Mick Dooley – an appreciation
Time spent in his company was joyous The recent death of Mick Dooley brought deep sadness to Kilkenny, both in the city and in the county. A popular gregarious man, Mick was a committed community activist, integral to many projects that enhanced our society’s fabric. He was a true stalwart and helped make Kilkenny, through …
Christmas Poems
Welcome to the fifth and final week in The Kilkenny Observer’s ‘2025 Christmas short story series’. We invited five Kilkenny based writers to submit a short story or poems each week, which we hope you have enjoyed. This week we welcome Catherine Cronin and The Kilkenny Involvement Centre. The Observer wishes to thank all contributors …
Great production at Visual for Amber and new book launched to celebrate 80 years
Photos of launch by Martin Doyle Carlow Little Theatre Society’s recent production of Gaslight, by Patrick Hamilton, which was staged in the VISUAL in October was a hit with local audiences and struck a cord, not only for its high production values, but it was also widely praised for tackling the subject matter synonymous with …
Director emphasises vital role and enormous contribution to the fabric of local life
Photos: jbs Last week, The Kilkenny Observer attended the social gathering and end of term party at the Fr McGrath Centre, Kilkenny. There was an international mix of people from around the world gathered. The occasion was the end-of-term Christmas social morning for the students of the English Language programme. What might have been an …
Kilkenny County Council’s Fire & Rescue Service Introduces New Command Support Unit
Kilkenny County Council’s Fire & Rescue Service is proud to announce the introduction of a new Command Support Unit, which was brought into service to enhance the operational capabilities of the Fire Service across the county. This state-of-the-art vehicle, based at Castlecomer Fire Station, provides Incident Commanders with a modern, safe, and efficient facility to manage emergency …
Dolly, Molly, Betty and my Christmas rounds
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I am a last minute shopper. I have never been one of those organised people who have everything done and dusted a week before the Big Day. Folks who have presents wrapped, firewood stacked, fairy lights checked, turkey prepped and drinks in (that’s if they drink) and are cool, calm and …
Christmas: The best gift is to be present
CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton This year, forget the wrapping paper, the ribbons and the bows. We all have so much stuff… do we really need more? We can all get in a panic about buying presents which increasingly end up being recycled the following year! The best present in my opinion is …
Reading around the Christmas time
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR As the rush intensifies and shelves groan under Christmas tat, think about a gift that endures – books. One year on from last year’s roundup, economic turbulence persists, inflation is still here, crypto continues to surge and fall, and demands for climate action persist. Greed-driven bestsellers continue to exploit our …
Home is where the heart is at Christmas
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON The Italians have a good saying: “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi.” Christmas with family, Easter with whomever you want! That sums up the festive spirit nicely for me. It’s a time for tucking up at home with dear ones around us, for drinking, feasting and …
God only knows what Mary would say
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS The Catholic Church, of all Christian denominations, holds Mary the Mother of God in the highest esteem. The virgin who brought forth into the world the Baby Jesus, Son of God. She is there in the manger, with Joseph by her side, because there was no room …
