Heritage of Old Kilcullen celebrated with new website

PEOPLE who live in the Old Kilcullen area are in an extraordinary place, Co Kildare heritage officer Dara Wyer told many of them last week. 

He was speaking at the area's annual Picnic on the Green, during which he participated in the official launch of a web resource about the heritage of Old Kilcullen.

"The townland is between probably the most important prehistoric site in Leinster, Dún Ailinne, and one of the province's most important ecclesiastical sites as well," he said. 

"We often don't know enough about what's around us, and one of my jobs is to help increase that awareness. I'm delighted to see this resource online." 

He commended the initiative as showing the background to Old Kilcullen in a way that's understandable to all.

Earlier, retired Newbridge doctor and local historian Michael O'Connell had spoken about how he had researched the information for the oldkilcullenheritage.ie portal, which includes commentary on the monastic site's early years, the Norman influence, the Eustace years, the 1798 Rebellion, and its possible inclusion on the traditional St Brigid’s Way.

The website, produced with support from Kildare County Council’s Heritage Department in association with the Old Kilcullen Area Community Association, was developed from an idea by area resident Dr Brendan O’Shea and Kilcullen-born Dr O’Connell, who has also extensively researched many other local places of historic significance, including New Abbey. 

The resource is designed for easy mobile phone access, so visitors to Old Kilcullen can, by scanning a QR code, quickly gain a sense of Old Kilcullen’s place through more than 1,300 years.

Cllr Ivan Keatley said the website was extremely useful for visitors to Old Kilcullen, and he was glad to hear that it can be added to with other information. 

"This can be a living resource," he said, suggesting it might include the geophysical surveys which had been carried out in recent years, and the biodiversity plan developed by the Old Kilcullen Area Community Association.

The association inaugurated the Picnic on the Green in 2019 and, apart from the pandemic year of 2020, has been a much-anticipated fixture on the Kilcullen calendar of annual events. 

For the younger folk, Sinead's face painting created walking works of art, and Reuben Evans entertained with magic and the kind of secret chat that only little ones understand. 

Martin Murphy and colleagues tried unsuccessfully to be Packie Bonnars against the determined onslaught of boys and girls on the penalty shootouts. 

There were burgers and strawberries (separately), and music as usual from John Kelly and Terry McNally. Rain threatened, but heard off, and a great day was had by all.