With the return of the Supervalu Tidy Towns Competition for 2021 following the event's cancellation last year because of the pandemic, the Kilcullen Tidy Towns effort is celebrating an 11-marks improvement over the 2019 performance.

Podcast produced by Brian Byrne.

A Fifth Year student from Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen, Ireland, who recently addressed a high-powered European Commission group on the mental health of young people, says he was very pleased to be able to speak up for his generation on what is 'such a large problem'. Produced by Brian Byrne.

It's exactly two years since the community of Ballyshannon began their campaign against the proposal to open a sand and gravel extraction quarry at a local farm called Racefield, which had been acquired by sand and concrete products giant Kilsaran. Kildare County Council refused the company permission, but An Bord Pleanala overturned that refusal. The community is now waiting to see if their request for a Judicial Review will be granted. Produced by Brian Byrne.

The annual Culture Night got back to some real live events this year and last evening in Kilcullen the sole contribution in town was organised by Dawn Behan of Woodbine Books. There was a small but very appreciative group in to hear Naas-based singer-songwriter Pete Kavanagh perform some of his songs, and talk about how they were brought to the recording studio and production. Produced by Brian Byrne.

Fully open again to visitors after the pandemic intermission, a visit or re-visit to Russborough House in Co Wicklow is well worth making today. With a significant amount of updating undertaken during the covid closure, there's now a completely new reception and shop area, an enhanced restaurant and cafe service, and much more to learn about the history and culture of the 'Big House' era, going back as far as the middle of the 18th century. Produced by Brian Byrne.

Kilcullen Community Action recently harvested its first honey from the two community hives which have been in operation over the last two years. The project by KCA's Pollinator and Biodiversity Group was initiated in 2019. Produced by Brian Byrne.

The Giant's Causeway in County Antrim is a geological fact that triggered the tale of two giants, Finn MacCool and a rival across the sea in Scotland, Benandonner. The unusually-shaped columns of basalt rock were formed many millions of years ago in a river valley when the now island of Ireland was a part of a larger continental mass.

A Kilcullen Diary production by Brian Byrne, in association with Irish Car+Travel Magazine.

Located in the former Customs House of Limerick there's a compact gem of a museum that is the legacy of a family who loved art, archaeology, and design. John and Gertrude Hunt left their diverse and amazing personal collection in a trust so that it could be accessible to everyone in the generations which came after them. Produced by Brian Byrne.

In 1868, a Dublin businessman took over the lease on an acre of land and a mill at Mount Usher near Ashford, in Co Wicklow. Today the Mount Usher Gardens are spread over 20 acres and host some 5,000 species of plants and are a botanical treasure. A Kilcullen Diary production by Brian Byrne.

(This podcast is also available on Youtube with visuals. https://youtu.be/1KFNAeJDwTQ)

Proposals by Kildare County Council to raise the speed limits on two country roads outside Kilcullen are 'ridiculous' and 'insane' according to local reaction, and people fear that it will take a traffic death before common sense is applied. A Viewpoint piece produced by Brian Byrne.