Tag Archives: Clane

Clane Tidy Towns Award Night

Clane Tidy Towns held their annual awards night on Friday 17th October last where the winners of their Best Kept Estates and Best Presented Premises competitions – generously sponsored by Clane Project Centre – were unveiled.

Clane Tidy Towns founding member Tony McEvoy compered the evening. John Kennedy, Chairman of Clane Community Council, congratulated the Tidy Towns team and everyone that contributed to their efforts on a wonderful year. It was a remarkable year for Clane took home its first medal in the National Tidy Towns competition, a bronze, a wonderful achievement for which everyone should be proud.

Tony then listed some of the local businesses, organisations, clubs and individuals that had contributed to this years success. This assistance was supplemented by the great work of the residents and their residents’ associations, as visible through their efforts in the Best Kept Estate competition.

The prizewinners were announced by Tidy Towns team member Jeanette Drumm, and presented by Ted Murray of Clane Project Centre, the generous sponsors of the competition.

The winners of the Best Kept Estates competition 2014 are:

Small Estates:
1 – College Grove
2 – Mainham Wood

Medium Sized Estates:
1 – Park View
2 – Otomy Estate

Large Estates:
1 – Central Park & Churchfield
2 – Abbey Park
3 – Joint winners Alexandra Walk & Park and Brooklands

The winner of the 2014 Clane Best Presented Premises competition is

KARE Centre on the Celbridge Road

A sincere thank you to all the estates that participated in the competition, and to everyone that has contributed in any way to Clane’s Tidy Towns efforts.

Le Chéile October 2014 – now available online

The latest issue of Le Chéile is now available:

Please click here to see the October issue o f Chéile

The October issue features updates and articles on:

Tidy Towns Adjudicators Report 2014
Plain Speakers Toastmasters
Mainham Cemetery Committee
Clane Toastmasters
Clane Tennis Club
The Evergreens
Clane Golf Club
Clane Musical & Dramatic Society
Godspell
Clane’s Strictly Come Dancing
Clane GAA
Know your Townsland – Moortown

If you wish to print out Le Chéile in booklet form please click here to download the booklet version.

To receive a reminder email as soon as future issues of Le Chéile becomes available please supply your details here:

Clane takes the Bronze in Tidy Towns 2014!

Every resident, business, club and organisation that contributed to Clane Tidy Towns activities in 2014 can take a bow: for the first time in its 40 years of participation, Clane was awarded a Bronze Medal in the national Tidy Towns competition 2014.

With a maximum score being 450 points, for our size of village Clane was just 9 points behind Silver medalists Buncrana and Youghal and 23 away from a Gold which was earned by Westport, Skerries and Carrickmacross.

Tidy towns has evolved significantly over the recent years and is no longer just about tidiness. The total of 450 points are available from the following categories:

Community Involvement & Planning (60)
Built Environment and Streetscape (50)
Landscaping and Open Spaces (50)
Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities (50)
Sustainable Waste and Resource Management (50)
Tidiness and Litter Control (90)
Residential Streets & Housing Areas (50)
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes (50)

The commitment of the volunteers on the Clane Tidy Towns team, together with the wonderful contributions of the many Resident’s Associations, Businesses, Schools and Community Groups in Clane were all noticed and commended by the adjudicator.

You can read all the details for yourself in the two-page Adjudicator Report for Clane. Please take a look and see how we were judged. If you have any suggestions for how Clane can do even better in future years we would love to hear from you. You can email ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com, come along to any of our meetings in the Community Calendar, or talk to any of the Tidy Towns team in person.

One great opportunity to meet the team will be our annual awards night which will be held later in October. This will be a special night to celebrate all the hard work of the community. We will publish more details on ClaneCommunity.ie as we get closer to the time…if you haven’t joined the Community Council mailing list already you can click here to stay informed.

Clane Community Council receives generous donation from Intel

Clane Community Council is delighted to have received $2810 – over €2100 – from Intel Ireland this year as part of their Intel Involved community outreach programme.

Clane Community Council Intel Involved 2014

Martine Grogan, Rita Mahon, Tony McEvoy and John Kennedy, all members of Clane Community Council, delighted to receive the donation from Intel

Intel distributes an amount based on the number of hours its employees volunteer with each approved charity. 2013 was a particularly busy year for the Community Council and with several Intel employees contributing substantial personal time the grant received reflected this.

John Kennedy, Chairman of Clane Community Council and himself an Intel employee, thanked Intel for their generous support of the Community Council. The money will be used to support the numerous initiatives it continues to run on behalf of the community including Clane Tidy Towns, Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games, Clane Frairy and Abbey Graveyard, and Lé Cheile.

If you or people you know happen to work in Intel – please get in touch if you’d like to find out more about the scheme.

Announcing the Annual Golf Classic – Friday August 15th

Clane Community Council

2014 Golf Classic

Friday August 15^th 2014 at Millicent Golf Club, Clane

Sponsored by Larchfield Park Nursing Home

The Clane Community Council Golf Classic is now an eagerly awaited annual event, made possible in recent years by the generous support of Nellie Dillon-Ford on behalf of Larchfield Park Nursing Home, celebrating 25 years of excellence in nursing care for the elderly. The Golf Classic represents the main source of funding for the voluntary Community Council and the money raised supports the voluntary work that the Council does in the village, including the need this year, again, for extensive work on the fabric of the Abbey, the symbol of Clane. The Council, besides providing a forum for discussion of local issues and representation of the Community’s interests, is an umbrella organisation for many projects, including:

Tidy Towns
Community Games
The Abbey Community Centre
The Abbey Garden of Remembrance
Friary and Abbey Graveyard on the Sallins Road
Liffeyside Nature Park
The Stream Park in the village centre, now the playground
Clane Heritage Project

We hope that you will be able to support our Golf Classic at Millicent Golf Club, Clane on Friday August 15^th with tee-times between 1.30pm and 4pm, although those who wish to play at other times will be accommodated.

Three person team, including a curry dinner, is €160
Sponsorship of a hole is also available for €75

The time sheet is in Marron’s Pharmacy. Your support is very much appreciated and will be acknowledged through Le Chéile, local newspapers and prominent signs at the golf course on the day.

Contact Des Marron ( 045-868112 ) or Des Drumm ( 086 2241761) for tee-times or other members of the Golf Classic Sub-committee: Nellie Dillon-Ford (045 892721), Tom Cleary (087 8273918) or Jack Kinsella (086 2630520).

Best-Kept Estate Competition – now open for entries!

Clane Tidy Towns are delighted to again hold our popular Best Kept Estates competition thanks to the continued generous sponsorship by Clane Project Centre.

This year there are some changes to the competition format. Rather than score an estate under various categories based on one visit, this year the judges will be asked to consider each estate from a broader point of view, and to make any comments they deem appropriate rather than give scores based on just one visit. They will take into account any initiatives since the last competition that they are made aware of in the entry form.

More information on the competition is available here and all housing estates are encouraged to enter. Paper forms have been distributed but estates can alternatively fill out the online entry form here.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact anyone on the Tidy Towns team or email ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com.

Our residential areas have helped Clane make great progress in the National Tidy Towns competitions in recent years. We look forward to seeing you at our awards night later in the year to help celebrate everyone’s contributions this year. Thank you for you continued support.

Le Chéile June 2014 – now available online

The latest issue of Le Chéile is now available:

Please click here to see the June issue of Chéile

The June issue features updates and articles on:

Clane Musical Society
Clane Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
The Evergreens
Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games
Clane Tennis Club
Clane Toastmasters
Clane Golf Club (Men’s Club)
Know your Townsland by Seamus Cullen
“What’s in a name?”

If you wish to print out Le Chéile in booklet form please click here to download the booklet version.

To receive a reminder email as soon as future issues of Le Chéile becomes available please supply your details here:

Le Chéile May 2014 – now available online

The latest issue of Le Chéile is now available:

Please click here to see the May issue of Chéile

The May issue features updates and articles on:

Clane Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
Clane Men’s Shed
The Evergreens
Clane Tennis Club
Clane Local History Group
Park View Residents
Collection for the Poor of Uganda
Clane ICA
Clane Toastmasters
Clane GAA
Fr John Sullivan S.J.
Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games
Kildare and 1916
The Boy’s Old School
Charity Trip to Costa Rica
Official Opening of the Community Centre (from our archives)

If you wish to print out Le Chéile in booklet form please click here to download the booklet version.

To receive a reminder email as soon as future issues of Le Chéile becomes available please supply your details here:

Le Chéile April 2014 – now available online

The latest issue of Le Chéile is now available:

Please click here to see the April issue of Chéile

The April issue features updates and articles on:

Clane Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
Plain Speakers, Naas
Clane Local History Group
Clane St. Patrick’s Day Festival 2014
Clane ICA
Clane Mens’ Golf Club
The Evergreens
Clane GAA
Thank you to a Local Hero
The Boys Old School
Clane Community Council from 1973 – 2013

Please note too that bookings are now being taken for adult education classes in Scoil Mhuire Clane. Please click here for a summary of the classes available. Classes can be booked online at http://www.clanesm.com.

If you wish to print out Le Chéile in booklet form please click here to download the booklet version.

To receive a reminder email as soon as future issues of Le Chéile becomes available please supply your details here:

Clane Community Council AGM

Clane Community Council held its annual AGM on January 27th.

Chairman John Kennedy addressed the audience, providing a status of all various aspects of the council, and an update on its plans. He called out some of the key achievements in 2013, the 40th of the Council, in which much effort was put into Celebrating Community. He referred to the updated Constitution, the relaunched website, the Community Celebration in the Abbey, the launch of the Claonadh award, the unveiling of the new honour boards in the Abbey and the big switch-on of the Christmas lights and Abbey Tower lighting.

The financial supporters of the Council were all thanked, including Kildare County Council,
The Heritage Council, Clane Project Centre, Intel Ireland, County Kildare Leader Partnership, contributors to our church-gate collections, participants and sponsors of our annual Golf Classic, and all those who made additional donations in support of Community Council activities. The Power and Drumm families were also thanked for their very generous donation to the community of the new external lights to the Abbey. The hard work of all the members of the Council was also acknowledged.

Looking to the future, the re-roofing of the Abbey’s Evergreen room, the transition of Le Chéile to a more sustainable model and the strengthening of membership of the Council itself were all highlighted as areas to be tackled.

Secretary Paul Carroll then presented the Secretary’s Report summarising the activity of the Council and its subcommittees since the last AGM. The wonderful successes of the Community Games and Tidy Towns committees were called out, as was the great progress achieved by the other Community Council subcommittees.

In his capacity as acting-Treasurer Paul Carroll then presented the Treasurer’s Report on behalf of Nick Fitzgerald, providing a comprehensive update on the Council’s financial position. Expenditure was up on previous years, the additional outlay for the various Celebration of Community activities being a major factor. In parallel, income was down – rental of the Abbey tower mast coming to an end and bookings of the hall remaining low pending roof repairs.

Executive officers for 2014 were nominated, seconded, and elected as follows:

Chairman: John Kennedy
Vice-Chairman: John Power
Treasurer: Paul Carroll
Asst. Treasurer: Anne Noonan
Secretary: Nick Fitzgerald
Asst. Secretary: Des Drumm
PRO: Tony McEvoy
Asst. PRO: Marion Doolan

2013 was busy but very enjoyable year, with many events arranged to celebrate community as part of our 40th Anniversary. In this coming year we wish to build on the momentum and reinforce the Council and the community facilities it manages for the benefit of all. We look forward to working with you, and appreciates your continued support.

For more information on the night including a summary presentation please see here.

“It takes a village to raise a child”

Clane Community Council would like to encourage all members of the community – whether they have lived here for a lifetime or for a few weeks – to get involved in their community.

As part of this effort, and to help mark our 40th Anniversary, a booklet has been produced introducing just some of the wonderful community groups in Clane.

Keep an eye our for it coming through your letter box. If it doesn’t arrive, please contact us for a copy. Alternatively you can download the booklet by clicking on the cover page here:

Community Council – Nominations Open

As you may know Clane Community Council is made up of volunteers from the community and members are nominated every two years. The current Council is drawing to a close – and nominations are now being sought for the new Council spanning 2014 to 2015.

To nominate yourself or someone else please fill out the nomination form below, also available in Londis on Main Street and in Le Chéile. Please pop the form into the nomination box in Londis.

Nominations close at 6pm on Friday 29th November.

Nominees should be 18 years of age or older and resident within the area of Clane highlighted in the Constitution of Clane Community Council. Nominated persons will be contacted to confirm their consent.

Clane Community Council

Electoral Term 2013-2015

Nomination Paper

I _______________________________________________
the above named, wish to nominate:

_______________________________________________
Above write the name of person being nominated.

____________________________________________________
Nominated person’s address (and telephone number)

as a candidate in the Community Council Election.

Tidy Towns Awards…Drumroll Please…

Monday 21st October was the occasion of the Clane Tidy Towns Awards night where all of the hard work of residents associations, local businesses and the Tidy Towns committee was celebrated. Our new All-Ireland Champions – the wonderful Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games Mixed Under 10 Gaelic Football team – were also honoured…

Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games

Clane’s Community Games endeavours lasted all the way to the national finals in Athlone this year as our Mixed Under 10 Gaelic Football team made it all the way to the finals…and won…becoming All Ireland Champions!

Most of the winning panel made it to the award ceremony and were presented with a little memento of the occasion. The full panel included Ronan Murphy, Dean Cumiskey, Oisin O’Sullivan, Seán Sheridan, Micheál O’Connor, Ben Kirwan, Matthew Walsh-Hussey, Ethan Farrell, Holly Farrell, Leah Feane, Patrick McNally, Rebecca Lynch, Rosemary Ennis, Daire Doherty, James Ball, Christopher Part, Laoise Gillman, Sean Finnerty and Sean Tighe.

The squad were carefully and expertly coached and managed by a team consisting of Ray Kiernan, John Doherty, David Farrell and Jill Gillman, all of whom were thanked for the time and effort they put into the panel.

Of course the team could not have progressed without physically getting to the various matches, and so for their generous financial support which enabled coach hire, local businesses P.D.M., Cooney Electronics, XL Tools Leixlip, David Lowe and Co. Ltd. – Greg Hopkins, Paul McCormack – McCormack Hooper Dolan, and Robert Massey – Bostik Ltd. were all thanked.

A special presentation was also made to the wonderful Martina Healy for her leadership and dedication to Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games. So many of the children of Clane have enjoyed Community Games over the years thanks to her hard work, and the work of her enthusiastic committee.

Congratulations to all involved and here’s looking forward to our All Ireland champions achieving even greater successes in the years to come.

Clane Tidy Towns

Clane Tidy Towns achievements were also celebrated on the evening. The chairman of Clane Community Council, John Kennedy, thanked the residents, the businesses, the churches, the schools, the scouts, the individuals and in particular the hardworking Committee of Clane Tidy Towns for helping Clane look so well this year, progressing even further in the national Tidy Towns competition than before, this year reaching top of it’s class in Kildare.

Matt Hayes from the Tidy Towns Committee then thanked the various sponsors of the night all of the contributors to the activities during the year before finally the moment of truth: the results of the best kept estates and best kept premises were announced. With prizes sponsored by Clane Project Centre, the winners were:

Small Estates

Awarded jointly to Mainham Wood and College Grove
Butterstream Drive and Lawn

Medium Estates

Park View
Oatfield Park

Large Estates:

Abbey Park
Central Park and Churchfield
Loughbollard

Best Presented Premises

Manzor’s – The Village Inn

Although not every estate could receive an award, no estate went home empty handed as Clane Tidy Towns had organised for a Nest Box and a bag of spring bulbs to be presented to each estate as a thank you for participating the competition. The Tidy Towns committee passed on a sincere thank you to everyone who helped out in Clane Tidy Towns activities in 2013 in any way – and encouraged anyone with any suggestions for improvements in 2014 to get in touch with any of them at any time.

Indeed – there is a great opportunity coming up this November 8th to meet with the Tidy Towns team: they are hosting a table quiz in Manzor’s on Friday evening in support of Clane Tidy Towns activities. Tables of four costing €40 with kick off at 9pm. Why not enter a team and help close off the Tidy Towns year with some fun!

Christmas Market and Festival – calling all local businesses and crafts people…

Following the great success of last years ‘Christmas Festival & Market’ Clane Project Centre will be running the event again this year.

On Sunday 8th December 2013 at the Westgrove Hotel, Clane from 1.30 – 5.30pm

Like last year there will be numerous stalls for seasonal fare complimented with Entertainment, a Kids playarea and a visit from ‘Santa’.

Clane Project Centre are looking for local Crafts people, Bakers, Businesses, Designers, Artists and everyone in between!

If you would like the opportunity to display and sell your wares they would be delighted to hear from you.Raffle Proceeds are to the ‘Little Way Cancer Support Centre’ Clane, Co. Kildare.

The Stall will consist of 6ft table with white table cloth. €30 cost of a stall for the day.

If you require any further information and if you would like to take part please do not hesitate to contact Marie Sheehy or Ted Murray at CPC Office on 045 861500.

Clane Poet publishes in aid of St. Brigid’s Hospice

David Joseph Cribbin is a poet who was born and grew up in Clane. He has published poetry in many poetry magazine and has had two of his collections published. When his father, Thomas J. Cribbin, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, in June of this year, he decided to donate the proceeds of his latest collection Father Crow and Other Poems to the St. Brigid’s Hospice in the Curragh after seeing what a wonderful job they do out there.

Thomas Cribbin, RIP

David said, “Dad himself had a way with words , he used to call his beloved GAA, ‘Nothing but 30 men in a field chasing a bag of wind.’ I’ve always loved that phrase ‘bag of wind’ instead of the prosaic – ball.”

Thomas passed away in August and David wrote the eulogy for his father and included the poem Return, which he wrote for him while he was being cared for in St. Brigid’s Hospice

Return

You’re going home,
returning never to
be turned away again,
returning never to
return to away again.

You’re returning home.

Your sheep are there –
their sleet fleece begging
to be sheared,
echoing the Sun’s heat
in a shining peal reply,
grazing in unconscious
contentment on dew
covered pastures,
luminous jade in
an eternal spring morning.

You’re returning home.

Your dog Shep is there,
his coal and milk pelt
wind tossed in the warm
breeze, doppelgänger
for the sea of
honey meadow grass
waving welcomingly
to you, beckoning you
to come and join Shep
bobbing in and out
of joyful reveal
and conceal.

You’re returning home.

Your water cart is there,
remade as you first
made it, fitted out with
its baker’s drums to
draw the rain clear water,
to thirsty mouthed cattle
on a gentle glide
home.

You’re returning home –
returning never to
be turned away again,
returning never to
return to away again.

David Joseph Cribbin
Clane
2013

If anyone wishes to donate by buying the book, it is available here – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Father-Other-Poems-Joseph-Cribbin/dp/1490913726/

Rescued from a Wine-bottle…

When Clane Tidy Towns were cleaning up a local stream they found something unexpected inside a wine bottle…when they cracked open the wine bottle see what they found for yourself below!

This is a White-Clawed Freshwater Crayfish, a protected species in Ireland.

It appears to have crawled into the bottle when it was smaller, moulted into a larger size, and got trapped.

Please don’t litter.

Mixed Under-10s Gaelic Football team make it to the All Ireland Finals!

Congratulations to the Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games Mixed Under-10 Gaelic Football team that recently won the Leinster finals of their competition. Next stop the Athlone Institute of Technology for the Community Games National Finals. The best of luck to our young athletes who will be representing Clane and Rathcoffey on the big day.

Celebrating Community in Clane – a special day

Community was Celebrated in some style on Sunday the 23rd of June last when Clane Community Council held a special Celebration of Community in the Abbey on Main Street. Festooned with bunting and banners, and with the Tricolour proudly flying on the newly commissioned flagpole, the Abbey was alive with dignitaries, special guests, displays from local voluntary groups, entertainment and a wonderful buzz of community.

Proceedings began at 3pm with the arrival of special guests the Mayor of Kildare Cllr. Micheál Spike Nolan, the President of Muintir na Tíre Mr. John Hogan and his wife Kay, and the Lord Mayor of Clane Mr. Des Marron. All were welcomed to the village green and given a tour of the Abbey and the various community groups that had set up their wonderful displays. These included the Scouts, the Red Cross, Clane Lawn Tennis Club, Clane Project Centre, The Evergreen’s, Clane Local History Group, the Irish Countrywomen’s Association, Clane Musical Society and Clane Community Council itself with its various subcommittees including Clane Tidy Towns, Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games and Clane Friary and Abbey Cemetery committee. The local branch of Comhaltas provided wonderful entertainment as people enjoyed the banter, renewed friendships and learned something new at the various stands they visited.

Master of Ceremonies Des Drumm then invited the Chairman of the Community Council, John Kennedy, to introduce our three special guests. The Mayor of Kildare, President of Muintir na Tire and Lord Mayor of Clane all addressed the crowd, as did the Chairman, all pointing out the wonderful achievements of the Community in Clane over the last 40 years and more. That the community had converted a roofless ruin of a building into the fine Community Centre that is now the Abbey was just one example highlighting what the community in Clane has been able to achieve.

The Chairman then announced the launch of a new Community award for a person, people or organization that has made an exceptional contribution to the community of Clane. It was the chairman’s honour to reveal that this award, the Claonadh Award, was indeed to be awarded that very day and a very surprised Mr. Tony McEvoy was announced as the inaugural recipient, to rapturous and sustained applause.

The presentation of the Claonadh Award was followed by the unveiling of a new plaque on the Village Green dedicated to Celebrating Community. This was followed by a wonderful spread of food and refreshments kindly donated by restaurants and shops in the Community. Larchfield Park Nursing Home also provided generous financial sponsorship to support the entire event.

After several months of planning, and indeed over 40 years of hard work by many community groups, everyone went home with a smile on their face. A sincere thank you to all who helped organize the celebration, all who contributed to it, all who participated, and all who attended.

We can all now see what the community can accomplish when it works together for the common good – imagine what achievements we will be celebrating in the years to come.

Celebrate Community in Clane this Sunday 23rd

The Abbey on Main Street Clane is the venue for a special celebration this coming Sunday June 23rd. As part of its own 40th anniversary, the voluntary Clane Community Council is organising a celebration of all things Community. With something for all the family, everyone is invited. Come along and meet some of the characters and some of the huge range of groups that contribute so much to the community of Clane.

Some wonderful achievements by the community will be marked, and wonderful contributors in the community will be celebrated. We will also look to the future, and encourage your ideas to help our growing community thrive even more in the years to come.

Clane Community Council look forward to seeing you there!

Launching “Coiseanna” … Volume 2

On Wednesday 17th April 2013, the 2nd volume of “Coiseanna”, published by Clane Local History Group, was launched by Mr. Des Marron, Mayor of Clane, in a crowded GAA Centre. This year’s volume runs to 124 pages and is chock-a-block with local historical information of great interest to all residents of Clane.

Clane Local History Group would like to thank the huge crowd who attended the launch; the GAA authorities for the use of their premises and the shopkeepers in Clane who are kind enough to sell the journal for us.

“Coiseanna” (named after Coiseanna Hill on College Road) costs only 5 Euro per copy and can be purchased at the following outlets in the Village: The Parish Shop; Marron’s Chemist; Hughes’ Chemist; Given’s Optician; Country Blossoms; Clancy’s Chemist.

The journal makes an ideal present for those Clane people who have had to emigrate in recent years.

We hope you enjoy the read.