MAYNOOTH GAA club chairman Colm Nolan presented the first copy of the club’s development strategy – Building our future 2009 to 2015 – to GAA president Christy Cooney on Tuesday night (9 March).

Having lost to Celbridge last weekend, the Féile B squad got back to winning ways on Sunday (7 March) with a well deserved victory over Kilcullen. After the disappointment of last weekend this was a fine team performance from all 19 players used on the day.

ROUND Towers scored two first half goals to put them in the driving seat of a very closely contested third round Aldridge Cup game in Kildare town on Saturday afternoon (6 March).

Aldridge Cup Round 3

Round Towers     2-7
Maynooth            0-11

Kildare County Council is to receive a funding boost to help to meet the cost of housing adaptations for older people and those with disability according to local Fianna Fail TD and Minister of State for Older People Áine Brady.
“The Minister for Housing, Michael Finneran TD has just announced that Kildare County Council is to receive €3.75 million for grant aid to improve or extend private homes of older people and those with a disability. This grant has almost doubled from last year.”
“This funding does not include expenditure that Kildare County Council will make on their housing stock.”
“The grants help to pay for modifications to the home including the provision of the level access shows, installation of stair lifts, grab lifts and access ramps.”
“These measures can often make the difference in someone remaining in their own homes and at the heart of their communities. Maintaining independence is vital for older people and those with disabilities and this funding provides the practical support necessary.”
“In my work as Minister of State for Older People I meet people who have benefited from these grants and have heard how much difference it can make in their lives. I know that those with a disability benefit in a similar way. I am delighted that local people will be able to take advantage of these grants,” concluded Minister Brady.

Older people in County Kildare will benefit from Government funding under the Community Support for Older People scheme according to Local TD and Minister of State with responsibility for Older People, Áine Brady.
“Newtown Donadea Senior Citizens ARA, LBD Community Alert, The Bridge CPD and Newbridge Care for the Elderly will collectively receive almost  €8,000 from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to support their work for older people in the area.” stated Minister Brady.
‘This Scheme encourages and assists the community’s support for older people by means of community-based grant to improve the safety and security of its older members.  The Scheme is open to people aged 65 and over who have a genuine need for assistance.  Funding is available towards the cost of installing monitored personal alarm systems, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, external security lighting and other ancillary items of physical security equipment.’
“These measures can often make all the difference for older people and can help them to remain in their own homes and at the heart of their communities for longer.”
“I will continue to work to ensure that this scheme s maintained and expanded.”
“I would like to commend the volunteers in the respective areas for their hard work and commitment towards our older people,” concluded Deputy Brady.
Details Attached Below

Kildare/ Cill Dara
LBD Community Alert
€2,961.05

Kildare/ Cill Dara
Newbridge Ass for Care of the Elderly
€2,721.60

Kildare/ Cill Dara
Newtown Donadea Senior Citizens ARA
€435.00

Kildare/ Cill Dara
The Bridge CDP
€1,840.00

March 9, 2010

4:30 pm

Are you trying to rear your children with Irish? Would you like to hear an expert’s opinion on how best to do that? And would you like to see the books and activities in Irish that are available for children? If  so, please come along to a talk in Seomra na Gaeilge in the Arts Building on the North Campus at 4.30 pm today, Tuesday 9th March. Entrance is free and refreshments will be served.

Newry’s Andrew Patterson, driving a Nissan Micra, dominated the deciding round of the Jondol Junior Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park today (Sunday March 7th), but it was Simon Quinn from Naas who secured the 2009/10 title despite limping home in sixth place in the ‘A’ Final. Quinn had started the day needing only to make the ‘A’ Final grid to be the champ and in the end took the crown comfortably following a bad day for main rival Niall Murray.

Most observers expected the story of the day to be the fight between Quinn and Murray, and to add to the tension these two were drawn together in the heats. It was Murray’s Starlet that took first blood with the Dubliner managing a narrow win over Quinn’s Mini in heat one. Heat two saw Ulsterman Mark Francis take the win with his Micra, again after a close battle, this time with Maynooth’s Paul Barrett in another Mini. Patterson lined up in heat three and set down a marker with a crushing win over the third Mini in the field, Sam Kinirons from Naas, to take fastest time of the run ahead of Francis, Murray and Quinn.

The second run of heats was where the tension of the championship finale really began to tell on the relatively inexperienced field of fourteen to seventeen year old's, as two of the three heats had to be stopped following incidents. In the first heat it was Murray who was the culprit, spinning out at the Hairpin to bring out the red flags. In the re-run he redeemed himself by coming home second behind the ever improving Micra of Michael Cahill and just ahead of Quinn. In heat two Kildare’s Jake Byrne, driving the sole Suzuki Swift in the field, took the win following another re-start, but once again it was Patterson who topped the times with his heat three effort, where he once again had a comfortable victory. Cahill’s heat one time was enough for second with Murray and Quinn once again third and fourth.

At the beginning of run three Murray new he had a battle on his hands if he was to win the championship as he needed victory in the ‘A’ Final, with Quinn failing to qualify, in order to be champ. Patterson and Cahill were setting the pace and Quinn was doing just enough to keep himself safe and ensure ‘A’ Race qualification, so Murray needed to pull out all the stops in his last heat. Initially the Starlet pilot did a fantastic job to get himself into the lead with Quinn down in fourth, but at the end of lap three his day took a turn for the worse, as he thought the race was over and pulled off the track only to realise that the chequered flag had not been shown and there was till a lap to run. The Dubliner got back on track as quickly as possible but not quick enough to avoid a disastrously slow time. With Murray disappearing, Paul McArdle from Dundalk was the heat winner from Cahill and Quinn.

In heat two Jake Byrne drove brilliantly to take his second win of the day but having spent the whole race defending his position his time was only good enough for seventh place. In heat three Patterson made it a hat-trick with another dominant win to leave the order at the end of the run, Patterson from McArdle and Kinirons. Quinn contented himself with another safe run to sixth best time while the unfortunate Murray languished down in fifteenth. When the scores from the three heats were combined it was Patterson on pole for the ‘A’ Final with Cahill second, while Murray clinched the remaining front row position. Happiest of all was Quinn who lined up fourth with his goal of starting the ‘A’ final achieved and his first Junior Rallycross title in the bag.

Patterson’s domination of the results continued in the final as he sailed to victory, but behind him the season long battle between Quinn and Murray came to a head as they went side by side in to the first turn on the opening lap. Quinn held the inside line and with Murray trying to get across on to the best of the loose surface at the first corner, he leaned hard on the Mini of Quinn pushing him into the barrier from where he bounced back into Murray, damaging both cars in the process. The Starlet was out on the spot, with damaged front suspension, while Quinn’s similarly damaged car toured around at the tail of the field to complete his season with a lowly sixth place. Patterson’s win enabled him to move past Paul Barrett to take third place in the final standings.

At the end of a tough event, Quinn was suitably delighted to have a championship win under his belt in his first full season in the Irish championship. Having lost out last year in the British series by a single point, Simon will turn his attention over the summer months to making amends and adding the UK crown to his Irish one. Sunday’s event was however an unfortunate end to the season for two drivers who have been the undoubted starts of the 2009/10 championship, especially as there was nothing at stake, with Quinn already crowned and Murray certain of second in the championship irrespective of the race result. Murray will return to the Irish series in October where he will start as one of the favourites, but he may or may not have Quinn to battle against due to his Mini no longer being eligible to compete in Ireland. Having consistently provided the best racing of the Rallycross season the Junior class can only benefit from the return of both drivers next season for a resumption of their rivalry.

www.jondoljuniorrallycross.com

March 8th Newsletter is now available.

The Maynooth St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 11am on Wednesday 17th March.

It is organise by Maynooth Community Council and this is our 25th year to do so.

Assembly takes place at Greenfield Shopping Centre, Straffan Road and the Parade proceeds past the Reviewing Stand at The Square and ends at TESCO Shopping Centre.

The Parade will be preceded by the IVVCC Group of Vintage Cars, some from 1922.  The Vintage Cars will move off at 10.55 and the Parade proper will follow at 11am.

On behalf of The Organising Committee I would like to thank the Businesses of Maynooth for their Sponsorship.  Without their help we would not be able to have a Parade.  We are particular thankful to Willie Kiernan and George O’Connor who give their time and equipment free of charge.

Regards,

Cllr. John McGinley

Parade Organiser

 

Maynooth’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on 17^th March at 11am

Overall Parade 2010

The Parade will be preceded by the IVVCC group of Vintage Cars, some from 1922. The Vintage Cars will move off at 10.55. The Parade will move off at 11am.

1. IVVCC Group of Vintage Cars

2. Support Company 65 Reserve Infantry Battalion (Colour Party)

3. St. Mary’s Brass & Reed Band

4. St. Patrick’s Foundation

5. 8^th Kildare Maynooth Scouts

6. Presentation Girl’s School

7. Maynooth GAA

8. Scoil Rince Ui Dhubhaill (Rita Doyle)

9. Cosy Care Creche

10. U 3 A (University of Third Age)

11. Maynooth Tidy Towns

12. Thorntons Recycling

13. Fintan Lawlor Pipe Band (Sponsored by Thorntons)

14. Educate Together

15. Every Second Counts

16. Maynooth Community Games

17. Tully School of Dancing

18. Maynooth Town Football Club

19. St. Lawrence Pipe Band from Howth

20. National Learning Network

21. Leinster Driving Campus

22. Billy McCrory

23. Maynooth Post Primary School

24. NUIM Swimming Club

25. Maynooth Windows & Conservatories

26. Donadea Oil

27. Balloon Decor

28. 50’s Fire Engine (Tom Cornally, Straffan)

29. Maynooth Fire Brigade

After a very unfortunate loss to Round Towers in our first outing (a litany of missed chances proving our downfall) Maynooth under 14s beat a strong Naas team who had already beaten Celbridge. This was a fine display with every player giving their best for the cause. Tiredness in last 10 minutes nearly proved costly, but Maynooth were deserved winners afer a wonderful display of skill. This sets us up for a winners takes all clash in a local derby against Celbridge next Sunday. Best of luck!

On a side note, congrats to the rugby lads from the squad who won Leinster medals the day before.

GAA president Christy Cooney will visit Maynooth on Tuesday evening (9 March) to launch the Kildare club’s strategic plan.

Live from the big clean out, to get the equipment ready for a new
camping season. I don't know how all this stuff fit in the container!
The next problem will be, how to get it all back in!!!

Church in Chains: The Persecuted Church in China - Tuesday 9nd of March at 6:30pm in An Tobar, Student Services Centre

On Tuesday at 6:30pm in An Tobar, Student Services Centre, we will be having Nick Park, pastor at The Solid Rock Church in Drogheda speaking on his experiences with the underground Christian community and the persecution that they go through on a regular basis for their faith.

Bible Study / Prayer Meeting - Wednesday 10th of March at 12pm in Meeting Room 2, Students Union Building

On Wednesday at 12pm in Meeting Room 2 in the Students Union Building, we will be continuing our Bible Study of the Gospel of Mark looking at chapter 6, and we will be also praying for numerous things that affect our campus, nationally, personally and further afield.

 If you do not know where to find us, click here for maps of where we meet on campus.

 

To keep in mind - Christianity Week from the 30th of March to the 1st of April

The Greatest Debate - "This house believes that one cannot be truly moral without God"

In conjunction with Maynooth LnD we have invited the following speakers:

Dr. John Murray - lecturer in moral theology at the Mater Dei Institute, and a director of the IONA Institute for Society and Religion.

Michael Nugent - chairperson for the advocacy group Atheist Ireland. 

This will be taking place on the 30th of March in John Hume Lecture Theatre 2 at 7pm.

Back to Reality - "What is truth and where can I find it?"

We have invited Dr. Bryan Follis minister at All Saints Church Belfast, and author of "Truth with Love: The Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer" to speak on "What is truth and where can I find it?" at 7pm in the Student Common Room on the 31st of March.

Back to Reality - "Life in the Emergency Room - Finding Hope in the Midst of Suffering"

We have invited James Crookes, elder at Crescent Church Belfast and Brethren chaplain at Queens University Belfast will be speaking on the reality of suffering, and how we can find hope in it's midst at 7pm in Hall F - Arts Block on the 1st of April.

A primary school in Co Kildare has been extensively damaged following a fire.

The blaze at the Model School on the Dublin Road in Athy broke out at around 4am this morning.

Gardaí say the fire is under control and motorists are being advised to avoid the area this morning.

It is not yet known how the fire started.

www.rte.ie

On Monday March 15th, Riverbank Arts Centre will screen a short film about the locally renowned cobbler Bill Glennon. Made by filmmaker Daniel Balteanu as part of a final year college project, this will be the first time that the film will be screened in Kildare. The Cobbler is a brief but endearing and insightful piece about the life, work and traditional way of life of a longstanding member of the Naas community. Bill Glennon holds a place in many peoples’ hearts, and his dedication to the disappearing art of cobbling has rendered him as an integral part of the community landscape in Naas.
 
The Cobbler will be screened before the Monday night feature film Hunger. Written by Enda Walsh and directed by Steve McQueen, Hunger is the poignant story of Bobby Sands and the final days of his hunger strike at the Maze Prison in 1981.
 
Tickets are just €6 and include entry to both films at Riverbank Arts Centre, on Monday 15th March, 8pm. Contact Riverbank Box Office on 045 448327 for bookings.
 
The Cobbler Synopsis
 
The Cobbler is a short documentary about local cobbler, Bill Glennon, who is based in Naas, Co. Kildare.  It is a journey from past to present that focuses on his trade – a trade that’s not ‘necessary’ anymore, or is it? It also focuses on his story – the personal touch that he provides, his conversation with people, the repairing of shoes (instead of throwing them away and simply buying new ones). 

Bill Glennon has a warm personality and he is very chatty. He speaks about his job, and how skilful a cobbler needs to be.  He believes that there is a lot of passion in the work – and lots of patience involved. He told us how the shop, and trade, was passed from his grandfather to his father, and then on to him. He indicated that he was a bit sad because there will be no one to hand things on to, to take things over, after him. Bill felt very relaxed in front of the camera and he said that there would be no problem filming him as he worked.

To conclude, the documentary tries to capture, as briefly as possible, the story of his life, his work, the old ways versus the modern, the tradition of the true cobbler. 
 
www.danielbalteanuphotography.com