'Neill (manager), Jack Field (President) and Joe Carroll (director) of Naas Credit Union at the announcement of its school bursary, sponsorships, new website and logo.

NAAS, 15 October: by Brian Byrne. A £20,000 Secondary School Bursary initiated by Naas Credit Union will provide one student each year from Naas with £1,000 a year for three years of third-level education. The Bursary, open to 6th Year students from the three Primary Schools in Naas, was announced at a Press Night last Thursday. Full Story.

Michael Garrick, Patrick J Tobin & Co Ltd; John Murphy, senior engineer with Kildare County Council; Jerry Cronin and Jim Oliver of Nicholas O’Dwyer consultants pictured following their briefing to Kildare County Council on the proposed water abstraction from the River Barrow for south Kildare.

COUNTY HALL, 15 October: by Trish Whelan. Kildare County Council is looking to the River Barrow to supply much of the county’s future water demands. At the most recent Council meeting it was proposed to undertake a water abstraction programme from the River Barrow following a presentation by consultants Nicholas O’Dwyer Ltd and Patrick J Tobin & Co Ltd. Full Story.

MAYNOOTH, 15 October: by Trish Whelan. Deputy Emmet Stagg has again raised the question of the required extension to Maynooth Post Primary School with the Minister for Education.

The Minister in his response has indicated that the developed sketch scheme in relation to the extension is still awaited from Co Kildare VEC. Full Story.

NAAS, 11 October: by Brian Byrne. A lunchtime event today in Ash House, Millennium Park, marks the official introduction of the first two tenants to purpose-built offices in Phase 1 of the project. Full Story.

KILDARE NORTH, 11 October: by Brian Byrne. A bereavement support service for North Kildare has been formally launched by the minister for finance, Charlie McCreevy TD.

The service - Turas le Cheile - is the latest result of a seminar on suicide held a year ago in Scoil Dara and the new group is to help people to understand their grief and cope with various issues resulting from suicide bereavement. Full Story.

KILCULLEN, 10 October: by Brian Byrne. Locally well-known Kilcullen musician Roy Thompson had his first solo gig last weekend when he appeared as the evening's entertainment in The Spout pub.

Those listening showed their appreciation strongly, and they were promised there would be return gigs. Roy is also down to play support to a number of established singers at other hostelries in the county. Full Story.

COUNTY HALL, 10 October: by Trish Whelan. Recycling facilities at Kildare County Council’s landfill at Silliot Hill, Kilcullen have now been upgraded to include four main recycling areas to cover plastic, metal, paper and other waste. Full Story.

NAAS, 10 October: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC intends to charge for parking in its three car parks as well as on the town streets. Town engineer John McGowan suggested ‘pay to park’ should include Corban’s Lane (above), Hedderman’s Yard and the car park at the rear of the Town Hall. The scheme will be in place by February 2002. The Parking Bye-Laws were drawn up by the town engineer who said he wanted them ‘rubber-stamped’ by the UDC’s October meeting. Full Story.

KILDARE NORTH, 10 October: by Brian Byrne. Kildare County Council has been asked to allocate sufficient funds in the 2002 estimates to provide a swimming pool complex for North Kildare. The request has been made by Cllr John McGinley in the light of the imminent completion of a study to identify the best place to locate such a pool for the north of the county. Full Story.

KILCULLEN, 9 October: by Trish Whelan. Kilcullen Community Action is to urgently lobby all local TDs and councillors to ensure a relief road from Castlemartin Lodge will be able to link up with Kildare County Council’s planned business park south of the town with access to the Athy Road (above).

Recent rumours that the Council is ‘stalling’ on its verbal agreement to allow the road from Castlemartin continue on to the Athy Road, are a cause for concern according to members of KCA. Full Story.

MAYNOOTH, 9 October: by Bill Trapman. At the recent Leixlip Area Committee, the Maynooth Development Plan was cleared to go before the next full Council meeting for their approval on October 22nd next.

A number of outstanding issues were clarified at this meeting, however Cllr Senan Griffin is still of the view that sections of the Plan are contrary to Government guidelines and strategic planning guidelines. Full Story.

NAAS & THE CURRAGH, 8 October: by Trish Whelan. The latest traveller incursions in mid-Kildare began at the weekend when a group of caravans were parked on Saturday evenings in Tesco’s car park in Naas (above).

Though moved on by gardai, they ended up in the Curragh Race Course compound later on the weekend, after apparently spending some time in the Palmerstown lay-by, which had just been cleaned up by Kildare County Council following occupation by a group of travellers recently. Full Story.

COUNTY HALL, 7 October: by Trish Whelan. How to define ‘local need’ took up an hour and a half of time at the September meeting of Kildare County Council. According to county manager Niall Bradley (right) its exact meaning has yet to be defined.

However the interpretation by planners is causing concern to a number of local councillors. Councillor PJ Sheridan said two planning applicants have been asked under ‘additional information’ if they would enter into a Section 38 which would restrict them from selling on to outsiders, only to ‘local need’.

“It’s serious. Who exactly are locals?” the Clane Area councillor asked. “Does it mean those who have worked away and who now want to come home? Are they local and entitled to buy a house or do you have to be continuously living in the area?” Full Story.

NAAS, 4 October: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. A £100,000 refurbishment of the Naas Scout Den was celebrated last Sunday when the den was officially opened by the Chief Scout of CSI, Peter Dixon. The den is located in a 75-year-old British Legion building which has been a scout den for almost 30 years. Full Story & more pix.

NAAS & KILDARE GENERAL, 3 October: by Brian Byrne. An £8.2 million allocation for Naas Hospital announced this week will add 62 extra beds and two new wards to the hospital facilities. The money was announced by minister for finance Charlie McCreevy TD, who said it will enable the hospital to be in a better position to cater for the needs of the ever-increasing population of County Kildare. Full Story.

KILDARE GENERAL, 3 October: by Brian Byrne. Two familiarisation trips organised by Kildare Failte recently brought a total of 26 people involved with local tourism and its promotion around a number of County Kildare visitor attractions. Full Story.