Two book launches and the Opening of Athy's Outer Relief Road

Two book launches and one road opening. That was the week that was! Or so it seemed until I started to write this week’s Eye on the Past. The first book launch was that of Adrian Kane which the Cork based SIPTU officer had arranged for the Teachers Club in Dublin. Adrian, the youngest son of the late Paddy and Ruby Kane of Avondale Drive, has written a book which examines the current state of Trade Unionism, the reason for the decline of the Trade Union Movement and how the movement can be revitalised. Launched by Eoin O’Broin, the Sinn Fein T.D. and housing spokesman, it brought together what anyone of liberal tendencies might described as agents of collective activism. It was an interesting evening with speeches by Trade Unionists who acknowledged the difficulties facing Trade Unions as they seek to attract young workers in the fight to protect the hard-earned rights of workers. The second book launch took place in Newbridge’s Keadeen Hotel a few days later. ‘Who Said Love Honour and Carry Water’ was the intriguing title of a book written by John Hynes in which he told the story of his involvement in completing Group Water Supply Schemes in all but four counties of the Republic over a 45 year period from 1968. John has written a detailed account of his involvement in Ireland’s Group Water Supply Schemes which like the Rural Electrification Scheme, started almost twenty years previously, brought huge benefits for rural folk. The successful completion of so many group water schemes was a major factor in the improvement of rural households and the easing of hardships for thousands of rural women folk. It brought about a transformation which was especially welcomed by the women folk and no doubt helped nurture the confidence and self-reliance which has become the hallmark of country folk. The successful completion of so many Group Water Supply Schemes required a business approach coupled with a cooperative community involvement. John’s accounts of his contacts with local community groups goes far to explain why engagement with the men and women forming the Group Scheme Committees were essential ingredients for success. His is an interesting story which in latter years was marred by an unidentified and unresolved problem between John’s company and some senior officials in the Department of Local Government. The mysterious stand-off effectively brought John’s involvement in Ireland Group Water Schemes to a premature end. Here in County Kildare the seventy-seven Group Schemes finalised by John’s company included Narraghmore, Barrowhouse, Clongorey, Kilkea and Leinster Lodge. The book is a good read with important details of one man’s contribution to the improvement of life in rural Ireland in the days before the Celtic tiger rose from its slumber. Before the second book launch the Outer Relief Road, which officials now call the Southern Distributor Road, was opened by the Taoiseach. The new relief road has caught the public’s favourable attention and is clearly seen as a most welcome addition to the town’s roads infrastructure. An unexpected bonus is the pathways which link the Blueway, the Barrow towpaths and the pathways on the new road. The Blueway, which for the immediate future ends in Athy, will see the development of a Blueway hub in or around the former Dominican grounds. If and when it’s constructed, the hub will enhance Athy’s attraction as a waterway’s town. A number of events happening this month include Dr. Sharon Greene’s lecture on Tuesday, 14th November at 8pm in the Community Arts Centre organised by Athy’s Historical Society. The lecture comes two days after another event organised by members of the Society. This is the annual commemorative event in St. Michael’s Cemetery on Remembrance Sunday, 12th November at 3pm to honour the Athy service men and women who died in World War I. On Remembrance Sunday we continue to remember not only the World War I victims but also all Athy men and women who died in war wherever and whenever they occurred. It’s a ceremony which has helped develop over the years the local community’s awareness and acceptance of the difficulties experienced by so many local families in the aftermath of the 1914-18 war. On Saturday, 11th November the World War I dead from Castledermot and district will be remembered with the unveiling of a memorial in the grounds of Scoil Diarmada. The much-awaited Lions Club Book Fair will be held in the ARCH Centre on the Kilkenny Road on Saturday, 18th November commencing at 10am and finishing at 4pm. There will be a stand offering children’s books, old and new, for sale together with a number of book dealers with a variety of interesting books for sale. The fair will offer a wonderful opportunity to get your Christmas presents well in advance of the festive season.