Star of legendary comedy, Father Ted, Pauline McLynn and Focus Ireland are urging people to hold a Get Together in aid of people who are homeless in Ireland this May Bank Holiday weekend.

The recent homeless figures show that over 10,000 people in Ireland are now homeless.  This is a stark figure with over 4,000 of them children.  These children are growing up in unsecure emergency accommodation, living in one bedroom with nowhere to cook or play.

This Bank Holiday weekend Get Together and raise money for people who are homeless, hold a Get Together with your family and friends.

A Get Together could be a dinner party, afternoon tea party, hill walking, neighbourhood street party, dog walking, book club, movie night, a bbq, sports events and picnics.  There are lots of ideas to be found on www.focusireland.ie.  Then your guests make a donation to fund Focus Ireland’s work to prevent family homelessness in Ireland - it’s that simple!

Do you know where your money goes?

• €20 will provide warm nutritious meals for a family experiencing homelessness
• €50 can help provide school supplies, books and a uniform for a child living in emergency accommodation.

• €100 will help to provide the practical, short term supplies a family experiencing homelessness urgently needs.
• €250 can help provide one-to-one specialized support for a child traumatised by their experience of homelessness.
• €750 can help provide urgent supports for a family on the brink of crisis.
• €1500 can provide essential resources to help prevent more families from becoming homeless.

Pauline McLynn said “I am really concerned - and shocked - by the awful crisis of homelessness in our country.  It’s heart-breaking to see how this crisis has escalated with so many families being forced into homelessness by spiralling rents or by an unexpected life event such as ill health, relationship breakdown or financial difficulties.  I think our society has always been a caring nation and I believe people will respond wholeheartedly to this fantastic idea, and host great Get Togethers nationwide."

Pat Dennigan, CEO, Focus Ireland said: “The May Bank Holiday is always a time when family and friends come together to relax, catch up and enjoy themselves.  However, many families and individuals who are homeless can’t do this as they have no place to call home and are stuck in hotels or hostels.”

He said: "It would be great if when people come together in their homes, workplaces or local clubs this May Bank Holiday we could all give a thought to the thousands of people who are homeless and many more at risk.  You can hold a Get Together and also really make an impact to help prevent more families and children from experiencing homelessness.”

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

A 29-year-old journalist has died after shots were fired in Derry, with police in Northern Ireland.

The victim has been named as Lyra McKee, who was a journalist,

Police in Northern Ireland have launched a murder inquiry after her death in the Creggan area of the city amid unrest yesterday evening.

Journalist Leona O'Neill said: "I was standing beside this young woman when she fell beside a police Land Rover  in Creggan, Derry. I called an ambulance for her but police put her in the back of their vehicle and rushed her to hospital where she died. Just 29 years old. Sick to my stomach tonight."

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said police had information of planned attacks in the city over the Easter weekend and had carried out searches for munitions and firearms.

Police said 50 petrol bombs were thrown at police before the gunman appeared at around 11pm. She was rushed to hospital where she died.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

A devastated Co Kildare family are seeking help from members of the public to locate their missing Minature Poodle dog 'Piper' who was last spotted on the Straffan to Sallins Road yesterday afternoon, April 18.

Piper is described as a 6-month-old female black Minature Poodle and she is a much loved family pet.

"She’s 6 months old & seemingly her hair is a lot longer now as this is an old photo. If anyone has seen her please contact us as the family are devastated," said a friend of the family who is helping in the search for missing Piper.

Anyone with information or who may know of Piper's current location is asked to contact us at KildareNow.

Piper is a minature poodle and she is a beloved family pet

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

The first resource for young people who are transsexual in rural Ireland is being launched today.

A new resource for young people and their educators called Young and Trans in Rural Ireland, is launched today by Youth Work Ireland, the largest youth organisation in Ireland working with 116,000 young people every week. Attending the launch was trans actor Jack Murphy from Fair City.

The resource which is the first of its kind, will be used by those working with young people across the country, to help them become the best trans allies they can be and in turn help Ireland become a truly trans-inclusive society. The innovative resource will also be made available for schools across the country.

In recent years Ireland has become a more inclusive society with the passing of equality-based referenda and legislation.

According to Dr. Patrick Burke, CEO of Youth Work Ireland: "By highlighting the issues faced by young trans people and the supports they say are needed, we hope this resource will continue to bring us further along the road to true equality for all, irrespective of identity or gender.

Jack Murphy said: “I’m 100% behind this new resource that the very talented young people put together in Youth Work Ireland for trans people in rural parts of Ireland, I hope it succeeds and becomes a part of schools Relationships and sexuality education in schools for the future, I had an amazing time meeting the young people behind the booklet today and they have a very bright future ahead of them as they are extremely intelligent, hard working and most importantly passionate about the work that is being done by themselves and youth leaders. I wish I had these resources growing up, it would have made things so much easier“

Growing up trans in Rural Ireland

• There is more of a chance of being ostracised from a smaller rural community than an urban one when people see you as being different from everyone else.

• It is harder to date in a rural community because there is a very small pool of people to choose from and everyone knows everyone, and because of this there is a tendency for young trans people to use dating apps which can lead to risky behaviour or unsafe experiences.

• Within rural communities you can find yourself becoming the piece of town gossip, and you have to learn to navigate local dynamics around who accepts you and who doesn’t.

• There is a lack of amenities and very little services and supports in rural areas and some that are there, are not effective enough.

• There is a lack of transportation in rural towns which means if there are other groups you want to go to out of town, you have to have your own transport or rely on parents.

• There may be no other trans people in a rural area, so there is no peer support and you can easily be misunderstood, leading to isolation and depression.

• It can be lonely being trans in rural Ireland.

What young trans people want youth workers and educators to know and do to support them:

• Don’t make assumptions about a person’s gender based on how they present physically

• Respect non-conformity and individuality

• Educate yourself on trans issues, know, understand and use correct terms and language

• Normalise pronouns and have more respect for alternative pronouns, it would be good for youth workers to wear pronoun badges

• Have gender neutral bathrooms in youth centres where possible

• Support the young trans person even if you initially think it might be a ‘phase’ – they know themselves better than you do

Dr Burke continued: "Many face high levels of transphobic bullying, social anxiety, discrimination and isolation. We are now responding to this need by facilitating youth work with trans young people and developing and resources to promote this as a normal mainstream part of youth work throughout Ireland. We were delighted to work with our friends in TENI to support and provide a safe space for young trans people to raise awareness of the supports they say are needed to help their community to be accepted, respected and valued.”

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

A South Kildare TD has been a long time lobbying for the new school at St Pauls in Monasterevin.

Last week Deputy Fiona  O’Loughlin reiterated her frustration to the Taoiseach over the continued delays that are holding up the progress.

Deputy O’Loughlin said:“In the Dáil last week I again raised my frustration over the delays within the Department of Education and Skills to progress with the tendering process for a new school for St Paul's in Monasterevin."

She said:“Earlier in the year I brought my Party Leader, Micheál Martin and candidate for the upcoming elections, Anne Connolly to meet with the Principal, Brian Bergan, teachers and concerned parents. Micheál couldn’t believe how well the school were coping given the facilities they had. The school are waiting 16 years for a new building and there is always one thing after another that delays the development for them”.

She said:“I am disappointed with the Taoiseach's

response and I am disappointed with the lack of development that has been continually promised by the Minster and Department. The wider community of Monasterevin are extremely disappointed with the situation and I feel the Minister and his Department are letting them down even more by not speeding up the procedure to get to tendering”.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

Resurfacing works will take place at Abbey Street Car Park, Naas, next Tuesday 23 April.

According to Kildare County Council the car park will remain closed temporarily until Saturday 27 April, 2019, to facilitate the resurfacing works.

Kildare County Council wishes to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

A dog rescued from the pound is now working for a Search and Rescue Team mainly based in Co Wicklow.

Rowan has been trained to air scent  and can find anyone missing in an area. SARDA Ireland is a voluntary 999 / 112 emergency search and rescue organisation concerned with the training, assessment and deployment of Air Scenting Search and Rescue Dogs to search for missing persons

His trainer, Sheelagh O'Malley, member of SARDA, said: "A lot of the time the dog's task is to eliminate if there is anyone in the area or not."

She is urging people to take care this weekend while out hill walking, and advises people to take clothing for any kind of weather and to know how to navigate with a compass and map.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

A talented young singer, songwriter/rapper from Co Kildare is making waves on the music scene with a live performance on FM104 this Easter Monday and he is also working on a debut EP.

Craig Cooney is a 25-year-old songwriter and he is originally from Straffan in Co Kildare.  Craig first fell in love with Hip Hop music at the young age of 8 years old.

He quickly became obsessed with rhyme schemes, beats, flow and lyricism. Fast forward to 2018 when Craig was having a few drinks with some friends in his house, he did a 5 minute freestyle that blew up in a matter of days from being uploaded amassing over 157,000 views worldwide. He decided to set up Craig Cooney Music on Facebook which, since its inception, has gained a loyal fan base of over 3.5k people from all over the world, which continues to grow everyday.

When the page was set up he joined forces with Wave Recording Studios & Wilsain Media to add the much needed professional touch and be a part of a strong, supportive team. Craig takes pride in his music and writes about experiences that hes been through and what he finds relatable.

Speaking to KildareNow this weekend, Craig said: "I'm doing music seriously about 1 year and a half I'd say but it's really starting to take off now. What started it off was a freestyle rap I did back then (in 2018) and it went viral amassing over 130, 000 views. That's when I realised I want to do this seriously. I met with Wave Recording Studios and Wildain Media and the rest is history."

Craig's first release was "Time Will Heal" featuring Breana Marin from California, this was the first project that Wave Recording Studios, Wilsain Media and Craig Cooney worked on together.

The song is about fighting with his thoughts, dealing with fake friends , realizing self worth and one self's true potential. "I'm a very shy person if I don't know someone, I would describe myself as quite reserved, not really one to tell people how I feel, when I rap I find it easy to let the true me out, the one that isn't shy and tell people how I feel through my music, its almost like it's an alter ego of mine," Craig explained.

"Time Will Heal" racked up over 5.5k views on Youtube, 22k views on Facebook and over 1.5k streams on Spotify.

In 2018 Craig was the opening/supporting act for the Headline Mack Fleetwood at Duke Fest Open Air Show in Maynooth.

Craig is a big supporter of Charities and Organisations and wants to use his platform to spread awareness about Mental Health, Suicide Prevention, Sepsis awareness and more. Craig performed at the LIL RED event in memory of Sean "Lil Red" Hughes, who sadly passed away from Sepsis.

This Easter Monday Craig is set to perform his latest single "Proud" on FM104 and the song is a collaboration with Danny Byrne Music also from Kildare who he went to school with.

Craig said: "The song was produced and mixed by wave recording studios ran by Cosmin Cantor who also is from Kildare and attended school with us. The video follows my best Friend Nate Enright (Kildare based) training for a Championship Title in which he one and is now the welterweight champion of his division. I will performing live on Fm104 on Easter Monday, the song is a feel good motivation track called "Proud".  The video was shot and directed by my good friend Ciaran Casey of Wilsain Media from Roscommon."

"Proud" is definitely my favourite track to date," he added.

Now Craig has said that he is planning to release on two more singles and that he also wants to focus on doing an EP. "I do plan to release at least 2 more singles and then I'd imagine I will focus on an EP. I don't really want to rush it, I want to spend time with it, to do it properly and enjoy it in order to get the sound I want to hear. I rap about emotions and difficulties overcoming problems as opposed to your stereotypical topics," said Craig.

It's set to be a busy few months for this talented home-grown talent and check out the official music video for "Proud" by Craig Cooney ft. Danny Byrne below!

Follow Craig Cooney on:

Facebook: Craig Cooney Music

Youtube: Craig Cooney Music 

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

The ESB are appealing to members of the public in Co Kildare to be aware of the dangers and consequences of swimming in reservoirs this Easter bank holiday weekend as a spell of fine weather is predicted for the country.

Uneven ground, deep waters, changing water levels and fast flowing waters make the water storage facilities a risky place for swimmers to go as people seek ways to cool down during the warm weather.

According to statistics from Irish Water Safety, 62% of drownings in Ireland occur inland.

The water safety organisation has advised people to bathe in traditionally safe bathing areas. They have also warned of the dangers of swimming for extended periods – as the water temperatures are still cold around this time of year.

ESB reservoirs across the country include facilities at Poulaphoca and Golden Falls in Wicklow, Leixlip Reservoir Lake in Kildare, Inniscarra and Carrigadrohid in Cork, the Ardnacrusha headrace and tailrace canal in Co Clare and Assaroe and Lough NaCung in Co Donegal.

For more information and advice visit http://www.iws.ie/

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

The closing date for the completion of the €30 million Maynooth Education Campus is now scheduled to be May 22.

Kildare North Labour General Election Candidate Emmet Stagg has been in further contact with the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board in relation to the completion of the Maynooth Education Campus and specifically the invitation of Tenders from the shortlist of contractors to complete the Campus.

Two 1,000 pupil schools, and a shared sports facility, are part-built on the Moyglare Road site and it is understood to be the largest school capital project in the state.

KWETB have now advised Mr. Stagg that Tenders for the completion of the Education Campus were invited from the pre-qualified contractors on April 17 and Tenders have to be returned by Wednesday 22 May.

It is expected that the Tender Report will be completed by June 5th, reviewed by June 12 in the Department of Education and that a Letter of Intent would issue to the successful contractor on June 12 and a Letter of Acceptance would issue on 28 June.

The contractor will then go on site to complete the 2 New Schools by May, 2020, and the Sports Facility by the end of June 2020.

Welcoming the progress, Mr. Stagg stated that we can 'finally offer hope to the students, staff and parents of students of Maynooth Post Primary and Maynooth Community College that the New Education Campus will be completed next Summer.'

The Maynooth Education Campus, stated Mr. Stagg, is the largest ever school building project undertaken in the State which will see two 1,000 pupil secondary schools and a Shared Sports Facility built on the Moyglare Road in Maynooth.

In conclusion Kildare North Labour General Election Candidate Emmet Stagg stated that he would keep the pressure on the Minister for Education and Skills and KWETB to ensure that the construction tender deadlines are met.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

An earlier collision on the Clane/Kilcock Road (R407) is continuing to cause delays for motorists this Good Friday.

Accoring to AA Roadwatch, the collision occurred on the Clane/Kilcock Rd (R407) at the Prosperous turn-off earlier this afternoon. It is understood that traffic slow both ways on approach and motorists are urged to exercise caution in the area.

There are southbound delays on the N7 from before J7 Kill to J9 Naas North, and again on the M7 passing J10 Naas South.

Meanwhile, there are also reports of a crash on the M4 eastbound between J11 M6 and J9 Enfield blocking the right lane and median.

#KILDARE Collision on Clane/Kilcock Rd (R407). More here: https://t.co/PSzIBsvOzE

— AA Roadwatch (@aaroadwatch) April 19, 2019

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

A public meeting is to take place in Sallins later this month to discuss the "community lands" with local residents and groups welcome to attend.

The meeting will take place on Monday April 29 in Sallins National School from 8pm. The meeting is being organised by Sallins Community Council with the aim to 'provide the provide the general public with an update regarding the amenity lands' and to allow groups, organisations and individual citizens in Sallins the opportunity to share what they would like to see developed on the site.

In 2016, Kildare County Council acquired 33 acres in Sallins for community use and another 15 acres for the Sallins By-Pass and last September the council began preparing a brief for the appointment of consultants to develop a masterplan for the site.

If your group is interested in giving a short presentation to this public meeting, please email communitycouncil@sallins.ie with the name and contact details of the presenter.

Each presentation should be brief – a maximum of four minutes. There will be a questions and answers session once all of the groups have finished presenting.

Presentation facilities will be available if needed but organisers ask that your group forward the slides in PPTX or PDF format to communitycouncil@sallins.ie before Saturday 27 April.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

A father and son with an address in Sallins have both been bound to the peace for 12 months.

The son, appeared before the court facing charges of Section 3 drugs, dangerous driving and no insurance.

The father also appeared before Naas District Court charged under the public order act.

Garda evidence outlined how on August 9, 2018, the Garda was in an unmarked patrol car, that did not have an NCT disc on the window and a tax disc.

The Garda said that he spoke to the son, and that during this time, he was called to a separate incident and then heard a car driving at high speed.

The Garda went to where the sound of the car was coming from and observed the accused.

The court heard how the car started driving in the opposite direction to the Garda and then did a u-turn.

The Garda said: "I demanded a driving licence and insurance from him, he said that he did not have any. I informed him that I would seize the car, he revved it and it jolted forward and drove away from the scene."

At this point, the Garda said that the accused's father was 'abusive' toward the Garda.

The Garda said that he tracked the son's car and found €10 worth of cannabis in it.

Evidence was given in court how the accused had 16 previous convictions for public order and previous for possession of drugs.

Defence said that there is a 'significant alcohol problem' in the family.

Defence outlined how the family live in caravan accommodation in 'very poor circumstances', and that they have nine children, one who died in 2017.

Judge Bernadette Owens ordered that the father is ordered to keep the peace for 12 months on a bond of €250.

The son was convicted and fined €200 for Section 3 Misuse of Drugs, for dangerous driving he was convicted and fined €250 along with  getting a two years driving ban. He was banned from driving for two years for not having insurance along with being convicted and fined €250.

He was ordered to enter into a peace bond for 12 months, on his own bond of €250.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

As this year’s Trocaire Lenten campaign comes to an end, a young mother from Rwanda has sent a message of thanks to the people of Kildare for their donations which have helped to completely change her life.

Twenty-five years ago, Josiane Umumarashavu, who was aged 3, survived the genocide which saw her father, sister and two of her brothers killed along with almost 1 million other people.

 With her mother struggling to provide for her three children in the aftermath of this horrific atrocity, Josiane featured on more than one million Trocaire boxes that reached homes in Kildare and right across Ireland back in 2004.

Thanks to donations from the public during this Lent campaign, Josiane and her family, along with thousands of others, received support and equipment to help them improve their farming. This meant they could feed their families in the long-term, earn an income and allowed the children to continue in school.

Today, 15 years later, Josiane, 28, is now a successful businesswoman and is married with a beautiful six-month old baby boy, Gianni. Graduating with a qualification in business management and accounting, she now works in Trocaire’s office in Rwanda.

“I am very happy,” says Josiane. “Trócaire, and the supporters across Ireland, have made my dreams come true. Life was very difficult after the genocide. We didn’t have enough to eat and we couldn’t afford the fees to allow me to continue my studies after primary school. But thanks to Trocaire supporters, not only was I able to go to secondary school, but I then went to university.

“I am very proud that I now work for Trocaire and can help others, as well as taking care of my baby son. I want to say a big thank you to Trocaire supporters in Ireland - you have helped to change my life and that of my family, and you should be proud that you are helping so many people.”

Caoimhe de Barra, CEO for Maynooth-based Trócaire explained: “Josiane and her family is just one example of how the generous support from the public in Co Kildare is having a massive impact on those in the developing world, and how the spare change in the Trocaire boxes can really make a lasting difference for many years to come.

“This year, our Lent campaign has focused on the millions of families in the developing world who have lost their land and their homes, and are facing hunger, the threat of violence and no access to education and basic medical care.

“We are also responding to the devastating effects of Cyclone Idai in southern Africa. Your support for our Lenten Appeal can help Trócaire bring urgent life-saving care to people in the worst affected areas, as well as support more than 2 million of the poorest and most vulnerable people across the world over the coming year.

“We are grateful to everyone in Co Kildare who has fundraised and collected coins over Lent and we would urge you to return your boxes as soon as possible so we can begin to put your generous donations into action.”

Trócaire boxes can be returned to parishes across Co Kildare or to donate to the Lenten appeal, call 1850 408 408 or visit trocaire.org.

Josiane today holding her Trocaire box from when she was 12 years old

Proud mum Genevieve looks on at her daughter Josiane who now works for Trocaire in Rwanda

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

Pictured at the campaign launch at Glanbia CountryLife in Castlecomer, Kilkenny, were Jess Kelly, Glanbia CountryLife; Teresa Walsh, Horticulturalist at Glanbia CountryLife in Castlecomer and Nuala Young, Young Nurseries in Co Limerick.

Gardeners and plant-lovers in Co Kildare are being urged to ‘Plant Pink’ over the coming months in an all-out effort to raise awareness of and needed funds for Breast Cancer Ireland.

Glanbia CountryLife has launched its first ever Plant Pink campaign in all 14 of its award-winning garden centres across Leinster and Munster. In Kildare, CountryLife has a centre in Monasterevin. It wants everyone to buy a special Pink Dianthus, to become more breast cancer aware and to support the fundraising drive.

CountryLife will donate €2 to Breast Cancer Ireland for every limited edition Pink Dianthus sold. Members of the public can also support the initiative by logging on to the store’s website, www.countrylife.ie

The sun-loving plant, also known as Tickled Pink, was chosen because of its beauty, its unmistakable perfume, its resilience and its sun-loving characteristics, Glanbia CountryLife’s Jess Kelly explained. The limited edition and specially chosen Pink Dianthus is specially grown in Limerick in a biologically friendly way with virtually no chemical pest control methods at the family-run Young Nurseries, she added.

“Pink Dianthus is a fabulous flowering plant. It is hardy. It is vivacious. It is a survivor.We’ve organised special branding and awareness drives in all 14 of our garden centres to make our loyal customers aware of this fund-raising and awareness campaign.

“We’re a proud supporter of Breast Cancer Ireland and we’re hoping that this limited edition Pink Dianthus will be our top seller as the busy gardening season gets underway. It’s also a fabulous pollinator and butterflies in particular love it,” Ms Kelly revealed.

The Glanbia group has close ties with Breast Cancer Ireland. Last year alone, Glanbia employees raised over €100,000 for the charity through their Two Peaks Challenge, the Glanbia 300 cycle and the Glanbia Pink Bales campaign. The global company is also the title sponsor of the Great Pink Run which attracted 8,000 entries last year.

Breast Cancer Ireland funds the recruitment of specialist Breast Cancer Research Nurses, whose role is to collect and collate the vital patient tissue and serum samples into one large centralised resource which can be accessed by clinicians and scientists nationwide, thereby helping to build patient profiles, speed up discovery times and ultimately affect more positive treatment outcomes.

Aisling Hurley, CEO, Breast Cancer Ireland said: “Mortality rates from breast cancer are predicted to fall across Europe in 2019 due to improvements in screening, early diagnosis and treatment and it is initiatives such as Glanbia CountryLife’s “Plant Pink” that allow Breast Cancer Ireland to continue to fund pioneering research and awareness and transform the landscape of breast cancer in this country.

“Our relationship with Glanbia, which began over five years ago, has grown and developed and we are so appreciative of the tireless efforts of employees, suppliers and the general public in supporting their worthy initiatives. We encourage our supporters throughout Ireland to visit one of the fourteen garden centres and pick up one of the Pink Dianthus packs over the coming weeks and we wish them well in their gardening endeavours,” she said.

Supporters of the campaign can also support Breast Cancer Ireland directly by logging on to https://www.breastcancerireland.com/support-us/donate-now-2/

CountryLife Garden Centres are a network of 14 award-winning garden centres from Glanbia Ireland, Ireland’s #1 farm and rural retailer with 53 outlets. CountryLife is Ireland’s second biggest garden centre chain and includes a network of dedicated plant centres across Leinster and Munster and an online store at www.countrylife.ie with expert horticulturists in every store. They are stockists of a wide and varied range of quality plants, 90% of which are grown in Ireland.

In Waterford, CountryLife has centres in Dungarvan and Kilmeaden. In Kildare, CountryLife has a centre in Monasterevin. In Wicklow, its centres are in Ashford and Rathdrum. In Kilkenny, CountryLife has hubs in Ballyhale and Castlecomer and in Wexford, they’re in Campile, New Ross and Bunclody. In Tipperary, CountryLife’s store is in Fethard.  In Laois, its garden centres are in Mountmellick and Monastarevin. In Offaly, CountryLife has a centre in Tullamore. And finally, in Cork, CountryLife has a centre in Castlelyons.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

Kildare Under 20 Football manager Gay Campbell has confirmed that Daragh Ryan will captain the side in 2019.

Ryan follows in the footsteps of his brother Shea after he also captained the then under 21 side in 2017.

The Sarsfields man played a starring role in last year’s All Ireland winning team and as a result has been given the honour of leading the team.

Eadestown's Jack Sargent and Rathcoffey's Evin McGovern will be the joint vice captains.

Ryan was recently called up to the Kildare Senior Squad along with fellow under 20’s Liam O’Flynn, Darragh Kirwan and Niall O'Sullivan to join Aaron O’Neill, DJ Earley and Mark Barrett who were all starters in 2018.

O’Neill, Earley and Barrett have been part of Cian O’Neill’s squad since the back end of last year so it will be interesting to see what role the trio play on the underage side.

As well as the names already mentioned the likes of Didier Cordonnier, Jack Barrett, Jack Cully and Brian McDonnell are all involved again in what is a very experienced squad on paper.

Campbell had most of these players when he was Minor Manager two years ago and they kick off competitive action in May in a new revamped League involving Dublin, Cork, Kerry and Galway before they begin the defence of their Leinster Title on the 22^nd of June against Laois in St.Conleths Park.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

Pics courtesy of KNC Performing Arts School Newbridge

It's been a busy and exciting couple of days for 75 students from KNC in Newbridge who travelled over to Disneyland Paris to give a very special performance on Monday April 15, 2019.

The 75 students from KNC performing arts company newbridge travelled to Disney land Paris to perform on the main stage Disney and the group worked hard rehearsing their show for a number of weeks.

On Monday they performed to a full audience of over 2000 people and  received a standing ovation for their phenomenal performance! The cast was aged from 5-20years old.

Katie and Niamh Conlan are the directors of KNC which they set up this year in September 2018 and have already performed at ignite dance, perform Ireland rds, and now Disneyland Paris. Katie and Niamh were so proud of their students for their hard work and dedication and what a wonderful performance they gave!

"From the tiny tots up- they were true professionals on and off the stage. They gave a flawless performance! The audience laughed, clapped, cheered and cried along. 245 people travelled with KNC to support the troop!" they said.

Parent Tanya Whelan said:“A once in a lifetime opportunity, for an amazing performing arts company, who in such a short space of time have become one big family. We love being apart of it “

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

The death has occurred of Susan Connett
Leixlip, Kildare / Lucan, Dublin

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.

KildareNow Restaurant Review: The Lonesome Boatman, Clane 

 By Senan Hogan

  

GET IN TOUCH: If you would like your business reviewed on KildareNow or in the Kildare Post, send a quick email to: editor@kildarepost.com or tel (045) 408 200.

If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.